[MUSIC PLAYING] Today is October 7th, 2025. I'm Maria Varmazis, and this is T-minus. [MUSIC PLAYING] T-minus. 22nd to LOS, T-dred. Open aboard. Right side. [MUSIC PLAYING] [INAUDIBLE] Five. The Planetary Society urges Capitol Hill to save NASA science in its 2025 day of action. Four. Ice Space triples down on international lunar business. Three. The FCC declares its space month to fast-track US satellite reforms. Two. Europe's satellite mega-merger hits a snag. One. Italy to open one of Europe's largest satellite factories. Three. [MUSIC PLAYING] Lift off. [MUSIC PLAYING] And today we have the second part of my chat with Torsten Kreening from SpaceWatch Global about World Space Business Week in Paris. Torsten will be sharing his insights into trends and Earth observation in Europe and his reaction to Germany's spending plan on space-based defense. Stick around for more on that later in the show. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] Thank you for joining me on this Tuesday. Let's get into it. First up, let's check in on the space industry in Europe. Thales Alenia Space and Italy's Space Agency say that they are opening a 100 million euro satellite production hub outside of Rome before the year's end. The 21,000 square meter facility is being built with EU recovery funds and will produce up to 100 satellites a year to support both civil and defense missions. Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani says the goal is to become global players in the satellite market. The new site will also anchor Italy's upcoming low-orbit dual use constellation. All of this with the goal of reinforcing Europe's ambitions to match, if not one day, perhaps, surpass US and Chinese industrial capacity in next generation space infrastructure. And speaking of European aerospace giants, ongoing talks among Airbus, Tullis, and Leonardo to create a unified European satellite powerhouse have apparently hit some delays, according to a new report from Reuters. The companies have been working towards a framework to merge Tullis-Olinia space, Tullispasio, and Airbus space systems. However, negotiations recently have stalled over how work will be divided among the partners. Leaders say that a deal could still be, quote, "weeks away." And this mega merger would reshape Europe's manufacturing based first space systems, to put it mildly. We'll keep an eye on how things proceed, and of course, keep you posted. Let's turn our attention to Japan now. And Japan's ice base dropped a whole bunch of news yesterday. A bit more than we can honestly cover in one show. So what we're going to do is combine three standout items for you now regarding the expansion of the company's role in lunar exploration specifically. First, in Japan, ice base will co-develop a lunar water sensing satellite under the government's Space Strategy Fund. In Taiwan, ice base has been selected to carry the Taiwan Space Agency's magnometer and ultraviolet telescope aboard ice base mission 4, launching in 2028, which we did talk about in yesterday's show, by the way. And regarding Europe, ice base Luxembourg has been tasked to deliver NASA's M-Solo instrument to the lunar surface on mission 3 as part of MAGNAPETRA's Helium 3 Reconnaissance Program. Ice base CEO Takeshi Hakamata calls the work, quote, "pioneering the forefront of Japan's space technology," as ice base evolves into a global lunar logistics provider. Lots of interesting developments from ice base recently. And yeah, it continues to be quiet in the United States due to the ongoing US government shutdown, but it's not exactly silent. A Space News exclusive news item today details some statements that FCC chair Brendan Carr made at an Apex Space event yesterday in California. Carr started his remarks by saying that he's calling October Space Month at the FCC, and he also unveiled two proposals that the FCC will apparently soon vote on in order to overhaul satellite regulation. In the first proposal, he outlined would replace bespoke approvals with what Carr called an assembly line for straightforward satellite and ground station applications. In the second proposal would update sighting roles for Earth stations in upper microwave bands to open more spectrum for use. At the event, Carr said, "We'll replace a default to know at the agency with a default to yes framework." And yeah, despite the ongoing US government shutdown, are you sick of me talking about that yet? Yesterday, the planetary society joined members of Congress and hundreds of advocates at the Capitol to defend NASA and NSF's science budgets. The timing admittedly wasn't great, but what can you do? The stay was planned well before the shutdown was even a twinkle in Congress's eye. In any case, the group warned that the proposed 47% cut to NASA's science mission directorate would amount to an extinction level event for exploration. And here is some audio from everyone's favorite science guy and planetary society CEO, Bill Nye, from the press conference. - This is not a luxury. It is a responsibility. Article one, section eight, clause eight of the US Constitution recommends to Congress that they promote the progress of science and useful arts. It's in the Constitution. So commercial companies may provide transportation to orbit and they may provide some major spacecraft components, but when it comes to exploration, there is no private option. There is no business case for the search for extraterrestrial life. There is no profit to be made studying Saturn's mysterious polar storm. No one is cashing in on whatever dark matter does to influence the motions of our galaxies and other galaxies in the cosmos. Yet NASA science is a bargain for every dollar spent, at least three come back into the economy. Last year, NASA's investment in science generated more than $20 billion of economic growth and supported over 80,000 jobs in all 50 states. - For the inevitable question that some of you are, no doubt asking about why Bill Nye is speaking at an event like this, getting in front of the press to bring attention to things is quite literally the job. So job done, I would say. - Bill Nye, the science guy. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) - And that is our Intel briefing for this Tuesday. Links to all the stories I've mentioned today are in the show notes in your podcast app. That said, it is still pretty, pretty, pretty quiet on the US side with the government shut down news wise anyway, but for opinions, oh yes, those do abound right now. And to tell us more about that, my colleague, the host of "The Cyber Wire," the one and only Dave Bittner is here to tell us more. Hi, Dave. - Hi, Maria. We've got a number of interview and editorial items to share. The first one, what does the future of the US space agency look like amid all these massive budget cuts and priority changes? USA Today put that to acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy plus an opinion piece on why the UK needs to significantly increase space security funding and another piece on why cyber resilience in space is key for economic security. Lastly, a new addition to Europe's Copernicus constellation is scheduled to launch early next month. More details in the show notes, back to you. - Thank you, Dave. And a reminder that you can always read all of those links on our official website, which is space.n2k.com. Just look for today's episode and click on in. - Hi, Maria. Whether you're tuning into T-minus for the very first time or the 500th, we wanna know what you think of our show. So yeah, friends, how are we doing? You can tell us with our listener survey as a matter of fact, it only takes a few minutes to fill it out and you can rest assured that we'll be pouring over your feedback. Link to the survey is in the show notes for you and thanks. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) - Today we're bringing you some more from my extended chat with Torsten Kreining from SpaceWatch Global on his takeaways from the 2025 World Space Business Week in Paris and the state of the European Space Defense Market. Here's some more from Torsten now. (upbeat music) You mentioned a number of times in your coverage, Earth Observations. I'm just curious to any overarching thoughts on any changes, any shifts, anything surprising, specifically regarding EO. - We talk about the commercial side. We talk also about the military and defense side. I mean, we all have seen the pictures from the Ukraine and what role Earth observation played in the Ukraine. I mean, we talk about optical, we talk about hyperspectral, we talk about SAR. And that's, I think all of these three together are the big thing. The other one is resolution. I mean, resolution is not everything, but resolution is pretty cool. And at the moment we talk about commercial available to 30 centimeters. I mean, guys like Albedo and all the Ville, companies are going on whatever 25 up to 10 centimeters. I think Albedo even showed, but let's see. Yeah, let's see how that will go and how we process then all the amount of data. And we talked then about edge processing AI in space, ISA, wonderful opportunity to interview Will Marshall from Planet, the CEO of Planet about there, the pelicans or that they're using in Japan and the big deal that they have done with JSA or now with the German government. And he talked about the 30, 30, 30, so 30 satellites every 30 minutes, 30 centimeter resolution for the entire land mass. That's a very interesting development that we see. And again, these huge amounts of data. And so you need this huge amount of data downlink to dump all the data. And then you have to process it. And I think the crucial part at the moment is not just the resolution, it is the speed. When you get your observation data to your client, to the people in need. And I'm not talking about the farmer that looks how the crop yield is there. No, we're talking about the security and defense people because if you deliver it four hour later, then your picture then. Yeah, at that point, it's just for whatever it is, it's definitely too late. I always like to use EO as a little bit of a Trojan horse because it does often lead to discussions about cyber, AI, edge, all these things that I often really like to get into. It all merges together so interestingly. Cyber is definitely the big security threat that we have for our assets. And it's not just assets in space, it's primarily on the ground. So how can I secure my ground infrastructure? How can I secure my satellite? So that's a very important area. And I think that AI is on its way, on multiple levels here in the space sector. So AI for the space situational awareness domain. Yeah, so that I maneuver my satellites, or they maneuver based on AI on their own. So you feel like it's actually, we have arrived with AI, it's not just one day we'll have this, but actually it is working now, or is it still kind of to be determined? No, it's coming, it's in this process. So we start using it and try to adapt to it, but it's developing, it's bringing in its own dynamics as well. And I mean, if you see on the ground here, the development on AI, it's breathtaking. So AI in space also includes the edge computing. I mean, the latest Pelican satellites coming back to Planet, they're using the NVIDIA, whatever processor. I mean, I gave up to try to follow this numbering. By the time we put this interview to air, it'll be outdated already, because we'll have a release a new GPU or something. Something like that, yeah. No, but edge computing is super important. Why is that important? If you run an Earth observation satellite and you make cool pictures of clouds, then it's not really the purpose of the satellite. So you don't want to transmit this data because you're wasting bandwidth as well and you're wasting frequency and spectrum, which is definitely the limited part that we have. Spectrum is not an infinite source, it is a finite source. That's right. And we have to use that wisely. Until we get optical up and running, and then it's a different ball game. Yeah, optical space to ground, yes, it's tested, yes, it's there, but it's not in mass production because hey, there's a cloud or there's a bird or there's something in between. On orbit communication with optical, yeah, it's out for the last 20 years, but it's coming now mainstream, and for various reasons. However, also optical will be then have a controlled mechanism by the ITU and all these regulatory bodies. Okay, yeah. But yeah, so that's the AI part in space, and then you have the AI part on the ground to what to do with all these data. And that's where the real cool stuff comes in because data, like any statistics, I mean, you just believe the data that you manipulated by yourself. It's like with the images. I mean, when you get an image today, it's so easy to manipulate, so how do we trust Earth observation data? How do we trust sources? And I think that's a big thing, and if that includes AI, how do I measure it? Do I really want to have the raw image? No, because I can't deal, I can't do anything with that. And one image doesn't move the deal. I need this sequence of because what you want to know is who's moving there when, why, and/or who's building something there that you want to measure. So is it a base? Is it a form or is it a silo for the next ICBM? So I think there's some clarity, it's very helpful in this cases. And that's where also the data processing on the ground kicks in. And there are so many cool downstream applications that are out there today. Thank you for going into more depth because just a few of these insights from an incredibly busy, not just week, but then the week after also has been very busy for you. Yeah, no, I mean, today is Friday. So on Thursday we had the third German Space Congress, a fantastic event in Berlin in my hometown, or our Minister of Defense announced a 35 billion euro budget for the next five years to put Germany's defense into space. Annual budget on space defense from last year, what was 73 billion in total worldwide, including the US, and to add in not 35, but 7 billion, means 10% of the global market. So Germany is later the party, but I think we are ramping up now. [Music] We'll be right back. [Music] Welcome back. Today, ISA's HERA mission is officially one-year-old. HERA is a planetary defense mission. Oh, Neato, right? And she is now roughly halfway to the Dedimos binary asteroid system, where she will study the aftermath of NASA's planetary defense mission, DART, aka the Revenge of the Dinosaurs. HERA will check out DART's impact on Dedimos' smaller moon, Dimorphos, and her insights will help humanity learn how to safely redirect asteroids. Kind of important for planetary defense, after all. And this doesn't often happen, but HERA is now on track to arrive a month ahead of schedule in November 2026. And during her very busy first year, HERA performed a successful engine burn, a Mars flyby, and imaging of faint asteroids to prepare the main camera for the Dedimos approach. The spacecraft's autonomous navigation system will allow HERA to safely maneuver around Dimorphos, while still too far from Earth for real-time control. Royal lady that she is, HERA has her own little attendance. With her are two CubeSats, Milani and Juventus, and they will perform close-up studies of the asteroid system. Right at this moment, HERA is behind the sun relative to us until late October. She's getting ready for her next major deep-space maneuver in February 2026 to line up for a rendezvous with Dedimos. With the one-year-old in excellent health, ESA teams are readying the final phase of humanity's first mission to fully study a post-deflection asteroid system. Happy birthday, Queen! And that is T-minus, brought to you by N2K Cyberwire. We'd love to know what you think of our 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 on your podcast app, and thank you. Please also fill out the survey that I mentioned earlier. It's in our show notes. Or you can even send an email to space@n2k.com. We're 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 and 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 Elliott Peltzman and Tre Hester, with original music by Elliott Peltzman. Our Executive Producer is Jennifer Eiben. Peter Kilpie as our publisher, and I am your host, Maria Varmazis. Thank you for listening. We'll see you tomorrow. [Music] T-minus. [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]
