About this episode

The episode discusses the recent SpaceX Starship V3 launch attempt, Mars mission announcements, and new findings from JWST.

Sponsor Link : To check out our special money saving deal and upgrade your online securit y with NordVPN - Click Here SpaceX came agonisingly close to launching the most powerful rocket ever built in its newest configuration — but a technical halt at T-minus 40 seconds sent Starship V3's debut back to the drawing board, with another attempt window opening this evening (6:30–8:00 p.m. EDT). Anna and Avery dig into what went wrong, what makes V3 different, and the stunning announcement buried in the webcast: a named commander for humanity's first crewed Mars flyby mission. Plus: JWST rewrites exoplanet atmospheric science with unexpected ice clouds on a distant super-Jupiter, researchers map a mysterious magnetic 'flip' inside the Milky Way, and Rocket Lab launches from New Zealand. Links & Further Reading • Starship Flight 12 live updates: space.com • SpaceX launch webcast (tonight): spacex.com • Chun Wang Mars announcement: universetoday.com • JWST Epsilon Indi Ab paper (ApJL): doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ae5823 • Milky Way magnetic field study (ApJ): doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ae28d1 • Rocket Lab Viva La Strix mission: rocketlabusa.com • Astronomy Daily website…

People in this episode

Hosts: Anna, Avery

Topics covered

• SpaceX
• Starship
• Mars mission
• exoplanet science
• magnetic fields
• Rocket Lab

Keywords

• SpaceX
• Starship V3
• Mars flyby
• JWST
• exoplanets
• Rocket Lab
• magnetic fields

Sponsors

NordVPN

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: SpaceX, JWST, Astronomy Daily

Products: Starship V3

Places: New Zealand

More episodes of Astronomy Daily: Space News Updates

• NASA's Lunar Base Blueprint, Starship V3's Bold Launch, and the Secrets of Supernovae Revealed · May 26, 2026 · 21 min
• Shenzhou-23 Makes History, Psyche's Mars Masterclass, and a 19-Day Solar Mystery · May 25, 2026 · 16 min
• Starship V3 Maiden Flight, New Glenn Cleared, Cosmic Web Photographed | Weekend Wrap · May 23, 2026 · 16 min
• Starship V3 Flight 12: A Giant Leap for SpaceX | Neptune's Moon Mystery Unveiled · May 21, 2026 · 17 min
• Launch Eve: Starship V3 Ready for Liftoff | Lunar Laser Navigation Breakthrough | VAST Ventures into Satellites · May 20, 2026 · 20 min
• Space News Update: SMILE Satellite's Historic Launch | Starship V3 Delayed | Snappy's Quest to Detect Solar Neutrinos · May 19, 2026 · 21 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Astronomy Daily: Space News Updates podcast page.