Happy Pi Day!

Today is March 14th, 2025. Happy Pi Day! I'm Maria Varmazis and this is T-minus. T-minus. Twenty seconds to L-O-N, T-minus. Go for the floor. Five. Ursa Major and Palantir announce a Warp Speed partnership. Four. SpaceX gears up for the Transporter 13 ride-share mission. Three. Rocket Lab shores up its in-house satellite software suites. Two. US Air Force says ULA performed unsatisfactorily in a new report. One. NASA's trying again for a Pi Day Crew 10 launch. And it's Friday, so that means 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 at what's to come in the next seven days. Happy Friday, everybody, and happy Pi Day. Here's your Intel briefing for today before the weekend. If at first you don't launch, try try again. Due to a scrub from technical issues earlier this week and then unfavorable weather conditions, the launch of Crew 10 to the International Space Station is set for another launch attempt tonight at 7.03 pm Eastern Time from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Should all go to plan, a SpaceX Falcon 9 will take the four crew in a Dragon spacecraft to the ISS, and then they'll join the Expedition 7273 crew. With an expected docking time of 11.30 pm on Saturday. Crew 9, with Nick Hague, Sunny Williams, and Butch Wilmore, should be undocking from the ISS for their return home next Wednesday, March 19th on the Dragon that has been docked for quite some time to the ISS. See? Not stranded. The US Air Force has rated United Launch Alliance's performance on its National Security Space Launch obligations as "unsatisfactory," citing delays in transitioning to the new Vulcan rocket. According to the annual report on the highest and lowest performing acquisitions programs mandated by Congress and obtained by Bloomberg News, the Air Force says it's evaluating whether to reassign Vulcan missions to another provider. Not a long list of alternatives, one can probably easily guess that it means SpaceX. ULA faced setbacks in 2024 despite completing two Vulcan test flights, which were required for certification to carry national security payloads. And you may also remember the October 2024 test flight for ULA certification was a qualified success with the mission technically complete but an anomaly affected one of the Vulcan's solid rocket boosters, which ULA has since attributed to a manufacturing defect that the company says has since corrected. For its part, though, the Air Force says the investigation into the anomaly took longer than it should have due to limited engineering resources at ULA. Still, a final decision on Vulcan's certification is expected soon. Keeping on our theme of launch providers, Rocket Lab has been on a roll this week, and today Rocket Lab introduced Intermission and Max Constellation, which are two advanced space software suites designed for autonomous, secure, and scalable mission operations. The company says these platforms enhance their existing space systems capabilities. Intermission is a real-time ground data and space operations platform with built-in security, while Max Constellation expands the company's flight software for Constellation-class programs integrating high-fidelity digital twin simulations. Both systems are available for the Constellation onboard computer by Beyond Gravity, with the goal of simplifying satellite operations as an off-the-shelf integrated solution, combining avionics, flight software, and ground operations in one package. And we're still keeping with the launch theme today, why not? If you happen to be up late in the United States tonight, at 11.39 p.m. Pacific Time at Vandenberg Space Force Base, the next SpaceX small-sat rideshare mission should be launched. This one is Transporter 13, and SpaceX says there are 74 payloads aboard, including CubeSats, MicroSats, Hosted Payloads, a reentry capsule, and an orbital transfer vehicle carrying 11 of those payloads to be deployed at a later time. We usually find out the bulk of what's on a transporter mission after everything launches and deploys, but of what we know ahead of time this time, one of the missions includes a Cytus Space LizzieSat 3 to add to Cytus' growing Constellation, which the company says is equipped with an onboard AI platform called Orleith to deliver near-real-time insights processed directly from low-earth orbit, providing rapid asset detection, identification, and classification. Should the Transporter 13 launch as expected, we'll have more details on what deployed throughout our Intel briefings next week. And finally, Ursa Major and Palantir have partnered to integrate Palantir's warp speed manufacturing operating system into Ursa Major's rocket propulsion manufacturing process. The collaboration aims to enhance the efficiency and speed of producing advanced propulsion systems for hypersonic and solid rocket motors. By fully integrating warp speed, Ursa Major seeks to deliver a cost-effective, mission-critical hardware more rapidly, aligning with U.S. national security objectives. And that's it for this Friday Intel briefing for you. And we have a slew of other stories that didn't make the cut if you'd like to do some over-the-weekend reading. There's an announcement from BlackSky on their first AI-enabled analytics from very high-res imagery just three weeks after launch, an update on what kinds of space weaponry that the Space Force is looking out for, and a shot of the biomass satellite due to launch aboard a Vega C, which has rolled into the European spaceport in Corue, French Guiana (some neat pictures of that too if you'd like to check them out) links are all in the show notes for you and at space.ntuk.com Hey T-minus crew, tune in tomorrow for T-minus Deep Space, our show for extended interviews, special editions, and deep dives, with some of the most influential professionals in the space industry. Tomorrow we have Brendan Rousseau and Matthew Winesroll talking about their new book, Space to Grow. Check it out while you're eating delicious pies perhaps left over from your pie day celebrations with or without ice cream, or I dunno, finding something green to wear for Monday, or perhaps just recovering from a lot of business meetings at Spacecom or satellite 2025. Either way, it's a great shot and you don't want to miss it. Fridays at T-minus mean our partners at NSF have the Space Traffic Report for you. Here's Alessia Siegel with more. I'm Alessia Siegel for NSF and this is your weekly Space Traffic Report for T-minus Space. We're starting off the week with Spaceplane News! On March 7th, the X-37B returned from its secretive OTV-7 mission, touching down on the runway of Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 622 UTC. The Spaceplane started its mission in the final days of 2023 when it was launched on a Falcon Heavy. It became the first Spaceplane to launch beyond low Earth orbit into a highly elliptical orbit. Throughout its time in space, it performed several tests and demonstrations for the Space Force, including an arrow-breaking maneuver during which it skimmed through the upper atmosphere to lower its orbit in October of last year. After spending over 434 days in space, this particular X-37B wrapped up its fourth and shortest mission. This was the second shortest flown by either of the two spacecraft and the seventh in the program. A Changjiang 3B launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China on March 9th at 1717 UTC. The rocket lifted a classified satellite for testing communication technology into geostationary transfer orbit. A few days later, on March 11th, a Changjiang 8 launched from the commercial side of China's Wenchang Space Launch Site. The payload on this mission was a batch of 18 communication satellites for the Shanfan constellation of internet satellites, which is also known as G-60 or SpaceSail. The next day, Falcon 9 took to the skies in California to launch two science missions for NASA. The first of these is the Spectrophotometer for the History of the Universe Epic of Reionization and Isis Explorer, or Sphere X for short. The telescope will survey the sky in search of the source of the universe's early inflation and organic molecules throughout the universe. The telescope features a distinct set of cone-shaped photon shields that keep the spacecraft's sensitive infrared instruments cold. Four suitcase-sized satellites for NASA's Punch Mission also hitched a ride on this launch. Punch is short for Polarimiter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere, and as the name implies, the mission will study the sun's heliosphere and corona. Falcon 9 lifted off with the five satellites on board on March 12th at 310 UTC. The booster on this mission, B-1088, flew for the third time and landed successfully at landing zone 4. On March 12th, the European Space Agency's HERA mission flew by Mars for a so-called "gravity assist." The spacecraft is on its way to study asteroid Didymos and its companion Dimorphos, but it needed a little help to get onto the right path. That help came from the red planet, whose gravitational pull changed HERA's trajectory as the spacecraft flew just 5,000 kilometers from the planet's surface. As HERA swung by Mars, it used three of its science instruments to observe the planet and its moon Deimos, which HERA passed by at a mere 1,000 kilometers. This provided an excellent opportunity for the mission scientists to test the performance of these instruments, and it gave us some amazing pictures too. We also had a Starlink launch from Florida this week. Falcon 9 lifted off at 235 UTC on March 13th, carrying 13 Starlink direct-to-cell satellites and eight regular Starlink V2 mini-satellites into low Earth orbit. Booster B-1069 flew its 22nd flight on this mission, and it landed successfully on the deck of SpaceX's drone ship, a shortfall of Gravitas. With this mission, SpaceX has launched a total of 8,085 Starlink satellites, of which 990 have found their way back to Earth, and 6,409 have moved into their operational orbits. Going into next week, we'll have the launch of the Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station on March 14th. Falcon 9 is set to lift off from historic launch complex 39A at 2303 UTC with Crew Dragon Endurance on top. The mission was originally supposed to launch earlier this week, but was scrubbed due to an issue with hydraulics on ground support systems. The commander of the crew of four is NASA astronaut Anne McClain, who will be accompanied by the mission's pilot, NASA astronaut Nicole Ayers, and mission specialist, Jackson astronaut Takuya Onishi and Russian cosmonaut Karyl Peskov. Dragon is set to arrive at the station on March 16th at 330 UTC. Following this, the crews will take part in a short handover period during which the previous crew will help the new arrivals familiarize themselves with life on board the space station. Crew 9 will then depart the station on March 19th. Crew Dragon Freedom will undock from the ISS with Nick Hague and Alexander Gorbinov on board as well as the two Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams. Freedom will return to Earth and splash down off the coast of Florida. If the schedule holds, March 15th promises to be a very busy day with six launches if you set your clock to UTC. The first of these will be an electron mission from Rocket Lab's own spaceport in New Zealand. This launch is set to carry a synthetic aperture radar satellite into low Earth orbit for the Japanese company IQPS. The mission is dubbed "The Lightning God Reigns" and is expected to lift off during a two-hour window opening at midnight UTC on March 15th. Next we'll have a launch from China. Around 4.10 universal time, a Changjiang 2D is expected to lift off from the Jochuan satellite launch center. For the next mission, we'll go to California where a Falcon 9 will launch the next transporter mission of SpaceX's small sat ride share program. This mission is set to carry dozens of small satellites, including a number of science missions into sun-synchronous orbit. Transporter 13 is scheduled to lift off during a 46-minute window opening at 6.39 UTC. Over on the other side of the country, we'll also have a Starlink mission on March 15th. Falcon 9 is set to carry another batch of Starlink direct-to-cell satellites into low Earth orbit, lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 during a four-hour window opening at 10.28 UTC. Just two minutes later, the window opens for an Angara 1.2 launch from Plesetsk in Russia. The payload on this mission is a Russian military satellite. And the last mission scheduled for March 15th is the sixth launch of Firefly's Alpha rocket. This mission will be conducted from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and will lift Lockheed Martin's LM400 technology demonstrator into low Earth orbit. Lift off is scheduled during a 52-minute window opening at 13.25 UTC. NSF will be providing the launch livestream production services for Alpha 6 flight with YouTube covered starting approximately 30 minutes before lift off. On March 17th, a Series 1 is expected to lift off from Site 95A at the Jochuan Satellite Launch Center in China. T-0 for this mission is scheduled around 8.10 UTC. Then back in New Zealand, another electron is set to take to the skies on March 18th. This launch will deliver the final batch of Internet of Things satellites into low Earth orbit for the French company Canace. With the addition of these last five satellites, the constellation will be completed after five launches. So, Rocket Lab fittingly named the mission "High Five." Lift off is expected at 131 UTC. Later that day, SpaceX plans to launch another batch of starlings from Florida. The four-hour launch window for this mission opens at 1809 Universal Time on March 18th. For the next launch, Falcon 9 is expected to lift off from California on March 20th. The payload on this mission will likely be the next batch of Star Shield satellites for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office's proliferated architecture. This mission is set to lift off during a nearly two-and-a-half-hour window opening at 602 Universal Time. Back up on the International Space Station, another vehicle is set to depart next week. On March 21st, at 1135 Universal Time, the Cygnus NG-21 cargo vehicle will separate from the station. Its final task will be to dispose of waste as it burns up on reentry in Earth's atmosphere. I'm Alicia Segal for NSF, and that's your weekly Space Traffic Report. Now back to T-Minus Space. [Music] I'll be right back. [Music] Welcome back. By Fly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Lander continues to make history on the moon. While some of us enjoyed last night's Blood Moon and Lunar Eclipse, Blue Ghost was looking at the same thing from the Lunar vantage point. And when you're on the moon, it's not a lunar eclipse, it's a solar eclipse. Blue Ghost snapped an incredible shot of the diamond ring effect as the Earth momentarily blocked the sun, creating a glowing ring in the sky, an event that has been captured by previous lunar missions but never before observed by a commercial mission on the moon specifically. So check that box for another first there. Fireflies Lander also managed to capture the eclipse's first moments as the Earth's shadow crept over the sun with the reflection glinting off of its solar panels. And if that wasn't enough, NASA's scalps cameras caught stunning footage of the Lander's descent, showing its engine plumes interacting with the moon's surface, which is all critical data for future missions. With more images and insights expected soon, Firefly is proving that even in the darkness of space, there's always something brilliant to see. That's it for T-minus from March 14th, 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 the rapidly changing space industry. If you like the show, please share our rating and review in your podcast app. Please also fill out the survey in the show notes or send an email, thespace@n2k.com. For privilege 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 Iben. Peter Kilpie is our publisher, and I am your host, Maria Varmazis. Thanks for listening. Have a fantastic weekend! [Music] T-minus. [Music] [Music] [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]