T-Minus: Space-Cyber Briefing

Find out the thoughts of host Maria Varmazis and producers Alice Carruth, Jennifer Eiben, and Elizabeth Stokes on what the highlights in space were in 2025, and what they’re looking forward to in 2026.

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US-based national security company CACI International has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ARKA Group. FAA documents detail aviation risks from SpaceX Starship explosion. A spate of recent global launches show uneven outcomes. And, more. 

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T-Minus Guest

Our guest today is Greg Gillinger, SVP for Strategy & Development, Integrity ISR.

Selected Reading

CACI Enters Into Definitive Agreement to Acquire ARKA Group, Expanding Its Technology Focus In Space-Based Sensing and Actionable Intelligence 

The SpaceX Explosion That Put Flights in Danger - WSJ

Long March 12A reaches orbit in first reusable launch attempt, but landing fails - SpaceNews 

Rocket crashes in Brazil's first commercial launch; Innospace shares tumble | Reuters 

Japanese H3 rocket fails to put geolocation satellite into orbit

Vantor partnered with SpaceX to rapidly image a Starlink satellite following a reported on-orbit anomaly. 

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4750-4762: See You on the Other Side of the Sun - NASA Science 

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Rocket Lab awarded an $816 million prime contract by the U.S. Space Force. The Space Development Agency made multiple awards to build 72 Tracking Layer satellites for Tranche 3. NATO’s suspicions about a new ASAT weapon from Russia. And, more. 

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T-Minus Guest

Dave Bittner, host of The CyberWire, and cybersecurity executive Brandon Karpf, join us for the monthly space and cyber segment about As Space Becomes Warfare Domain, Cyber Is on the Frontlines.

Selected Reading

Rocket Lab Awarded $816M Prime Contract to Build Missile- Defense Satellite Constellation for U.S. Space Force

Space Development Agency Makes Awards to Build 72 Tracking Layer Satellites for Tranche 3

Starlink in the crosshairs: How Russia could attack Elon Musk's conquering of space

Exolaunch to Deploy 22 Satellites on Upcoming "Twilight" Rideshare Mission with SpaceX, Expanding Access to a Dawn-Dusk Orbit 

Telesat Lightspeed program, Safran - Space 

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From radiation-hardened hardware to edge computing in deep space, AI is moving off the ground and into one of the harshest environments imaginable. Ralph Grundler is the Director of Space Business Development and Space R&D at Aitech Systems. He shares his decades of experience from  building computers that don’t just survive space—they think there. We’ll explore how AI-rated systems are flying today, what they enable for Earth and deep-space missions, and why space may be the ultimate proving ground for autonomous computing

You can connect with Ralph on LinkedIn, and learn more about Aitech Systems on their website.

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US President Donald Trump has signed an Executive Order (EO) titled Ensuring American Space Superiority. Rheinmetall is partnering with ICEYE to fulfil a 1.7-billion-euro or $2 billion order from the German Armed Forces. HawkEye 360 has completed the acquisition of Innovative Signal Analysis supported by equity and debt financings totaling $150 million, and more.

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T-Minus Guest

Sawyer Rosenstein brings us the NASASpaceflight Space Traffic Report.

Selected Reading

ENSURING AMERICAN SPACE SUPERIORITY – The White House

SpaceX loses contact with Starlink satellite after mishap- Reuters

Rheinmetall and ICEYE win billion-euro contract for space reconnaissance

HawkEye 360 Closes Strategic Acquisition and Secures Series E Preferred and Debt

Astrobotic Secures $17.5M to Advance Reusable Rockets

This Day in History: Ike’s Christmas message makes history in space

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Jared Isaacman has been confirmed as the new NASA Administrator. Rocket Lab launched the STP-S30 mission for the US Space Force’s (USSF’s) Space Systems Command. Redwire Corporation has been contracted by The Exploration Company to provide two docking systems for Nyx, and more.

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T-Minus Guest

Our guest today is Ryan Brown, Executive Director of SpaceCom.

You can connect with Ryan on LinkedIn, and learn more about SpaceCom on their website.

Selected Reading

Billionaire Jared Isaacman confirmed as Nasa chief after turbulent nomination

Rocket Lab Executes Successful Launch of STP-S30 Mission for the Department of War

Redwire Awarded Contract to Provide Spacecraft Docking Systems for The Exploration Company’s European Space Capsule

Southern Launch to Support Orbital Re-Entries of Lux Aeterna’s Reusable Satellites in South Australia

NASA’s Two-in-One Satellite Propulsion Demo Begins In-Space Test

A Rocket Maker Burned Through Its Cash, Then Eric Schmidt Swooped In

Max Space unveils plans for commercial space station - SpaceNews

Latest Comet 3I/ATLAS news: One day until the comet is closest to Earth- Space

Kiwi team lead ‘out of this world’ study of new comet- UC 

Gemini North Color Images Reveal Greenish Glow of Comet 3I/ATLAS- NOIRLab

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An Ariane 6 rocket launched two Galileo satellites from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. A European Space Agency (ESA) contract awarded to ArianeGroup in 2021 for the development of an Ariane 6 kick stage will reportedly be adapted to cover its evolution into an orbital transfer vehicle (OTV). India’s Digantara Industries has raised $50 million in a funding round to develop sovereign space surveillance capabilities, and more.

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Selected Reading

ESA - Galileo’s first Ariane 6 launch strengthens European resilience

ESA Member States Fund €100M Ariane 6 ASTRIS Kick Stage Evolution

India's Digantara raises $50 million to boost space surveillance push- Reuters

China launches new stereo mapping satellite - CGTN

Launch of Japan's Michibiki 5 navigation satellite scrubbed late in countdown -Space

NASA Launches Research Program for Students to Explore Big Ideas

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The US and France held a joint orbital exercise as part of the Multinational Force Operation Olympic Defender. EraDrive has raised $5.3M in a seed round to scale the production of their space traffic management system. The US Department of State is seeking qualified individuals to participate as private sector advisors for a discussion group on space situational awareness (SSA), and more.

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T-Minus Guest

Our guest today is Trevor Smith, Co-founder and CEO of Atomic-6.

Selected Reading

France, US practice up-close satellite maneuvers under joint space war plan

EraDrive CEO announcement

Solicitation for Federal Register Notice 12609: Seeking Private Sector Participants for a Discussion Group on the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) Expert Group on Space Situational Awareness - United States Department of State

Vast Announces Call for Research Proposals

Momentus Completes Key Milestone for Next Launch of Spacecraft with Customer Payloads

Earth’s atmosphere may help support human life on the moon

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Starfish Space has successfully completed an autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) mission in low Earth orbit with Impulse Space. Rocket Lab has marked a milestone with the successful deployment of its first dedicated launch for JAXA. Mission Space has announced its intention to launch its second on-orbit payload with Rogue Space Systems, and more.

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T-Minus Guest

Our guest today is Patrick O'Neill, Public Affairs and Outreach Lead at the International Space Station US National Laboratory.

You can connect with Patrick on LinkedIn, and learn more about the ISS National Lab on their website.

Selected Reading

Starfish Space Completes Autonomous Rendezvous and Proximity Mission in LEO with Impulse Space

Mission Success: Rocket Lab Deploys First Dedicated Launch for Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Mission Space and Rogue Space Announce Launch of Mission Space's Second In-Orbit Payload

Virgin Galactic Partners with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to Advance High-Altitude Image-Capture Technology

Space Force will not partner with NRO for next-generation surveillance satellites

'Fiddler on the Moon' documentary explores how Judaism might adapt as humanity reaches out into space

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Canadian Space Mining Corporation (CSMC) is focused on lunar nuclear power and next-generation quantum sensing. We spoke to Daniel Sax, founder and CEO of CSMC, about how CSMC evolved from lunar exploration into developing micro-reactors for the Moon and the Arctic, as well as quantum gravity sensors that could transform subsurface mapping for both Earth and planetary science. 

You can connect with Daniel on LinkedIn, and learn more about CSMC on their website. 

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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. 

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T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc.

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