Enter 2024: India's Early Start, X-Rays, and China's Gravity Saga

Set off with Blake and I, as we launch into the cosmic wonders and latest spaceflight achievements. From the thrilling details of India's first 2024 expedition to SpaceX's monumental 300th successful launch, this episode rockets through the most captivating stories from the final frontier. We salute India's efforts in space sustainability with Poem 3's orbital reduction, and prepare for a deep dive into China's new space ambitions.
Misfires and mysteries are part of the cosmic odyssey, too. We reflect on the bittersweet saga of Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander — from the payload diversity, including international robots and space legends' memorials, to the grappling with a mission not gone as planned. Meanwhile, China opens the year with their own celestial quartet, sending four Tainmu-1 weather satellites to the cosmos, setting the stage for a potential showdown with SpaceX’s record-breaking pace. Plus, get stirred by the first supernatural snapshots from the XRISM mission that may unlock the secrets of supernovas and galactic clusters.
Our space trek doesn't shy away from Earthly endeavors, either. We marvel at the Space Shuttle Endeavour's new LA exhibit and NASA's hush-hush X-59 supersonic jet, designed to tame the thunderous sonic boom. But it’s not just hardware getting a reality check; Neptune and Uranus reveal their true colors, and we're left questioning what other galactic 'facts' might be awaiting a rewrite. Wrap your head around the accidental discovery of a dark primordial galaxy, ponder the potential spectacle of Beetlejuice's final act, and join us for an episode that promises to leave you starstruck and hungry for the next cosmic reveal.