>> Sreenivasan: FROM SATELLITE
LAUNCHES TO NEW SPACE
EXPLORATION, IT'S BEEN A BUSY
YEAR IN SPACE SO FAR.
LOREN GRUSH IS SENIOR SCIENCE
REPORTER AT "THE VERGE" AND IS
HERE WITH ME NOW TO DISCUSS
IT ALL.
SO, MOST OF US WERE PAYING
ATTENTION TO IOWA POLITICS, BUT
YOU WERE PAYING ATTENTION TO A
VERY BUSY WEEK IN ALL
SPACE-RELATED NEWS.
>> RIGHT.
>> Sreenivasan: IT STARTED OUT
WITH CHRISTINA KOCH, ASTRONAUT,
COMING BACK.
SHE'S GOT A COUPLE OF RECORDS.
BUT WHAT SHE'S DONE IN SPACE IN
ALL THAT TIME THAT SHE SPENT IS
PRETTY IMPRESSIVE.
>> RIGHT.
SHE SPENT A TOTAL OF 328 DAYS--
SO, NEARLY A YEAR-- UP IN SPACE.
AND WHILE SHE WAS THERE, SHE
MADE HISTORY WITH HER BEST
FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE, JESSICA
MUIR.
THE TWO OF THEM ARE CREDITED
WITH DOING THE FIRST ALL-FEMALE
SPACEWALK IN HISTORY, IN
SPACEFLIGHT HISTORY.
I MEAN, THAT'S PRETTY
INCREDIBLE.
 AND THEY DID THREE TIMES.
SO, I THINK SHE'S DEFINITELY HAS
QUITE A LOT OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS
UNDER HER BELT WHEN SHE COMES
HOME.
>> Sreenivasan: AND NOW, I
MEAN, YOU SEE THESE IMAGES OF
HER RETURNING TO EARTH AND KIND
OF ACCLIMATING, AND SHE WAS
PSYCHED.
I MEAN, SHE TOOK THE HELMET OFF,
SHE'S LIKE, "ARRRGH!"
>> I ACTUALLY SAID TO MY FRIEND,
I THINK I KIND OF WANT TO GO TO
SPACE JUST SO THAT I CAN HAVE
THAT FEELING OF COMING BACK TO
EARTH BECAUSE IT'S GOT TO BE
EXHILARATING.
>> Sreenivasan: YEAH.
SO, LATER IN THE WEEK, WE ALSO
HAD KIND OF AN UPDATE TO SOME OF
THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE WERE
FIGURING OUT ABOUT THE STARLINER
PROJECT.
WHAT WAS HAPPENING?
>> RIGHT.
SO, RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE TWO
COMPANIES THAT ARE CREATING
THESE NEW VEHICLES TO TAKE
ASTRONAUTS TO AND FROM THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, AND
THEY'RE GETTING REALLY CLOSE TO
ACTUALLY PUTTING PEOPLE ON THOSE
VEHICLES.
BUT BEFORE THEY DO THAT, THEY
HAVE TO DO THESE UNCREWED FLIGHT
TESTS.
AND BOEING DID ITS UNCREWED
FLIGHT TEST IN DECEMBER, AND IT
DIDN'T REALLY GO ACCORDING TO
PLAN AT THE TIME.
A SOFTWARE GLITCH PREVENTED THE
CAPSULE FROM GETTING INTO THE
RIGHT ORBIT.
SO, IT DIDN'T ACTUALLY GO TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION LIKE
IT'S SUPPOSED TO.
BUT NOW, WE'RE LEARNING THAT
THERE WAS ACTUALLY A SECOND
SOFTWARE GLITCH THAT WAS
CORRECTED AT THE TIME.
BUT IF IT HADN'T BEEN CORRECTED,
IT COULD HAVE BEEN A
CATASTROPHIC FAILURE FOR THE
SPACECRAFT, AND IT COULD HAVE
MAYBE BEEN DESTROYED WHEN IT
RE-ENTERED EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
WE DON'T KNOW BECAUSE,
FORTUNATELY, THEY FIXED IT.
BUT IT IS KIND OF HIGHLIGHTING
THAT BOEING IS HAVING THESE--
THESE CODING PROBLEMS, AND NASA
IS REALLY DOING A DEEP
INVESTIGATION INTO THAT.
>> Sreenivasan: AS THE
STARLINER PROJECT IS HAPPENING,
YOU ALSO HAVE THE SPACE-X
PROJECT THAT'S KIND OF WORKING
IN PARALLEL, AND THAT IS
PLANNING ON PUTTING PEOPLE INTO
ORBIT.
>> RIGHT.
SO, INITIALLY, WHEN THEY CHOSE
THESE TWO PROVIDERS, IT WAS
SUPPOSED TO SPARK COMPETITION.
AND, MAN, SINCE THEN, THAT
COMPETITION HAS REALLY HEATED
UP.
THEY DEFINITELY ARE CONSTANTLY
GOING BACK AND FORTH WITH ONE
ANOTHER AND TRYING TO PROVE AND
BEAT OUT THE OTHER-- THE
PROVIDER.
SO FAR, I MEAN, SPACE-X HAS HAD
ITS OWN PROBLEMS.
LAST YEAR, ONE OF ITS "CREW
DRAGON" CAPSULES EXPLODED
DURING A TEST ON THE GROUND.
BUT SINCE THEN, THEY'VE KIND OF
OVERCOME THAT FAILURE.
THEY DID A REALLY CRUCIAL TEST
THIS JANUARY WHERE THEY TESTED
OUT THE EMERGENCY ABORT SYSTEM
ON THE "CREW DRAGON," WHICH IS
A REALLY CRUCIAL PIECE OF
HARDWARE THAT'S NEEDED TO SAVE
THE LIVES OF ASTRONAUTS IN CASE
THERE'S AN EMERGENCY DURING THE
LAUNCH.
AND THEY WERE ABLE TO PROVE THAT
SYSTEM SUPERBLY.
IT WENT, YOU KNOW, EXACTLY AS
PLANNED.
SO, NOW, WE'RE KIND OF IN THIS
WAITING PERIOD OF, OKAY, WHEN
WILL ASTRONAUTS BOARD THE "CREW
DRAGON"?
AND THAT COULD COME IN THE
SECOND QUARTER OF THIS YEAR.
THAT'S WHAT SPACE-X C.E.O.'S
ELON MUSK HAS SAID.
>> Sreenivasan: ALL RIGHT.
TWO OTHER THINGS-- IF THAT
WASN'T ENOUGH THIS WEEK, TWO
OTHER THINGS THAT WERE
HAPPENING.
ONE COMPANY HAD PUT UP, WHAT,
ANOTHER 30 MORE SATELLITES?
>> 34 SATELLITES.
>> Sreenivasan: 34 MORE
SATELLITES.
>> RIGHT.
>> Sreenivasan: IN ONE LAUNCH,
AND THEY'RE PLANNING TO PUT OUT
MORE AND MORE SATELLITES EVERY
COUPLE OF MONTHS TO DO WHAT?
>> SO, THIS IS THE YEAR OF
LAUNCHING LOTS AND LOTS OF
SATELLITES TO CREATE INTERNET
FROM SPACE.
SO, THE COMPANY IS ONEWEB, AND
THEY HAVE THIS VISION OF
LAUNCHING OVER 600 SATELLITES TO
CREATE THIS KIND OF GLOBAL
CONSTELLATION TO BEAM INTERNET
COVERAGE DOWN TO THE EARTH
BELOW.
AND THEY NEED THAT MANY
SATELLITES BECAUSE THEY'RE
PUTTING THEM INTO, LIKE, A LOW-
TO MID-EARTH ORBIT SO THAT THEY
CAN-- THE LATENCY BETWEEN THE
SIGNALS IS VERY LOW, BUT YOU'LL
NEED A LOT OF SATELLITES SO THAT
THEY CAN COVER THE ENTIRE GLOBE.
>> Sreenivasan: AND FINALLY,
WHAT COULD BE THE MOST
INTERESTING THING-- AND WE WILL
HAVE TO WAIT YEARS TO SEE IF
THIS PLAYS OUT-- BUT IS A LAUNCH
THAT'S HAPPENING TOMORROW, A
SOLAR ORBITER.
WE'RE SENDING A SATELLITE.
NOW, WE HAVE HAD-- SENT
SATELLITES BEFORE TO KIND OF
LOOK AT THE SUN.
WHAT'S THIS SATELLITE THAT WE'RE
SENDING TOMORROW GOING TO DO
THAT'S DIFFERENT?
>> SO, THIS SATELLITE IS GOING
TO GO TO A PLACE AND SEE A
VANTAGE OF THE SUN THAT WE JUST
REALLY HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE.
IT'S THE SUN'S POLAR REGIONS.
SO, JUST LIKE ON EARTH, THE SUN
HAS POLES, TOO.
BUT, NORMALLY, WHEN WE SEND
SPACECRAFT TO GO STUDY THE SUN,
THEY ORBIT IN LINE WITH THE
PLANETS.
SO, THE PLANETS ALL ORBIT IN THE
SAME PLANE, LIKE A FLAT DISK.
BUT GETTING TO THE POLES IS
REALLY HARD BECAUSE THEY'RE, YOU
KNOW, AT AN ANGLE.
SO, THIS-- THIS PARTICULAR
SPACECRAFT IS GOING TO GET IN
THE-- IN THAT ANGULAR ORBIT AND
REALLY GET THE FIRST UPCLOSE
LOOK OF THE POLES THAT WE'VE
EVER SEEN ON THE SUN.
>> Sreenivasan: LOREN GRUSH
FROM "THE VERGE," THANKS SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
