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SpaceX Shifts to Moon: The New Lunar Space Race Begins | Astronomy Daily · Space News Today

• 0:00
  Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source
• 0:03
  for the latest space and astronomy news.
• 0:06
  I'm Anna.
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  >> And I'm Avery. It's Monday, February
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  9th, 2026, and we've got a fascinating
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  lineup for you today.
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  >> We certainly do. And there's a definite
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  theme emerging in our first three
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  stories. It seems everyone's headed to
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  the moon. We're talking SpaceX, European
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  Aerospace, and NASA's Aremis program,
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  all making lunar headlines.
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  >> That's right. Beyond the moon focus,
• 0:30
  we'll also explore new discoveries about
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  auroras, solve a 40-year mystery about
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  Uranus, and catch up with SpaceX's
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  return to flight after a brief
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  grounding. Let's dive right in with what
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  might be the biggest surprise in space
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  news this week.
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  >> In a major strategic pivot, Elon Musk
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  announced Sunday that SpaceX is putting
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  its long-standing Mars colonization
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  plans on the back burner to prioritize
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  establishing a settlement on the moon.
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  This is quite the reversal, Avery. For
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  years, Musk has been the biggest
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  cheerleader for Mars, making it almost
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  synonymous with SpaceX's identity. What
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  prompted this shift?
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  >> It comes down to practicality and
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  timelines. According to Musk's post on
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  X, SpaceX believes they can achieve a
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  self-growing city on the moon in less
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  than 10 years, whereas Mars would take
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  20 plus years. The key difference is
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  launch windows,
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  >> right? The orbital mechanics are
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  completely different. You can only
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  travel to Mars when the planets align
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  every 26 months, but launches to the
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  moon can happen every 10 days. That's a
• 1:37
  massive advantage for rapid iteration
• 1:39
  and development.
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  >> Exactly. Musk said easier access means
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  they can iterate much faster to complete
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  a moon city than a Mars city. And this
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  isn't just about SpaceX's preferences.
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  It also aligns with President Trump's
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  space policy directive from late last
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  year, which focused on getting Americans
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  to the moon by 2028 under the Aremis
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  program. SpaceX is a major contractor
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  for Artemis. So, this alignment makes
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  perfect business sense, but I have to
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  ask, what about all those Mars promises?
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  Musk has blown through several previous
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  estimates before.
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  >> He has indeed. Back in 2016, he said
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  passengers could take off from Mars as
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  soon as 2024. And in 2011, he told the
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  Wall Street Journal it would be 10 to 20
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  years, but he's not completely
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  abandoning Mars. Musk says SpaceX will
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  still strive to build a Mars city and
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  will begin doing so in about 5 to 7
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  years.
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  >> So, it's more of a rep prioritization
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  than a complete abandonment. The moon
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  becomes the proving ground, the place
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  where they perfect the technologies and
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  techniques needed for off-world
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  settlement. And then those lessons get
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  applied to Mars.
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  >> That's the plan. It's actually a more
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  measured approach than what we've heard
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  from Musk in the past. Let reality and
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  results guide the timeline rather than
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  ambitious predictions.
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  >> While SpaceX refocuses on the moon,
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  Europe is also making moves in that
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  direction. German space technology
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  company OB announced it has established
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  a new subsidiary called the European
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  Moonport Company. This is interesting
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  timing. The company was actually founded
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  back in May 2025, but they only made it
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  public on February 4th. The CEO, Marco
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  Fuks, said they're supporting Europe's
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  ambition to establish a permanent
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  presence on the moon independently.
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  >> Independently is the key word there.
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  What exactly will this company do?
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  >> In the near term, it's primarily
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  consolidating OB's existing moon related
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  activities. They're already involved as
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  a subcontractor on several European
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  lunar missions, including providing
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  subsystems for European Space Ay's
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  Argonaut Lunar Lander, which is expected
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  to launch in 2031.
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  >> And they're also working on the Aspree
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  module for NASA's Lunar Gateway Space
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  Station. Right.
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  >> Correct. These contributions are part of
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  Europe's barter arrangements with NASA
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  to secure flight opportunities for
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  European astronauts to the gateway. But
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  OB has bigger visions. They unveiled a
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  concept for a central launch and landing
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  base on the lunar surface developed with
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  Munich Airport International.
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  >> An airport on the moon, though I imagine
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  it's more concept than concrete plan at
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  this stage.
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  >> You're right. The article describes it
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  as a high-level concept, basically a
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  model used for the press event. But
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  here's where it gets politically
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  interesting. OB's press release claimed
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  Germany took a lead role in lunar
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  exploration at ISSA's November 2025
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  ministerial council meeting.
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  >> I sense some skepticism in that
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  phrasing.
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  >> Well, the evidence doesn't quite support
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  that claim. While Germany contributed
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  the largest single share to exploration
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  at €885 million, that contribution was
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  made at the program level rather than
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  being specifically earmarked for the
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  moon. Based on element level
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  commitments, Italy actually committed
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  the largest share to ISA's moon
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  exploration element at 284 million.
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  >> So perhaps more aspiration than actual
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  leadership at this point. Still, it
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  shows Europe recognizes the moon's
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  strategic importance and doesn't want to
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  be left behind.
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  >> Absolutely. This is the second such
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  specialized company OB has founded
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  recently. They established the European
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  Spaceport Company in November 2025. It
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  shows they're serious about building
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  infrastructure for the new space
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  economy.
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  >> Speaking of getting to the moon, let's
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  check in on NASA's Aremis 2 mission.
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  There have been some developments since
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  the wet dress rehearsal that concluded
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  on February 3rd.
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  >> Yes. And it's a bit of good news, bad
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  news situation. Technicians discovered
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  higher than allowable hydrogen gas
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  concentrations during the test and have
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  been working to address the issue.
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  >> What exactly was the problem?
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  >> The elevated gas levels were found in
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  the tail service mast umbilical on the
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  mobile launcher. Once the rocket's tanks
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  were drained of cryogenic propellant,
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  technicians immediately accessed the
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  area and replaced two seals around the
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  fueling lines.
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  >> These tail service masts are pretty
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  critical, right? They're about three
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  stories tall and provide the cryogenic
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  propellant lines and electrical
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  connections to the core stage.
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  >> Exactly. They tilt back before launch
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  and include quick disconnect mechanisms
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  that instantaneously separate at
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  liftoff. Getting these seals right is
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  crucial for a safe launch. Engineers are
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  analyzing the removed seals and
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  developing plans to address all issues
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  ahead of the next wet dress rehearsal.
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  >> When do they expect to complete the
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  repairs?
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  >> Reconnecting the interfaces is expected
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  to be complete today, February 9th.
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  They're also planning testing at NASA's
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  Stenson Space Center in Mississippi, to
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  evaluate additional dynamics of the
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  plates, and they're reviewing options to
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  test the repair work prior to the next
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  wet dress rehearsal. I noticed they're
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  also making some operational changes for
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  the next rehearsal.
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  >> Right. They're streamlining to focus on
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  fueling activities. The Orion crew
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  module hatch will be closed prior to the
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  test and the closeout crew won't be
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  deployed to the launchpad. The crew
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  access arm won't be retracted since they
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  successfully demonstrated the ground
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  launch sequencer can retract it during
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  the countdown.
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  >> And they've added extra hold time. Yes,
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  30 minutes of extra time during each of
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  two planned holds in the countdown,
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  giving them more troubleshooting
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  capacity. The total countdown increases
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  by 1 hour, but it won't affect the
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  crew's timeline on launch day.
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  >> What about the astronauts? Reed Wisman,
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  Victor Glover, Christina Coach, and
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  Jeremy Hansen must be eager to get
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  going. They've emerged from quarantine
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  and continuing training activities,
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  reviewing flight day details and
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  ensuring their familiarity with Orion
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  systems is second nature. NASA still
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  eyes March as a next potential launch
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  opportunity, but they won't set a
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  targeted date until after a successful
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  wet dress rehearsal and data review.
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  >> Patience and precision. That's what it
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  takes to safely send humans beyond low
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  Earth orbit for the first time in over
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  50 years. From the moon to phenomena
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  much closer to home, an international
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  research team has finally answered a
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  question that's puzzled scientists for
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  decades. What powers the electrical
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  fields that accelerate particles to
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  create auroras? The northern and
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  southern lights are one of nature's most
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  spectacular displays, but we're still
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  learning about the fundamental physics
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  behind them. What did they discover?
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  Researchers from the University of Hong
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  Kong and UCLA found that plasma waves
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  traveling along Earth's magnetic field
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  lines called alphan waves act as a
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  natural accelerator. These waves supply
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  the energy that drives charged particles
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  into the atmosphere producing auroras.
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  >> How did they figure this out?
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  >> They analyzed data from multiple earth
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  orbiting satellites including NASA's Van
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  Allen probes and theis mission. The data
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  showed how these alphan waves maintain
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  the electric fields that would otherwise
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  dissipate by continuously transferring
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  energy to the acceleration region.
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  >> Though it's a sustained process, not
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  just a one-time jolt of energy.
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  >> Exactly. Professor Zong Hua Yao from HKU
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  who leads the team said this discovery
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  not only provides a definitive answer to
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  the physics of Earth's aurora but also
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  offers a universal model applicable to
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  other planets in our solar system and
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  beyond.
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  >> That's the really exciting part. His
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  team has long focused on auroral
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  processes of giant planets like Jupiter
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  and Saturn. By applying that planetary
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  knowledge to the highresolution data
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  available near Earth, they've bridged
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  the gap between Earth science and
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  planetary exploration.
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  >> It's a perfect example of how
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  interdisciplinary expertise advances our
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  understanding. The UCLA team brought
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  deep knowledge of Earth's auroral
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  physics while the HKU team contributed
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  their expertise in planetary
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  magnetospheres. And now we can apply
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  these insights to understanding auroras
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  on Jupiter, Saturn, and potentially
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  exoplanets with magnetic fields. It's
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  fascinating how solving one mystery
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  opens doors to understanding phenomena
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  across the universe.
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  >> Speaking of planetary mysteries, let's
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  head to the outer solar system and
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  revisit an anomaly from 1986. Remember
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  when Voyager 2 flew past Uranus and
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  detected unexpectedly high radiation
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  levels? That flyby has puzzled
• 10:36
  scientists for nearly 40 years. The
• 10:38
  radiation readings were much higher than
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  anticipated based on our understanding
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  of planetary radiation systems. What's
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  the explanation?
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  >> New research published in Geoysical
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  Research Letters suggests that Uranus
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  was experiencing a rare space weather
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  event during Voyager 2's visit, a solar
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  wind disturbance called a co-rotating
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  interaction region or CIR. These are the
• 11:03
  same kind of events that affect Earth's
• 11:05
  radiation belts. Right.
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  >> Exactly. Cir occur when fast solar wind
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  streams overtake slower ones, creating a
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  region of increased energy. Dr. Robert
• 11:16
  Allen from the Southwest Research
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  Institute led the study and said they
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  took a comparative approach, looking at
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  Voyager 2 data alongside Earth
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  observations made in the decades since.
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  >> So basically, Voyager 2 just happened to
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  visit Uranus during a cosmic storm.
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  That's the working theory. On Earth,
• 11:34
  these events can dramatically accelerate
• 11:36
  electrons in our radiation belts. Dr.
• 11:39
  Sarah Vines, a co-author, pointed out
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  that in 2019, Earth experienced one of
• 11:45
  these events that caused an immense
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  amount of radiation belt electron
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  acceleration. If a similar mechanism
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  interacted with the Uranian system, it
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  would explain the unexpected energy
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  Voyager 2 detected. It's remarkable that
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  we're still extracting new insights from
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  data collected almost 40 years ago. What
• 12:05
  are the implications for future
• 12:06
  missions?
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  >> Dr. Allen says this is just one more
• 12:09
  reason to send a mission targeting
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  Uranus. The findings have important
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  implications for similar systems like
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  Neptune's magnetosphere. Understanding
• 12:18
  how solar wind and radiation belts
• 12:20
  interact across different planetary
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  systems helps us refine our models of
• 12:25
  space weather throughout the solar
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  system. And it reminds us that single
• 12:29
  flyby observations, while invaluable,
• 12:32
  can catch planets in unusual states. We
• 12:35
  need return missions to build a complete
• 12:37
  picture.
• 12:38
  >> Absolutely. Uranus remains one of the
• 12:40
  least understood planets in our solar
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  system, and this discovery makes the
• 12:44
  case for a dedicated orbiter mission
• 12:46
  even stronger.
• 12:48
  >> Finally, let's bring things back to
• 12:50
  current operations. SpaceX successfully
• 12:53
  resumed Falcon 9 flights on Saturday,
• 12:56
  just 5 days after standing down due to
• 12:58
  an upper stage anomaly. The return to
• 13:01
  flight came with a Starlink mission from
• 13:02
  Vandenberg Space Force Base in
• 13:04
  California. The Falcon 9 lifted off at
• 13:07
  12:58 p.m. local time, carrying 25
• 13:10
  Starlink satellites.
• 13:12
  >> And everything went smoothly this time,
• 13:14
  >> perfectly. The satellites were deployed
• 13:16
  as planned about an hour after liftoff.
• 13:19
  The first stage booster making its 13th
• 13:21
  flight successfully landed on the drone
• 13:23
  ship of course I still love you in the
• 13:26
  Pacific Ocean. Most importantly, the
• 13:28
  upper stage performed as expected.
• 13:30
  >> That's a relief after the February 2nd
• 13:33
  incident. What exactly happened during
• 13:35
  that flight?
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  >> After successfully deploying its
• 13:38
  Starling payload, the upper stage
• 13:40
  experienced what SpaceX called an
• 13:42
  offnormal condition. A gas bubble formed
• 13:45
  in the transfer tube ahead of the
• 13:46
  planned theorbit burn, preventing the
• 13:48
  stage from reigniting. The vehicle then
• 13:51
  performed as designed to passivate the
• 13:53
  stage, which re-entered over the
• 13:55
  southern Indian Ocean about 10.5 hours
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  later.
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  >> So, it wasn't a catastrophic failure,
• 14:01
  but it wasn't nominal either. How
• 14:04
  quickly did SpaceX turn this around?
• 14:06
  >> Impressively fast. They submitted a
• 14:08
  report to the FAA including the likely
• 14:11
  cause and corrective actions. The FAA
• 14:13
  cleared them to resume launches earlier
• 14:15
  this week. And here we are back to
• 14:18
  flying. This was SpaceX's 15th launch of
• 14:21
  2026. With over 9,600
• 14:25
  active Starlink satellites now in orbit,
• 14:27
  these launches have become almost
• 14:29
  routine, but each one still requires
• 14:32
  meticulous attention to safety and
• 14:34
  reliability.
• 14:35
  >> Absolutely. And speaking of Starlink,
• 14:38
  this particular mission added 25 more
• 14:40
  satellites to the constellation.
• 14:42
  continuing to expand global broadband
• 14:44
  coverage.
• 14:45
  >> What a lineup today. From SpaceX's
• 14:48
  strategic pivot to the moon to Europe's
• 14:50
  lunar ambitions, NASA's Aremis
• 14:53
  preparations, and fascinating planetary
• 14:55
  science discoveries.
• 14:57
  >> The moon is definitely having a moment.
• 14:59
  It's exciting to see this renewed focus
• 15:01
  on our nearest neighbor, not just for
• 15:03
  scientific exploration, but for
• 15:05
  permanent human settlement. And solving
• 15:08
  mysteries about auroras and Uranus
• 15:10
  reminds us that there's still so much to
• 15:12
  learn, both in our cosmic backyard and
• 15:15
  in data we collected decades ago.
• 15:18
  >> That's it for today's episode of
• 15:19
  Astronomy Daily. Thanks for joining us.
• 15:22
  >> For the latest space and astronomy news,
• 15:24
  visit our website at astronomyaily.io.
• 15:28
  You can also find us on social media at
• 15:30
  astrodaily pod. Don't forget to
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  subscribe wherever you get your podcasts
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  so you never miss an episode. Clear
• 15:36
  skies everyone
• 15:38
  >> and keep looking up.
• 15:50
  The stories were told.