[MUSIC PLAYING] Today is August 22, 2025. I'm Marie Varmazis, and this is T-minus. [MUSIC PLAYING] T-minus. 22nd to L-O-N T-dred. Open aboard. [INAUDIBLE] [MUSIC PLAYING] [INAUDIBLE] [MUSIC PLAYING] Five. L3Harris Technologies has completed a $100 million expansion at its satellite integration and test facility in Florida. Four. Japan has offered the H3 rocket as a launch vehicle for the European Space Agency's mission to observe the Apophis asteroid. Three. Japan has announced that they will launch a new, uncrewed cargo spacecraft called HTV-X to resupply the International Space Station in October. Two. SpaceX has moved its super heavy booster to the launch pad at Starbase, Texas, ahead of Star Ships and Flight Test. One. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched last night carrying the US Space Force's X-37D space plane. [MUSIC PLAYING] After today's Intel briefing, our colleagues at nasaspaceflight.com will be bringing us the weekly space traffic report, wrapping up the launch news from the last seven days and taking a look at what is to come in the next week. [MUSIC PLAYING] Happy, happy Friday, everybody. You made it. Thanks for joining me today. It's been another busy week in the space industry, hasn't it? And there is no let up on the horizon. So let's dive into today's Intel briefing, shall we? First up, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 11 50 PM local time last night from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, carrying the US Space Force's X-37B space plane. It is the eighth mission of the X-37B orbital test vehicle, which USSF calls a dynamic and responsive spacecraft. Now it's used to conduct a range of tests and experiments that expedite the development of critical next generation technologies and operational concepts for reusable space capabilities. Mission partners include the Air Force Research Lab and the Defense Innovation Unit. Last month, the US Space Force shared that mission eight will contribute to improving the resilience, efficiency, and security of US space-based communications architectures by conducting laser communications demonstrations involving proliferated commercial satellite networks in low Earth orbit. Additionally, mission eight will demonstrate the world's highest performing quantum inertial sensor ever used in space. The space force says this demo will inform accurate, unaided navigation in space by detecting rotation and acceleration of atoms without reliance on satellite networks like traditional GPS. This technology is useful for navigation in GPS denied environments and consequently will enhance the navigational resilience of US spacecraft in the space of current and emerging threats. It is unclear, of course, when and exactly where the X-37B was or will be deployed or how long mission eight will be conducted for. Moving on now and let's move over to SpaceX, the company itself. It has moved its super heavy booster to the launch pad at Starbase, Texas, ahead of Starship's 10th flight test. After completing the investigations into the loss of Starship on its ninth flight test and the ship 36 static fire anomaly, SpaceX says hardware and operational changes have been made to increase reliability. The upcoming flight will continue to expand the operating envelope on the super heavy booster with multiple landing burn tests planned. It'll also target similar objectives as previous missions, including Starship's first payload deployment and multiple reentry experiments that are geared towards returning the upper stage to the launch site for catch. Starship is scheduled for lift off for its 10th test flight as early as Sunday, August 24 with the launch window opening at 6.30 PM local time. Let's head on over to Japan now. And Japan has announced that they will launch a new uncrewed cargo spacecraft, the HTV-X, to resupply the International Space Station. Japan's Space Agency JAXA says the new HTV-X orbital transport vehicle, which was built jointly by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Electric, will be launched by MHI's H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center. And the launch is currently scheduled to lift off on October 21. And Japan is also getting involved with another international launch opportunity. The H3 rocket has also been offered as a launch vehicle for the European Space Agency's mission to observe the Apophis asteroid. ESA's Ramsey's mission to observe Apophis is planned for when the asteroid makes a close encounter with Earth in 2029. And JAXA is considering a rideshare launch of its own deep space explorer called the Destiny Plus with Ramseys in 2028 and would also offer infrared sensor and solar array paddle components for Ramseys. The mission still requires final ESA approval, and that is expected in November. L3Harris Technologies has completed a $100 million expansion of its satellite integration and test facility in Florida. L3Harris says the new facility will support the Department of Defense's urgent need for on-orbit tech for the Golden Dome for America. The company's new investment in Florida adds to the existing capability of the Space Coast. L3Harris has invested in more than 90,000 square feet of new and renovated advanced manufacturing space nationwide to support the production of space-based missile warning and defense technologies, precision fire control sensing, targets, and propulsion and control systems for interceptors. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] And that wraps up today's top five stories in space on this lovely Friday. But I spy N2K senior producer Alice Carruth just rare in to join us with the other stories that are making today's headlines. OK, Alice, what do you have? There's always a lot going on in space, Maria. I'm sure NSF will be sharing more on the Live Laugh launch mission that Rocket Lab has scheduled for this weekend. I'm really tempted by the merch from this one. Don't they always have the best mission names? They really, really do. And let's please give their marketing team a raise, assuming that they're the ones coming up with the names. That's a pretty good guess. Amen. We've also included a link to the IEEE article on lunar nuclear reactors that have been such a hot topic over the last few months. Well, they have the tech ready for deployment by 2030. That is the question. That is indeed the question. And a reminder, dear listeners, that links to all of the stories and original sources of all the others mentioned throughout the show can be found in the selected reading section of our show notes and also on our website, which is space.n2k.com. Hiya, T-minus crew. Tune in tomorrow for T-minus Deep Space. It is our show for extended interviews, special editions, and deep dives with some of the most influential professionals in the space industry. And tomorrow we have Guadalupe Casuso, who is the vice president of technology and innovation at Digital Labs and Strategic Partnerships at Parsons. Talking about a topic that we, she and I both, will be tackling in next week's Global Space Port Alliance webinar called Space Ports as Smart Hubs. So definitely check it out for a little preview of that webinar while you are catching up on some much needed me time this weekend. Or maybe enjoying that star party in Saskatchewan that I mentioned in yesterday's show. You don't want to miss it. Let me hand you over now to nasaspaceflight.com's Space Traffic Report. [MUSIC PLAYING] I'm Alicia Segal for NSF, and this is your weekly space traffic report for T-minus space. We started off the week with a launch from China. A Changjiang 4C lifted off from the Shichang Satellite Launch Center on August 17 at 855 UTC, carrying one satellite into low Earth orbit. This was the second Xi'an 28B satellite launched after the first was launched in early July. We don't know much about the pair, but their mission patches line up. And when combined, they seem to show that the missions have something to do with fire and water. Perhaps the satellites will study Earth's oceans and wildfires, or maybe the symbolism refers to something else. Later that day, a Changjiang 6A lifted off from Taiwan at 1415 Universal Time. The mission delivered another batch of five internet satellites to polar orbit for the state-owned sat-net constellation, also known as GuoWang. While it's still in the early stages of this constellation, with fewer than 10 operational launches, it's ultimately expected to grow to 13,000 satellites. The next day, a rocket lifted off from the US to launch satellites for another internet mega-concelation. It was a Starlink launch, of course. Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on August 18 at 1626 UTC, marking the 100th Falcon 9 launch of the year. After delivering 24 Starlink V-2 mini-satellites into a sun-synchronous orbit, Booster B-1088 ended its ninth flight by successfully touching down on the deck of droneship, of course I still love you. With this mission, SpaceX has now launched a total of 9,440 Starlink satellites. Of those, 1,266 have returned to Earth, and 7,102 are now in their operational orbits. Back in China, a Li Jian-1 from CASS Space launched from Zhouchuan. The rocket, also known as Connecticut-1, lifted off on August 19 at 733 Universal Time and carried seven satellites into a sun-synchronous orbit. These payloads consisted of three multi-purpose experimental satellites, two Earth observation satellites, one using synthetic aperture radar and the other infrared, and the last two satellites are the first international commercial payloads for CASS Space, as they're two tiny satellites for the Mexican company Thumbsat. And they're really tiny, coming in at less than 100 grams each. They're designed to test the company's imaging and communication technology, and if you're interested in how the Thumbsats are doing, the company released instructions on how to capture the satellite signals on its website. And now we go to Baikonur in Kazakhstan, where a Soyuz 2.1B lifted off at 1713 Universal Time on August 20 to launch the Russian Bion-M #2 mission. The Bion program has a long history, and its spacecraft is derived from the Vostok spacecraft, the capsule that carried Yuri Gagarin into space. But this launch didn't carry humans. It's a science mission, so instead of cosmonauts, the capsule is home to 75 mice. Some of them are just normal mice, but others have their genome altered to change how their immune system responds to radiation. One group is more sensitive to radiation, while another group is less sensitive. The mice get to log 30 days to their spaceflight careers, after which they'll be studied further on the ground. In addition to the mice, the capsule carries several other experiments, including one with 1,000 flies, to study how radiation exposure affects reproduction. Next up, an Angara 1.2 launched from Plesetsk on August 21 at 932 UTC. It carried multiple satellites for the Russian Ministry of Defense, and due to the classified nature of the mission, we don't know much more about it. Speaking of secretive missions, a Falcon 9 took flight from Florida on August 22 to launch the Boeing X-37B spaceplane for the US Space Force. Now, while most of the mission is classified, we do know that the spaceplane is outfitted with a payload to demonstrate laser communications between satellites, as well as a quantum inertial sensor to test navigating without GPS. This is the fourth mission for this particular plane, vehicle 1, which returned from its previous flight in late 2022. For this new mission, SpaceX used booster B1092 to launch it. The booster completed at six flight by touching down on landing zone 2. There will be another Starlink mission from California set to launch around the time this episode will be published. Then, next week, we might have two more Starlink missions launching from Florida. If you're living on the East Coast, you might be able to see them, in which case you might also be able to spot a cargo dragon launch to the ISS. Over in California, a Falcon 9 is set to launch a bunch of satellites on a return to launch site mission, so prepare for sonic booms if you're in the area. Then there's the suborbital New Shepard NS-35 mission from West Texas. This mission won't carry any humans, but instead, it's an uncrewed science mission, carrying over 40 experiments for NASA, universities, and others. It looks like we'll also have a Changjiang 8a launch from China and an electron launch from New Zealand. But the main event for next week will of course be Starship Flight 10. SpaceX is now getting booster 16 and Ship 37 ready for their launch. As we're recording this, SpaceX is aiming to fly as soon as August 24th, but as always, that might be subject to change. So if you don't want to miss it or any other upcoming launch or space flight event, be sure to download the Next Space Flight app on your phone or visit the website at nextspaceflight.com. I'm Alicia Segal for NSF, and that's your weekly space traffic report. Now back to T-Minus Space. (upbeat music) We'll be right back. Welcome back. I'm going out on a bit of a limb here, but I feel pretty certain about this one. Every subculture and industry has its version of a joke that's basically an impossible dream or tilting at windmills. And for the space industry, the entire idea of space-based solar power has always seemed a bit to me like that one. Now, I love the entire idea of space-based solar power or SBSP in the lingo. A lot of us do, and I don't want to say it's impossible. It just feels quite improbable at the moment, but who wouldn't love this whole tech idea, right? Grabbing basically infinite power from our local star and beaming it down whenever and however we need it with zero emissions and zero worries about the weather, it sounds practically miraculous and a solution to so many problems that we have right now. And that is why no matter how far-fetched it may seem or not seem, a good part of the global space industry is working hard to make space-based solar power happen. And a new report via King's College London says if we can get SBSP up and running the way it theoretically could by 2050, it could cut Europe's terrestrial renewable energy needs by 80%. In addition, space-based solar power could also potentially reduce Europe's power system cost by 15% and cut battery use by two thirds, Wozers, but, but 2050 really isn't terribly far away in terms of space project timeline scales. We'd kind of need a lot of SBSP satellites up and running in 25 years. And how much would that cost? Yeah, all very important considerations there. Nonetheless, the King's College researchers say that for countries who are gunning hard to get to net zero, and that is hopefully most, if not all of us, right? SBSP is a tech that should absolutely factor into future models about power generation. It's not such an impossible dream. (upbeat music) 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 our show, please share a rating and review in your podcast app. Please also fill out the survey in the show notes or send an email to space@ntuk.com. 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 grow, learn and stay informed. As the Nexus for Discovery in connection, we bring you the people, the technology and the ideas shaping the future of secure innovation. Learn how at N2K.com. N2K 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. Have a wonderful weekend. T-minus. (thunder rumbling) [BLANK_AUDIO]
