Artemis II: Three Days to Go — Plus Mars Sample Return Is Officially Dead

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Recorded30 Mar 2026

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Episode Summary With Artemis II just three days from launch, today's episode delivers a landmark space moment alongside the sad news that Mars Sample Return's Earth Return Orbiter has been formally cancelled by ESA. We also cover SpaceX's enormous Transporter-16 rideshare launch, Cornell's definitive list of 45 best-bet habitable exoplanets, a paradigm-shifting discovery about pulsar radio emissions, and the first confirmed evidence of lightning-like activity on Mars. Stories Covered • Artemis II — NASA confirms zero technical issues, launch on track for April 1 at 6:24 p.m. EDT • ESA Earth Return Orbiter — formally cancelled after ESA member states vote to end the programme; Airbus in transition talks • SpaceX Transporter-16 — 119 payloads launched to Sun-synchronous orbit from Vandenberg this morning • 45 Habitable Exoplanets — Cornell/Carl Sagan Institute catalog published in MNRAS; TRAPPIST-1, Proxima Centauri b among top targets • Millisecond Pulsar Radio Emissions — signals confirmed originating beyond the light cylinder for the first time • Martian Lightning — MAVEN data reveals whistler wave consistent with electrical discharge during a 2015 dust storm Source URLs • Artemis II launch updates: https://www.space.com/news/live/artemis-2-nasa-moon-mission-launch-updates-march-29-2026 • ESA Earth Return Orbiter cancellation: https://europeanspaceflight.com/esa-member-states-call-for-cancellation-of-earth-return-orbiter/ • SpaceX Transporter-16: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/03/transporter-16/ • 45 Habitable Exoplanets (ScienceDaily): https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260325005926.htm • Millisecond Pulsar discovery (Phys.org): https://phys.org/news/2026-03-radio-edge-extreme-stars-surfaces.html • Mars Lightning / MAVEN (Phys.org): https://phys.org/news/2026-03-nasa-maven-evidence-lightning-mars.htmlBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.Sponsor Details:Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click HereThis episode includes AI-generated content.

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