[MUSIC PLAYING] Today is October 22, 2025. I'm Maria Vermazis, and this is T-minus. [MUSIC PLAYING] T-minus. 22nd to LOS, T-dred. Open aboard. [INAUDIBLE] [MUSIC PLAYING] [INAUDIBLE] [INAUDIBLE] [MUSIC PLAYING] Five. The Space Launch System rocket being stacked for the Artemis-2 mission has its final piece. Four. Link, Global, and OmniSpace have announced plans to merge to deliver a direct-to-device connectivity solution. Three. The European Space Agency is adding a new numerical health index to its yearly Space Environment Report. Two. Researchers at Renslayer Polytechnic Institute and Texas A&M University have secured a $1 million grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research for Space Domain Awareness. One. Vantor has been awarded a contract to support the US Space Force in tracking high-interest objects that pass through blind spots in space. [INAUDIBLE] [MUSIC PLAYING] [INAUDIBLE] [INAUDIBLE] [INAUDIBLE] [MUSIC PLAYING] [INAUDIBLE] [INAUDIBLE] And the Secure World Foundation's seventh Summit for Space Sustainability is being held in Paris this week. Our colleague at SpaceWatch Global, Thorsten Kreening, will be sharing his insights from the conference with us this week. So do stick around for more on that after today's headlines. [MUSIC PLAYING] It is Wednesday, friends. Thank you for joining me today. Let's take a look at our Intel briefing, shall we? First up, Vantor, formerly known as Maxar Intelligence, has been awarded a contract to support the US Space Force in tracking high-interest objects that pass through blind spots in space-- in other words, places that are not visible to ground sensor networks. Now, Vantor is an awardee of the Office of Space Commerce's commercial COLA GAP Pathfinder program. And the COLA GAP refers to the period right after a satellite launch when space traffic coordination is hampered by limited or imprecise tracking data. And during that time, newly deployed satellites may not have reliable positional information, creating a spike in collision risk and posing coordination challenges for satellite operators, launch providers, and traffic management authorities. Vantor's non-Earth imagery and Space Domain Awareness insights will deliver visual-based intelligence to help minimize collision risk. And under the new contract, which will support Space Force's Joint Commercial Operations program, Vantor will use its high-resolution imagery of space objects to deliver key information about an object's position and trajectory. The observations will allow the Space Force to maintain persistent custody of the high-interest objects and will be particularly useful in situations where an object has the potential to change orbit. Researchers at Renslayer Polytechnic Institute, better known by many as RPI, and Texas A&M University, have secured a $1 million grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The grant will support the development of a system to track and monitor resident space objects, including spacecraft, satellites, and debris, moving through CIS Lunar Space. And the initiative is called RCAT-C, which stands for Reconfigurable Constellations for Adaptive Tracking in CIS Lunar Space. The researchers plan to develop intelligent networks of sensor satellites that can be reconfigured to perform resilient tracking of objects as they maneuver through the CIS Lunar environment. The system addresses critical safety and security needs as CIS Lunar space becomes increasingly congested and contested. The research will also advance fundamental knowledge in orbital dynamics and autonomous space systems with implications for mission planning, collision avoidance, and safe coordination of a growing CIS Lunar economy. And of course, it is not just the United States that's concerned about space domain awareness. The European Space Agency is adding a new health index to its yearly space environment report that summarizes in one number the status of our space environment over time. ESA says that the numeric report will be similar to how climate scientists use temperature as a key indicator of global warming. The Space Environment Health Index will provide a single score that reflects how healthy or how stressed the orbital environment is and what the consequences will be in a 200 year time period. ESA hopes that it'll provide a useful impression of the space environment's health that speeds up high level conversations. And I have a quick update now on a story that we covered earlier this week. On Monday's show, we reported on an incident where something pierced the windscreen of a United Airlines aircraft and that was all blamed on possible space debris. Well, a company called Windborne Systems has come forward and said that the object that the plane struck is likely to be part of their weather balloon. The NTSB and the FAA have been informed about Windborne's suspicions for their investigation. Next up, Link, Global and OmniSpace have announced plans to merge to deliver a direct to device connectivity solution bridging the gap between today's satellite and terrestrial networks. Ram Viswanathan, president and CEO of OmniSpace added a statement to the press release that says, "By combining OmniSpace's spectrum portfolio with Link's innovative technology, we are creating a powerful platform for scalable, cost-effective global D2D that will serve the immediate connectivity needs of customers and has the spectrum to enhance capacity over time. And D2D as a refresher is direct to device." Now, SES is a current investor in both companies and it will deepen its partnership profile following the merger, providing access to its multi-orbit network and globally deployed ground infrastructure. SES says that it'll also support the engineering, operations and regulatory needs of the combined entity. The transaction between Link, Global and OmniSpace is expected to close late this year or early next year, subject of course to customary approvals and closing conditions. And acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy shared this on social media, "We are one step closer to mission complete." The space launch system rocket being stacked for the Artemis II mission has its final piece. Integrity, the Orion spacecraft that will fly NASA's Artemis II crew around the moon as early as February, 2026, has been hoisted atop the SLS, completing the rocket's assembly ahead of launch. This is a major milestone for the mission, which has been marked as a priority and exempt from the ongoing US government shutdown. And all that wraps up today's intelligence briefing. We will have more on space sustainability from the Secure World Foundation Summit in Paris, but before we get to that, N2K Senior Producer Alice Carruth joins us now for a look at more stories that are making headlines today around the world. What do you have for us today, Alice? - Maria, we've included three additional links in today's selected reading section of the show notes. They cover UTailSat's financial updates, ESA's call for summer interns, and iSpace's contract with Toyota to support their rover development. And a reminder that those links are available in addition to the podcast platform that you listened to us on. On our website, space.intuk.com, just click on today's episode title. - Hi, T-Minus Crew. We have regular segments that we air here on T-Minus, where we have regular experts that join us monthly to talk in depth about their areas of space expertise. And if you have burning questions, our guest experts probably have answers for you. Law, cybersecurity, intelligence, policy and innovation, if you've got questions on any of those, I'm sure you do. Just send us your questions to space@intuk.com, and we will share them with our segment experts to answer on the show. Chances are whatever's on your mind is top of mind for a lot of other listeners too. So help yourself out, help others out, don't be shy. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) We'll be right back. Welcome back. I'll hand you over now to Torsten Kreening from SpaceWatch Global for the latest from the Secure World Foundation's Space Sustainability Summit in Paris. - Hello, Maria. I'm happy to be back on your channel and back from Paris, reporting from the seventh summit for Space Sustainability, organized by the Secure World Foundation, CNES and the French government, where space policy meets practical action. And we are meeting in the French Ministry of Economics. How cool is that? So this morning kicked off with Dr. Peter Martinez, the Executive Director of Secure World Foundation, who framed the summit with a strong reminder. Space traffic, space debris and space trust are no longer abstract issues. They demand operational solutions built on transparencies and shared norms. And then we heard from Sebastian Motang, France's newly elected Minister of Industry who underlined that space sustainability is part of Europe's broader industrial and geopolitical strategy. He urged stronger multilateral mechanism and made clear the time for voluntary guidelines alone is over. And then we heard from Isas Director General, Dr. Josef Aschbacher, and he brought numbers and ambitions to the video stage. More than 180 organizations across 33 countries have signed Isas Zero Debris Carter, moving towards debris neutral missions by 2030. And Isas is investing in equity design, life cycle assessment, and next generation active debris removal missions, not just for Isas, but to lead the global standard. And then on behalf of France, CNES COO Lionel Soje, urged that our sustainability principles must reach beyond Earth orbit, especially as lunar and deep space missions accelerate. And then an outstanding CEO, Fireside Chat, brought commercial urgency into focus with Spires CEO, Theresa Condor and Udilsert CEO, Jean-François Falera, data sharing and enforceable coordination rules are critical. And Condor emphasized the need for real time SSA space situational awareness, while Falera want of spectrum monopolies and the risk of unequal access. Their message was clear, industry is ready, but needs regulation that works. And in a standout exchange, UNO's US Director, Arty Holler-Mainey, joined Dr. Peter Martinez to highlight policy blind spots from lunar traffic coordination to SSA capacity building in emerging nations. She warned against sustainability becoming a gatekeeper for legacy powers, stressing that access to space cannot mean access to just Starlink. Her message, sustainability must be inclusive, enforceable and owned by all nations. And the environmental dimension was not forgotten. In clearing the air, Jose Ferreira led a sharp keynote on the under estimated impact on re-entry pollutions, alumina, particles and black carbon. The hard point I understood, we don't know the impact today. So, three takeaways from day number one. A, consensus works, but it needs teeth. From UNO's SSA to ESA, the call is clear, voluntary norms must evolve into enforceable global rules fast. Second, space sustainability is now an industrial issue. It's not just about physics and orbits. It's about fair competition, spectrum equality and long-term access for all nations. Third, inclusion matters. Sustainability can't become a new form of space colonialism. Emerging nations must shape, not just follow the rules. The stomach is still in full swing and there's more to come. And tomorrow, we will bring you more updates. Thank you and greetings from a wonderful autumn evening here in Paris. Space watch out and back to you, Maria. - Thank you again, Torsten Kreening from Space Watch Global. And that's 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 the show, please share a rating and review in your podcast app. Please also fill out the survey in the show notes or you can send us an email, space@n2k.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 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 Elliott Peltzman and Tre Hester with original music by Elliott Peltzman. Our executive producer is Jennifer Eiben. Peter Kilpe is our publisher and I am your host, Maria Vermazis. Thank you for listening. We'll see you tomorrow. (upbeat music) - T minus. (upbeat music) (thunder rumbling) [BLANK_AUDIO]
