Space Times

This week Harrison and Paul discuss the changes to lunar missions, specifically citing the US Artemis mission involving SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mk-1, and the related challenges of on-orbit refueling being tackled by companies like Rocket Lab and iSpace working on related technologies, and noted that Intuitive Machines contract extension for nuclear power in space. They also talked about growth of on-orbit structures for data centers by companies like Space Quarters and potentially SpaceX with Starlink V3, and Voyager's strategic acquisitions to become a defense player competing for Golden Dome appropriations alongside SpaceX's $2 billion contract win for missile tracking satellites. Finally, they reviewed advancements in contested communications, space domain awareness with Vantor's Earth-to-space imagers, increased international space defense spending by countries like Germany and Denmark, Globalstar's potential sale to SpaceX, and developments in hypersonics and breakthrough propulsion technologies like the Centrifugal Impulse Drive.

This week Harrison and Paul discuss the European merger of Airbus, Leonardo, and Thales Alenia Space for Europe’s communications constellation, the advancements in launch vehicle technology with HyImpulse's funding and China's reusable rocket initiatives, and the newly announced development of space-based interceptors by Apex and Lockheed Martin in anticipation of Golden Shield.

This week Harrison and Paul discuss significant developments in military networks including the competition between Terran Space and York Space for SDA Tranche 1, Viasat's entry into maneuverable GEO satellites, Firefly’s acquisition of missile defense company SciTec, Starshield's use of S-band for data downlink, Firefly's acquisition of SciTec Missile Defense for missile defense, and improvements in U.S. launch site capabilities at Vandenberg and Cape Canaveral. Many other business updates are covered including Ariane 64 updates, China's successful Gravity-1 launch, business wins for Viridian Space, Stoke Space, Urban Sky, and Auriga Space, Muon Space, Spire Global, and Momentus Space. And several high-tech space technologies advancements are highlighted including the VASIMR thruster, Atomic 6's composite space armor, and the partnership between Serpentrio and Xona Space Systems for high-precision navigation.

Harrison and Paul welcome you to their corner of the universe today to discuss all the exciting times in space this week for a special edition of the Space Times podcast! This week we discuss the Commercial Space Federation's Redshift report, which details China's structured and rapidly advancing space program, emphasizing scientific improvement and global influence through soft power. We talk about China's significant investment in space infrastructure, manufacturing, and advanced technologies, and the impact it will have on the US space industry.

Harrison and Paul welcome you to their corner of the universe today to discuss all the exciting times in space this week for a special edition of the Space Times podcast! This week we discuss launch industry setbacks with SpaceX and Firefly, ESA's reusable upper stage contract for Vega-C, Blue Origin's New Shepard cadence plans, the impact of a government shutdown on the aerospace industry, space domain awareness initiatives, challenges in data sharing for space safety, increased government spending in space defense, Blue Origin's lunar contracts, Maxar's rebranding, and recent funding rounds and novel space technologies.

Harrison and Paul welcome you to their corner of the universe today to discuss all the exciting times in space this week for the "Space Times" podcast! This week we discuss significant advancements in space domain awareness, the increasing military investment in space, including the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC), the defense pivot of Sierra Space's Dream Chaser, the surprising consolidation in the space tug industry, and development of space infrastructure hubs for refueling and maintenance.  We hope you enjoy our conversation, and join us every week!

Harrison and Paul welcome you to their corner of the universe today to discuss all the exciting times in space this week for the "Space Times" podcast! And there’s plenty to talk about in our first week, there’s news about next-generation communication networks, spectrum acquisition, challenges in the direct-to-device market, space sovereignty, the resurgence of small GEO satellites, the growing importance of space security and laser communication, ground station innovation, the diversification of launch providers, the future of space tugs, SAR technology for defense and disaster response, weather measurement, methane tracking, Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines (RDREs), on-orbit power grids, advancements in quantum computing and communications in space, and recent funding rounds in the industry. We hope you enjoy our conversation, and join us every week!