NASA says it is considering the possibility of an earlier end to Crew-11’s mission due to a medical situation on board the International Space Station. Karman Space and Defense has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Seemann Composites and MSC. PowerBank and Smartlink AI’s Genesis-1 satellite is confirmed to be operating an artificial intelligence model directly in orbit, and more.

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T-Minus Guest

Our guest today is John Serafini, the CEO of HawkEye 360.

You can connect with John on LinkedIn, and find out more about HawkEye 360 on their website.

Selected Reading

International Space Station Update - NASA

NASA Postpones Jan. 8 Spacewalk

Karman Space & Defense Expands into High-Priority Maritime Defense Market with Agreement to Acquire Seemann Composites and Materials Sciences, Leaders in Advanced Composite Systems for Submarine, UUV/USV and Strategic Naval Surface Platforms

Artificial Intelligence Production in Space: PowerBank Shares Additional Update on Collaboration with Smartlink AI

Major firsts achieved: China unveils 2025 space station 'work summary' - CGTN

Eric and Wendy Schmidt to fund space telescope, three ground-based observatories

Stellant Systems to be Acquired by TransDigm for $960M - Via Satellite

Study casts doubt on potential for life on Jupiter's moon Europa- Reuters

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The House and Senate Appropriations Committees released the text of their joint conference agreement on the FY2026 Commerce-Justice-Science bill with a rejection of the cuts to NASA proposed by the Trump Administration. NASA has selected ARES Technical Services Corporation to provide launch range operations support at the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Sierra Space has completed the first nine satellite structures, Plane 1 of the 18 total satellites the company is contracted to deliver for the Space Development Agency’s (SDA’s) Tranche 2 Tracking Layer program (T2TL), and more.

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Selected Reading

Congress rejects President Trump's deep NASA budget cuts, proposes $24.4 billion for the agency- Space

NASA Awards Launch Range Contract for Wallops Flight Facility

Sierra Space Completes First Nine Satellite Structures for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer, Three Months Ahead of Schedule

Pentagon Awards Systima, Part of Karman Space & Defense, $5 Million to Expand Solid Rocket Motor Nozzle Production Capacity

Israel announces $19 million national space R&D lab to accelerate startup access to orbit - JNS.org

SkyFi Integrates Vantor to Deliver On-Demand High-Resolution Geospatial Imagery and Advanced Analytics

ARCHE ORBITAL SYSTEMS Signs Strategic MoU with MSRO to Advance National Space Capabilities for the Maldives - SpaceNews

NASA's Hubble Examines Cloud-9, First of New Type of Object

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NASA’s Dynamic Test Stand and the Propulsion and Structural Test Facility, known as the T-Tower at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, are due to be demolished. The library at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland is closing after a number of disruptions and reductions by the Trump administration. NASA has selected industry proposals to advance technologies for the agency’s Habitable Worlds Observatory concept, and more.

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T-Minus Guest

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

Selected Reading

NASA begins infrastructure overhaul under Isaacman as Trump pushes ambitious space exploration goals

Goddard Space Flight Center staff says library's closure degrades NASA's mission- NPR

NASA Selects Tech Proposals to Advance Search-for-Life Mission

Spain’s New Communications Satellite Suffers “Space Particle” Strike

Redwire Successfully Completes Payload Integration for Upcoming European Technology Demonstration Mission

Tory Bruno Hops From ULA, Skips to Blue Origin - Via Satellite

A Mouse Just Gave Birth After Going to Space. Here's Why That's a Big Deal- ScienceAlert

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The European Space Agency (ESA) has confirmed that some of its systems have been breached after a hacker offered to sell data allegedly stolen from the organization. L3Harris Technologies has agreed to sell a majority part of its Space Propulsion and Power Systems business to private equity firm AE Industrial Partners. The United States Space Force (USSF) has issued requests for launch provider interest in launch pads at both Cape Canaveral Space Force Base, and Vandenberg Space Force Base, and more.

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T-Minus Guest

Bailey Reichelt from Aegis Space Law and Matthew Linton from Linton Space Law bring us Space Law FAQs.

Selected Reading

Space Agency Confirms Breach — Hackers Claim 200 GB Of Data Stolen

L3Harris to Sell Majority Stake in Space Propulsion & Power Business to AE Industrial Partners

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Request for Information for Space Launch Complex-46 Lease

Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) Request for Information (RFI) for Space Launch Complex-14 (SLC-14) Lease

SpaceX launches Italian Earth-observing satellite to orbit on the 1st mission of 2026- Space

After half a decade, the Russian space station segment stopped leaking - Ars Technica

Maritime Launch Appoints Melissa Quinn as Vice President of Spaceport Operations to Support Canada's Orbital Launch Readiness at Spaceport Nova Scotia

NASA Astronaut Nick Hague Retires

SpaceX lowering orbits of 4,400 Starlink satellites for safety's sake- Space

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Dr. Sian “Leo” Proctor was the keynote speaker at SpaceCom 2025. We caught up with the Inspiration4 astronaut to find out about her journey into space and how it inspires her art here on Earth.

You can find out more about Dr. Proctor on her website.

T-Minus Space will be at SpaceCom 2026 https://www.spacecomexpo.com/. Email us at [email protected] to arrange a time to chat with us.

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Wendy Lawrence (Captain, US Navy, Retired) is an engineer, pilot (helicopter), and a former NASA Astronaut. She flew on four space shuttle missions, and is now using her experience to inspire the next generation of the space workforce. She tells us about her work with the Challenger Learning Center and Higher Orbits.

You can connect with Wendy on LinkedIn.

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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.

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Satellite IoT refers to the integration of satellite networks with Internet of Things (IoT) devices to enable connectivity and data exchange in remote and challenging environments. This allows IoT devices, like sensors and trackers, to communicate directly with satellites, bypassing terrestrial infrastructure. We spoke to Ian Itz, Executive Director of Global IoT Line of Business at Iridium about the service they offer.

You can connect with Ian on LinkedIn, and learn more about Iridium on their website.

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The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) was created in 1984 by six Mercury 7 astronauts. Since then astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs have pursued the mission to encourage university students pursuing scientific excellence. The prestigious Astronaut Scholarship is known nationwide for being among the largest merit-based monetary scholarships awarded to undergraduate STEM juniors and seniors. ASF has a life-long relationship with each Astronaut Scholar and provides them with mentors, professional and personal development and networking with astronauts. Former NASA Astronaut Christopher Ferguson joins us to talk about the power of mentorship along with his mentee Vikas Patel.

You can read more about the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation on their website.

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When spacecraft are sent to space, they currently have to carry the fuel to power them for their entire mission. Once the energy runs out, the mission ends. Star Catcher is developing orbital infrastructure that they say will transform how satellites are powered. Learn more with  President and CEO Andrew Rush.

You can connect with Andrew on LinkedIn, and learn more about Star Catcher on their website.

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