Aerospacelab has closed an extended Series B funding round totaling €94 million. SpaceX is due to launch an Earth observation-exclusive Falcon 9 mission, with 8 payloads from California. York Space Systems has completed its spacecraft for the Space Development Agency’s (SDA’s) Tranche 1 transport layer, and more.

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T-Minus Guest

Our guest today is Scott Thompson, PwC Global Aerospace & Defense Leader.

You can read PwC’s annual report here.

Selected Reading

Aerospacelab Secures 94 million EUR (110 million USD) to Accelerate its Ambitious Roadmap

SpaceX - NAOS

SpaceX aims to overcome Starship setbacks with tenth flight test- Reuters

York Space Systems Completes Delivery of 21 Satellites for Tranche 1 Launch

Planette Selected by NASA to Develop the First Quantum-Inspired AI System for Extreme Weather Prediction

ESA - Juice team resolves anomaly on approach to Venus

Filtronic secures $62.5m order with SpaceX for next generation technology  

Assured Space Unveils Revolutionary CapLink Array™ Phased Array for Next Generation Missile Defense Radar Missions

Washington State Student Wins 2025 NASA Art Contest

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Rocket Lab to boost investments in the US to expand semiconductor manufacturing capacity and provide supply chain security for space-grade solar cells and electro-optical sensors for national security space missions. Rocket Lab celebrated the 70th Electron mission this weekend. NASA’s SpaceX 33rd commercial resupply mission docked with the International Space Station, and more.

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T-Minus Guest

Our guest today is Brandon Karpf, friend of the show, founder of T-Minus Space Daily, and cybersecurity expert.

Selected Reading

Rocket Lab Announces Expanded U.S. Investments for National Security Programs and Semiconductor Manufacturing

Rocket Lab Successfully Launches 70th Electron Mission

NASA Science, Cargo Launch on 33rd SpaceX Resupply Mission to Station

SpaceX X Update on Starship

Blue Origin X Updates on NS-35

China sets record with 3,100°C tungsten alloy heating in space - CGTN

NASA Sounding Rocket Mission Targeting Aug. 25 Launch Attempt

Ready for takeoff: How edge AI is redefining in-space operations - Latent AI

KSAT Launches Hyper: Orbiting Ground Stations to Reduce Latency for Faster Access to Actionable Data

Aalyria Achieves Laser Comms Breakthrough - Tectonic Defense

NASA Shares Final Contenders for Artemis II Moon Mascot Design Contest

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As spaceports evolve into sophisticated hubs for space exploration, the integration of emerging technologies such as digital twins, artificial intelligence (AI), and robust cybersecurity measures is becoming essential for operational success. We speak to Guadalupe Casuso, Vice President, Technology & Innovation / Digital Labs & Strategic Partnerships at Parsons. 

You can join Guada and Maria on August 27 for the Global Spaceport Alliance Webinar Spaceports as Smart Hubs. You can also read Guada's article on Harnessing Digital Twins, AI, and Cyber for Smarter Spaceport Operations

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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched last night carrying the US Space Force’s X-37B space plane. SpaceX has moved its Super Heavy booster to the launch pad at Starbase ahead of Starship's tenth flight test. Japan has announced that they will launch a new uncrewed cargo spacecraft HTV-X to resupply the International Space Station in October, and more.

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T-Minus Guest

Elysia Segal brings us the Space Traffic Report from NASASpaceflight.com

Selected Reading

SpaceX - USSF-36 Mission

SpaceX - Starship's Tenth Flight Test

Japan to launch new spacecraft to resupply International Space Station in October-  Reuters

Japan to provide H3 rocket for Europe's mission to observe Apophis asteroid-  Reuters

L3Harris Expands Florida Facility to Support America’s Golden Dome

Live, Laugh, Launch | Rocket Lab

China, Russia, and U.S. Race to Develop Lunar Nuclear Reactors But technical challenges may stymy ambitious deadlines

Solar panels in space ‘could provide 80% of Europe’s renewable energy by 2050’

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The Trump Administration seeks to cut air quality and ocean monitoring instruments from the Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) satellite constellation and reduce the number of satellites. NASA has released a Request for Information (RFI) to look for alternatives to the Sustainable Land Imaging (SLI) mission. Japan’s Space Agency (JAXA) has selected Mitsubishi Electric to develop solar technology for satellites, and more.

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T-Minus Guest

Our guest today is Dr. Emma Louden, President of Slooh.

You can connect with Emma on LinkedIn, and find out more about Slooh on their website.

Selected Reading

Trump admin strips ocean and air pollution monitoring from next-gen weather satellites- CNN

Sustainable Land Imaging (SLI) Mission Alternatives Assessment Team (MAAT): Request for Information (RFI)

Mitsubishi Electric Selected as Representative Organization for JAXA’s Space Strategy Fund to Develop Solar Cells and Related Components for Satellites

Solar System Internet Successfully Conducted Pioneering Delay Tolerant Network Edge Processing Test on Lonestar Data Holding's February Lunar Test Flight

LunaGrid-Lite Completes Critical Design Review, Flight Model Underway

Meet Wukong, the AI Chatbot China Has Installed on Its Space Station | WIRED

ALL.SPACE and Telesat Government Solutions begin terminal collaboration for Telesat Lightspeed

US Space Force scheduled to launch eighth X-37B mission

Opinion- Nuclear-powered rockets will win the new space race

SpaceX’s Expensive Starship Explosions Are Starting to Add Up

TOMEX+ Launch Update – Aug. 20 - NASA

This Chappell Roan song boosted interest in a Canadian dark sky preserve by 1,800%- Space

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The UK Space Agency (UKSA) to become part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) by April 2026. BlackSky has signed a seven-figure contract with HEO to provide fully-automated low-latency non-Earth imaging services for defense, intelligence and commercial use. Ursa Space Systems has announced a strategic investment from Sumitomo Corporation of Americas, and more.

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Selected Reading

UK space sector bolstered with government reforms to boost growth and cut red tape - GOV.UK

BlackSky Signs Seven-Figure Space Domain Awareness Expansion Contract with HEO for Fully Automated Non-Earth Imaging Missions

Sumitomo Corporation Invests in Ursa Space to Accelerate Global Growth and Expand into Japan

New Shepard’s 35th Mission Targets Liftoff on Saturday, August 23, Will Fly More Than 40 Payloads to Space | Blue Origin

Orbital Data Center Launching to ISS to Advance Space Computing

ESA Backs Hungarian Project to Improve Space Weather Forecasting

New Moon Discovered Orbiting Uranus Using NASA’s Webb Telescope

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SpinLaunch has raised $30 million in funding to accelerate the development and commercialization of Meridian Space. Space Kinetic Corp. has received an undisclosed amount of funding from CerraCap Ventures. X-Bow Systems and the US Army have announced a $13.9 million joint investment to strengthen the solid rocket motor supply chain for defense needs, and more.

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T-Minus Guest

Our guest today is Richard Cooper, Vice President, Strategic Communications & Space Awareness at the Space Foundation.

You can connect with Rich on LinkedIn, and find out more about the Space Technology Hall of Fame on the Space Foundation’s website.

Selected Reading

SpinLaunch Announces Closing of $30M in Funding to Accelerate the Development of the Meridian Space Constellation

CerraCap Ventures Invests in Space Kinetic, Driving Breakthrough - Space Superiority and Missile Defense Innovation

X-Bow Systems and U.S. Army Announce $13.9 Million Joint Investment for Next-Generation GMLRS Rocket Motor

Construction Begins at NordSpace's Atlantic Spaceport Complex (ASX) in Canada, Ahead of First Commercial Rocket Launch

China launches seven satellites with Lijian-1 rocket

Polish Consortium Selects Payloads for State-Sponsored Suborbital Rocket Launch 

TOMEX+ Launch Update – Aug. 18 - NASA

Shubhanshu Shukla gifts PM Modi National Flag flown in Space - News9live

Higher Orbits to Launch Four Student Research Experiments to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX CRS-33

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According to internal company documents reviewed by The New York Times, SpaceX has most likely paid little to no federal income taxes since its founding in 2002. NASA and Google are collaborating to test an AI-powered medical assistant designed to support astronauts on long-duration missions. Voyager Technologies is investing in Latent AI, and more.

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T-Minus Guest

Parker Wishik brings us The Aerospace Corporation’s monthly segment Nexus. Parker is joined by Craig J. Smith Executive Director at Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority, Scott McLaughlin, Executive Director at the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (Spaceport America) and Karen Jones, senior project leader in the Center for Space Policy and Strategy at The Aerospace Corporation.

Selected Reading

SpaceX Gets Billions From the Government. It Gives Little to Nothing Back in Taxes.

FAA approves Starship Flight 10 after mishap probe, eyes August 24 launch - NASASpaceFlight.com

NASA and Google test AI medical assistant for astronaut missions to the moon and Mars- Space

Voyager and Latent AI Bring Advanced AI to Orbit

Firefly Aerospace eyes Alpha rocket launch in Japan for Asia market-Reuters

Flight test of Chinese start-up LandSpace's rocket fails -Reuters

China launches low Earth orbit internet satellites - CGTN

TOMEX+ Launch Update - Aug. 17 - NASA

EUMETSAT Assumes Control of Inaugural Metop Second Generation Satellite

Hijacked satellites and orbiting space weapons - ABC News

NASA Seeks Proposals for 2026 Human Exploration Rover Challenge

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Sift is focused on solving the hardware/software problem in aerospace. Their mission and vision argue that hardware has been left behind. Sift argues that the industry still lacks the runtime observability tools to debug systems in real-time. Sift is filling that gap by providing a full-stack AI SaaS solution to hardware observability. We speak to Sift’s CEO Karthik Gollapudi.

You can connect with Karthik Gollapudi on LinkedIn and learn more about Sift on their website.

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The California Coastal Commission has voted against a plan to nearly double the number of Falcon 9 rocket launches SpaceX is permitted to conduct each year from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Air and Space Forces says that there are calls for nearly $2.3 billion in spending cuts hidden in the 2026 fiscal year budget. NASA has released a call for industry input for developing efficient power supply on the lunar surface, and more.

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T-Minus Guest

Elysia Segal brings us the Space Traffic Report from NASASpaceflight.com

Selected Reading

California rejects Elon Musk’s rocket-launch proposal - POLITICO

Here's All the DOGE-Linked Cuts in the Air, Space Force Budget

NASA Seeks Industry Feedback on Fission Surface Power

Sidus Space Reports Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results and Provides Business Update

China's Shenzhou-20 crew to conduct 3rd spacewalk with new spacesuits - CGTN

Colorado space company hopes to land contract for President Trump's Golden Dome project

ESA - No Earth-like atmosphere on TRAPPIST-1 d

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