An explosive SpaceX launch, the lunar robot landing, and THAT woolly mouse
Listen here on your chosen podcast platform.
SpaceX's latest Starship test flight has ended in flames- marking the eighth failed attempt for Elon Musk's deep-space rocket.
Meanwhile, the Athena lander has successfully touched down on the Moon, but engineers fear it may have tipped over.
We hear from CMO of Castrol Nicola Buck about how the British oil company is helping to keep the AstroAnt micro robot going as part of the mission.
Plus, scientists have created a woolly mouse - a small step towards reviving the woolly mammoth. We join co-founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences Ben Lamm.
Also in this episode:
Two astronauts stranded on the ISS for nine months are finally set to return home
MPs debate the Safer Phones Bill, which could raise the digital age of consent and introduce new smartphone restrictions for children.
Playstation reveals a limited-edition DualSense controller.
Listen to our special episode about work to bring back the woolly mammoth here.
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34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Oxygen leak on SpaceX booster forces delay to Axiom Space mission to space station
SpaceX called off a planned Wednesday morning launch attempt of the crewed Axiom Space Ax-4 mission to deal with a liquid oxygen leak on the rocket booster. 'Standing down from tomorrow's Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the @Space_Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak identified during post static fire booster inspections,' SpaceX posted on X late Tuesday. 'Once complete – and pending Range availability – we will share a new launch date.' The Ax-4 mission was aiming for an 8 a.m. liftoff with weather concerns looking to potentially delay the flight, but in the end hardware issues made those moot. Now forced to wait are Axiom Space employee and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson commanding a crew customers paid for by the governments of India and Hungary as well as Poland through the European Space Agency. 'Human spaceflight's really core to SpaceX's ultimate mission and flying crew safely is always our top priority,' said SpaceX's William Gerstenmaier, vice president of Build and Flight Reliability, during a Monday press call when he first discussed finding the leak. 'Spaceflight is really hard, and we're learning every day. The more we fly, the more we learn.' He said SpaceX had first detected the leak during the booster's previous flight, which was its debut launch in late April. 'We had not fully repaired the booster during refurbishment, or we didn't, actually, didn't find the leak and didn't get it corrected,' he said. At the time, he was confident SpaceX would have the rocket ready for the Wednesday attempt. 'We've gone out to the launch pad. We're continuing to troubleshoot that. We should get that completed (Monday) and we will have that back in configuration,' he said. 'We're installing a purge that will essentially mitigate the leak if it still continues, if we see it on launch day. So we will be fully ready to go fly.' In the end, SpaceX opted to hold off what would have been its third human spaceflight mission of the year following the March launches of the Crew-10 mission to the space station and the polar orbital mission Fram2. 'I think this shows the difficulty of getting ready. You can always be prepared, but doing the testing, doing the dry runs, doing the activities with the crew to make sure we are really ready, is tremendously important because we always learn something,' he said. Dana Weigel, NASA's International Space Station program manager, said any delay this week should not pose too much of an issue. 'We have launch opportunities all the way through June 30,' she said, and then a break until about the second week in July. 'So plenty of opportunities to fly to these people.' The mission aims to dock with the station the day after launch and then spend about two weeks on board before returning for splashdown off the California coast. It would be the fourth trip for Axiom Space to the station and second for Whitson for the company. Ax-4 would be her fifth trip to space overall and she would add to the more than 675 days in space she's already experienced in her career. That's the most for any American as well as the most for any woman in history. The three customers are India's Shubhanshu Shukla, taking the role of pilot, while Hungary's Tibor Kapu and Poland's Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski are mission specialists. None of those countries have had astronauts fly to space in more than four decades.
Digital Trends
an hour ago
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SpaceX just called off Wednesday's crewed launch to the ISS
SpaceX has just announced that it's standing down from tomorrow's Falcon 9 launch of Axiom Space's Ax-4 crew to the International Space Station (ISS). A new target launch date has yet to be announced. In a post on X on Tuesday evening, SpaceX said its engineers need more time to repair the liquid oxygen leak identified during earlier booster inspections, and therefore would not be launching on June 11. Another plan to launch Ax-4 was also called off 24 hours earlier due to strong winds in the ascent corridor. Standing down from tomorrow's Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the @Space_Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak identified during post static fire booster inspections. Once complete – and pending Range availability – we will share a new launch date — SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 11, 2025 Four astronauts — three of whom are non-professional and will be heading to orbit for the first time — are currently in isolation close to the launch site at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Recommended Videos The Ax-4 crew comprises three individuals from India, Poland, and Hungary, with all three nations sending citizens to the ISS for the first time. American Peggy Whitson makes up the four-person team, with the retired NASA astronaut leading her second commercial human spaceflight mission. The Ax-4 crew will spend about two weeks aboard the orbital outpost, living and working alongside the seven members who are already there. The upcoming mission will be Axiom Space's fourth privately funded crewed mission to the ISS. The Texas-based company also has a contract with NASA to develop habitable modules that can be attached to the space station, with a plan for the modules to become part of a free-flying, commercially funded orbital facility. Jared Isaacman, who's been on two private space missions and until recently was set to become the chief of NASA until President Trump pulled his nomination, commented on the delay to the Ax-4 mission, saying in a post on X: 'An inconvenience for the guests and families expecting a launch, but hopefully the Axiom Space's Ax-4 crew is having a fun time in quarantine. Won't be long before the big moment. All the best on the mission.' If you'd like to watch the Ax-4 crew head to orbit from the Kennedy Space Center, then check out this article, which will be updated to show the new target launch date just as soon as it's announced.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
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After the SpaceX rocket launch, here's how to see the booster land at Cape Canaveral SFS
With the crew of Axiom Space Mission 4 set to lift off at 8 a.m. June 11 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center pad 39A, those watching from the Space Coast are in for a treat as SpaceX plans to return its booster on land. Common in missions traveling to the International Space Station, just more than eight minutes after launch, the Falcon 9's booster will come barreling back to Cape Canaveral Landing Zone 1, triggering a sonic boom. With the remaining booster fuel enough to allow a land return, it eliminates the need for SpaceX to land the booster on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. It's a win for all, as it brings the booster back to SpaceX right away, and gives viewers a glimpse of an event that was science fiction just a decade ago. What to know about the Ax-4 mission: Doubleheader launch: Ax-4 astronauts to launch on SpaceX rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center So how can you watch the SpaceX booster return? Afterall, it's easy to hear the resulting sonic boom but where do you look to see the rocket descend toward Cape Canaveral. The SpaceX Falcon 9 booster (first stage) will return to Cape Canaveral Landing Zone 1, which is located just southeast of NASA's Kennedy Space Center pad 39A. For reference, the landing zones are in the area just north of the Cape Canaveral lighthouse. No matter your location, keep your eyes more to the east after liftoff. Local beaches: A great place to see the booster return is from either Cape Canaveral or Cocoa Beach, where there is a clear view of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on the northern horizon. Jetty Park: Jetty Park is also a great place to watch the booster return, as well as the launch. From the jetty, a clear view to the north is provided. This is also the closet the public can get to the booster return site. Take note that Jetty Park requires either a pass or daily fee to enter. The return of the booster will be not instantaneous after the launch, so do not leave or look away. Keep in mind that weather conditions play a part in exactly what will be visible. In total, it takes just over eight minutes to see the booster return. Stage separation, which is where the rocket's upper stage and booster separate, is visible a bit after liftoff. However, while the upper stage may remain viable, the booster can vanish for a bit as it begins descending to Earth. While the booster descends, a short burn working to slow the booster may be visible to spectators. After this, the booster will vanish again for a bit. As the booster comes in for a landing, the glowing and consistent landing burn will be visible to those watching. This landing burn does not last long, but is unmistakable. At this point, there will be a view of the booster as it slowly descends vertically toward Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. When is the next Florida launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, Axiom, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral The booster will descend out of view as it lands, but the show is not over. Shortly afterward, a loud sonic boom will sound throughout the area. This thunderous sound is created due to the booster's return speed being faster than sound. As light travels faster than sound, those on the ground see the booster come back first before the sound travels to their location. This phenomena is the same reason we see lightning before hearing the thunder. Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@ or on X: @brookeofstars. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Here's how to watch the SpaceX rocket booster land at Cape Canaveral
