Global News Podcast – “Reach for the Moon”

BBC World Service | April 2, 2026
Host: Alex Ritson

Episode Overview

This episode is anchored by the historic Artemis 2 lunar mission, providing live reactions to NASA’s groundbreaking launch, expert science commentary, and a reflective conversation with legendary Apollo astronaut Charlie Duke. Alongside, the episode delivers a global news sweep: the US-Israel war with Iran—including President Trump’s ambivalent rhetoric on the conflict, new legal challenges to US birthright citizenship, China’s robo-taxi failures, a major legal case against Big Tech in the US, and the custody battle over the secret diaries of Chairman Mao’s secretary. The tone is urgent yet accessible, balancing technical insights and big-picture questions.

Key Segments & Insights

Artemis 2: The New Race to the Moon

[01:01–08:54]

• Launch Coverage

  • Artemis 2 successfully launched from Cape Canaveral at 6:35pm local time (April 1), carrying the first lunar-bound crew in half a century: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch (USA) and Jeremy Hansen (Canada).
  • The mission will send humans further from Earth than ever before—406,000 km—swinging around but not landing on the moon. Its purpose: test Orion’s capsule and the new rocket for future repeatable moon landings.
  • The Artemis program’s cost: at least $93 billion over 14 years.
  • Quote – Charlie Duke (NASA Flight Announcer):
    “Booster ignition and lift off. The crew of Artemis 2 now bound for the moon. Humanity's next great voyage begins.” ([02:15])

• Reactions from Spectators and Experts

  • Euphoria among the diverse Cape Canaveral audience, with pride for female and international crew members.
  • Jonathan Amos (BBC): Highlights the rocket’s gargantuan power, likening it to the combined thrust of 160 Airbus A320s.
    Notable Quote:
    “The noise, the light, just amazing... [The rocket] produces 39 meganewtons of thrust at liftoff. Imagine 160 A320s all thundering down the runway.” ([04:59])
  • Launch overcame several last-minute technical snags, including a crucial shuttle-era part needed for the flight termination system—“the system that blows the rocket up” if off course ([06:10–07:12]).

• Mission Context & Stakes

  • The Artemis 2 mission is not about planting flags, but about ambitious, sustainable human presence in space—building toward a moon base and eventual Mars missions.
  • Quote – Jonathan Amos:
    “Every new generation needs its own narrative... Now it’s about settling further out into space, taking the human species beyond, not just the moon, but to Mars and maybe even deeper.” ([07:58])

US-Iran War: Rhetoric, Reality, and Public Reaction

[08:54–12:46]

• President Trump’s Ambiguous Address
  • Trump claims the US is “on track to complete all [its] military objectives shortly, very shortly,” but swiftly warns of escalation if no deal is reached.
    Quote – President Trump:
    “If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants... We have not hit their oil, even though that's the easiest target of all... But we could hit it and it would be gone, and there's not a thing they could do about it.” ([09:41])
  • Analyst Simi Jolla Osho critiques the speech as delivering few new details, suggesting Americans are left uncertain about how or when an end to the conflict will come. Quote – Simi Jolla Osho:
    “It doesn’t feel like he truly gave an idea of what victory would be and when this war would end… He basically said: wait and see what happens.” ([10:17–11:44])

Safety and Transparency in China’s Robo-Taxi Incident

[12:46–15:40]

• Incident in Wuhan
  • Around 100 Baidu-owned Apollo Go robo-taxis in Wuhan stopped simultaneously on busy roads, likely due to a system or connectivity failure.
  • UCL’s Jack Stilgoe explains such events expose the hidden, fallible infrastructure behind AI-driven transport.
    Quote – Jack Stilgoe:
    “Incidents like this show you quite how dependent the technologies are on a sort of behind-the-scenes infrastructure.” ([13:26])
  • He pushes for greater transparency and regulatory oversight, especially given privacy and cybersecurity risks. Quote:
    “They are sort of CCTV on wheels, which does raise some serious privacy risks as well.” ([14:19])

US Supreme Court: The Battle Over Birthright Citizenship

[18:42–22:00]

• Context
  • Trump’s executive order seeks to end birthright citizenship for children born in the US to undocumented or temporary residents—an immediate constitutional challenge.
  • Reporter Ione Wells covers arguments at the Supreme Court, noting conservative skepticism and concerns about creating “two classes of citizens”.
  • Quote – Protester:
    “I think it would create two different classes of citizens. I feel really scared about what that might mean for children in the future.” ([20:53])
  • For Trump, this is a flagship issue for legacy and immigration reduction.

Big Tech on Trial: Social Media and Youth Mental Health

[22:00–25:58]

• Landmark Case
  • After a jury rules against Meta and Google in a case involving addiction and harm to a young woman, debate intensifies on whether social media is inherently harmful.
  • Victoria Goodyear (Health Professor): Evidence of harm at population level is inconclusive; individual cases are often powerful but not generalizable.
    Quote:
    “The evidence doesn't support that there is definite or definitive harm. But at the individual level… there is some evidence.” ([23:27])
  • French Ambassador Clara Chappaz and European Commission are seeking stricter platform regulation (e.g., minimum age, banning infinite scroll).
  • Emotional testimony from parents, including Lori Schott whose daughter died by suicide—
    Quote – Lori Schott:
    “Let’s fix it. Big Tech, us, let’s make this world a better place... your gig is over.” ([25:44])

China’s Political Secrets: The Battle For Li Rui’s Diaries

[25:59–29:17]

• Background
  • Stanford University wins legal custody of diaries from Li Rui, Communist Party reformist and former Mao secretary, despite Chinese court decision siding with his widow.
  • The diaries are described as a rare, unvarnished chronicle of elite politics including the Tiananmen Square massacre, which remains taboo in China.
  • Quote – Barasan Etirajan:
    “He was a firsthand witness to what happened in Tiananmen Square in 1989… So his diaries proved valuable insight into what was happening in China at that time.” ([26:36])
  • Fears persist that returning such documents to China would mean their erasure from public memory:
    “Like what happened to other documents... 90% of them vanished.” ([27:48])

Special Feature: Interview With Apollo 16’s Charlie Duke

[29:17–33:00]

• Personal Memories
  • 90-year-old Charlie Duke recounts preparations, family farewells, and the physical drama of liftoff: Quote:
    “The liftoff got your attention... the rocket was shaking like crazy from side to side... I got a little nervous. Later on, I found out my heartbeat was way up, like 140.” ([31:24])
  • On stepping onto the lunar surface:
    “It was a tremendous feeling of satisfaction... All I can say is spectacular, and I know y’all are sick of that word.” ([32:10])
  • Duke remains the youngest person to walk on the moon, underscoring the enduring legacy of the Apollo program.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Charlie Duke (Artemis Launch):
  “Booster ignition and lift off. The crew of Artemis 2 now bound for the moon. Humanity’s next great voyage begins.” ([02:15])

• Jonathan Amos (Scale of Artemis):
  “Imagine you’ve flown on an A320... imagine 160 of them all thundering down the runway... that is the equivalent thrust of this rocket.” ([04:59])

• Jack Stilgoe (Technological Transparency):
  “There have been lots of examples of companies not being totally forthcoming about how these cars really work...” ([14:23])

• Laurie Schott (Tech Responsibility):
  “Big Tech, us, let’s make this world a better place… your gig is over.” ([25:44])

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [01:01] – Artemis 2 mission launch & overview
• [04:59] – Jonathan Amos on fire & fury of launch
• [07:19] – Live updates and context on lunar journey
• [08:54] – Trump addresses the US-Iran war
• [12:46] – Wuhan robo-taxi incident analysis
• [18:42] – US Supreme Court hears birthright citizenship challenge
• [22:00] – Legal reckoning for Big Tech
• [25:59] – Li Rui's diaries and China’s contested history
• [29:17] – Charlie Duke reflects on Apollo 16 mission and lunar experience

Conclusion

This episode provides listeners with a rare confluence of monumental space news, global conflict updates, social debates on technology, and gripping insider accounts of history. The Artemis mission is positioned as a new chapter in humanity’s space journey, reflecting both technological ambition and international competition. Contemporary issues—from the dangers of AI to legal, political, and social divides—are explored with rich expert input and firsthand voices. The episode closes with personal and philosophical reflections from a living moonwalker, connecting the current generation’s aspirations with those of the past.