Some eXcellent opportunities ahead.

Summary

T-Minus Space Daily: Some eXcellent Opportunities Ahead
Hosted by Maria Varmazas | Released on November 21, 2024

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Overview

In the November 21, 2024 episode of T-Minus Space Daily, hosted by Maria Varmazas from N2K Networks, listeners are treated to a comprehensive briefing on the latest collaborations, advancements, and discoveries within the global space industry. The episode delves into significant partnerships between major space agencies, updates on space missions, an insightful interview with space law expert Liz Chang, and a fascinating cosmic discovery. This summary captures the key discussions, insights, and conclusions presented in the episode, complete with notable quotes and timestamps for easy reference.

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1. Expanding International Collaborations in Space

JAXA and ESA Strengthen Partnership
Timestamp: 00:57 - 03:30

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) are deepening their collaboration across several critical areas, including planetary defense, climate monitoring, and lunar and Mars exploration. Leaders Hiroshi Yamakawa and Josef Aschbacher met in Tsukuba, Japan, to formalize plans for joint missions and technological developments.

Key Highlights:

• Hera Asteroid Mission: ESA's Hera mission, supported by JAXA, aims to study asteroid Apophis during its 2029 Earth flyby. This mission serves as a model for future planetary defense initiatives.

  Notable Quote:
  "ESA's Hera asteroid mission, which is now en route to its target, with JAXA's support as a model for future planetary defense projects."
  (00:57)

• Climate Monitoring: Joint missions will focus on C-scale greenhouse gas emissions to enhance Earth observation capabilities.

• Lunar and Mars Exploration: Collaboration includes ESA's Argonaut Cargo Lander and JAXA's Pressurized Rover, with long-term visions of joint lunar analog testing and Mars missions slated for the 2030s.

ISRO and ASA Collaboration on Gaganyaan Program
Timestamp: 03:30 - 05:00

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Australian Space Agency (ASA) have signed an implementation agreement to support India's ambitious Gaganyaan human spaceflight program. This partnership emphasizes contingency support for crew and module recovery operations near Australian waters in the event of an ascent abort.

Key Highlights:

• Gaganyaan Program Goals: Demonstrate India's capability to send up to three crew members to low Earth orbit for a three-day mission, including safe recovery procedures.

  Notable Quote:
  "The agreement focuses on contingency support which enables Australian authorities to assist with crew and module recovery operations."
  (03:45)

ESA Awards €230 Million to Arian Group for Reusable Rocket Technologies
Timestamp: 05:00 - 07:50

The European Space Agency has allocated €230 million in new contracts to Arian Group to advance reusable rocket technologies. This funding supports the development of the THEMIS demonstrator and upgrades to the Prometheus engine, positioning Europe competitively in the reusable launch systems market.

Key Highlights:

• THEMIS and Prometheus Enhancements: Upgrades include improved structures and propellant tanks for THEMIS and refinements to the Prometheus engine for better manufacturability and maintenance.

  Notable Quote:
  "The first THEMIS flight is slated for 2025, which will mark a critical step in Europe's bid to compete in the growing market for reusable spaceflight."
  (06:45)

• Maya Rocket Development: Contributions to Maya Space's partially reusable Maya rocket, utilizing THEMIS and Prometheus designs.

Lunar Outpost Partners with SpaceX for Artemis Program Support
Timestamp: 07:50 - 09:30

Lunar Outpost has formed a partnership with SpaceX to deploy the Lunar Outpost Eagle, a lunar terrain vehicle (LTV), using SpaceX's Starship for both launch and landing. This collaboration aims to enhance lunar surface mobility and support NASA's Artemis program, facilitating sustainable commercial access to the Moon.

Key Highlights:

• Lunar Eagle LTV Features: Designed for both crewed and uncrewed missions, the Eagle boasts advanced autonomous navigation and adaptable cargo configurations, capable of withstanding the Moon's harsh conditions.

  Notable Quote:
  "The Eagle LTV is engineered to withstand the moon's harsh conditions, including long lunar nights, ensuring extended operational life."
  (08:15)

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2. Space Operations and Mission Updates

ISS Executes Debris Avoidance Maneuver
Timestamp: 09:30 - 11:00

On November 19th, the International Space Station (ISS) performed a debris avoidance maneuver to evade a fragment from the defunct Defense Meteorological Satellite. Coordinated by NASA, Roscosmos, and international partners, the maneuver successfully elevated the ISS's orbit, maintaining a safe distance from the debris.

Key Highlights:

• Maneuver Details: The Progress 89 spacecraft's thrusters fired for over five minutes, adjusting the ISS's trajectory to avoid a potential collision.

  Notable Quote:
  "The maneuver was coordinated by NASA, Roscosmos and other international partners and did not disrupt station operations."
  (09:50)

Progress 90 Cargo Craft Launches to ISS
Timestamp: 11:00 - 12:00

Russia's Progress 90 spacecraft was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying essential supplies for the ISS's Expedition 72 crew. Scheduled to dock on November 23rd, Progress 90 will remain attached for six months, aiding in ISS maneuvering to avoid space debris and maintaining its orbit.

Key Highlights:

• Mission Lifecycle: After completing its mission, Progress 90 will be loaded with waste and intentionally deorbited to burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

Blue Origin's Glenn Rocket Advances to Static Fire Test
Timestamp: 12:00 - 12:30

Blue Origin's new Glenn rocket reached a significant milestone as it was rolled out to the launch pad for a static fire test, an essential step before its inaugural flight. This development marks a critical advance in Blue Origin's efforts to establish a reliable orbital launch vehicle.

Brazil and China's Satellite Broadband Partnership
Timestamp: 12:30 - 13:30

Brazil's state-owned telecommunications company, Telebross, has partnered with China's Space Sail to offer satellite broadband services as an alternative to SpaceX’s Starlink. Utilizing Space Sail's constellation, commercial services in Brazil are expected to begin in 2026, aiming to enhance connectivity in remote regions.

Key Highlights:

• Space Sail's Expansion: With plans to expand its satellite fleet to over 600 by the end of 2025, this partnership underscores Brazil's strategy to diversify its internet service providers.

TRL Space Initiates LUMI Mission to Explore Moon's South Pole
Timestamp: 13:30 - 15:00

TRL Space, leading a consortium of European aerospace companies, has launched the Lunar Mission Initiative (LUMI) to explore the Moon's south pole. The mission seeks to assess the region's potential for future human habitation and resource utilization, deploying scientific instruments to study water, ice, and other volatiles.

Key Highlights:

• Consortium Partners: Includes Airbus Defense and Space, Thales, Alenia Space, and OHB SE, each contributing specialized expertise to the mission.

  Notable Quote:
  "The LUMI mission will deploy a suite of scientific instruments to study the lunar surface and subsurface, focusing on the detection of water, ice and other volatiles."
  (14:30)

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3. Interview with Space Law Expert Liz Chang

Liz Chang on the Emerging Field of Space Law
Timestamp: 12:10 - 19:34

Maria Varmazas engages in a compelling conversation with Liz Chang, a second-year law student at American University Washington College of Law and Associate Editor for Beyond Earth’s Space Policy Review. Liz shares her journey into space law, highlighting the field's significance and the intricate challenges it faces.

Key Highlights:

• Discovery of Space Law Passion: Liz stumbled upon space law during her involvement in Model United Nations (MUN) conferences, which ignited her interest in the legal dimensions of space exploration.

  Notable Quote:
  "I remember being in this committee and thinking, why on earth are we calling this the Futuristic committee when these things have been happening for a while now?"
  (13:22)

• Academic Pursuits: Liz authored a thesis on liabilities for damages to space objects, exploring the responsibilities of governmental versus private space actors. Her research underscores the evolving nature of space governance.

  Notable Quote:
  "Space law is very rare as a law student or anybody who likes the law, to be at the cusp, being able to observe a new branch of law being born."
  (17:53)

• Encouraging Future Legal Minds: Highlighting the need for more legal experts in space law, Liz emphasizes the importance of establishing robust legal frameworks to support sustainable and responsible space activities.

  Notable Quote:
  "We need more people figuring out how we can get things to space and people to space in the Right way."
  (19:15)

Discussion Points:

• The complexity of space law and its intersections with international and domestic policies.
• The necessity of developing clear jurisdictional and liability frameworks as space becomes increasingly commercial and collaborative.
• The excitement and challenges of being part of a nascent field that will shape the future of space exploration and habitation.

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4. Cosmic Discovery: The Birth of "Baby Iris"

Astronomers Detect a Massive Newborn Planet
Timestamp: 19:34 - End

In a captivating segment, the episode highlights the discovery of a young planet, Iris 0412-529-02B, affectionately dubbed "Baby Iris," located within the Taurus molecular cloud approximately 430 light-years away. Observed by the TESS telescope, this newborn planet provides unprecedented insights into planetary formation.

Key Highlights:

• Unique Observation Opportunity: The warped disk surrounding Baby Iris allowed astronomers a rare and clear view, typically obscured by dense debris.

  Notable Quote:
  "This discovery opens a window into the earliest days of planetary evolution and reminds us how much of the universe's story is shaped by a little serendipity."
  (19:50)

• Potential Future Classification: With its low density and inflated atmosphere, Baby Iris may evolve into a mini Neptune or a super Earth, offering valuable data for understanding planetary development.

• Mysteries of the Warped Disk: The cause of the disk's unusual shape remains under debate, with theories ranging from planetary migration to gravitational disturbances from nearby stars or other celestial objects.

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Conclusion

The November 21, 2024 episode of T-Minus Space Daily offers a rich tapestry of advancements and collaborations propelling the global space industry forward. From groundbreaking partnerships between space agencies to the intricate challenges of space law, and the awe-inspiring discovery of a new planet, the episode underscores the dynamic and interdisciplinary nature of modern space exploration. Maria Varmazas expertly navigates these topics, providing listeners with insightful analysis and inspiring conversations that highlight the multitude of opportunities awaiting humanity in the cosmos.

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Notable Quotes Recap:

• "ESA's Hera asteroid mission, which is now en route to its target, with JAXA's support as a model for future planetary defense projects." (00:57)

• "The agreement focuses on contingency support which enables Australian authorities to assist with crew and module recovery operations." (03:45)

• "The first THEMIS flight is slated for 2025, which will mark a critical step in Europe's bid to compete in the growing market for reusable spaceflight." (06:45)

• "The Eagle LTV is engineered to withstand the moon's harsh conditions, including long lunar nights, ensuring extended operational life." (08:15)

• "We need more people figuring out how we can get things to space and people to space in the Right way." (19:15)

• "This discovery opens a window into the earliest days of planetary evolution and reminds us how much of the universe's story is shaped by a little serendipity." (19:50)

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For more detailed information and additional resources covered in this episode, visit space.n2k.com.

Transcript

[Maria Varmazas]

You're listening to the N2K space network.

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[Maria Varmazas]

Collaborations or collabs are all the rage in music and art and fashion. You see it a lot with the X in brand collabs. And no, not like SpaceX. But think famous person X big name brand. Maybe we should bring that X into space a bit more because collabs in space so hot right now. Remember Prada x Axiom with the fancy spacesuit announcement not that long ago? Yeah, well we can add a few more to that list like ISRO X ASA and even JAXA x ESA. Some excellent opportunities ahead. T minus 20 seconds to Los TDRs go for deploy. Today is November 21st, 2024. I'm Maria Varmazas and this is T minus. JAXA and ISSA expand their collaboration plans. ISRO's working more closely with Australia for Gaganyan ESA Awards Aryan Group another €230 million for themis. And our guest today is Liz Chang, space law candidate at the American University Washington College of Law, who we talked with recently at the Beyond Earth Symposium. It's Thursday. Let's dive into our intel briefing, shall we? JAXA and ESA are strengthening their partnership with new missions, tackling planetary defense, climate monitoring and Lunar and Mars Exploration Agency leaders Hiroshi Yamakawa and Josef Aschbacher met in Tsukuba, Japan, to confirm plans for deeper collaboration across these critical areas, diving into a little bit of what the two agencies agreed to, Here's a bit of the rundown. JAXA and ESA highlighted ESA's Hera asteroid mission, which is now en route to its target. With JAXA's support as a model for future planetary defense projects, they're exploring contributions to ESA's Rapid Apophis mission for space safety, which will study asteroid Apophis during its close earth flyby in 2029. Mark your calendars. And in Earth observation, the agencies plan to close monitoring gaps by developing a joint mission focused on C scale greenhouse gas emissions, complementing their ongoing climate efforts. On lunar exploration, JAXA and ESA plan to continue work on technologies like ESA's Argonaut Cargo Lander and JAXA's Pressurized Rover, alongside plans for joint lunar analog testing and robotic missions mentioned as part of the long term vision was a potential collaborative Mars mission in the2030s and during the meeting between the two agencies, they also reviewed their ongoing science efforts, including ESA's Neuthena X Ray Observatory and JAXA's Lightbird cosmic microwave mission, and they both looked ahead to potential future collaborative missions. Very cool. And speaking of collaboration, ISRO and the Australian Space Agency or ASA have signed an implementation agreement to enhance collaboration on India's Gaganyaan human spaceflight program, and the agreement focuses on contingency support which enables Australian authorities to assist with crew and module recovery operations in the event of an ascent abort near Australian waters. And a quick refresher for you listeners on the Gaganyaan program. It aims to demonstrate India's human spaceflight capability by sending up to three crew members to low Earth orbit for three days aboard an Indian crew module, followed by a safe recovery and the Gaganyaan program includes three uncrewed missions and one crewed mission, with the first uncrewed launch expected late this year or in 2025 and the crewed mission planned for as soon as 2025. The European Space Agency has awarded 230 million euros in new contracts to Arian Group for the continued development of reusable rocket technologies and the funding will specifically support the creation of a second THEMIS demonstrator and upgrades to the Prometheus engine, advancing Europe's efforts towards competitive reusable launch Systems. Themis is ESA's reusable rocket stage demonstrator and it will see enhancements on its next iteration including upgraded structures and propellant tanks for higher altitude, longer duration hop tests planned at S Range Space center in Sweden and the low cost reusable engine Prometheus will undergo further refinements to improve industrial manufacturability and maintenance. ESA also plans to to renovate test infrastructure in Vernon, France to facilitate long duration engine tests and the contracts also fund research into recovery technologies such as grid fin stabilizers and contribute to the development of Maya Space's Maya rocket, which is a partially reusable commercial vehicle that will use THEMIS and Prometheus designs. By the way, the first THEMIS flight is slated for 2025, which will mark a critical step in Europe's bid to compete in the growing market for reusable spaceflight. Lunar Outpost has partnered with SpaceX to deliver its lunar terrain vehicle, named the Lunar Outpost Eagle to the moon using SpaceX's Starship for both launch and landing, and the collab aims to enhance lunar surface mobility, supporting NASA's Artemis program and facilitating sustainable commercial access to the Moon. The Eagle ltv, or Lunar Terrain Vehicle, is designed for both crewed and uncrewed missions and features advanced autonomous navigation and adaptable cargo configurations. It's engineered to withstand the moon's harsh conditions, including long lunar nights, ensuring extended operational life, and the development team includes lidos, mda, Space Goodyear and General Motors. Space debris caused yet another debris avoidance maneuver by the ISS recently. NASA is sharing that early earlier this week, on November 19th, to be precise, the ISS executed a predetermined debris Avoidance Maneuver, or pdam, to evade a fragment from a defunct Defense Meteorological Satellite that disintegrated back in 2015. At 2:09pm CST, the Progress 89 spacecraft's thrusters fired for 5 minutes and 31 seconds, elevating the ISS's orbit to ensure a safe distance from the debris, which was projected to pass within approximately two and a half miles of the station. The maneuver was coordinated by NASA, Roscosmos and other international partners and did not disrupt station operations or affect the scheduled launch of the Progress 90 cargo craft. And speaking of Progress 90 this morning at 7:22am EST, Russia's uncrewed Progress 90 spacecraft launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying fresh food and supplies for the International Space Station's Expedition 72 crew, and the spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the ISS's POISK module on November 23rd at approximately 9:35am EST. Progress 90 is expected to remain docked for six months, during which it will also assist in maneuvering the ISS to avoid space debris, just like the PDAM2 that was just mentioned, and maintain the ISS's orbit. Upon mission completion, the spacecraft will be loaded with trash and intentionally deorbited to burn up in Earth's atmosphere. And in terms of human spaceflight, we've got some big news for Blue Origin's new Glenn rocket. It was rolled out to the launch pad for a static fire test on the pad, and this is a big milestone before the inaugural flight of Blue Origin's orbital rocket. Best of luck to them. Brazil's state owned telecommunications company Telebross has entered into an agreement with China's Space Sail to offer satellite broadband services as an alternative to Starlink. This partnership aims to enhance connectivity options, particularly in remote areas, by using the SpaceSales Thousand Sales constellation. And although SpaceSail has launched 36 satellites and plans to expand over 600 by the end of 2025, commercial services in Brazil are expected to commence in 2026. And this collaboration reflects Brazil's strategy to diversify its Internet service providers and reduce reliance on existing operators like, oh, I don't know, SpaceX TRL Space, which is leading a consortium of European aerospace companies, has initiated the Lunar Mission Initiative, or the lumi, to explore the moon's south pole, and the mission intends to assess the region's potential for future human habitation and resource utilization. And that consortium, by the way, includes partners such as Airbus Defense in Space, Thales, Alenia Space and ohbse, each contributing specialized expertise. Now the LUMI mission will deploy a suite of scientific instruments to study the lunar surface and subsurface, focusing on the detection of water, ice and other volatiles. And that is our intel brief for you today. Our selected reading section of our show Notes has all of the stories that I've covered with you today and two extras. One's a picture of the first time that astronomers have photographed a dying star outside our galaxy. Come on, how cool is that? And another one is on biological supplements to support astronaut health. I wonder if they'll be chewables. Hey T minus crew, if your business is looking to grow your voice in the industry, expand the reach of your thought leadership or recruit talent, T minus can help. We'd like to hear from you. Send us an email at [e-mail] or send us a note through our website so we can connect about building a program to meet your goals.

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[Maria Varmazas]

Today's interview is with Liz Chang, who is both a space law candidate at the American University Washington College of Law and a T minus listener.

[Liz Chang]

Hi Liz.

[Maria Varmazas]

She and I chatted at the Beyond Earth Symposium.

[Liz Chang]

Hi everyone, My name is Liz Chang. I'm a second year law student here at American University Washington College College of Law. I'm also Associate Editor here at Beyond Earth for our Space Policy Review, which just came out recently. Yes, I'm very excited to be here talking with you Ms. Burmases. I am a huge fan. You have no idea we met yesterday, but I've been hearing your voice all year and when I heard your voice Yesterday I thought, oh my goodness, what is this voice calling out? Like, I know this voice so well, but I've never seen you in real life. So it's really an honor.

[Maria Varmazas]

We haven't paid her to say this, everybody. I promised you. That's why.

[Liz Chang]

Not at all. But it really is so nice to be able to speak with you today.

[Maria Varmazas]

Blushing.

[Liz Chang]

So thank you. Really, it's really sweet to me.

[Maria Varmazas]

Oh my God. Liz, one of the things that I was saying to you yesterday is tv. You are getting into space Law at like the most amazing time.

[Liz Chang]

Definitely.

[Maria Varmazas]

Can you tell us a bit about your story about how you found space law as your calling? Because I think that's a really cool story.

[Liz Chang]

I mean, I love to tell it. I can't get enough, but basically I kind of stumbled on space law. I was originally a dual law and business student in Spain at this university called IE University. And I was involved a lot in the MUN debate world. And one of the conferences we went to was at the actual United nations headquarters in Geneva. So I felt super important. I went to this committee called the Futuristic Legal Subcommittee on the Futuristic Uses of Space. So that had to do with semi autonomous weapons in space, that had to do with international treaties, etc. So I remember being in this committee and thinking, why on earth are we calling this the Futuristic committee when these things have been happening for a while now? And since then I have not been able to get rid of it. You know, like, it's in the back of my head always. And towards the end of my undergrad, my undergrad career, I made a. I wrote a thesis on liabilities for damages to space objects and the differences between, you know, who's responsible for, you know, whether it's the government or private space actors. I almost lost my mind researching on it because it's definitely a very niche area. And I remember, like even a week before I submitted my thesis, I had to rewrite a half of it because new news came out on what Elon was doing or what private companies are doing around the world. And I realized I've been researching this for however many years and I'm not sick of it. It's one of those things that for me has always been at the intersection of all my interests. International policy, domestic policy, and law, of course. So that's where I'm at now. And I'm here doing my JD and hoping to pursue it.

[Maria Varmazas]

I love it. And I'm repeating a little bit of what I said to you yesterday, but since the audience hasn't Heard it. I'll just humor me a little bit. That patchwork of who owns what, what, what is the jurisdiction, who do we contact if there's an incident. I come from a cybersecurity world, so for me, that. It's amazing. There's a little bit of an overlap there in just terms of nobody's really sure and everyone's trying to figure this out.

[Liz Chang]

Right.

[Maria Varmazas]

It's amazing, as a person who's not in law at all, just how complicated this is.

[Liz Chang]

Oh, extremely.

[Maria Varmazas]

It's. So I think a lot of us think there's just like a unilateral. Like somebody's in charge up there. It's like that's. It's really complicated. And it's also fascinating, like a fascinating problem to be unraveling. So kind of envious of where you are. You're at the forefront of this really cool place. So you're also working with Beyond Earth.

[Liz Chang]

Yes.

[Maria Varmazas]

And the Space Policy. Sorry, I can never remember.

[Liz Chang]

The Space Policy Review.

[Maria Varmazas]

Yes, Space Policy Review. It's a very fascinating. Really in depth. I keep calling it a compendium because in my mind it's sort of. It feels like the right word for this. Tell me a little bit about the work you did on this.

[Liz Chang]

Perfect. Well, as a law student, I don't know if any of the listeners here are law students as well, but I did a lot of blue booking, I hope. Sorry, that's a trigger warning for all the law students or a lot of people listening to this. I did a lot of citations, blue booking, spading, making sure, obviously that the resources are up to date because a lot of these updates, again, are very dependent on things that are happening currently.

[Maria Varmazas]

Yes.

[Liz Chang]

So when you publish something or want to publish something, you have to make sure that you are given the freshest information possible. Of course. So that's what I was doing essentially, as well as research. You know, there's many topics that there's a lot more to it than meets the eye. You know, you have to approach it from, I guess, a triangulatory kind of way. I don't know if that's even a word, but, you know, we'll say it, we'll say it is. But looking at different approaches, both government perspective, consumer perspective, and saying, you know, making sure we are able to cater to the audience that's going to be reading these potentially.

[Maria Varmazas]

Yeah, that's. That's amazing. And that's, I think, also speaks so much to a lot of people when they think of what's going on in space. And what kind of work needs to be done in space? People just go rocket science. A lot of work has to be done in law. And the kind of procedural work that you did. I don't know if procedural is correct. Not in a legal way, but process. Yes. And it's all very necessary. And it's very encouraging to me to know that there are folks like yourself who are working on this because it's so needed. And for those of us who are not necessarily in the STEM world, that there are careers out there.

[Liz Chang]

Absolutely.

[Maria Varmazas]

It's very encouraging. I'm just like, I love that. What are you excited about? What are you interested in?

[Liz Chang]

Oh, my goodness. What am I not excited about? I mean, I'll be honest. The fact that it's so unknown, even though it's scary, it's one of those things that, you know, when you're uncomfortable going into something, but that, you know, has a vision, has a direction, that it's moving somewhere.

[Maria Varmazas]

Yeah.

[Liz Chang]

It becomes more exciting than anything. And what I'm excited about in terms of space law is the fact that it's very rare as a law student or anybody who likes the law, to be at the cusp, being able to observe a new branch of law being born, essentially.

[Maria Varmazas]

Yes, yes.

[Liz Chang]

That's not something that. I mean, I feel lucky in my lifetime to be able to witness that, to be able to witness the new rules that are going to be affecting future generations, our children, our grandchildren. And maybe I'm not going to be at the forefront of seeing, you know, civilizations on Mars, for example. Right. But we are at that moment where we can see this birth of ideas that in the past were just in the movies. You know, I always thought I used to read Ray Bradbury when I was a kid.

[Maria Varmazas]

Same, same.

[Liz Chang]

I was a big science fiction fan. I honestly should have known that this was going to be my career path. Like, when I look back into my life, I'm like, I should have known that space was going to be a prevalent topic in my life. But in terms of space, and why I'm excited about it is, again, we're witnessing something historic, honestly. And I really encourage other people that are listening to this podcast, and especially law students, people that are in the legal field, to get into this because we need more people. It's something that I keep hearing a lot, both from new actors and actors that have been in this for a long time in the government agency and also private companies, that we need more people figuring out how we can get things to space and people to space in the Right way.

[Maria Varmazas]

Yeah.

[Liz Chang]

Which is very. The right way is not defined yet. But hoping to get to there. Yeah.

[Maria Varmazas]

We'll be right back. Welcome back. Let's turn now to a cosmic discovery that's not just big, it's just a widdle, wiggy baby. Astronomers have spotted a massive newborn planet only 3 million years old. See, it's a baby in cosmic terms. And this young world lies in the Taurus molecular cloud, which is a stellar nursery teeming with newborn stars just 430 light years away, practically next door. And the name of this young world? Iris 0412-529-02B. Okay, that one does not roll off the tongue, but I'm sure someone will think of a catchier nickname. Let's just call it Baby Iris for my own sake. And what makes this discovery so remarkable is the sheer luck involved. Because normally baby planets like this one are hidden behind dense disks of debris. But this time, the disk surrounding Baby Iris is oddly warped, giving astronomers an unexpected front row seat using the TESS telescope. Babies do sometimes come into this world with funny shaved heads and all. You know how it goes. Well, this lucky warpness lets scientists get a better look at the babe in question. Like its low density and inflated atmosphere, all signs that it could maybe become eventually a mini Neptune or even a super Earth. We've got big dreams for this baby. So just exactly how this disk got so warped is still up for debate. Was it a migrating planet? A meddling companion star? Or maybe just the chaos of a packed stellar nursery that bumped it? Either way, this discovery opens a window into the earliest days of planetary evolution and reminds us how much of the universe's story is shaped by a little serendipity and maybe even a little boo boo. And that's it for T minus for November 21, 2024, brought to you by N2K CyberWire. For additional resources from today's report, check out our show [e-mail] and we're privileged that N2K and podcasts like T minus are part of the daily routine of many of the most influential leaders and operators in the public and private sector, from the Fortune 500 to many of the world's preeminent intelligence and law enforcement agencies. This episode was produced by Alice Carruth. Our associate producer is Liz Stokes. We're mixed by Elliot Peltzman and Trey Hester, with original music by Elliot Peltzman. Our executive producer is Jennifer Iban. Our executive editor is Brandon Karp. Simone Petrella is our president. Peter Kilby is our publisher. And I am your host, Maria Varmazas. Thanks for listening. We see you tomorrow. T minus.