[MUSIC] Today is October 29th, 2025. I'm Maria Varmazis, and this is T-minus. [MUSIC] The Space Force Association has signed a new memorandum of understanding with the Space Foundation. [MUSIC] ESA Director General Josef Oshbacher outlined the details of the European Resilience from Space Program. [MUSIC] The US Federal Communications Commission voted to kick off two proceedings that will impact satellite licensing. [MUSIC] Skyperfect JSAT Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding with KT-SAT to jointly develop and test 5G non-terrestrial network technologies. [MUSIC] Japan's HTV-X cargo spacecraft has arrived at the International Space Station for the first time ever. [MUSIC] Happy Wednesday, everybody. We are kicking off today's Intel Briefing with an update on Japan's HTV-X cargo resupply mission. And Japan launched its first resupply mission to the International Space Station this past Sunday, and today it docked with the orbiting lab. HTV-X was captured by the station's Canadarm 2 robotic arm, which was operated by NASA astronaut Zena Cardman and Kimia Yuwi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. It carried about 9,000 pounds of food and supplies on the mission, including experiments for the astronauts to work on. HTV-X now officially joins Russia's Progress Vehicle, north of Grumman's Cygnus and SpaceX's Dragon as a resupply partner to the ISS. And congratulations to JAXA on the success of this inaugural mission. Staying with Japan, Skyperfect JSAT Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding with Korea's leading satellite communications operator, KT-SAT. The company's plan to jointly develop and test 5G non-terrestrial network technologies, known as NTN, and prepare for future commercialization of geo-based 5G NTN services. Additionally, the two companies plan to explore interoperability and roaming capabilities between their respective geo-satellite networks and aim to evolve this 5G NTN partnership into a global NTN alliance, expanding collaboration with international satellite operators and ecosystem partners to accelerate 5G NTN commercialization. Aichi Yonekura, Representative Director, President, and CEO of Skyperfect JSAT said, "By leveraging the technologies and expertise both companies have cultivated, we will promote the development of a seamless 5G NTN ecosystem that bridges space and terrestrial networks." Moving on now, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, better known to most of us as the FCC, is holding an open Commission meeting at FCC headquarters in Washington, D.C. Earlier this month, FCC Chairman Carr declared October 2025 to be "Space Month" at the FCC, with the goal of ensuring that the United States is the, in his words, "friendly as regulatory environment in the world for innovators to start, grow, and accelerate their space operations." And with that intention in mind, the FCC voted to kick off two proceedings that will impact satellite licensing, one's described as a licensing overhaul, and the other is dealing with antennas in the upper microwave spectrum bands. According to the Satellite Industry Association, the proposed rule changes will greatly expedite the licensing process and provide for better utilization of some of the frequency bands available to the industry. Additionally, the FCC is conducting a review of spectrum sharing and satellite power limits, and holding a proceeding to open 20,000 MHz of spectrum for satellite broadband. And we will, of course, keep you posted on the outcomes of these proceedings. Let's turn our attention to Europe now. And earlier this week, we talked about Europe's aim to integrate space in its defense plan by 2030. The European Space Agency's Director General, Josef Oschbacher, doubled down on the need for space in defense, presenting the European Resilience from Space Program at a conference entitled "Space for European Resilience, Rising to the Collective Challenge." The new optional program will be open for subscriptions from member states at next month's ESA Ministerial Council. The proposed system would integrate remote sensing, connectivity, positioning, navigation and timing, spectrum monitoring, and Internet of Things systems, all with the aim of providing users with the most secure, agile, and rapid response capabilities possible. The European Resilience from Space Program will be proposed in Bremen in late November. And heading back to the United States now for this last one, the Space Force Association has signed a new memorandum of understanding with the Space Foundation. The organizations plan to collaborate on critical initiatives that strengthen the national and global space community. The partnership will focus on bolstering education, workforce development, and public awareness of the space domain. The Space Foundation says that the agreement aligns with the organization's global convening and educational platforms with the SFA's Professional and Policy Network to explore opportunities that support shared goals. Both organizations say that they recognize that a strong, innovative, and skilled space workforce is vital to national leadership and global security. ♪ ♪ And that, my friends, wraps up today's top five stories in the Intel briefing for you. We have more to come on this celebration coming up this weekend. What could that be about? But before we get to that, N2K Senior Producer Alice Carruth joins us now with a look at the other stories making today's headlines. What do you have for us today, Alice? Thanks, Maria. Could the Space Force and the National Reconnaissance Office be combining some functions? The US administration's nominee to serve as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy told lawmakers he would consider all options. Archbishop Gabriel Cathier, permanent observer of the Holy Sea to the United Nations, stresses that space is a common good to be protected for the benefit of future generations. Boeing has released third quarter financial results and NASA's X-59 Superjet has made its first flight. Exciting times, Maria. Indeed, indeed exciting times, yes. And as a reminder, you can read more about all of those stories and all of the others mentioned throughout today's episode by following the links in our show notes. Those links are also on our website, space.n2k.com. Just click on today's episode title for more. Hi, T-minus crew. Whether you've been listening to T-minus from the very start or if this is just your first episode tuning in, I want to thank you for listening. And if you like what we're doing here at T-minus, your support will help us grow and bring you more of the insights and the guest interviews that you enjoy. So if you could take a moment and leave us a five-star rating and short review in whatever podcast app you use, I would appreciate it so much. In your review, you can tell us about, I don't know, a recent interview that you found really fascinating or what you like about the show. All these kinds of insights really do help us out. And I wouldn't be much of a podcast host if I didn't drop an obligatory like and subscribe now and then after all. So please do. And thank you. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] We'll be right back. Welcome back. You know, it is a real shame that the US government shutdown happened and that it is still ongoing for so, so many reasons, most importantly of which is how this shutdown is affecting millions of American families and their ability to put food on the table. It is important to keep things in perspective here. And I should also add in this little corner of our podcast, way, way far down on the list of importance of why this shutdown is a dang shame, it's because you just know that if NASA was able to be up and running right now, they undoubtedly would be throwing some kind of massive celebration about the International Space Station's upcoming 25-year milestone on November 2. So friends in Canada, Europe, Russia, and Japan, please know that I will be pinning my hopes on you all for the appropriate festivities. But with that said, we individuals can and should certainly mark 25 years of continuous human habitation on the International Space Station on November 2. Anyone older than me likely remembers Skylab, and then folks in my cohort might recall when the ISS was a mere idea, and then when Mere was the only game in town, and then in the late 90s the ISS was just a singular floating two-module tube. At that point the ISS was kind of just welcoming. But the work continued, thankfully, and in the year 2000, we got the Svezda, yes, our leaky ISS friend, and the Svezda allowed for human habitation on the ISS. And in the 25 years since all while the ISS continued to be built out, there has always been a crew aboard. And a few friends would like to relive every moment of the ISS over the last 25 years, and I do mean every moment. Ben Feist and David Charny, who brought us the incredible Apollo in real-time website, have now built the ISS in real-time. Yes, 25 years of data, beautifully presented and easy to navigate, it replays just about every single day aboard the ISS. 99.30% of ISS days, in fact, 9,064 days that you can peruse, along with 4,739 days with full space-to-ground comm coverage. 4,561,987 space-to-ground comm calls in 69 languages, translated by the way, 6,932,274 photos taken in space over 8,550 days and 930 videos across 712 days. But who's counting, right? Actually, they're counting. So, I gotta tell you, I have been enjoying poking around on significant days in my life over the last 25 years and seeing what the ISS crew's daily schedule was on that day, the experiments that they were running, where they were above Earth, what photos they took that day, and even sometimes I might listen in to some of their conversations. Listen, it's not eavesdropping if it's historical, alright? Now, the ISS in real-time is a true technological feat in that it is able to serve up this much information in such an organized and fun to navigate way. And it is a fitting tribute to what is one of the greatest things that humanity has ever built. And if you are looking for your own way to mark the 25-year anniversary of ISS's continuous human habitation on November 2, spending a bit of your real-time at ISSINREALTIME.ORG seems like a great move to me. And that's T-minus, brought to you by N2K Cyberwire. We would 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 in your podcast app. You could also fill out the survey in the show notes or send an email to 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 4 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'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. [MUSIC] T-minus. [MUSIC]
