Today is February 9th, 2026. I'm Maria Varmazis and this is T-minus. The UK Space Agency has awarded contracts to three companies to investigate producing advanced materials in low Earth orbit. Momentus has entered into a Space Act agreement to deepen its collaboration with NASA through a mission set to advance in orbit servicing and assembly capabilities. NASA has selected two missions for continued development as part of the Earth System Explorers Program. Starfish Space has been awarded a $54.5 million contract to produce another Otter satellite servicing spacecraft for the US Space Force's Space Systems Command. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has shared plans to restore the US Space Agency's core competencies. And today my friends is our very last ISS National Lab catch-up just because Patrick O'Neill has taken on a new role at Blue Origin and we wish him the absolute best of luck. And in today's segment he will be talking about upcoming ISS science experiments, all that after today's headlines. Happy Monday everybody! Thank you for joining me. NASA ended last week by distributing a memo to the entire NASA workforce titled "Workforce Directive - Restoring NASA's Core Competencies." And it was accompanied with a video that was later widely shared on social media. The directive was the culmination of 50 days on the job for NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and the new initiative calls to restore and retain in-house engineering, operational and scientific excellence, and reclaim technical autonomy. Yes! Here is what Jared Isaacman laid out in his nearly three-minute video. We are tearing down artificial civil servant hiring ceilings and bringing the teams we need back to NASA to execute on President Trump's vision. First, rebuilding internal talent. Within 30 days, every center and mission directorate will assess which technical and operational roles need to come back in-house. Within 60 days, we're implementing rapid onboarding. To ensure the funnel of new talent is always filled, we are supporting OPM's Tech Force initiative, bringing in term-based hires from industry and academia, and launching robust internship training and mentorship to develop the technical talent we require. Second, we're empowering you to get the job done. We are incorporating right-to-repair provisions in all future contracts, guaranteeing NASA access to specifications, parts, tools, and technical documentation. We're eliminating restrictive clauses that prevent us from doing our own work and addressing intellectual property barriers that have tied our hands. Third, fostering a culture of technical excellence, hands-on engineering and continuous learning, recognizing technical contributions, and creating maker spaces at every center. We're restoring in-house engineering and operational excellence to reclaim technical autonomy and concentrating our resources on the most needle-moving objectives. This is how we achieve the President's National Space Policy, and if we succeed, returning to the Moon and building a Moon base will seem pale in comparison to what we're capable of achieving in the years ahead. So the next 30 to 60 days at the U.S. Space Agency are certainly going to be interesting. Will folks jump from contractors or forced retirement back to civil service? Truly, only time will tell, but it is certainly an interesting plot twist from the current administration who have basically worked very hard to cut all of those civil servant positions. We will keep an eye on it. And NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission has been cleared to proceed with launch preparations following a flight readiness review with NASA, SpaceX, and the agency's international partners. Yes, SpaceX's Falcon 9 got through their mishap investigation rather quickly to get back to launch. Lift-off of Crew-12 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft remains on track for no earlier than 6.01 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, February 11 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Moving on now, our friends at Starfish Space have been awarded a $54.5 million contract to produce another Otter Satellite Servicing spacecraft for the U.S. Space Forces Space Systems Command. The new contract builds on a $37.5 million space systems command contract that was awarded in 2024 through the Department of the Air Force's Strategic Funding Increase Program, or STRAF-I. This new contract is funded through a Pentagon program called Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies, or APFIT. This contract provides for manufacturing of the Otter space vehicle for dynamic space operations in geosynchronous orbit. The Otter spacecraft is scheduled for delivery in 2028. That's a NASA news today, and NASA has selected two missions for continued development as part of the Earth System Explorers Program. The U.S. agency says that the two next-generation satellite missions will help NASA better understand Earth and improve capabilities to foresee environmental events and mitigate disasters. NASA selected the stratospheric troposphere response using infrared, vertically-resolved light explorer -- that is all, believe it or not, an acronym that shortens to the STRIVE mission. Now, STRIVE will provide daily, near-global, high-resolution measurements of temperature, a variety of Earth's atmospheric elements, and aerosol properties from the upper troposphere to the mesosphere, all at a much higher spatial density than any previous missions. That's pretty cool. The data collected from STRIVE would support longer-range weather forecasts. The EDGE, or Earth Dynamics Geodetic Explorer mission, was also selected, and EDGE will observe the three-dimensional structure of terrestrial ecosystems and the surface topography of glaciers, ice sheets, and sea ice. NASA says the selected missions will advance to the next phase of development. Each mission will be subject to confirmation review in 2027, which will assess the progress of the missions and the availability of funds. If confirmed, the total estimated cost of each mission, not including launch, will not exceed $355 million, with a mission launch date of no earlier than 2030. Momentus has entered into a Space Act agreement to deepen its collaboration with NASA through a mission set to advance in-orbit surfacing and assembly capabilities, better known as ISAM. Momentus will deliver a NASA CubeSat to low Earth orbit to demonstrate joint rendezvous and proximity operations, as well as formation flying. Central to the mission is NASA's R5 spacecraft 10, which will act as a free-flying imager for Momentus' VIGORIDE 7 orbital service vehicle, assessing spacecraft health and performance. This demonstration marks a critical step in refining ISAM capabilities, which are essential for future autonomous space operations. And it is not just the United States that's looking to ISAM for future missions. The UK Space Agency has awarded contracts to three companies to investigate producing advanced materials in low Earth orbit. UKSA says the conditions, including microgravity, natural vacuum, and extreme temperatures, can create products that are difficult, expensive, or impossible to manufacture on Earth. The research supports ISAM, which the government has identified as a priority capability area for UK leadership growth and national security. Each study will assess technical feasibility, mature key technologies, and develop credible routes to market. And our friends at Spaceforge will receive £300,000 for the... [laughs] Two-forge, two-furious study to demonstrate how semiconductor seed crystals could be produced commercially in orbit. Bio-orbit limited will receive £250,000 for the FARM study, and that's what the PH should mention, to design an end-to-end mission to manufacture drugs in microgravity. And Orbisky Limited has been awarded £295,000 for the SkyYield study to design a payload to process Z-Blan fluoride glass in microgravity. [music] And that wraps up today's top stories, my friends. If you are looking to learn more about any of the stories that I've mentioned in today's episode, then definitely head on over to the selected reading section of our show notes to find links to further reading for your enjoyment. [music] Today is our last update from our friend Patrick O'Neill with the ISS National Lab. As I mentioned at the top of the show, he has now taken on a new role at Blue Origin. And again, congratulations, Patrick, from all of us at T-minus. In the meantime, here's our last chat. And in this one, I started by asking him about the current crew rotations on the orbiting lab. [music] I would be remiss if I didn't start with crew 11. Coming back a little earlier than before, and then crew 12, what does it all mean for everything going on? Well, I think that the most important thing is to acknowledge that everyone is safe and that they got back healthy and that the program itself continues to move forward. While this was a unique moment, because it's the first time that it had happened in the history of the Space Station program, I think that one of the things that I took away from it was listening to the astronauts when they returned, talking about how a lot of their training really kicked in to ensure that we were able to mitigate any situation that could have happened on station. And then on top of that too, I thought that it was great to hear the NASA administrator as well as the leadership team also talking about the importance of any one of these missions is safety, first and foremost. And if they'd looked at what was happening on the Space Station at that time frame, the majority of the mission for the crew 11 astronauts had already been completed. The vast majority of the science and technology demonstrations they were supporting, they had also, again, they kind of been exhausted. So in some ways, let's bring them back and let's make sure that we give them the care that they need here on this planet and then let's look forward to crew 12. And then on top of that, once we're done getting the crew 12 astronauts successfully to the Space Station, now let's focus on what they're going to do for the next few months during their long duration space flight mission. Yeah, I have to ask the question I've been super curious about is when a situation like this has arisen, does it affect the schedule for crew 12? Like, do things roll back a little bit time-wise or do we keep the schedule as planned or what happens there? Well, this was obviously a fluid situation and I think that with that also coincides with fluid moments for the next couple of weeks and months. So I would not be surprised if you see some changes to the schedule. I would not be surprised if you see some changes to some of the payloads. So part of the things that the astronauts also do is not only do they have visiting vehicles, greet them with all the goodies, but they also have visiting vehicles leave them with the goodies and in some cases those that burn up in the atmosphere. So right now we have SpaceX CRS-33 that is on station. So they're going to be refilling that up with some of the investigations that were performed during the timeframe by which the Expedition 74 team, which included some of the crew 11 astronauts, they're now going to be reloading that up, bringing that back down to Earth. So I mean there's a lot of things that are going back and forth and then there's the constant tetris game of what goes, what doesn't go, what can go on the next mission, how much astronaut crew time are we going to need to allocate. So all of that is constantly in flux. I think that when you have a scenario like this, it just brings it a little bit more to the forefront. But again, I would say that the Space Station program as a whole again is very fluid and very flexible and adaptable and you're seeing that right here and now. That's awesome. Well, it makes sense that we got to plan for all these contingencies. So for crew 12, do we have a sense of what's going to be going with them? So I wouldn't necessarily focus on what's going on with them from a science perspective. But I can tell you that they are going to be very, very busy once they do get to stations. There will be multiple resupply missions to the orbiting laboratory that have all sorts of science and technology demonstrations that they will be supporting over the next, I believe, six to nine months depending upon the duration of their stay. And so, you know, I think it allows for them the opportunity to get to station, get their space legs about them, and then the fun begins. So with that, I can tell you that there's going to be a lot of biomedical research. One of the projects that I'm excited about going up for is actually in collaboration with NASA. We have a couple of years ago announced the igniting innovation challenge, which was focused specifically towards cancer research on the orbiting laboratory. There's going to be two, I believe, of the projects that were selected out of the five. They're going to be flying on a couple of those resupply missions. And so that will be exciting to talk about because, you know, we always want to highlight the impacts of how station can potentially accelerate the development of therapeutics or recognition of disease and what works, what doesn't work in space. So these could be really exciting as far as preliminary investigations for these respective teams. And then you're going to also see some prominent names from companies that we all know, whether that be in kind of the consumer goods area, as well as those that are in the very high tech and in camera industries as well. So, you know, I think that that also demonstrates, too, that I've talked about biomedical research, but now consumer goods, you're also talking tech development and camera technology. That's just a small scope of the diversity of representation that you see on the space station. And these next couple of missions are going to be very much in tune with that. And the astronauts are going to be very, very busy while they're supporting these respective investigations. I look forward to hearing more about them when more becomes available about that. So as always, I'll keep my ears out for that. All right. So I'm a shift here completely. There was a bit of a party recently celebrating everybody. ISS 25. How did that go? How was that? What's the joke about, you know, what did NASA people do when they planted or something like that for a party? How did they put together a party? They planted. Oh, such a dad joke. OK, I'll allow it. But yes, to your point, we were able to have a celebration of 25 years, more than 25 years of continuous human presence on the International Space Station. It was in Houston over at Space Center Houston, and it was a great collection of past, present, potentially future people that are involved with the space station program. I definitely lean more towards the past and present aspect of that. It was also great too, because they had the Expedition 1 crew that was out there, which included Bill Fletcher and two Khrashen cosmonauts. I believe that we had Sergey and we had Yuri that were out there. And I'm not even going to try to pronounce their last names, even though I probably... I probably should. And even on top of that, while I was thinking about that, I got...it's not Bill Fletcher, it's Bill Shepard. They were out there and it was great because it's an opportunity to celebrate not only what we have done from a NASA and a United States perspective, but also from an international perspective, to have the Russian cosmonauts out there, to see representatives from Jackson be out there and our international partners. This is truly an international coalition and it's great to have people come together to celebrate this monumental moment in human spaceflight. And also on top of that too, about what the station has meant in the past, but also what it means going into the future and how what the space station does now and in the future will drive future spacecraft or platforms in low Earth orbit and beyond. Yeah, and honestly, sometimes a celebration of an incredible accomplishment is just more than...not just worthy, but pat yourself in the back, you deserve it. You all have been amazing. 25 years, think about that. I mean, that's an amazing accomplishment for humanity, especially when you look at everything else that has happened across the board that is not space related. Yeah, I think I've said it a couple of times and I know you feel the same way. The ISS is truly one of humanity's best accomplishments. I firmly believe that. So a party is more than...it's the least we all can do. You're allowed to plan it. Again, with that joke. Okay, again, I'll allow it. All right, so I want to also ask about upcoming launches to the ISS and the launch windows for Artemis 2. Now, in my head, I'm like, well, obviously everybody would move around the big dog right now. Artemis 2 kind of gets priority, right? It's the biggest ship. But I mean, is there any noticeable impact with scheduling or is it just everybody is just working around it? So I think that you heard NASA Administrator Isaac Minn talk about this fantastically, I thought, where one of the beauties of NASA and the space program as a whole is that there's a lot of programs within that. And you can divide and you can conquer where you can recognize the fact that we have the space station program and that we have had people living and working continuously on that space platform for more than 25 years, a variety of visiting vehicles coming and going. And then conversely, you also have this new and exciting opportunity with the Artemis program and having the opportunity to send astronauts beyond the moon and back. But I think that demonstrates that if we can do both of those things and not have that be a major issue on the schedule, well, then that demonstrates the value that NASA is able to bring and again, the diversity by which they are able to execute their various programs. And so as of right now, I think that we're still looking at those February launch windows. And again, I look at both of them and I say, gosh, I hope that they both go according to plan and that everyone is able to both get to the space station safely as well as have our astronauts go beyond the moon and then come back safely. Yes, amen to all of that. I cannot tell you how excited I am to finally be alive for a lunar mission. It's like I've been hearing about them my whole life. Now I finally get to see what happened with humans board. So that's just beyond exciting for all of us space nerds. So Patrick, I just want to make sure if there's anything I missed that you wanted to mention by all means. So the only other thing we've talked about this a little bit in the past, I believe that in the February timeframe, we should be having our next installment of Upward, which is the official magazine of the ISS National Lab where we'll be talking about a couple of different feature investigations that have resulted in results. And so this is an opportunity for an in-depth dive into learning about the impact of doing research on the space station. And again, I would say that that's one of the areas we always try to push people towards with this magazine is we're not just talking about, hey, this flew on this mission and this is really cool and it's great to see it go up on the smoke and the fire. But more importantly, what is the results? What are the impacts and how does that drive future R&D? So I would encourage your listeners to go and check out Upward on the ISS National Lab website. Subscribe. And then that way you can be in tune with all of the latest and greatest as we drop more and more episodes. Not episodes, but volumes. We'll be right back. Welcome back. The first wet dress rehearsal for Artemis II has come and gone. So what has been going on since then? Well, not a big surprise. NASA technicians are making repairs and analyzing data after elevated hydrogen levels were detected during fueling earlier this month. NASA says that engineers have replaced two seals near the rocket's tail service mast umbilical, which are the critical ground interfaces that deliver cryogenic propellants to the space launch system. NASA is also evaluating the removed hardware to fully understand the cause of the leak and to understand, hey, those molecules are awfully tiny. And the latest is that the teams assessed the umbilical area after draining the rocket's propellant tanks, disconnecting and inspecting both rocket and ground side plates. And now the work is to reconnect all of those interfaces and that is expected to wrap up by February 9th with additional testing planned at NASA's Stennis Space Center to better understand the system's behavior. Engineers are also reviewing options to verify the repairs before the next rehearsal. So it stands to reason that NASA is also adjusting its procedures for the upcoming wet dress rehearsal whenever that will be to focus more tightly on fueling operations including closing Orion's hatch for the test and adding extra hold time in the countdown to allow for troubleshooting. Yeah, the question in all our minds is right now when that next wet dress rehearsal is going to be and I do not have anything for you there, but NASA says they are still targeting March for Artemis II's launch window and it will not set a firm date until a successful rehearsal is complete and the data is fully reviewed. So until then, hang on to your umbilicals. [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 our 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 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 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 is our publisher and I am your host, Maria Varmazis. Thank you for listening. We'll see you tomorrow. [Music] T-minus. [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]
