T-Minus Space Daily

The National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration will be eliminates funding for the Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) in its Fiscal Year 2026 budget.  LeoLabs has been selected for a $4M Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) opportunity by the US Space Force’s SpaceWERX. Thales Alenia Space has been selected by CNES to develop a very-high-throughput laser communications demonstrator, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Our guest today is Kirk Konert, Managing Partner at AE Industrial Partners and Chairman of the Board at Firefly Aerospace.  You can connect with Kirk on LinkedIn, and learn more about AE Industrial Partners on their website. Selected Reading National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration Budget Estimates Fiscal Year 2026  LeoLabs Selected by USSF to Further Develop Next-Gen, Scout-Class Radar Capabilities to Detect and Track Launches Thales Alenia Space to develop SOLiS very-high-throughput laser communications demonstrator Sidus Space Partners with VORAGO Technologies to Advance Radiation-Hardened Compute Capabilities for Scalable Space and Defense Infrastructure Momentus and Orbit Fab Partner to Advance Space Servicing with Podracer and RAFTI Demonstration Flight Rocket Lab Successfully Completes Critical Design Review for Space Development Agency’s T2TL-Beta Constellation ESA - Watch MTG-S1 and Sentinel-4 launch live Teledyne Space Imaging CIS120 sensors launch on Japanese GOSAT-GW climate change observation mission - Game Developers Conference News Today China's Tianwen-2 probe sent back images of Earth and moon - CGTN NASA+ is Coming to Netflix This Summer - NASA T-Minus Crew Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Momentus has been selected by NASA for an in-space power demonstration. The Finnish Ministry of Defense plans to acquire ICEYE Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites. SatSure has signed a memorandum of understanding with Dhruva Space to develop sovereign Earth Observation capabilities, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Our guest today is Ken Ruffin, Space Communicator and Board Member at National Space Society (NSS). You can connect with Ken on LinkedIn, and learn more about the National Space Society on their website. Selected Reading Momentus Awarded NASA Contract for In-Space Power System Demonstration Momentus Wins Contract in Highly Competitive U.S. Space Force SpaceWERX Sustained Space Maneuver Challenge Finland Ministry of Defense selects ICEYE for Space-Based Intelligence and Surveillance Capabilities SatSure and Dhruva Space forge strategic alliance to deliver end-to-end Earth Observation-as-a-Service (EOaaS) Solutions Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile Choose Luxembourg as Joint Venture Headquarters to Drive European-Wide Space-Based Mobile Broadband Coverage Space Systems Command Set to Strengthen Operational Environment with Enhanced Global Weather Sensing- Space Systems Command  MDA Space Reopens Operations At David Florida Laboratory NASA tested a new SLS booster that may never fly, and the end of it blew off Blue Origin’s New Shepard Completes 33rd Mission to Space Satellites keep breaking up in space, insurance won't cover them. T-Minus Crew Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Parker Wishik from The Aerospace Corporation explores how experts are turning data into decisions in the space industry on the latest Nexus segment. Parker is joined by Jackie Barbieri, Founder and CEO of Whitespace, and Dr. Steve Lewis, Leader of The Aerospace Corporations’s SPEAR team. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. Selected Reading Aerospace Advances Massless Payloads for Space Missions  Aerospace Experts Are Turning Data into Decisions Aerospace recently assembled a team of highly skilled scientists and engineers who play a critical role in addressing national and global disruptions in GPS and other radio frequency spectrums. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rocket Lab successfully launches 67th Electron Mission, schedules next launch in less than 48 hours. US NSF and Amazon’s Project Kuiper establish coordination agreement to prevent satellite interference. Sidus Space picks Atomic-6 for solar arrays in $120M cislunar data mission with Lonestar. And, more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest We are joined by NASASpaceflight.com with the Space Traffic Report. Selected Reading Rocket Lab Successfully Launches 67th Electron Mission, Schedules Next Launch in Less Than 48 Hours (Rocket Lab) Project Kuiper and U.S. National Science Foundation sign satellite coordination agreement (Amazon) Sidus Space Advances $120M Agreement with Lonestar, Selects Atomic-6 as Solar Array Partner for Cislunar Data Satellite Mission (Sidus Space) SpaceX says debris recovery attempts hindered after Starship explosion (Reuters) SpaceX Polluted Border Area, Mexican President Sheinbaum Says (Bloomberg) China's Shenzhou-20 astronauts complete second EVA (CGTN)  Scientists Are Sending Cannabis Seeds to Space (WIRED) T-Minus Crew Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Firefly Aerospace gets approval for orbital launches from Sweden. Xona Space Systems has announced $92 million in new funding. Space VC funding on track to hit record highs this year. And, more.  Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Our guest today is Andy Crocker, Aerospace executive, author of “The Unconditionals”. You can connect with Andy on LinkedIn, and find more about his book here. Selected Reading SSC and Firefly Progress Towards Orbital Launch from Esrange Following TSA Signing Between Sweden and the U.S. (Firefly Space) Funding for a New Era of Navigational Intelligence (Xona)  Why We Invested in Xona Space Systems | by Taylor Durand | Craft Ventures (Medium) VCs shoot for the stars, send space-tech funding on course for new record (PitchBook) Axiom Space Partners with India-based Skyroot Aerospace to Advance Space Exploration (Axiom Space)  International Space Station welcomes its first astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary (AP News)  Europe sees chance in space industry with streamlined rules (Gasworld)  Yet Another Report On How Broken NASA IT Security Is (NASA Watch) Likely Saturn-Mass Planet Imaged by NASA Webb Is Lightest Ever Seen (NASA)  T-Minus Crew Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Axiom-4 mission heads to the ISS. Reusable satellite startup Lux Aeterna comes out of stealth. Plans for European sovereignty continue. And, more.  Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. Selected Reading NASA to Welcome Fourth Private Astronaut Mission to Space Station (NASA)  SpaceX launches astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary to space station (AP News) New space startup Lux Aeterna wants to make satellites reusable (TechCrunch) T-Mobile’s satellite service officially launches in July (The Verge) German space startup Isar Aerospace secures 150 million euro fund (Reuters) Astroscale France Opens Toulouse Office Towards French and European Space Sovereignty (SpaceWatch.Global) Blue Origin eyes Cruz’s space tax (Politico) EU Space Act (European Commission) NASA spacecraft around the moon photographs the crash site of a Japanese company's lunar lander (AP News) T-Minus Crew Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SpaceX Transporter 14 rideshare launches with 70 payloads on board. ESA’s Biomass satellite releases its first images. Five UK public service projects to receive funding for satellite imagery data from UKSA. And, more.  Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Our guest today is Stefan Powell,  CEO, CTO at Dawn Aerospace. You can connect with Stefan on LinkedIn, and learn more about Dawn Aerospace on their website. Selected Reading Transporter 14 mission (SpaceX)  "ForgeStar®-1 separation confirmed." (SpaceForge on LinkedIn)  Otter Pup 2 separation confirmed. (StarFish Space on LinkedIn) The Exploration Company Declares Mission Possible a “Partial Success” (European Spaceflight) ispace Releases Technical Cause Analysis for HAKUTO-R Mission 2 (iSpace)  Official text: NATO Commercial Space Strategy, 04-Jun.-2025 (NATO) New projects use satellite data to drive public service innovation (GOV.UK) Biomass satellite returns striking first images of forests and more (ESA) Skyviewer app (Vera C. Rubin Observatory) T-Minus Crew Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greg Gillinger, SVP for Strategy and Development at Integrity ISR and former chief of Intel Surveillance and Reconnaissance, shares insights on space's evolving landscape. Discussion includes jaw-dropping initial images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the significance of Amazon's Project Kuiper satellite launches, and a deep dive into military-to-civilian transitions in space operations. Gillinger also addresses the challenge of satellite brightness affecting astronomy, introducing innovations like the Vantablack CubeSat to enhance observational clarity.

In this engaging discussion, Ian Itz, Executive Director of Global IoT Line of Business at Iridium, dives into the fascinating world of Satellite IoT. He explains how satellite networks enhance connectivity for IoT devices in remote areas lacking infrastructure. Ian shares valuable insights on seamless connectivity through non-terrestrial networks and the role of edge computing. He also highlights new development kits that make satellite technology more accessible, encouraging innovation and experimentation in the field.

Blue Origin to open a European headquarters in Luxembourg. Eutelsat has announced a Contemplated capital increase of €1.35 billion. Redwire has completed the integration of a Hammerhead spacecraft platform for ESA’s ALTIUS mission, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest We are joined by NASASpaceflight.com with the Space Traffic Report. Selected Reading Blue Origin chooses Luxembourg for its European office and signs a declaration of intent for space cooperation The European Space Agency, Thales Alenia Space and Blue Origin to explore collaboration opportunities Contemplated Capital Increase of € 1.35 Billion, to Secure the Execution of Eutelsat Long-Term Strategic Vision, Anchored by the French State and Other Reference Shareholders Redwire Successfully Completes Integration of Hammerhead Spacecraft for Upcoming European Mission Starship Static Fire Update NASA Provides Latest Axiom Mission 4 Launch, Station Operations Update Falcon 9 Block 5- Transporter 14 New Shepard’s Crewed NS-33 Mission Targets Liftoff on Saturday, June 21- Blue Origin News- Rocket Lab T-Minus Crew Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices