T-Minus: Space-Cyber Briefing

If at first you don't launch, try try again - due to a scrub from technical issues earlier this week and then unfavorable weather conditions, the launch of Crew 10 to the International Space Station is set for another launch attempt. The U.S. Air Force has rated United Launch Alliance’s performance on its National Security Space Launch obligations as unsatisfactory. Rocket Lab has been on a roll t...

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Hera spacecraft activated a trio of instruments, and imaged the surface of Mars as well as the face of Deimos. Space Forge has been awarded the UK’s first-ever licence for In-Space Advanced Manufacturing. The Norwegian Space Agency has signed a contract with Isar Aerospace to launch its Arctic Ocean Surveillance program satellites, and more. Remember to leave us a...

Rocket Lab announces its intention to acquire Mynaric. A SpaceX Falcon 9 launches NASA’s SPHEREx telescope and PUNCH mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base. D-Orbit and Eutelsat announce a collaboration for ESA’s in-orbit servicing mission called RISE, 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. Sele...

NASA’s acting administrator has outlined plans for a phased reduction in force (RIF), closing several offices. Redwire Corporation has reported Q4 and full year 2024 financial results. Rocket Lab has scheduled its next two Electron launches from New Zealand, 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....

The US Space Force’s X-37B space plane has landed in California after 437 days in orbit. The US Space Development Agency (SDA) has delayed the  deployment for the Tranche 1 satellite constellation due to supply chain disruptions. Voyager Space has extended its partnership with Palantir to develop a new AI space domain awareness application, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review...

Jonathan Nalder ‘the Edunaut’ is an educator and author that is using space to ignite imagination in his outreach projects. He’s turned his love of space into programs that engage with students, educators and parents around the world. He shares his passion projects ‘First Kinds in Space’ and ‘First on Mars’ with us. You can connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn, and learn more about the outreach progr...

SpaceX’s Starship test flight 8 ends in a dramatic fireball over the Caribbean. Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission lunar lander, Athena, lands 250 meters from its intended landing site. ispace and SpaceData to collaborate on lunar surface digital twin creation, 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....

Arianespace’s Ariane 6 lifted off from French Guiana carrying a French spy satellite to sun-synchronous orbit. AST spaceMobile, Kayhan Space and LeoLabs collaborated on a demonstration to reduce US Space Force tracking times. Red Hat and Axiom have collaborated on an on-orbit data center which is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station this spring, and more. Remember to leave us a 5...

NASA selects Firefly Aerospace to provide the launch service for the Investigation of Convective Updrafts (INCUS) mission. Astroscale UK and BAE Systems to collaborate on an In-orbit Refurbishment and Upgrading Service (IRUS), to advance the transition away from the current single-use culture in space. Spire Global announces third quarter 2024 financial results, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-...

Redwire has been awarded a study contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) to conceptualize a spacecraft platform that could be delivered to Mars as a part of ESA LightShip initiative. BAE Systems has received a $151 million contract from the US Space Force’s Space Systems Command to further develop the Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution, known as FORGE, Command and Control ground s...

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost successfully lands on the Moon. Investigations are underway to determine who was behind a cyberattack on Poland’s Space Agency (POLSA). Spire Global successfully established a two-way optical link between two satellites 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...

The overview effect that astronauts experience when they see Earth from space is characterized by a feeling of awe and a sense of connection to the Earth and other people. But what if you could feel that with your feet placed firmly on planet Earth? SEN shares live and recorded 4K video of Earth and space from their own video cameras in space and it’s difficult not to get caught up in emotions whe...

Rocket Lab shares financial updates and pushes back the Neutron’s inaugural flight to the second half of the year. Skylo has raised $30 million in an oversubscribed funding round. Varda Space has retrieved their W2 capsule from the Koonibba Test Range after completing the first commercial space reentry in Australia, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast...

Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander Athena is heading to the Moon. Varda’s W2 spacecraft lands back in the Australian outback after completing its second mission. Astroscale Japan has been awarded a 7.27 billion yen contract by Japan’s Ministry of Defense to develop a responsive space system demonstration satellite prototype, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite...

AST SpaceMobile has been awarded a contract in support of the US Space Development Agency (SDA) through a prime contractor, with total expected revenue of $43 million. SpaceX says a small liquid oxygen leak caused its Falcon 9 second stage to reenter Earth's atmosphere over Europe last week. Astroscale’s ADRAS-J concludes phase I of the commercial removal of debris demonstration for JAXA, and more...

Vanessa Wyche appointed as the acting associate administrator for NASA. Verizon and AST SpaceMobile have conducted the first live video call between two mobile devices with one connected via satellite and the other connected via Verizon’s terrestrial network.  The Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability partnership (DARC) has completed facilities construction at the first of three sites that will hos...

BAE Systems Space and Mission Systems has won a $230.6 million contract to build spacecraft for the Lagrange 1 Series project as a part of NOAA’s Space Weather Next program. NASA has selected SpaceX to provide launch services for the Near-Earth Object Surveyor mission. The first Australian-designed and built rocket by Gilmour Space is scheduled for its inaugural launch on March 15, and more. Remem...

European startup Atmos Space Cargo has received the regulatory approvals it needs for its first mission to demonstrate reentry technologies. The Company is based in Germany, is launching its Phoenix capsule from the US, and intends to return it in international waters. Sebastian Klaus CEO and Co-founder of ATMOS Space Cargo and Dr. Ingo Baumann,  partner at BHO Legal talk us through the process of...

European startup Atmos Space Cargo has received the regulatory approvals it needs for its first mission to demonstrate reentry technologies. The Company is based in Germany, is launching its Phoenix capsule from the US, and intends to return it in international waters. Sebastian Klaus CEO and Co-founder of ATMOS Space Cargo and Dr. Ingo Baumann,  partner at BHO Legal talk us through the process of...

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) has launched a $57.58 million fund to support early-stage space technologies and reduce reliance on imports. The US Department of the Air Force has agreed to revoke a Space Development Agency (SDA) award to Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, and reopen bidding. SAIC and AWS have been awarded contracts by NOAA to provide cloud hosti...

Space debris from a SpaceX Falcon 9 second stage creates a fireball over Europe in the early hours of the morning. True Anomaly opens a 90,000 square foot factory in Long Beach, California. Exolaunch opens a new location in Toulouse, France, 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...

The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected Astroscale UK for the Capture Bay for Active Debris Removal (CAT) for In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) mission. AAC Clyde Space kicks off a €30 million maritime domain awareness constellation with support from ESA. The ESA/ NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft readies for its closest encounter with Venus, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review i...

Cape Canaveral has long been the gateway to space in the US. It’s the location of the early human spaceflights and it continues to be the most active spaceport in the world. Hidden on the base is the Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum. James Draper is the Director of the museum at the Cape, and shares insights into what is at the museum and what is accessible to the general public. You can connect...

Satellites haven’t changed much in their basic design since we started launching them in the 1950s. They go into their predetermined orbit, live to a short life expectancy, then burn up in our atmosphere on reentry. But what if there was a different approach that could help resolve limitations especially now that things are getting crowded in LEO? Portal Space Systems say they’re solving the need...

The United States Space Force (USSF)’s Space Systems Command (SSC) has awarded a launch service contract to Firefly Aerospace for $21.81 million for VICTUS SOL, the USSF’s newest Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) mission. K2 Space has raised $110 million in a Series B funding round. The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a contract with Thales Alenia Space to develop Element #2 of the High-t...