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Medical Evacuation from the ISS | Wobbling Black Hole Jets | Lunar Hotel Reservations: Your... · Space News Today

• 0:00
  Hello everyone and welcome to Astronomy
• 0:03
  Daily. I'm Anna
• 0:05
  >> and I'm Avery. Thanks for joining us on
• 0:07
  this exciting Tuesday, January 13th,
• 0:10
  2026. We've got an incredible lineup of
• 0:13
  space news to share with you today.
• 0:15
  >> We really do, Avery. We're covering
• 0:17
  everything from a historic first on the
• 0:20
  International Space Station to
• 0:22
  groundbreaking black hole discoveries.
• 0:24
  Plus, we've got some fantastic mission
• 0:26
  updates from NASA. And believe it or
• 0:28
  not, you can now put down a deposit for
• 0:31
  a hotel room on the moon.
• 0:33
  >> That's right. It's going to be a packed
• 0:35
  episode. But first, let's start with
• 0:37
  some update news from the International
• 0:39
  Space Station that's making history for
• 0:41
  all the wrong reasons.
• 0:43
  >> So Avery, we're witnessing something
• 0:45
  that's never happened before in the
• 0:47
  25-year history of the International
• 0:49
  Space Station. On Sunday, NASA announced
• 0:52
  the first ever medical evacuation from
• 0:55
  the ISS. That's right, Anna. The Space X
• 0:58
  Crew 11 mission, which launched to the
• 1:01
  station back in August 2025, is being
• 1:04
  cut short due to an undisclosed medical
• 1:06
  condition affecting one of the four crew
• 1:09
  members. The team includes NASA
• 1:11
  astronauts Mike Think and Zena Cardman,
• 1:14
  Russia's Oleg Platinov, and Japan's Kima
• 1:18
  Yui.
• 1:19
  >> And yesterday, we saw a really touching
• 1:21
  change of command ceremony. Mike Frink,
• 1:24
  who was serving as commander of
• 1:25
  expedition 74, handed control of the
• 1:28
  station over to Russian cosminaut Sergey
• 1:31
  Kudwerkov. During the ceremony, Frink
• 1:34
  called it bittersweet, and you could
• 1:36
  really feel the emotion in his words.
• 1:38
  >> I read about that think told coup, "It's
• 1:42
  an honor and a pleasure to be a
• 1:44
  commander, and I cannot imagine being
• 1:46
  happier than to hand over command to
• 1:48
  you." The crew scheduled to undock from
• 1:50
  the ISS on Wednesday afternoon with
• 1:52
  Hatch closing at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time
• 1:55
  and departure at 5:00 p.m. They'll then
• 1:57
  make an 11-hour journey back to Earth
• 2:00
  aboard their Dragon Endeavor spacecraft.
• 2:02
  They're expected to splash down in the
• 2:04
  Pacific Ocean early Thursday morning
• 2:06
  around 3:40 a.m. Eastern time. Now, one
• 2:10
  interesting aspect of this situation is
• 2:12
  that NASA has declined to specify which
• 2:15
  astronaut is experiencing the medical
• 2:17
  issue, citing privacy concerns. They
• 2:20
  also haven't disclosed the nature of the
• 2:22
  medical condition itself. This early
• 2:24
  departure creates an unusual situation
• 2:26
  on the station. After crew 11 leaves,
• 2:29
  there will only be three astronauts
• 2:31
  board, including just one American,
• 2:33
  Chris Williams. That's well below the
• 2:36
  typical crew compliment.
• 2:37
  >> Right. Normally NASA prefers crew
• 2:40
  overlap to avoid gaps in maintenance and
• 2:42
  research capabilities, but they've
• 2:44
  deemed this medical situation serious
• 2:46
  enough to warrant the immediate return,
• 2:49
  even if it means operating with a
• 2:51
  skeleton crew until the next rotation
• 2:53
  arrives.
• 2:54
  >> And speaking of the next rotation, crew
• 2:56
  12 was originally scheduled to launch in
• 2:59
  midFebruary. NASA is now evaluating if
• 3:02
  they can move that launch date up. Of
• 3:04
  course, this all has to be coordinated
• 3:06
  with another major event on NASA's
• 3:08
  calendar.
• 3:09
  >> You're talking about Artemis 2, right?
• 3:11
  >> Exactly. NASA is simultaneously working
• 3:14
  to roll out the space launch system
• 3:16
  rocket for the Aremis 2 mission from the
• 3:18
  vehicle assembly building to launch
• 3:21
  complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center.
• 3:24
  That roll out is scheduled for January
• 3:26
  17th with the first launch opportunity
• 3:28
  for Artemis 2 opening on February 6th.
• 3:32
  It's a delicate balancing act for NASA
• 3:34
  operations. According to NASA
• 3:36
  administrator, the ISS evacuation
• 3:38
  shouldn't interfere with the Aremis 2
• 3:40
  timeline, but it certainly adds
• 3:42
  complexity to an already busy schedule.
• 3:45
  >> Absolutely. This situation really
• 3:47
  highlights how NASA handles unexpected
• 3:49
  medical challenges in space. They have
• 3:52
  protocols in place, but this is the
• 3:53
  first time they've actually had to
• 3:55
  implement a full medical evacuation from
• 3:57
  the station. It's worth noting that
• 3:59
  while this is the first medical
• 4:01
  evacuation, it's not the first time
• 4:03
  medical concerns have affected ISS
• 4:06
  operations. Just last week, a planned
• 4:08
  spacew walk had to be cancelled due to
• 4:10
  these same medical concerns that
• 4:12
  ultimately led to the evacuation
• 4:14
  decision.
• 4:15
  >> We wish all four Crew 11 astronauts a
• 4:17
  safe journey home and a quick recovery
• 4:19
  to whoever is dealing with the medical
• 4:21
  issue.
• 4:22
  >> Now, let's shift gears to some
• 4:24
  absolutely fascinating astronomy news.
• 4:27
  Avery, astronomers have discovered
• 4:29
  something they've never seen before. A
• 4:31
  galaxywide wobbling black hole jet.
• 4:34
  >> This is really cool stuff, Anna. A team
• 4:37
  led by researchers at UC Irvine and
• 4:39
  Caltech's Infrared Processing and
• 4:41
  Analysis Center has found the largest
• 4:44
  and most extended jet ever observed
• 4:46
  emanating from a super massive black
• 4:49
  hole. And it's doing something
• 4:50
  remarkable. It's wobbling. The galaxy in
• 4:54
  question is called VV340A
• 4:57
  and the jet extends up to 20,000
• 4:59
  lightyears from its center. To put that
• 5:02
  in perspective, that's about 1/5 the
• 5:04
  diameter of the Milky Way galaxy. These
• 5:07
  jets are composed of superheated
• 5:09
  material being accelerated to near the
• 5:12
  speed of light.
• 5:13
  >> The observations were made using the WM
• 5:15
  KEK observatory's Kek cosmic web imager
• 5:18
  on Mount Aaya in Hawaii. But what really
• 5:21
  makes this discovery special is that the
• 5:23
  team combined data from multiple
• 5:25
  observatories to get the complete
• 5:26
  picture,
• 5:27
  >> right? They used infrared observations
• 5:29
  from the James Webb Space Telescope,
• 5:32
  radio images from the Very Large Array,
• 5:34
  and the optical data from KEK. Each
• 5:37
  observatory revealed different aspects
• 5:39
  of this phenomenon. Web's infrared data
• 5:42
  showed the energetic heart of the
• 5:43
  galaxy, while KEK's optical data showed
• 5:46
  how that energy propagates outward. And
• 5:49
  the VA radio data revealed something
• 5:51
  remarkable. The plasma jets are twisted
• 5:54
  into a helical pattern as they move
• 5:56
  outward. This is evidence of what's
• 5:58
  called jet procession, where the jet's
• 6:01
  direction slowly wobbles over time, kind
• 6:03
  of like a spinning top.
• 6:05
  >> Lead author Justin Kedar from UC Irvine
• 6:07
  said the KEK observatory data was
• 6:09
  crucial. He noted that the gas they
• 6:12
  observed with KEK reaches the farthest
• 6:14
  distances from the black hole, meaning
• 6:16
  it also traces the longest time scales.
• 6:19
  Without those observations, they
• 6:21
  wouldn't know how powerful or persistent
• 6:23
  this outflow really is. What's
• 6:25
  particularly surprising about this
• 6:27
  discovery is where it was found. VV340A
• 6:31
  is a relatively young galaxy still in
• 6:33
  the early stages of a galactic merger.
• 6:35
  Typically, these kinds of jets are
• 6:37
  observed in older elliptical galaxies
• 6:39
  that have long since stopped forming
• 6:41
  stars.
• 6:42
  >> That's a great point. The web data
• 6:44
  showed that the superheated coronal gas,
• 6:47
  the plasma erupting from either side of
• 6:49
  the black hole, measures several
• 6:51
  thousand parexs across. Most observed
• 6:54
  coronas measure in the hundreds of
• 6:56
  parexs, making this the most extended
• 6:58
  coronal gas structure ever observed. The
• 7:01
  discovery also revealed that the jet is
• 7:03
  actively affecting the galaxy's
• 7:05
  evolution. The KCWI data showed that the
• 7:08
  jet is stripping the galaxy of gas at a
• 7:10
  rate of about 20 solar masses per year,
• 7:13
  effectively shutting down star
• 7:15
  formation. This finding challenges our
• 7:18
  established theories about how galaxies
• 7:20
  and their super massive black holes
• 7:22
  evolve together. As Kater put it, this
• 7:25
  is the first time we've seen a
• 7:27
  precessing kilo parseek scale radio jet
• 7:30
  driving such a massive outflow in a disc
• 7:33
  galaxy. He also noted something
• 7:35
  intriguing about the Milky Way. He said
• 7:37
  there's no clear fossil record of
• 7:39
  something like this happening in our
• 7:41
  galaxy, but this discovery suggests we
• 7:43
  can't rule it out. It changes the way we
• 7:46
  think about the galaxy we live in. The
• 7:48
  next step for the team involves higher
• 7:50
  resolution radio observations to
• 7:52
  determine whether a second super massive
• 7:54
  black hole could be at the center of
• 7:56
  VV340A,
• 7:58
  which might be causing the jets to
• 7:59
  wobble. It's an exciting time for
• 8:02
  studying black holes and their impact on
• 8:04
  galactic evolution. This discovery opens
• 8:06
  up new questions about how common this
• 8:09
  type of activity might be in the
• 8:10
  universe.
• 8:11
  >> Now, let's take a look at what's
• 8:13
  launching this week. We've got a busy
• 8:15
  manifest with eight orbital launch
• 8:17
  attempts scheduled from China, the
• 8:19
  United States, and Norway.
• 8:20
  >> That's right, Anna. SpaceX is dominating
• 8:23
  the American launch schedule. As usual,
• 8:26
  they're launching two batches of
• 8:27
  Starlink satellites into the
• 8:29
  constellations Group Six shell, as well
• 8:31
  as a batch of reconnaissance satellites
• 8:33
  for the National Reconnaissance Office.
• 8:35
  The first Starlink mission of the week,
• 8:37
  Group 6-97,
• 8:39
  actually already lifted off yesterday,
• 8:41
  Monday, January 12th, at 4:08 p.m.
• 8:44
  Eastern time, from Space Launch Complex
• 8:46
  40 at Cape Canaveral. The Falcon 9 flew
• 8:49
  29 Starlink version 2 mini satellites
• 8:52
  into orbit.
• 8:53
  >> And the booster that supported that
• 8:54
  mission, B1078,
• 8:57
  was flying for its 25th time. After
• 9:00
  stage separation, it successfully landed
• 9:02
  on the drone ship. Just read the
• 9:04
  instructions in the Atlantic Ocean.
• 9:06
  These reusability numbers just keep
• 9:08
  getting more impressive.
• 9:09
  >> They really do. The next Starlink
• 9:12
  mission, Group 6-98, is scheduled for
• 9:15
  Wednesday, January 14th, at 10:01 p.m.
• 9:18
  Eastern from the same launch site. That
• 9:20
  will use booster B1085 on its 13th
• 9:23
  flight, landing on the A shortfall of
• 9:25
  Gravitas drone ship.
• 9:27
  >> Moving over to China, they have four
• 9:29
  launches on the manifest this week. On
• 9:31
  Tuesday, the Chinese Aerospace Science
• 9:33
  and Technology Corporation is launching
• 9:35
  a Chang Zang 8A rocket from Wong Chang.
• 9:38
  The payload is unknown, but this marks
• 9:40
  the first CZ8A mission of 2026 and the
• 9:44
  seventh overall. Then on Thursday, we
• 9:46
  have a Changang 3B/E launch from Xiang
• 9:50
  carrying another unknown payload. The CZ
• 9:52
  3B is one of China's workhorse rockets,
• 9:55
  and this will be its 103rd launch
• 9:57
  overall. Also on Thursday, private
• 10:00
  Chinese spaceflight company Galactic
• 10:02
  Energy is scheduled to launch a series
• 10:04
  1S rocket from the Oriental Spaceport
• 10:07
  launch ship. This will be the first
• 10:09
  series 1S mission of 2026 and the 23rd
• 10:12
  overall for this solidfueled rocket. And
• 10:15
  here's something exciting. Galactic
• 10:17
  Energy is also debuting its new Series 2
• 10:19
  rocket this week. The demonstration
• 10:21
  flight is scheduled for Saturday,
• 10:23
  January 17th from the Xiwan Satellite
• 10:26
  Launch Center. The Series 2 is a larger
• 10:28
  upgraded version capable of lifting
• 10:30
  about 2,000 kg to low Earth orbit.
• 10:33
  >> Back to the United States, SpaceX has a
• 10:35
  classified mission for the National
• 10:37
  Reconnaissance Office. NROL105
• 10:41
  is scheduled to launch Friday evening,
• 10:43
  January 16th, at 8:18 p.m. Pacific time
• 10:46
  from Vandenberg Space Force Base in
• 10:49
  California. This mission is using brand
• 10:51
  new booster B1100 on only its second
• 10:54
  flight and it'll perform a return to
• 10:56
  launch site landing at landing zone 4
• 10:58
  right next to the launchpad. This
• 11:00
  represents the 12th batch of satellites
• 11:02
  launched into this particular NRL
• 11:04
  constellation developed by Space X and
• 11:07
  Northre Grumman.
• 11:08
  >> And finally wrapping up the week, German
• 11:10
  company ESAR Aerospace is scheduled to
• 11:13
  launch the second test flight of its
• 11:14
  Spectrum rocket from Norway's Andoya
• 11:17
  rocket range. This comes after the first
• 11:19
  test flight in March 2025 failed shortly
• 11:22
  after liftoff.
• 11:23
  >> The Spectrum rocket stands 28 meters
• 11:26
  tall and uses nine Aquilla engines on
• 11:28
  the first stage and one on the second
• 11:30
  stage burning propane and liquid oxygen.
• 11:33
  It's expected to carry several cubats to
• 11:35
  sunsynchronous orbit for the European
• 11:37
  Space Ay's boost program. If successful,
• 11:40
  this will mark Spectrum's first flight
• 11:42
  of 2026 and the 13th worldwide orbital
• 11:46
  launch attempt of the year. It's shaping
• 11:48
  up to be a busy week in space flight.
• 11:50
  >> All right, Avery, let's talk about some
• 11:52
  mission milestones. NASA's Kurther's
• 11:55
  Geocona Observatory has reached its
• 11:57
  target orbit.
• 11:58
  >> This is great news, Anna. The spacecraft
• 12:01
  achieved this destination at Lrange 0.1
• 12:04
  or L1, which is approximately 1 million
• 12:07
  miles from Earth towards the sun. The
• 12:09
  confirmation came on January 10th
• 12:11
  following the spacecraft's third and
• 12:13
  final orbital maneuver, a 2-minute
• 12:15
  thruster fire on January 8th. For those
• 12:18
  unfamiliar, L1 is one of those special
• 12:20
  points in space where the gravitational
• 12:22
  forces of the Earth and Sun balance out,
• 12:25
  creating a stable position. It's an
• 12:27
  ideal spot for observing the Earth and
• 12:29
  Sun simultaneously.
• 12:31
  >> Exactly. And Kurthers has a very
• 12:33
  specific mission to capture the first
• 12:36
  repeated observations of the ultraviolet
• 12:38
  glow from Earth's outer atmosphere known
• 12:41
  as the geocorona. The mission is named
• 12:44
  in honor of Dr. George R. Kurthers who
• 12:47
  invented the ultraviolet camera that was
• 12:50
  placed on the moon by Apollo 16
• 12:52
  astronauts in 1972.
• 12:55
  That Apollo 16 camera captured the very
• 12:58
  first images of Earth's geocona. Now
• 13:01
  more than 50 years later, Kurthers is
• 13:03
  going to study it in unprecedented
• 13:05
  detail from its vantage point at L1. The
• 13:08
  love seatsiz spacecraft launched from
• 13:10
  Kennedy Space Center back on September
• 13:12
  24th, 2025. Since launch, the team has
• 13:16
  been testing the spacecraft's
• 13:17
  instruments and capturing what they call
• 13:20
  first light images while adjusting its
• 13:22
  course as it approached L1.
• 13:25
  >> I saw those first light images. They're
• 13:27
  really impressive. The spacecraft has
• 13:29
  two cameras, a wide field imager and a
• 13:32
  narrow field imager. Both capture
• 13:34
  ultraviolet light and the images clearly
• 13:37
  show Earth with this fuzzy halo around
• 13:39
  it, which is the geocorona. What's
• 13:41
  interesting is that you can also see the
• 13:43
  moon in those images and the lunar
• 13:45
  surface still shines into specific
• 13:48
  wavelength of light called Lyman Alpha
• 13:50
  because its rocky surface reflects all
• 13:53
  wavelengths of sunlight. That's actually
• 13:55
  why it's important to compare the Lyman
• 13:57
  Alpha images with the broad ultraviolet
• 13:59
  filter.
• 14:00
  >> The narrow field imager even captured
• 14:02
  two background stars that must have
• 14:04
  surface temperatures approximately twice
• 14:06
  as hot as our sun to be so bright in
• 14:08
  this wavelength of light. Kurthers is
• 14:11
  now beginning its final checkout
• 14:12
  procedures before starting its two-year
• 14:15
  primary science mission in March. From
• 14:17
  L1, it will provide scientists with the
• 14:20
  most detailed views ever of how Earth's
• 14:22
  outermost atmospheric layer interacts
• 14:25
  with the space environment.
• 14:26
  >> The mission is led by Dr. Laura Waldrop
• 14:29
  from the University of Illinois Urbana
• 14:30
  Champagne with the Space Sciences Lab at
• 14:33
  UC Berkeley leading mission
• 14:35
  implementation and operations. Speaking
• 14:37
  of missions reaching their destinations,
• 14:39
  Anna, NASA's IMAP mission has also
• 14:42
  arrived at L1.
• 14:44
  >> That's right. IMAP, which stands for
• 14:46
  interstellar mapping and acceleration
• 14:48
  probe, reached Lrangee.1 on January
• 14:51
  10th, just 2 days after Kurthers
• 14:54
  completed its final maneuver.
• 14:55
  >> The mission operations team sent
• 14:57
  commands to the spacecraft on the
• 14:59
  morning of January 9th to begin the
• 15:01
  trajectory maneuvers. Early on January
• 15:03
  10th, they confirmed that IMAP had
• 15:06
  successfully entered its final L1 orbit,
• 15:09
  where it will stay for the duration of
• 15:10
  its mission.
• 15:11
  >> IMAP has a fascinating mission profile.
• 15:14
  It's going to explore and map the very
• 15:16
  boundaries of our heliosphere. That's
• 15:18
  the protective bubble created by the
• 15:20
  solar wind that encapsulates our entire
• 15:23
  solar system. It will study how the
• 15:25
  heliosphere interacts with the local
• 15:27
  galactic neighborhood beyond. Think of
• 15:29
  IMAP as a modern-day celestial cgrapher.
• 15:33
  It's going to explore and chart the vast
• 15:35
  range of particles in interplanetary
• 15:37
  space, investigating how charged
• 15:40
  particles from the sun get energized and
• 15:42
  how the solar wind interacts at the
• 15:44
  boundary with interstellar space.
• 15:47
  >> But IMAP also has a very practical
• 15:49
  application. It will provide real-time
• 15:51
  observations of the solar wind and
• 15:53
  energetic particles, giving critical
• 15:56
  data that can help protect spacecraft
• 15:58
  and astronauts from adverse space
• 16:00
  weather effects. L1 provides IMAP with a
• 16:03
  stable and clear 360° view of the
• 16:06
  heliosphere. This position also gives an
• 16:09
  unobstructed view of the sun, which
• 16:11
  means the spacecraft can give about a
• 16:13
  half hour's warning to astronauts and
• 16:15
  spacecraft near Earth of harmful
• 16:17
  radiation coming their way. IMAP
• 16:19
  launched on September 24th, 2025, the
• 16:23
  same day as Kurthers. They traveled to
• 16:26
  Loan together along with NA's
• 16:30
  SWFO Lraange, which stands for Space
• 16:33
  Weather Followon, Lraange 1. At Loan,
• 16:37
  they join other spacecraft already in
• 16:39
  orbit there, like NASA's wind and ACE
• 16:42
  missions, and the ESA/NASA
• 16:45
  SOHO observatory. The mission is led by
• 16:48
  principal investigator David Mccomomas,
• 16:51
  a professor at Princeton University with
• 16:54
  an international team of more than 20
• 16:56
  partner institutions. John's Hopkins
• 16:59
  Applied Physics Laboratory built the
• 17:01
  spacecraft and operates the mission.
• 17:03
  IMAP is nearing completion of its
• 17:05
  commissioning phase and will begin its
• 17:07
  science mission on February 1st. The
• 17:10
  data from IMAP's state-of-the-art
• 17:12
  instrumentation will greatly enhance the
• 17:14
  usefulness of data from those other
• 17:16
  missions at L1.
• 17:18
  >> It's exciting to have both Kurthers and
• 17:20
  IMAP reaching their destinations at the
• 17:22
  same time. They launched together,
• 17:25
  traveled together, and now they're both
• 17:27
  settling into their orbits to begin
• 17:29
  their science missions.
• 17:30
  >> Okay, Avery, save the best for last,
• 17:33
  right? You can now put down a deposit
• 17:35
  for a hotel room on the moon. I know it
• 17:39
  sounds like science fiction, Anna, but
• 17:40
  this is for real. A company called Grew
• 17:43
  Space, and that's Galactic Resources
• 17:45
  Utilization, has publicly announced its
• 17:48
  intent to construct a series of habitats
• 17:50
  on the moon, culminating in a hotel
• 17:53
  that's actually inspired by the Palace
• 17:55
  of the Fine Arts in San Francisco. On
• 17:57
  Monday, the company opened applications
• 17:59
  for aspiring lunar tourists. You can
• 18:02
  place a deposit ranging from $250,000
• 18:05
  to $1 million to reserve a spot on one
• 18:08
  of their early lunar surface missions.
• 18:10
  They're targeting as early as 2032 for
• 18:13
  the hotel opening.
• 18:14
  >> Now, before anyone rushes to empty their
• 18:16
  bank accounts, let's talk about what
• 18:18
  this actually involves. Groupace is a Y
• 18:21
  Combinatorbacked startup founded in 2025
• 18:25
  by Skyler Chan, a recent UC Berkeley
• 18:28
  graduate who's only 22 years old. The
• 18:31
  company has received backing from
• 18:32
  investors in SpaceX and Anderil.
• 18:35
  >> What makes Grrew's approach interesting
• 18:37
  is that they're not planning to ship all
• 18:39
  the building materials from Earth.
• 18:41
  Instead, they want to use insitue
• 18:43
  resource utilization or ISRU technology.
• 18:47
  That means using robotic systems to
• 18:49
  transform lunar soil regalith into
• 18:52
  durable building blocks. Their road map
• 18:54
  starts with a 2029 demonstration mission
• 18:57
  to validate the process of turning lunar
• 18:59
  soil into bricks. By 2032, if everything
• 19:03
  goes according to plan, they expect to
• 19:05
  open what would be the world's first
• 19:07
  lunar hotel inside a lunar cave, which
• 19:10
  provides natural protection from
• 19:12
  radiation and temperature extremes.
• 19:14
  >> The initial hotel will be built on Earth
• 19:17
  and delivered by a heavy lander. It's an
• 19:19
  inflatable structure designed to host up
• 19:21
  to four guests for multi-day stays. The
• 19:24
  hotel is designed to operate for 10
• 19:26
  years and will offer views of the lunar
• 19:28
  landscape and Earth along with
• 19:30
  activities like W moonwalks, driving
• 19:32
  rovers, and get this, they're even
• 19:35
  talking about golf.
• 19:36
  >> Of course, this is an incredibly
• 19:38
  ambitious plan. In their white paper,
• 19:41
  Grrew acknowledges that execution
• 19:43
  heavily relies on factors outside their
• 19:45
  control. They need decreasing launch
• 19:48
  costs, regular and reliable crude
• 19:50
  flights to the lunar surface, a
• 19:52
  favorable regulatory environment, and
• 19:54
  supporting infrastructure like lunar
• 19:57
  power and communications. All of which
• 19:59
  are in various stages of development.
• 20:01
  The company's vision doesn't stop at
• 20:03
  Moon Hotels either. After establishing
• 20:05
  the first hotel, they want to help build
• 20:07
  America's first moon base with roads and
• 20:10
  warehouses, then expand to Mars, and
• 20:12
  eventually the asteroid belt. Skyler
• 20:15
  Chan, the founder, has been passionate
• 20:17
  about space since childhood. He said
• 20:19
  that I've been obsessed with space since
• 20:21
  I was a kid. I've always wanted to
• 20:23
  become an astronaut and feel extremely
• 20:25
  fortunate to be doing my life's work. He
• 20:27
  also mentioned that if they succeed,
• 20:30
  billions of human lives will be born on
• 20:32
  the moon and Mars and be able to
• 20:34
  experience the beauty of lunar and
• 20:36
  Martian life. There's actually a $1,000
• 20:39
  non-refundable application fee just to
• 20:42
  apply, and that doesn't guarantee
• 20:44
  approval. Selected applicants will
• 20:46
  receive invitations tied to specific
• 20:49
  mission roles and lunar stays.
• 20:51
  >> It's worth noting that this isn't the
• 20:53
  first time someone has proposed a lunar
• 20:55
  hotel. Hilton Hotels actually had a
• 20:58
  Lunar Hilton concept in the 1960s and
• 21:01
  even printed reservation cards and room
• 21:03
  keys as promotional items.
• 21:05
  >> True. And back in 1973, Hilton partnered
• 21:09
  with Trans International Airlines to
• 21:11
  produce a brochure inviting customers to
• 21:14
  a trip to the moon sometime after 1973
• 21:18
  with costs up to $25,000 per person. Of
• 21:22
  course, that never materialized.
• 21:24
  >> The big question is whether GRU Space
• 21:27
  can succeed where others have only
• 21:29
  dreamed. They've got the backing.
• 21:31
  They've got the vision. And they've got
• 21:32
  a founder who's putting everything into
• 21:34
  making it happen. The timeline aligns
• 21:37
  with NASA's renewed push to establish a
• 21:39
  permanent human presence on the moon
• 21:41
  through the Aremis program.
• 21:43
  >> Even if this particular venture doesn't
• 21:45
  pan out exactly as planned, it's
• 21:47
  exciting to see private companies
• 21:49
  seriously pursuing lunar infrastructure.
• 21:52
  The fact that we're even having this
• 21:53
  conversation about booking hotel rooms
• 21:56
  on the moon shows how far space
• 21:58
  exploration has come.
• 22:00
  >> Absolutely. Whether it's 2032 or 2042,
• 22:04
  the era of lunar tourism feels like it's
• 22:06
  genuinely approaching. We might actually
• 22:09
  see commercial lunar hotels in our
• 22:11
  lifetimes.
• 22:12
  >> Well, that's all the time we have for
• 22:14
  today's episode of Astronomy Daily. What
• 22:16
  an incredible day of space news.
• 22:19
  >> From the historic ISS medical evacuation
• 22:22
  and wobbling black hole jets to missions
• 22:25
  reaching their destinations at L1 and
• 22:27
  even the possibility of vacationing on
• 22:29
  the moon. It's been quite a journey.
• 22:32
  >> If you enjoyed today's episode, please
• 22:34
  subscribe to Astronomy Daily wherever
• 22:36
  you get your podcasts. And don't forget
• 22:38
  to leave us a review. It really helps
• 22:40
  other space enthusiasts find the show.
• 22:42
  You can find us on social media and at
• 22:45
  our website for more space news and
• 22:47
  updates. Just search for Astro Daily Pod
• 22:50
  on socials or visit us on the web at
• 22:53
  astronomyaily.io.
• 22:56
  Thanks so much for listening everyone.
• 22:58
  >> Until next time, keep looking up.
• 23:00
  >> See you tomorrow. Clear skies. Astronomy
• 23:03
  day.
• 23:05
  Stories be told.
• 23:13
  Stories told.