T-Minus Space Daily

Space has long been considered bi-partisan domain in the US, but is it becoming more political? Our guest is Kevin Kelly. Kevin is a former Senate appropriations staffer who oversaw funding for NASA, the NSF, and 25 other agencies. Now a partner at Actum, he advises some of the most influential players in science and defense. His career has spanned everything from nuclear tech and climate systems to the tools we use to monitor near-Earth threats, and he shares his thesis on why space is becoming more political. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The UK Space Agency (UKSA)  and UK Space Command have announced a new project to detect and analyse lasers being used against UK satellites. Safran Federal Systems has been awarded a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Cosmic Shielding Corporation (CSC) has been awarded a $4M Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) contract from the US Department of War. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. Selected Reading Critical UK satellites to be defended from laser threats - GOV.UK Russia persistently targeting British satellites, UK Space Command chief says- The Guardian Safran Federal Systems selected by DARPA for Robust Quantum Sensor development Cosmic Shielding Corporation awarded TACFI contract to speed deployment of advanced space electronics – SatNews MSRO- The world’s first space fund for islands Exolaunch to Deploy 13 Customer Satellites on the Bandwagon-4 Mission China's female astronauts: Breaking barriers, reaching for the stars - CGTN Musk becomes first person to hit $500 billion net worth, Forbes list shows- Reuters Elon Musk’s SpaceX Took Money Directly From Chinese Investors, Company Insider Testifies IAC 2025 Share your feedback. What do you think about T-Minus Space Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Intuitive Machines has completed a previously announced acquisition of KinetX, Inc. Varda Space Industries has reached an agreement with Southern Launch to extend their partnership for 20 reentries into the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia through 2028. Belgium’s Space Applications Services has joined Starlab Space as a joint venture partner and investor, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Our guest today is Brandon Karpf, friend of the show, founder of T-Minus Space Daily, and cybersecurity expert. Selected Reading Intuitive Machines Completes KinetX Acquisition Varda and Southern Launch Announce Agreement for 20 Reentries from Orbit Through 2028 Starlab Adds Space Applications Services as Strategic Partner, Equity Owner in Joint Venture Axiom Space and Resonac Sign MOU to Advance Space-Based Semiconductor Manufacturing ESA - European Space Agency and Korea AeroSpace Administration embark on new cooperation FAA plans to furlough 11,000 employees in US government shutdown- Reuters ispace and UEL Sign Interim Payload Service Agreement (iPSA) to Transport Rovers to the Moon T-Satellite is Here: And Now It’s Powering Apps! Vantor  Blue Origin Announces Crew for New Shepard’s 36th Mission Satellite startup Spacecoin sends data through space in bid to rival Starlink- Reuters Kazakhstan Launches First All-Female Space Isolation Experiment SANA-1 - The Astana Times Share your feedback. What do you think about T-Minus Space Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exciting developments in space technology are highlighted, like Thales Alenia's contract for the SAGA mission, Europe's first quantum key distribution service. Blue Origin's Project Oasis aims to map lunar resources such as water and helium-3. Portal Space Systems successfully tested a solar thermal propulsion system, paving the way for innovative spacecraft. The partnership between Astroscale and HEO focuses on enhancing space monitoring and servicing capabilities. Additionally, U.S. and Australia strengthen their space cooperation framework for future missions.

In this discussion, Greg Gillinger, SVP for Strategy & Development at Integrity ISR, shares insights on Avio's groundbreaking €40 million contract with ESA for a reusable upper stage, pushing Europe closer to launch reusability. He also highlights UK Space Agency's support for 23 international projects. Emphasizing developments in space intelligence, Greg delves into China's Yaogan-45 satellite's high MEO orbit and the implications for imaging, alongside other intriguing industry advances.

Torsten Kriening, a space industry analyst from SpaceWatch.Global, shares insights from World Space Business Week. He discusses Northrop Grumman's successful docking demo with Starlab and the innovative lunar power partnership between Honda and Astrobotic. Also highlighted is the focus on defense spending outpacing commercial investments in space, and the crucial role of international partnerships in the industry. Kriening emphasizes the need for collaboration, especially in addressing security challenges like jamming and signal disruptions.

A US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) research team successfully conducted the first reinforcement learning (RL) control of a free-flyer in space in May. We spoke with NRL Space Roboticist Samantha Chapin, Ph.D., and NRL Computer Research Scientist Kenneth Stewart, Ph.D about the demonstration and the future of autonomous robotics in space. You can read more about the demonstration on the NRL website. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Germany plans to invest €35 billion in space-related defense projects by 2030. NASA and Sierra Space have mutually agreed to modify the Dream Chaser’s contract for resupply missions to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX has filed with the Federal Communications Commission asking to launch 15,000 new satellites for direct-to-device service, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest NASASpaceflight.com⁠ brings us the Space Traffic Report. Selected Reading Germany unveils $40bn military-space investment, citing new threats NASA, Sierra Space Modify Commercial Resupply Services Contract SpaceX Seeks Approval for 15,000 Satellites to Use MSS Spectrum Space Forge Inc. and United Semiconductors LLC Partner to Develop the Supply Chain for Space-Grown Semiconductor Materials for Quantum Computing, Power Electronics, Sensors, and Display Markets Suite Ride Research Unlocks Potential for First Astronaut with Diabetes Shenzhou-20 crew completes fourth round of extravehicular activities - CGTN NASA-ISRO Satellite Sends First Radar Images of Earth’s Surface NASA Awards Atmosphere Research Support Contract NASA Flights Study Cosmic Ray Effects for Air, Future Space Travelers Share your feedback. What do you think about T-Minus Space Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Japan’s ispace and ElevationSpace plan to pursue a private mission that will return a lunar sample to Earth. NASA has awarded Katalyst Space Technologies a $30 million contract to raise a spacecraft’s orbit. Redwire has been awarded a contract from Axiom Space to develop and deliver roll-out solar array (ROSA) wings for Axiom Station’s Payload Power Thermal Module, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Our guest today is Joseph (Dan) Trujillo, the United States Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL’s) Space Vehicle Directorate’s Space Cyber Resiliency Technical Lead.  You can connect with Dan on LinkedIn, and find out more about the AFRL Space Cyber Summit here. Selected Reading ispace and ElevationSpace Sign Agreement to Undertake Japan’s First Private Lunar Sample Return Mission NASA Awards Company to Attempt Swift Spacecraft Orbit Boost Redwire Awarded Contract to Provide Roll-Out Solar Arrays for Axiom Space’s First Space Station Module Zeno Power and Orano Unlock Americium-241 Supply Through Strategic Agreement to Fuel Space Nuclear Batteries Planet to Open New Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Berlin Isar Aerospace and R-Space Sign Launch Agreement Advance Space Domain Awareness Space Force Renames ‘Front Door’ to Reflect Broader Impact on Industry Collaboration Kuiper mission updates: Kuiper constellation grows to more than 100 satellites Space Dynamics Lab Shares Open-Source Software to Detect Potentially Dangerous Meteors Share your feedback. What do you think about T-Minus Space Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) and its two rideshare missions: NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and NOAA’s Space Weather Follow-On Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) spacecraft, launched this morning. NATO is reportedly investing $728 million in common funding to develop the alliance’s Space Operations Center. Russian biological research spacecraft Bion-M No. 2 has landed back on Earth after 30 days in orbit, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. Selected Reading Liftoff! Three New Space Weather Spacecraft Soar into Florida Sky - NASA Science NATO investing $728M in new space capabilities, including a new 'data lake' - Breaking Defense Russian 'Noah's Ark' probe carrying 75 mice and 1,500 flies lands back on Earth -Space Starlab Selects Vivace to Manufacture Primary Structure for Commercial Space Station Boeing Defense, Space & Security Partners with Palantir to Accelerate AI Adoption Across Defense, Classified Programs Remcom Receives NASA SBIR for Simulation of Wireless Channels for Artemis Spacesuits and Lunar Rovers Firehawk Aerospace Secures $4M to Push the Boundaries of 3D Printed Propellant for Extended Range Rockets All-Boilermaker team to crew Virgin Galactic suborbital mission Purdue 1 - News Psyche asteroid probe uses lasers to phone home from 218 million miles away- Space Share your feedback. What do you think about T-Minus Space Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices