[MUSIC] Today is August 20th, 2025. I'm Maria Varmazis and this is T-minus. [MUSIC] >> T-minus. >> Twenty seconds to LOS, T-dris. >> Open aboard. >> Right, roll. >> [INAUDIBLE] >> [INAUDIBLE] >> [INAUDIBLE] >> [INAUDIBLE] >> [INAUDIBLE] >> Five. >> SpaceX's 33rd commercial resupply services mission for NASA to carry an orbital data center to the ISS. >> Four. >> Blue Origin's New Shepherd is scheduled for launch on Saturday, carrying over 40 payloads to space. >> Three. >> Ursa Space Systems has announced a strategic investment from Sumitomo Corporation of America. >> Two. >> Black Sky has signed a seven-figure contract with HEO to provide fully automated, low-latency, non-Earth imaging services for defense intelligence and commercial use. >> One. >> The UK Space Agency will become part of the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology by April 2026. [MUSIC] >> Happy hump day, y'all, and thanks for joining me. And boy, are we tackling a hump today with the announcement that the UK Space Agency is to become part of the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology. Cue the panic and bold statements of the UK no longer having a space agency. But behind the sensational headlines, there actually seems to be much more in this story. So the press release on the move shared that the reasoning behind UKSA being moved into the DSIT or Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology is to cut duplication, reduce bureaucracy, and put public accountability at the heart of decision making. That doesn't sound so bad, does it? The UK government says more simply the change will bring together the people who shape policy and those who deliver it. Now as of April of next year, UKSA will be part of DSIT. The new unit will keep the UKSA name and brand and will be staffed by experts from both organizations. So what are folks saying about this announcement? The UK's space minister, Sir Chris Bryant says, "Bringing things in house means we can bring much greater integration and focus to everything we are doing while maintaining the scientific expertise and the immense ambition of the sector." And Dr. Paul Bates, who is the CEO at the UK Space Agency, says, "I strongly welcome this improved approach to achieving the government's space ambitions. Having a single unit with a golden thread through strategy, policy, and delivery will make it faster and easier to translate the nation's space goals into reality." Now outside of the government, the UK Space Cluster Network also seems to be taking this positive spin, saying, "It is reorganizing its structure to best deliver an integrated, connected, one government approach to space. This is to optimize how the UK works with national and international partners on our joint ambitions for space, including empowering business, public services, and cutting-edge research and innovation that delivers a thriving and impactful space economy." Now, regardless, change is always difficult, and we are sure there are going to be more bumps in the road here. But hopefully the UK's role in the international space industry does not diminish with this move. Moving on now, Black Sky has signed a seven-figure Gen 2 Space Domain Awareness Expansion Contract with HEO to provide fully automated low-latency non-Earth imaging, or NEI, services for defense intelligence and commercial use. The imagery data services deal is now moving into its fourth phase after completing the automation of the entire tasking-to-delivery process. HEO's software platform will autonomously identify imaging opportunities and task Black Sky's high-resolution Gen 2 satellites to detect, track, characterize, and classify objects in orbit, as well as assess potential threats and predict their effects. Black Sky satellites fly in mid-inclination orbit and are expected to increase the feasibility of capturing NEI data over the middle latitudes of Earth at certain times and certain places. The rapid tasking and delivery of NEI are expected to support critical space domain awareness applications, including constellation monitoring and anomaly detection. Ursa Space Systems has announced a strategic investment from Sumitomo Corporation of Americas. Ursa Space delivers insights derived from commercial Earth observation data, and the company's geospatial platform claims to provide rapid, scalable, and automated remote-sensing solutions to decision-makers across the commercial sector. The company plans to use the undisclosed amount of funding to expand their operations across Asia, particularly in the Japanese market. Blue Origin plans to launch an uncrewed New Shepard as early as Saturday, and the rocket will carry more than 40 payloads instead of its usual slew of space tourists. The payload manifests includes 24 experiments from NASA's TechRise Student Challenge, along with thousands of postcards on behalf of Club for the Future, which is Blue Origin's steam-focused nonprofit. The mission will provide over three minutes of microgravity for experiments from a range of organizations, including NASA, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Oklahoma State University, University of Florida, Carthage College, University of Central Florida, Teledyne, Space Lab Technologies, and Teachers in Space, among others. The launch window opens at 7.30 am local time in Van Horn, Texas. Space Access' 33rd Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA is due to launch to the International Space Station this weekend. On board the cargo mission will be an ISS National Lab-sponsored project, bringing an orbital data center to LEO, and the project will test the system's ability to provide increased data storage and real-time data processing in space, which are crucial capabilities for future commercial space stations. The data center is run as a collaboration between Axiom Space and open-source software leader Red Hat. The data center software was developed using open-source technology, which encourages collaboration and innovation from developers around the globe. We are really looking forward to seeing how this data center works - I am actually really stoked for this also - and we will bring you updates when they are available. [Music] And that wraps up today's Top 5 Stories from Across the Space Industry for You. And this is where I bring in producer Alice Carruth to talk about the other stories that are making today's headlines. But first, Alice, as our resident Brit, what do you think about the UK S.A. story? You know, Maria, I left the UK before UK S.A. was established, but I've always had high hopes for the agency, as the UK, well, Scotland in particular, is the largest satellite manufacturing hub outside of California. I'm going to remain optimistic about the change, but I implore my UK colleagues to make sure that the messaging on why space is so important remains at the forefront of this move. I'd be gutted to see any setbacks on the progress that's been made in the last decade or so. Just one additional link in there for you today. It's on the European Space Agency's move to back a Hungarian project to improve space weather forecasting. And a reminder to all of you lovely listeners out there that the links to all of the stories mentioned throughout the show can be found on our website, which is space.n2k.com, in addition to the show notes that are on the podcast platform that you are listening to us on right now. Hey, T-Minus Crew, if you find our podcast useful, please do us a favor and share a five-star rating and short review in your favorite podcast app. It'll help other space professionals like you to find our show and join the T-Minus Crew. Thank you so much, everybody. We really appreciate it. We'll be right back. Welcome back. Hey, everybody. You finding using the JWST just dropped and I have been waiting all day to tell you about it? Okay, here goes. Webb just found a new moon around Uranus and it's tiny. I'll wait a sec because I know everyone's chuckling right now. Okay, let's go. The Southwest Research Institute used data from Webb to take a good look at Uranus. And as often happens when we take a look at the gas giants in the outer solar system, we find even more moons. So now the count for Uranus is up to 29, and the newest found moon is a mere 10 kilometers across. And likely because it has the same reflectivity or albedo as Uranus itself, it blended in with the planet when Voyager 2 did its flyby decades ago in 1986 and evaded detection rather well. Uranus's albedo say that five times fast. Anyway, but Webb's Nurkham instrument is quite the detective and studied Uranus and found something new in the planet's inner belt of moons with the new moons orbital plane between the existing known moons Bianca and Ophelia. Apparently it has a nearly circular orbit which leads scientist Mariame L. Mutamid to say that this indicates that this new moon may have formed near its current location. Remember, one of the many reasons that Uranus is so fascinating and know it has nothing to do with its name in English is because it spins on its side. Could it have been smacked by some kind of collision that turned its sideways and gave it the many moons that we are still finding? So many questions. So back to our new tiny moon. No new name has been chosen for the moon just yet. It is currently referred to as Moon S 2025 U1. But as you might know, Uranian moons have largely a Shakespearean flavor to them. Many named after characters from a Midsummer Night's Dream and the Tempest. And it has always been the height of irony to me that the planet with the chuckle-worthy name in English has the most beautifully named moons. And undoubtedly there are still many moons we've yet to find around Uranus. And that's T-minus, brought to you by N2K Cyberwire. 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 this show, please share our rating and review in your podcast app. Please also fill out the survey in the show notes or send us an email to space@n2k.com. We'd love to hear from you. We are proud 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 helps space and cybersecurity professionals like you grow, learn, and stay informed. As the nexus for discovery and connection, we bring you the people, the technology, and the ideas shaping the future of secure innovation. Learn how at N2K.com. N2K's senior producer is Alice Carruth. Our producer is Liz Stokes. We are mixed by Elliot Peltzman and Tre Hester with original music by Elliot Peltzman. Our executive producer is Jennifer Eiben. Peter Kilpey is our publisher, and I am your host, Maria Varmazis. Thanks for listening. We'll see you tomorrow. 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