T-Minus: Space-Cyber Briefing

The first Space Force Guardian is going to space this August as part of the NASA SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station. Rocket Lab is looking to raise $275 million by offering financial securities known as Convertible Senior Notes. NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce and SpaceX have entered into a no-exchange-of-funds Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), for resea...

StarLab Space, which is a joint venture between Voyager space and Airbus, have chosen to launch their Starlab commercial space station on SpaceX’s Starship. Rocket Lab launched its first successful mission of 2024 called “Four of a Kind'' from New Zealand. NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) and Arianespace have signed an Memorandum of Understanding for a long-term partnership to support satellite launc...

The European Space Agency, the European Commission and the European Investment Bank have come to a formal agreement to enhance the European Space Sector. Spanish aerospace company PLD Space has won the second phase of the project for the development of a Spanish launcher for small satellites. Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc. has  completed a deal with Eutelsat OneWeb to purchase its 50% share of...

JAXA reestablishes contact with SLIM after a recent shift in lighting conditions allowed it to catch sunlight and generate the power that it needs for its mission. The Korea Augmentation Satellite System (KASS) has been officially certified by the Korean authorities. Iran says it successfully launched three satellites into space over the weekend, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and...

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has ended its mission at the Red Planet after surpassing expectations and making dozens more flights than planned.  The Federal Communications Commission is proposing a new framework to license space stations conducting in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) activities. paceX is looking for science and research ideas that will enable life in space a...

Firefly Aerospace has been chosen by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to launch satellites using its Alpha rocket. The Space Development Agency has awarded General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems a contract to demonstrate optical communication terminals (OCTs). The US Department of Defense has awarded a research and development contract to TransAstra to develop the company’s FlyTrap system...

ClearSpace and Orbit Fab announce a strategic partnership to advance in-space refueling and servicing capabilities. Belgium has become the latest country to add its signature to the Artemis Accords. The European Space Agency and the European Commission have selected five companies that will launch institutional missions into space in the framework of the Flight Ticket Initiative, and more. Remembe...

Albedo Space raises $48 million in a Series A round. Latitude has closed a Series B funding round that secured $30 million in new capital. Share My Space has transitioned to ALDORIA, and secured €10M in a Series A funding round, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our weekly intelligence roundup, Signals and Space, an...

NASA has completed the disassembly of the OSIRIS-REx sampler head to reveal the remainder of the asteroid Bennu sample inside. Sierra Space has tested its first full-scale, expandable space station structure, alongside softgoods technology partner ILC Dover. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency believes there’s a possibility of power generation for their lunar lander, and more. Remember to leave...

Equatorial Launch Australia’s (ELA) mission is to be the pre-eminent multi-user commercial Space Launch company, providing world-class launch services supporting testing, launch and recovery of space vehicles and payloads flown to and from all space orbits. We spoke with ELA’s Executive Chairman and Group CEO, Michael Jones. You can connect with Michael on LinkedIn and learn more about ELA on thei...

Japan’s lunar lander makes a successful touchdown on the moon. NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce announced the start of a commercial pathfinder project in support of its Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS). The European Space Agency finds layers of water ice stretching several kilometers below ground at Mars’ equator, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favor...

Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander makes a controlled reentry to Earth over a remote area of the South Pacific. JAXA confirms that SLIM is ready to begin preparations for landing descent on Friday. SpaceX launches the Axiom 3 mission to the International Space Station, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our weekly i...

The Space Development Agency announces $2.5 billion in contracts split between L3Harris, Lockheed Martin and Sierra Space. The US Space Force will become the nation’s first military service that allows troops to switch between full-time and part-time work without formally transferring to a Reserve component or the National Guard. The US Federal Government holds a Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee...

Space Capital finds commercial space companies raised $17.9 billion in 2023, which is a drop of 25%  from 2022. The US Space Development Agency is seeking industry feedback for the final of three types of Tranche 2 Transport Layer (T2TL) space vehicles known as T2TL Gamma. John Deere signs a deal with SpaceX’s Starlink that will see the satellite company provide connectivity to farming equipment i...

Welcome to the T-Minus Overview Radio Show. In this program we’ll feature some of the conversations from our daily podcast with the people who are forging the path in the new space era, from industry leaders, technology experts and pioneers, to educators, policy makers, research organizations, and more. On today’s episode we’re going to hear about what it’s like to travel to space from people who...

IENAI Space has designed a palm-sized propulsion option for future space missions. The ‘electrospray’ technology is being developed as a cost- and mass-effective method of propelling CubeSats and other small satellites. For the first time in Europe, this ionic-liquid based electrospray propulsion system has achieved more than 400 hours of continuous operation. Learn more from IENAI Space Co-founde...

Japan's H-IIA launched from Tanegashima Space Center carrying the IGS Optical-8 spy satellite to orbit. The Gravity-1 vehicle, built by Chinese company Orienspace, lifted off the deck of a ship stationed in the Yellow Sea on Thursday. A new report from NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS) advises against push towards space-based solar power, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-s...

Italian space logistics startup D-Orbit has raised more than $109 million in a funding round led by Japan's Marubeni. Spain-based Sateliot has secured €6 million Euros in new funding from Banco Santander. The European Space Agency says its EO4Security platform to fight environmental crime and monitor illegal activities from space, is fully operational, and more.   Remember to leave us a 5-star rat...

India’s Aditya-L1 solar observatory reaches its final destination. China moves its lunar lander to its spaceport ready for a launch in the first quarter of this year. ArianeGroup reportedly increases financial support for MaiaSpace to €125 million, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our weekly intelligence roundup, S...

NASA is pushing back its schedule for Artemis 2 to September 2025, with the Artemis 3 mission, which will land the first humans on the moon since the 1970s, delayed to September 2026.  NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory lays off 100 contractors as part of a  cost-cutting effort. Astrobotic says there’s no chance of soft landing Peregrine on the moon, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating an...

United Launch Alliance successfully launches its Vulcan Centaur rocket. Astrobotics’ Peregrine lunar lander experiences an anomaly. The UAE’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre has announced plans to provide an airlock for NASA’s Gateway space station that will orbit the Moon, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our wee...

As systems get smaller and more powerful, it seems many of the capabilities currently operating in geostationary orbit (GEO) and Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) will largely move towards the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) market over the next 10 to 15 years. We spoke to Philip Harlow, President of commercial satellite operator Telesat about the market and military shift. You can connect with Philip on LinkedIn an...

NASA responds to the Navajo Nation’s request to delay the first commercial lunar payload services mission to the Moon. SpaceX sues the National Board of Labor after they issued a complaint against the company illegally firing employees. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has denied the protest by L3Harris over the award of a NASA contract to Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation, an...

The US National Labor Relations Board is moving forward with a complaint against SpaceX by eight former employees who allege they were illegally fired. Maxar Intelligence has received a contract to provide the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency with the company’s Precision3D data suite bundle covering 160,000 square kilometers within the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility. Ro...

Terran Orbital closed out 2023 with $70 million dollars in cash, giving them what their CEO Marc Bell says is a "solid financial foundation" for their objectives in the coming year.  SpaceX begins 2024 by launching the first six satellites with direct-to-cell capabilities. AIAA’s CEO Dan Dumbacher will be stepping down from his role in September 2024, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating...