Today is February 21st, 2025. I'm Maria Varmasus and this is T-minus. T-minus. Twenty seconds to L-O-I feedrush. Open aboard. Live. L3 Harris Technologies has started construction on four new solid rocket motor production facilities in Arkansas. ISAR Aerospace has completed static firings of both stages of its launch vehicle Spectrum, paving the way for its inaugural flight. ISA and the International Committee of the Red Cross have signed an agreement to harness space technology for humanitarian assistance worldwide. Airbus logged another $310 million in charges on its space programs in the fourth quarter of 2024. Spain's PLD space has signed an agreement with Etlac Spaceport in Oman to be its second global launch base for the Miura launch vehicle family. And our partners at nasaspaceflight.com will have the space traffic report for us later in the show, rounding up the launch news from the last seven days and taking a look ahead to the coming week. Happy Friday everybody. We're kicking off today's Intel briefing with a new launch agreement between Spain's PLD space and Oman's Etlac Spaceport. PLD says the Oman launch facility will be its second global launch base for the Miura launch vehicle family. The new infrastructure joins the company's launch complex at the CSG in French Guiana, which is owned by CNES and ISA. The company says the new expansion will increase vehicle service deployment capabilities and commercial launch opportunities to meet the flight demand, especially for the Middle East market. Etlac Spaceport is located in Dukum on the southeast coast of Oman. Its proximity to the equator provides higher efficiency for low inclination orbits like geo or geosynchronous orbit, as well as for medium inclinations like the orbit of the International Space Station. Additionally, it also allows direct access to high inclination orbits like sun synchronous orbit and polar. PLD space says it plans to incorporate a third spaceport in the coming year to address proximity needs in a third region of the world and ensure the Miura-5 flight manifest. Airbus has released its 2024 financial report. Revenues at Airbus Defense and Space increased 5% year on year to 12.1 billion euros, which amounts to around $12.7 billion. However, its space business took a big hit. In the fourth quarter of 2024, Airbus logged another $310 million in charges on its space programs. Airbus CEO Guillaume Fauré told investors that the company will be executing its turnaround plan for the Defense and Space segment and adapting its workforce while looking at ways to create scale in the space business. And Airbus, TALUS, and Leonardo are continuing talks for a potential space merger. Staying in Europe, the European Space Agency and the International Committee of the Red Cross have signed an agreement to harness space technology for humanitarian assistance worldwide. The partnership aims to develop a space-enabled system that integrates satellite and terrestrial data sources while translating data into actionable information in real time. The result will allow first responders and humanitarian workers to stay informed and respond swiftly. The partnership is linked to ESA's Civil Security from Space program and builds on existing successful collaborations with the International Federation of Red Cross and Rencreston Societies and a number of Red Cross National Societies. It also supports ESA's rapid and resilient Crisis Response Accelerator, which aims to ensure inclusive and easy access to space-enabled solutions to support all phases of crisis management, including in humanitarian operations. ISAR Aerospace has completed static firings of both stages of its launch vehicle Spectrum, and that paves the way for its inaugural flight. The company stated that the launch will take place as soon as possible, following approval and licensing from the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority. Spectrum is a two-stage rocket that's designed to be capable of carrying up to 1,000 kilos to low-earth orbit. The rocket will be initially launched from the Andoja spaceport in Norway. The race is on to see who will be the first to launch to orbit from continental Europe. And moving over to the United States now, and L3 Harris Technologies has started construction on four new solid rocket motor production facilities at the company's Camden site in Arkansas. The expansion is part of a $215.6 million cooperative agreement between the Defense Department's Defense Production Act Title III program and L3 Harris to increase domestic rocket propulsion manufacturing capacity as demand grows for tactical and strategic missile capabilities. The company is also modernizing and expanding solid rocket motor facilities under the cooperative agreement in two additional states. L3 Harris will build new facilities in Orange County, Virginia to support increased production and will transition production of inert components for critical missile systems to Huntsville, Alabama. And that concludes today's top five intelligence briefing items for you. N2K Senior Producer Alice Karuth has more on what stories didn't make today's cut. Thanks, Maria. We have three additional stories for you today. NASA has shared that Artemis II rocket booster stacking has been completed, and ABL has renamed itself as Long War as the company shifts from space and defense. The third is an update on Blue Origin's latest new chef permission, which is now targeting next Tuesday for launch. And Alice, if you could, please remind our listeners where those stories could be found. Links to all the stories we feature throughout the show are always included in our show notes. The three additional stories are at the bottom of our selected reading section, and all the links can also be found on our website, space.n2k.com, and click on this episode title. Thank you very much. Hey, T-minus crew, tune in tomorrow for T-minus Deep Space. It's our show for extended interviews, special editions, and deep dives with some of the most influential professionals in the space industry. And tomorrow I will be chatting with Sebastian Klaus, who is CEO and co-founder of Atmos Space Cargo, and Dr. Ingo Bauman, who is partner at BHO Legal. And we're going to be talking about licensing Europe's first reentry vehicle. It's a fascinating conversation, so definitely check it out while you're resting and recharging this weekend like I will be after a busy week of trepful. You don't want to miss it. . And as it is Friday, happy Friday everybody. Our partners at NSF have the weekly space traffic report for you. I'm Alicia Siegel for NSF, and this is your weekly space traffic report for T-minus Space. Starting off the week, we had a Starlink launch on February 15. Falcon 9 lit its 9 Marlin engines at 614 UTC and lit it off from Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida. Of the 21 Starlink V2 mini satellites deployed, 13 had direct-to-cell capability. The booster for this mission was B1067, which flew for the 26th time and also became the first to fly that many times. During its 26 missions, this booster carried crew twice on cruise 3 and 4. It also flew two cargo resupply missions and 15 Starlink flights, including the one from this week. The booster successfully wrapped up this, its latest mission, by landing on Drone Ship a shortfall of Gravitas. For our next space traffic event, we're heading to Venus. Europe's Solar Orbiter passed by the planet this week, and its orbit will never be the same again. On February 18, at 2148 UTC, Solar Orbiter screamed past Venus at an altitude of 379 km. That's even closer to Venus than the astronauts on the ISS are to Earth. As the spacecraft swung past Venus, it used the planet's gravity to change its orbit around the Sun, and because of that, these flybys are also known as gravity assists. As Solar Orbiter flew by Venus, it kept its instruments pointed at the Sun, however, its teams did turn on some of the spacecraft's sensors to study the plasma and magnetic environment around the planet. With this week's gravity assist, Solar Orbiter changed the inclination, or tilt, of its orbit. This was the spacecraft's fourth Venus flyby, and it's set to perform four more, with the next one scheduled for December 24, 2026. That flyby will further change the inclination, so the spacecraft is able to get a good view of the Sun's polar regions. We also had an electron launch this week, and in fact, it was the rocket's 60th flight. On February 18, at 2317 UTC, electron took off from Rocket Lab's own launch complex in New Zealand. The payload on this mission was an Earth observation satellite for Black Sky. This was the first flight for the company's third generation of satellites, which can image our planet at a 50-centimeter resolution. Only four minutes later, another mission took flight from the other side of the world. This was, you guessed it, another Starlink mission, but with a twist. Falcon 9 lifted off from Florida, carrying 23 V2 mini-satellites into low Earth orbit. What was different this time was the booster's landing location, as it was right in the middle of the Bahamas, and this was the first time Falcon 9 has flown that trajectory. But why did it go there? Well, it all has to do with the target orbit of this batch of Starlink satellites, which has a 53-degree inclination. To get to this orbit, Falcon 9 usually flies northeast, but rough seas can make recovery challenging in the winter months, so SpaceX prefers to go southeast instead. However, that also requires flying a large dog-leg trajectory around the Bahamas, which wastes a lot of performance. Well, last year, SpaceX signed an agreement with the Bahamian government, allowing the company to position its recovery assets in the country's territorial waters. With this agreement, SpaceX can land Falcon 9 in much calmer seas without the need for costly dog-leg maneuvers. With this flight, B-1080 became the first booster to explore this new route on its 16th flight. It landed successfully on the deck of droneship Just Read the Instructions, and we were also able to get some beautiful views of the landing from one of the Bahamian islands. Closing out the week, we had another Starlink mission on February 21. This mission lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida and carried another batch of Starlink direct-to-sale satellites and V2 minis into low Earth orbit. Then the booster ended its mission by successfully touching down on the deck of a shortfall of gravitas. With this week's three Starlink missions, SpaceX now has launched a total of 7,996 Starlink satellites into orbit, of which 915 have re-entered and 6,268 have moved into their operational orbit. Going into next week, we'll have a Chongzhang 3B launch from China on February 22. Lift off is scheduled around 1210 UTC from the Shichang Satellite Launch Center in China. Then a Starlink mission is set to lift off from California later that day. Falcon 9 will take flight during a four-hour window starting at 2224 UTC. This will be the first mission of Starlink Group 15, which differs from previous groups with its 70-degree inclination. Another Starlink mission is scheduled for February 24. This mission will be conducted from Florida, with T-Zero set during a four-hour window starting at 442 UTC. According to Airspace Restrictions, we may also have Starship's eighth flight next week. The flight profile for this mission will likely be a redo of Flight 7, but the ship will hopefully get a little further along this time around. If all goes well, Starship might lift off on February 26 during a roughly one hour and forty minute window opening at 2330 UTC. Backup windows will also be available in the following days. The next mission will go to the moon! On February 27, Falcon 9 is set to lift off at 17 minutes past midnight UTC carrying the IM-2 mission for Intuitive Machines. This mission will be conducted from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. In addition to IM-2, the flight will carry four more payloads, two of which are destined for a geostationary orbit, and the other two will join IM-2 on its way to the moon. Later that day, a Soyuz will take off from Kazakhstan carrying the Progress MS-30 cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. Lift off is scheduled for 21-24 Universal Time on February 27. And wrapping up the week and the month of February, we'll have another Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral. This time, Falcon 9 will carry another batch of direct-to-cell and B-2 mini satellites into low Earth orbit. The four-hour launch window for this flight opens at 252 Universal on February 28. I'm Alicia Siegel for NSF and that's your weekly Space Traffic Report. Now back to T-Minus Space. . We will be right back. Welcome back. It's becoming increasingly difficult to dodge, avoid mentions of the U.S. administration and the Department of Government Efficiency in the media. I promise we'll go easy on you with this one. This week, head of Doge, Elon Musk did an interview with U.S. President Donald Trump, which sparked an online back and forth between astronauts and the SpaceX CEO over whether or not Sunny Williams and Butch Wilmore had been abandoned on the ISS. And I promise we will not go into details, but you are more than welcome to look up that polite and civil debate on X. Following that dispute, Elon Musk took to his social media platform to share his thoughts on the International Space Station itself. He wrote, "It's time to begin preparations for deorbiting the space station. It has served its purpose. There is very little incremental utility. Let's go to Mars." SpaceX, of course, has the contract to deorbit the ISS in 2030 already with a modified Dragon Capsule. But when asked what timeline Mr. Musk would like to follow, he replied, "The decision is up to the president, but my recommendation is as soon as possible. I recommend two years from now." Musk's comments have caused ISS international partners to also weigh in, understandably. The European Space Agency shared, "The International Space Station is a project involving various international partners. As such, all matters regarding the ISS are discussed together with all space agencies involved." We are more than sure that the ISS partners will continue to debate the future of the orbiting lab offline, but something tells us that Mr. Musk will continue to ruffle feathers in his roles as the head of DOGE now that some lines have been blurred. And that's it for T-minus for February 21st, 2025, brought to you by N2K Cyberwire. For additional resources from today's report, check out our show notes at space.n2k.com. We'd love to know what you think of this podcast. Your feedback ensures we deliver the insights that keep you a step ahead in this rapidly changing space industry. If you like our show, please share our rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Also please fill out the survey in the show notes or send an email to space@n2k.com. We're privileged that N2K Cyberwire is part of the daily routine of the most influential leaders and operators in the public and private sector, from the Fortune 500 to many of the world's preeminent intelligence and law enforcement agencies. N2K makes it easy for companies to optimize your biggest investment, your people. We make you smarter about your teams while making your teams smarter. Learn how at N2K.com. N2K's senior producer is Alice Carruth. Our producer is Liz Stokes. We're mixed by Elliot Peltzman and Tre Hester, with original music by Elliot Peltzman. Our executive producer is Jennifer Eiben. Peter Kilpe is our publisher, and I am your host, Maria Varmazis. Thanks for listening. Have a wonderful weekend. [Music] Team 1. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]
