0673-T-Minus-20251224
[MUSIC] As 2025 comes to a close, we decided to have a team catch up to talk through what the T-minus highlights were in 2025 and what we're looking forward to in 2026. Happy Christmas Eve folks! >> T-minus. >> 20 seconds to L-O-N, T-dris. >> Open aboard. >> Right stall. >> [INAUDIBLE] >> [INAUDIBLE] >> [INAUDIBLE] >> [INAUDIBLE] It is December 24th, 2025 and it's our last live episode of the year, but don't worry, we still have great content to share with you over the holiday period. Still, I couldn't let the date pass without catching up with the producing team here at T-minus and that team would be Alice Carruth, Jennifer Iban and Liz Stokes. And you know, here at T-minus, we started our year in review tradition back in 2023 and it's when we chat about our favorite stories and events from the past year and then share our predictions for the big news events and stories for the coming year. So without further ado, let's get into it. [MUSIC] So I've got Liz, Jen and Alice. It's very exciting to see you all here. Happy holidays, good to see you all. >> Good to see you too, Maria. Thank you for having us. >> Don't say don't speak at once, Liz and thank you for having us. We're happy to be here. >> Thank you, we were waiting our turn. >> Yeah. >> You're being so polite. This is how I know I'm speaking to a group of producers. You all are being the consummate professionals and I'm just rattling on. So we are here to talk about 2025 and 2026 in a space context. Things that we thought were pretty awesome from this past year and things that we are looking forward to in the coming year. So let's talk about the year that was. And Liz, I'm going to start with you first. >> Yeah. >> Tell me your thoughts about what you thought was really awesome from 2025. >> Oh my, Maria. >> Oh my, Liz. >> I mean, there was a lot that happened this past year and I think we all are kind of on the same page. There was a good year for T-minus. It was a good year for N2K. It was a good year for space, just in general. I mean, we got to talk to the one and only Dr. Sian Proctor at the beginning of the year, which was amazing. We have different shows that we've been putting on with Nexus and Aegis, Space Law. And so those have been very exciting. Those are not any of what I chose. What I chose was Maria and Alice and I got to see, well, Alice, you've seen many of these, but Maria and I first time ever got to see a rocket launch live in person. And it was amazing and incredible. And it was probably my favorite moment at N2K, I think, because I got to experience it with you, Alice and Maria. And it was amazing. >> Oh, it makes me so happy. >> I know. I was expecting a personal one. I thought it'd be best to a baby space nerd. >> And you sang Rocket Man and knew all the lyrics. >> Yes. Oh my gosh. Honestly, here we go. Are you ready for this? This is one of my favorite episodes because we are our editor and did it with us singing Rocket Man. And I didn't think that it would be one of my favorite episodes because nobody likes to hear themselves sing, but my god, it really straightened me up. I'm just glad I knew the words to an older song. I was so proud of myself. >> I just love how unplanned the whole event was. It was like, we were in Florida. What an opportunity. Hey, look, guys, there's a launch going on. What do you guys think? Can we sneak away from the conference for the night? And not that we snuck away. It really was an after hours. But what an incredible experience. And to watch the two of you at your first ever launch was just amazing. >> It was definitely a bit of a life-changing experience. I never thought I'd get a chance to see one living so far away from any place that launches anything. And these things always scrub more than half the time. So I was like, yeah, there's no chance. And then we just got to see it. And it was like nothing I ever would have expected. Liz, I love that that was what you chose. Was not expecting that, but that's really touching. >> Oh my gosh. It was amazing. First of all, it was at night, which I don't think anything is going to be able to top that because just being able to see the flame was incredible. And the rumbling, you could feel it in your chest. I'm just saying, if nobody's ever seen a rocket launch, they need to go find one immediately because it was incredible. Well, the good news is there are more and more launches happening all the time now. So there's more opportunities for people. So maybe when we go to space com next year, we'll get another shot. I'm hoping fingers, all the fingers and toes crossed for that. >> Oh my gosh. That would be amazing. >> That would be so great. Oh my gosh. So get the team back together and do that again. All right. So Liz, that is a heck of a way to start. Jen, can you top that? >> Well, I will tell you, I actually had two favorite things and that was my second favorite thing. So I just want to add on a second that experiencing that with you guys while remotely was amazing. You guys recorded it and just to see the video and to hear your voices and to hear the catch in your throats, it was just, it gave me the chills. And I felt like I was experiencing it with you guys. And then when we played it on the show, it just really, really made my heart sore. So thank you so much for capturing that too. It's more than just you guys doing it. It's that you shared it. Like your voices were given to everybody and it just made so much. It just made, it really made my heart fly. I just loved it. I love this. I was so moved. I wasn't expecting this. This is so moving. It was wonderful. I mean, I loved it. I just, I haven't, you know, I was, I even had it written down with the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch. You know, I had all the information so that I could talk about it. But so my other favorite thing is, you know, for me, I've been following along with the Artemis mission, seeing things going forwards, going backwards, you know, toward our next human landing on the moon. So I will out myself and the last human landing on the moon, I was alive, but I was not old enough to know anything that was happening. So I'm just really, really looking forward to see what happens with, you know, with Artemis 3. So I've been watching, you know, everything that's been happening. I love looking, you know, watching all the new astronaut classes coming in. There's just so many things that are happening this year that just, it just really is so exciting. And I'm really excited for, you know, NASA now to move forward with Artemis. I love that. That's so awesome. Well, Alice, I'm going to turn it to you because Liz and Jen really just knocked it out of the park. I don't know, how did you top that? That's really set up the producer to fail. Okay. So I went back to our 2024 year in review because we've been doing this now, it's our third year, Maria, which is amazing. Hard to believe. I know. So 2024, I said that I was looking forward to competition. And I have to say that has been my highlight of this year because we saw it. We've seen all of a sudden NASA saying, hey, let's reopen this bidding for this contract and let's have New Glenn come in and compete against SpaceX. And to me, that has been the highlight of the year, New Glenn. I mean, we were looking forward to it this time last year, the first ever launch of New Glenn. We've now seen two of them. They've proven themselves above and beyond what people were expecting. And I think that to me has been an incredible thing to see. New Glenn plus others coming on board this year. New companies coming forward. I mean, just this last month, we've seen a new commercial space station be introduced that's going to hopefully come on board. We're seeing great competition across the whole of the industry. And to me, that has been the highlight of 2025. Space is so new still to the commercial industry. So we need to see this competition for it to thrive. And to me, that is just going to be what excites me moving forward. So go on there, Maria. I've been set up for failure and had to pivot to this one. So what is your highlight of 2025? Stump the host yet again. So I had a whole list of things thinking y'all would just peel through them all. And then you completely surprised me. So I got to do the thing that I thought was the obvious highlight from 2025 was Fireflies Blue Ghost Mission landing on the ground. I knew you were going to go with that. I knew it. I was like, everyone's going to pick that one. Okay. So I get to say that. So for me, this was a really great opportunity for the world to understand that commercial space is actually not a complete pie in the sky thing. Like it's doing stuff. So Firefly, a private company, successfully landing a lander on the moon and doing the science and having a full complete mission success. That was in March of 2025, which is hard to believe that it was like not that long ago. To me, that was just an absolute watershed moment. Like I cried, tears of just total joy. And I think China is going to surprise all of us next year. I didn't want to get to 2026 too soon, but they're going to surprise us, I think. But seeing that the American commercial space sector succeeding like that was just a really powerful moment. And seeing the commercial sector like finally doing what a lot of people have been hoping for literal decades of like showing that these incredible missions that we thought were only NASA's territory can be done NASA and commercial space watershed moment. So I'm looking forward to a lot of that happening. But it's sort of a dovetail to yours thing, Alice. So same brain, same brain. Competition. Absolutely. And we saw that blue, blue ghost, didn't we? When we were at space symposium as the mock-up and both of us were just like, yeah, we were so excited seeing it in person. It's a bit like seeing that vast mock-up as well of the Haven one. I think that's going to be when you've seen it and you've kind of had that experience of touching a mock-up or seeing a launch. It just brings space to life. So I love the fact that Liz has talked about that first launch and it was yours too. And then we got to experience that and then we get to see our first commercial lunar landing on the moon because, you know, even though you were technically alive, Jen, you don't remember it. None of us do. We've just gone back to, you know, records of it. So being able to see that witness that in person is really quite a huge experience. So now we've wrapped up 2025 and let's now pivot to 2026. But first, you know, regular listeners know that every day at the end of each episode of T-minus, I read the names of all of the people who work on the show. Names of people like Alice Caruth, Jennifer Iben, and Liz Stokes. It is a big team effort to get this show published every day. And you, dear listener, also play a very important role too. That's because every time you share an episode of T-minus with your colleagues or on social media, that not only helps us grow, but more importantly, it shows us how our work is useful and interesting to you. So if you enjoy T-minus, please don't keep us hidden. Share our show in your social media and professional networks, because that helps us grow and makes T-minus even better every day. And thank you for being a part of the T-minus crew. We'll be right back. Welcome back. So in the previous part of this episode, we covered our thoughts on 2025. So what do we think is going to be the big news and events in 2026? For you, our team, and for space in general. Let's get into it. All right, since I can't wait to talk about next year, why don't we go in the same order again? Liz, what are you thinking for next year? What are you looking forward to? What are you hopes and dreams or maybe fears? No fears, only excitement. I love it. I got to say, so we are heading to SpaceCom again in January, the end of January. We're very excited about it. And there's a special keynote speaker that is going to be talking, giving the keynote speech there. And it is the one and only Bill Nye, the science guy. I love how you said it with the correct cadence. Bill Nye, the science guy. Yeah, you got to do it that way. Absolutely. You got it. You got it. You're right. And so, I mean, hopefully, hopefully, I don't know, fingers crossed, we might get to talk to him. That would be amazing if we can. But yeah, I mean, if we can't, just getting to see him down there would be incredible, because he was such a pivotal point in my childhood. I mean, for anybody out there who's under the age of 30, represent, okay, because we all remember walking into science class those days where the teacher was just like, all right, we're going to watch it, Bill Nye, the science guy. That number actually goes up to around 45. I agree. I agree. Whatever it is. Yeah. My childhood also, but I'm much older than you. So everybody would enjoy it, Bill Nye. Even non-Americans even had Bill Nye, the science guy, influence them. That is why I think it's such a great opportunity for all of us. I think we're just going to be complete space nerds, the girl, the, you know, fangirl over him. Oh my gosh, it's Bill Nye. And look, I'm totally not put off by these things as Marie will attest. If I see somebody that I want to go and meet, I'm quite happy to wander over there and I will get a photograph. That's why you're the producer of the show. We did it to Charlie Duke when we were at the space symposium a couple of years ago. So I am going to make it my mission as we are going to meet Bill Nye, the science guy. If we do this again in 2026, talk about what we love and what has happened to the other part, that would be, I'm already calling it. That's what's going to happen for next week. That's going to be my story. I'm really excited to hopefully meet him and just even get to hear him speak in person is going to be incredible. He's a great, he's, I have, I have been to some of his events when he's come up locally to do stuff. He's a great speaker. So I'm sure, and especially the mission that he's going to be talking about, like with the planetary society, it's going to be a great speech. So fingers crossed about that one, Liz. I'm with you. I can't wait to talk to him. So I'm really hoping that that comes through. All right. So Jen, I'm going to move to you now. Hope's dreams, fears, ambitions, anythings for 2026. Like Liz, I don't really think I have any fears. My hopes and dreams really are just, you know, just to live along with you guys. I have learned so much about the space industry just by listening to T minus and being, you know, present at your conversations. I just really, really enjoy that. And I really looking at like what Alice said, you know, just seeing what happens next as far as the competition, as far as, you know, this, it's not just a global space race, but it's also, you know, within our own country, you know, watching all the different companies coming and going and, you know, hoping that there are a lot more successes like this year. It was just such a great year. I love watching the launches with you guys virtually when we, you know, when we all tune in together. It's just so much fun watching it go through Slack. So, you know, I really am excited to see, you know, what's next. Yeah. All right, Alice, over to you. Oh, so this is a tough one. And I had to go with, you know, obviously we're Artemis U. It's very exciting. I'm going to let you go with that one though, Maria, because I figured that was the one you were most excited about. And I'm going to have to go with the cliche is space data centers. I'm really excited to see that they are coming to the forefront right now in the whole space industry. And we've gone from thinking at the beginning of 2025, oh, this is a pipe dream, to all of a sudden having a first data center on the moon. Good job to Lone Star and getting that up there. And I think we're going to see such a huge difference to absolutely everything here on the ground if we can get these space data centers up in the air. So that to me is going to be my highlight of 2026, what we see developing there, how many new companies are going to come online with that. So we'll see. That is a very interesting pick. I was not expecting that, but I'm delighted that you picked that because that is a really good one. I think that is a, that is not just where the money is, but as where a lot of cool science is happening. So that's a very good pick out. It's nicely done. You know why? It's because there's a data center that has been planned down the road for me. And honestly, I'm starting to think, is it a good idea that we're starting to plan one on the ground? I mean, we're going to need them on the ground. Don't get me wrong. I'm not completely naive. But it's interesting to see how quickly we're moving to the idea of having them in space and how much that will then affect these data centers on the ground in the future. So, yeah, it's kind of forefront of my mind for me, you know, personally. Yeah. I mean, necessity being the mother of invention. We'll see like a lot of money going into developing these. So we'll see how quickly that will happen. And I know there's a lot of big hopes writing on these. So it's going to be fascinating. Alice, it's a great, great pick. So I'm guessing, I'm guessing yours. Is it Artemis Maria? So, I mean, I can't not say Artemis. So I did the thing where I had a whole list. I was like, people are going to pick these. And then none of y'all picked any of the things I put on my list. So I have to go with the obligatory Artemis 2 is happening in February. Fingers crossed. So, I mean, I mean, I will be staying up late with my kid watching that because that while we will not be landing on the moon with Artemis 2, as Jen mentioned, that will be Artemis 3. Going around the moon with humans hasn't happened in my lifetime. So I'm a little bit excited about that. And by that, I mean, incredibly excited. I feel like I should mention at the time of this recording, Jared Isaacman just being confirmed as the NASA administrator. The hopes are sky high with him about what's going to happen. That is where I'm like cautiously optimistic, but a little scared because he has a heck of a, heck of a challenge ahead of him. I am really nervous for the budgets of for NASA, NOAA, NSF and all the cuts that have been happening. So I'm really hoping in 2026, now that we have at least a permanent administrator now of NASA, that we start seeing some good news on that front. Because there are definitely some changes needed. Certainly, our guests have told us that many, many times, but I'm also worried about potential generational damage. So it's like, I'm laughing, but I'm scared. But yeah, I really, really want Artemis to be a huge success. Competition is great. I think China is going to do some amazing things also in 2026. And I think with the Rubin Observatory that came online this year, we're going to see some incredible findings from that as well, just giving science a plug. It's been really cool seeing people excited about the three eye Atlas comet that people think is aliens. We're going to see a lot more of that in 2026. Thanks to Rubin. Maybe they're aliens. They're not aliens, but maybe they are. They're not aliens. They're not aliens. They're not as alien as I'm alien, should we say. They will be interstellar though. We will be seeing lots more of that. So I'm always excited when people get excited about science, even if it's for kind of funny reasons. So yeah. I like that. Now I'm going to push that one as well. You know, 2026, I feel like we're really seeing an inflection point of people getting space all of a sudden. It's like the communications for the last 70 years have finally started to permeate and people are going, oh yeah, space. It's not such a waste anymore. We're all using satellites. We're all using it for communications, we're in financial transactions. I spent a lot of time, as you know, this last four in Nebraska, and I couldn't get over how much the farming community just got, how important space was to what they're doing every day. So maybe 2026 is going to be the year that people just go, oh yeah, space is everything. It's not this niche anymore that we laugh at, that actually it's really important to all of us in our everyday lives. Especially if those data centers are going up in orbit, that's going to be where a lot of stuff is happening. So let's see what happens. Any final thoughts, everybody, because this was, I think we've got a lot to look forward to in 2026. Anything anyone wants to add before we close out? I just want to say another plug to Spacecom. We're very excited to be coming back and bringing the podcast there and being live at the whole conference and recording lots of interviews. It's such a great opportunity for us to be able to chat with all the people that we've been talking to remotely, but also it's really great to be able to actually be on the floor and doing that. Come meet us. We loved meeting listeners last year. So come say hi, watch us record as we're doing our work. We are real people, we are not AI. So you can say hello and meet us and we would love to see you. So yeah, the Dream Team will be back together in Florida at the end of January. So looking forward, minus Jen. We'll have to bring like a Jen card. Jen on a stick. That would be amazing. Looking forward to a wonderful year with all of you and another fantastic year of Team Minus. Thanks for all of your hard work in 2025, everybody. It's been a magical year and 2026 is going to be even better. So thank you. Thank you. And that's Team 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 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's senior producer is Alice Carruth. Our producer is Liz Stokes. We are mixed by Elliott Peltzman and Tre Hester with original music by Elliot Peltzman. Our executive producer is Jennifer Eiben. Peter Kilpie is our publisher and I am your host, Maria Varmazis. I hope you have a wonderful holiday, a very merry Christmas if you're celebrating and a very happy new year. Thank you for listening. T-minus. One thing I was going to mention that I was hoping would come back in 2026 are jokes. Oh no. We should totally do it. We should bring it back. Yeah. Is that the jokes? Yeah. I'm being overruled on that entirely. So... I always tell the director the kids, I'm like, why was six scared of seven because seven, eight, nine? Yeah. Oh. That makes me genuinely laugh. Okay. Maybe we should just... Maybe this is it. This is on a Friday. We could get the members together and I can tell you there are stupid jokes on the career. Liz reacting to your joke is actually funny. And then we laugh at her. Yeah. It is funny. (laughing)
