Hypersonic Hustle & Orbital Muscle.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Today is February 19, 2026. I'm Maria Varmazis, and this is T-minus. [MUSIC PLAYING] T-minus. 22nd to LOS, T-dred. Open aboard. [INAUDIBLE] [MUSIC PLAYING] [INAUDIBLE] Starlab has announced a partnership with HelaGen Corporation to conduct life sciences research on their commercial space station. Four. The Spanish Air and Space Force has signed an agreement with GMV to install a satellite tracking antenna at Moron Air Base in Seville. Three. The Defense Innovation Unit is soliciting commercial advancements to create affordable and scalable geo-recognizant systems. Two. Agile Space Industries has raised $17 million in the Series A financing round. One. StratoLaunch has been awarded a $90.8 million contract by the Department of War for the Mock TV 2.0 program. [MUSIC PLAYING] Lift off. [MUSIC PLAYING] And we're going to be starting off today's show going hyper for hypersonic testing. Let's dive in, shall we? First up, StratoLaunch has expanded its partnership with the Department of War-- that's what they're calling it now-- for the Multiservice Advanced Capability Hypersonics Test Bed, or Mock TV 2.0 program. The new award extends StratoLaunch's partnership in the Mock TV Initiative to further advance hypersonic flight testing and technology development. Under Mock TV 2.0, Task 3, StratoLaunch will conduct multiple air-launched flight tests over a two-year period, reinforcing the company's commitment to providing flexible, high-cadence, hypersonic test solutions that accelerate innovation in advanced aerospace technologies, building on the demonstrated success of the Talon A. And it isn't a small investment by the DOW into hypersonic testing. This new contract is valued at $90.8 million. The Mock TV program is a collaborative effort involving multiple government agencies and industry partners focused on building a robust and responsive hypersonic test infrastructure. StratoLaunch's involvement will support the program's objectives by providing a cost-effective, scalable, and repeatable platform for a range of hypersonic experiments. Agile Space Industries has raised $17 million in a Series A financing round. The new raise brings Agile's total fund raising to about $40 million. Agile Space says demand for its propulsion systems is on the rise. Agile plans to use the new funds to expand manufacturing and testing to meet demands for orders. The Agile team has grown from about 50 employees in 2023 to over 130 today. And it has new facilities in the works to execute on future contracts. The Defense Innovation Unit is seeking commercial advancements to create affordable and scalable geo-reconnaissance systems. The solicitation states that the DOW is facing a critical capability gap in its ability to monitor space, which is becoming an increasingly contested war-fighting domain. They say that adversaries are escalating threats against the very systems that the United States relies on for strategic deterrence and decision-making. Specifically, the DOW says it lacks sufficient satellites capable of providing high-resolution space-to-space imagery and maintaining custody of both friendly and adversarial satellites in geosynchronous orbit. The DOW is seeking solutions, which includes space vehicles, satellite buses, and payloads, all intended to provide high-resolution space-to-space imagery and accurate object characterization. The request states that the systems must reduce costs compared to existing and planned programs of record, while achieving high-resolution image collection, allowing for increased collection frequency and detailed characterization of resident space objects in geo. More details about the solicitation can be found by following the link in our show notes. The Spanish Air and Space Force has signed an agreement with GMV to install a satellite tracking antenna at Moran Air Base in Seville. The new antenna aims to strengthen Spain's national space surveillance capabilities. The agreement will see the deployment of a focusier system antenna dedicated to tracking satellites, particularly in geostationary orbit. The installation is intended to enhance the operational capacity of the Space Operations and Surveillance Center known as COVE, which is part of the Spanish Space Command known as MESPA. Got all that? Yeah, Spanish Defense Leadership described the agreement as a step towards consolidating national space sovereignty and improving the monitoring of space assets that support both military operations and civilian services. Starlab has announced a partnership with Heligen Corporation to conduct life sciences research on their commercial space station. Together, the companies plan to expand what is conducted in microgravity, moving from isolated experiments towards persistent, scalable discovery in orbit. Through the partnership, Heligen will integrate its orbital biomedical operating system into the Starlab ecosystem. The announcement builds on Starlab's growing capabilities in biopharmaceutical and life sciences research in orbit. [MUSIC PLAYING] And my friends, that wraps up today's top stories for you. We will bring you the latest from the SLS Wet Dress rehearsal, which is currently, as I'm recording this, being conducted. And we will tell you more about it on tomorrow's show. We have everything crossed for a seamless run through and a reminder that you can find out more about all of the stories that I've mentioned in today's episode by following the links in our show notes. Those links can be found on our website, space.ntuk.com. And T-minus crew, I have been mentioning it all week and a little bit even last week, but it bears repeating. While T-minus is continuing, fear not. We are changing things up around here and ending our daily briefings with tomorrow's show. We have been working very hard for the last three years on this show and are very, very proud of what we have accomplished here. And we especially appreciate your support listeners. So as we are continuing to work hard to update the T-minus show and format that you know and love, we really do want to hear your input too. What would you like to hear? Your feedback about that helps us keep the future of T-minus. And thank you to everyone who has already sent us feedback so far. And it's not too late for you if you haven't. You have ideas, make sure to email us at space@ntuk.com. That's the word space at the letter N, the number two, and the letter K.com, space@ntuk.com. And while we will be working to give our show a refresh, we're also bringing back signals in space. Yes, our weekly email newsletter. Yeah, direct to your inbox. So if you want to get the new newsletter when it launches, make sure to subscribe by going to our website. That's space.ntuk.com. Just click on Newsletter right on the top of your page. And thank you. [MUSIC PLAYING] We'll be right back. Welcome back. And finally, our listeners on Florida's Space Coast know well about what it means to live in a place where space launch is booming. But the rest of us may not really appreciate what it's all about, so let's take a moment to think about that, shall we? Launches from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral have more than tripled in five years, hitting a record 109 orbital missions in 2025. And even larger launch vehicles are on the way, as SpaceX is working hard to bring its massive Starship to Florida. And Blue Origin is ramping up flights of its massive new Glenn. So we've got at least two massive rockets, one location. And you can understand why the US Space Force officials are calling 2026 the year of the Giants. But as launch cadence increases, let us spare a thought for the fauna and flora on the ground. And that does include humans, by the way. Environmental groups warn that these giant rockets will result in louder sonic booms, heavier exhaust, and more frequent port closures, all of which could further strain the already fragile Indian River lagoon and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Local commercial fishers say that weekly safety shutdowns near Port Canaveral are cutting into their livelihoods. And Cape Canaveral city leaders are exploring grants to study whether vibrations from the next generation of rockets could possibly damage buildings that are just a few miles from the launch pads. Now, no one on the Space Coast is arguing against space flight. Many residents work in the industry, after all. But as one local official put it, the city has more questions than answers about how to prepare. So in this year of the Giants, the Space Coast is confronting a new reality. America's push to the moon, and yeah, maybe also Mars, is a national ambition on a cosmic scale and it also plays out locally, where it will reshape the shoreline, the economy, and the communities that live right beneath the flight path. I do hope that the Space Coast communities get the answers that they need sooner rather than later. [MUSIC PLAYING]

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N2K’s senior producer is Alice Carruth. Our producer is Liz Stokes. We’re mixed by Elliott Peltzman and Tré Hester, with original music by Elliott Peltzman. Our executive producer is Jennifer Eiben. Peter Kilpe is our publisher, and I’m Maria Varmazis. Thanks for listening. We'll see you tomorrow. [MUSIC PLAYING] T minus. [THUNDER] (whooshing) [BLANK_AUDIO]