← T-Minus: Space-Cyber Briefing
T-Minus: Space-Cyber Briefing
Ax-4 crew is heading home.
00:25:25
Ax-4 undocks from the ISS. Firefly Aerospace files for proposed initial public offering. Australia to build a sovereign LEO satellite. And more.
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- [00:02]
Maria Varmazes
You're listening to the N2K space network.
- [00:11]
Dave
Hey everybody, Dave here. I've talked about Deleteme before and I'm still using it because it still works. It's been a few months now and I'm just as impressed today as I was when I signed up. DeleteMe keeps finding and removing my personal information from data broker sites and they keep me updated with detailed reports so I know exactly what's been taken down. I'm genuinely relieved. Knowing my privacy isn't something I have to worry about every day. The Delete Me team handles everything. It's the set it and forget it peace of mind. And it's not just for individuals. Delete Me also offers solutions for businesses, helping companies protect their employees personal information and reduce exposure to social engineering and phishing threats. And right now our listeners get a special 20% off your delete me plan. Just go to JoinDeleteMe.com N2K and use promo code N2K at checkout. That's JoinDeleteMe.com N2k code N2K.
- [01:27]
Maria Varmazes
Today is July 14th, 2025. I'm Maria Varmazes and this is T minus.
- [01:36]
Patrick O'Neill
T minus 20 seconds to Los T Drift and roll.
- [01:47]
Maria Varmazes
China has rolled out its new generation of medium sized launch vehicles. 4 SpaceX launched an Israeli government fund communications satellite into orbit on Sunday. I launched Trailblazer Optis, ATO Innovore Technologies and the Defense Science and Technology Group to build, launch and operate a sovereign Australian low Earth orbit satellite. Firefly Aerospace to propose an initial public offering of shares of its common stock. The AX4 crew has undocked from the International Space Station and has started its return to Earth. Our guest today is Patrick o', Neill, Public affairs and outreach lead at the International Space Station U.S. national Laboratory. And as always, Patrick will be bringing us the monthly update on what's going on on the ISS later in the show, so stick around to find out more. Happy Monday everybody. Thanks for joining me. Let's get into today's intel briefing. First up, SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft undocked at 7:15am Eastern Time from the space facing port of the International Space Station's Harmony Module earlier today carrying the AX4 crew. And the spacecraft is carrying private astronauts Peggy Whitson, Shubanshu Shukla, Svavosh Ushnayski, Vishniewski and Tibor Kapu. It's also returning with more than 580 pounds of cargo, including NASA hardware and data from over 60 experiments conducted during the mission. Dragon is slowly maneuvering away from the station into an orbital track that will return the crew and its cargo safely to Earth. It's targeting a splashdown off the coast of California tomorrow. That would be Tuesday, July 15th. If you want to invest in the first commercial company to successfully land on the moon, your chance is coming up. Firefly Aerospace has announced its intention to go public. The company filed a registration statement on Form S1 with the U.S. securities and Exchange Commission related to a proposed initial public offering of its shares of its common stock. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined. Firefly intends to list its common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market under the ticker symbol, quite simply fly. We're seeing a real push for nations to develop sovereign capabilities of late. The next three stories really cover that angle. Well, first up, we'll start in Australia where Ilaunch Trailblazer is partnering with Optus HEO Innovore Technologies and the Department of Defense's Defense Science and Technology Group, all to build, launch and operate a sovereign Australian low Earth orbit satellite. This satellite will carry two advanced payloads developed through the iLaunch Trailblazer University's Program for Space Domain Awareness and Advanced Connectivity. It will be manufactured by Innovor technologies at Lot 14 in Adelaide, South Australia and operated by OPTIS from its Bellrose Space Operations center in Sydney. The spacecraft is set to launch in early 2028. Next up, SpaceX launched an Israeli government funded communications satellite into orbit on Sunday. Israel's Innovation Science and Technology Ministry has invested around $200 million in the advanced satellite since 2018 in close collaboration between Israel Aerospace Industries and the Israeli Space agency. The DROR1 is set to operate in a geostationary orbit roughly 36,000 kilometers above Earth, and we've included a link in the selected Reading section of our show notes to a Jerusalem Post article indicating that the Dror one is the start of Israel's push for for sovereign capabilities in space and China has rolled out its new generation of medium sized launch vehicles. According to the Chinaman Space agency, a Tianzhou 9 cargo spacecraft and a Long March 7 Y10 carrier rocket was transported vertically to the launch pad at the Wenchang spacecraft launch site in South China's Hainan Province. On Saturday. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation says that the spacecraft has a low Earth orbit payload capacity for of 14 tons, which matches the mass requirements for the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft to deliver supplies to the space station. The Tianzhou 9 is the fourth cargo spacecraft in the application and development phase of China's space station. It'll carry around six and a half tons of supply materials including consumables, propellants and application experimental equipment to support the in orbit life and workings of the Taikonauts on the Tiangong Space Station. And that concludes today's intel briefing. As a reminder, all of the original sources of the stories that I've covered throughout the show today can be found in the selected Reading section of our Show Notes. Hello hello T Minus crew. If you would like daily updates from us directly in your LinkedIn feed, be sure to follow the official N2K T minus page over on LinkedIn. And if you're more interested in the lighter side of what we do, here we are us daily on Instagram. That is where we post videos and pictures from events, excursions and even sometimes from behind the scenes treats. Links are in the Show Notes. Hope you will join us there. Foreign.
- [07:38]
Dave
You hear from us here at T Minus every single day now. We'd love to hear from you. Your voice helps shape the future of N2K networks. Tell us what matters most to you by completing our annual audience survey. Your insights help us grow to better meet your needs. There's a link to the survey in our Show Notes. We're collecting your comments through August 31st. Thanks. Did you know Active Directory is targeted in 9 out of 10 cyber attacks? Once attackers get in, they can take control of your entire network. That's why Semperis created Purple Knight, the free security assessment tool that scans your active directory for hundreds of vulnerabilities and shows you how to fix them. Join thousands of IT pros using Purple Knight to stay ahead of threats. Download it now at sempris.com/purple-knight that's sempras.compurple-night.
- [08:46]
Maria Varmazes
Last week I caught up with Patrick O', Neill, who is the Public affairs and Outreach lead at the International Space Station US National Lab to find out what he's been up to and what's going on on the iss.
- [09:01]
Patrick O'Neill
So earlier this week I was, I was out over at Johnson Space center in Houston, had the opportunity to meet with the crew, 11 astronauts that are going to be going up in a couple of weeks. So mainly it was Mike Fink and Zena Cardman and it was interesting to get their perspectives because Mike has been with the NASA astronaut program since the mid-90s. And then Zena, this is going to be her first flight. So you have this unique juxtaposition between the two. And you know, I look at Mike and I think to myself Goodness gracious. He has been there through the totality of the ISS program. So he flew in 2004, he flew in 2008 and the mission that he was on in 2011 was when they deemed the space station complete and he has not flown since. So now fast forward 14 years. He has the ability to go and live and work on a space station that he was instrumental in helping to build. And so now he gets to be up there for a very long duration mission where they're going to be sporting a lot of different types of R and D. So again, it's really exciting to see someone who has been through the trials and tribulations of all aspects of the space station program and now having the opportunity to see him go back up there after again, a lot of the hard work that he's done to see it through to this point.
- [10:13]
Maria Varmazes
Yeah, I was going to say it's a bit of a, almost a victory lap, but also what, I mean, just what a great story that is too. Not, I mean a lot of crew worked on building the ISS and not everyone gets that opportunity. So I'm really glad that he's getting that because that's gotta be so validating and I can't wait to hear his reflections from orbit about what it's like to be up there again, seeing how it's been since 2011. My goodness, a lot. Well, it's gonna be very lived in at this point.
- [10:37]
Patrick O'Neill
And that was some of the things that he and I were talking about too was, you know, when he was out there in 2011, they did a little bit of research, but it wasn't a ton of research because the main job of a lot of the astronauts when they were going there was to assem the space station, put everything together and when they had a little bit of additional time, let's do some R and D off to the side. And so now his job is to go up there and support all this research that has now been built up over the years. And not just the research, but you know, one of the questions I was asking him was about the excitement of all the new facilities that are up there. Since that timeframe 14 years now, there's, you know, more than 30 plus commercially owned and operated facilities on the space station and they now span such a myriad of scientific discipline. And now he gets the chance to go out there and partake in all that. And then now you have also Zena, who is going to be, this is her first spaceflight mission and she's someone who has prior to being an astronaut, had experience in living and working in also extreme environments like Antarctica. She did confirm, yes, it's cold up there, but you learn quite a bit. And so again it's going to be great to go out there and see two very different types of astronauts, but still being able to go out there and support the mission and being able to support a lot of great research that's going to be flying over the next few months.
- [11:53]
Maria Varmazes
Yeah. Oh I, I cannot wait to hear their reflections and the different, you know, comparing, contrasting those perspectives and how meaningful it must be to both of them in different ways. That's going to be just fascinating. So speaking of the science going up with them is there, can you give us a little preview of what's coming? Because I'm sure there's like a lot, but any, any things that are notable that you want to highlight, I, I.
- [12:14]
Patrick O'Neill
Can certainly give you some insights. So typically with the crew missions we don't have a lot of science that flies up. Normally we send just the astronauts and some of the basic essentials. And then down the road we'll have commercial resupply services missions and that's no different with this one. There's a couple of projects that are flying with them like plant biology investigations, some yeast investigations. But then down the road in a couple of weeks we'll be having SpaceX CRS 33, that one's going to be packed with a lot of fun goodies. And then we'll have NG23 which will be flying about a month or so after that, also packed with a lot of research. And so some of the investigations that the team will be supporting during the mission, we'll definitely be looking at a lot of biomedical research, a lot of in space production applications. There'll be some research from the National Science foundation which is focused. You know, working with the National Science foundation is great because they fund a lot of fundamental research which allows for us to then focus on more applied research. And so they'll be supporting investigations in both tissue engineering as well as in transport phenomena and fluid dynamics. There'll be even student led investigations that are looking at genetics. So again it really is kind of across the board. Oh, one of the things I'm excited about, the crew's not really going to be working that much with it, but they still have to install it. But there's going to be a couple of different tech devs and demonstrations that are going to be flying that are looking at edge computing and AI components. What's exciting to me about that is now just like trying to increase the bandwidth of what's being transported to and from. And how that can help us from a research perspective, how that can eventually help the astronauts themselves be more efficient when they are working on the space station. So that's one area where I think we've kind of had some challenges over the many years we've been up on station. But the more and more that we're looking at these types of technologies and edge computing, I think that that's going to be really exciting from an R and D perspective and the ramifications in a positive way that that will have for all of us.
- [14:12]
Maria Varmazes
Yeah, what a force multiplier that could be. And I'm thinking, as you mentioned, you know, all the years it took to get the ISS assembled and then when it finally, finally came, all the pieces came together quite literally. And now the lab has been sort of exponentially growing in its capabilities, I think about, you know, how many years it has left and at this sort of amazing port, it's got like all of its powers and now we're going to be giving it this incredible new capability with edge computing and that will really just how much juice we're going to get out of these last five years.
- [14:44]
Patrick O'Neill
Yeah, so that's the biggest thing is in the, in the past, I mean, you could take a picture, you can sort of get a couple of videos, but it's not real time transmission type stuff. And so if we're able to get to that point, to your point, you know, how much more can we learn, how much more can we do while those investigations are on station before we bring them back down? And what's the impacts that's going to have for the scientific community across the board?
- [15:07]
Maria Varmazes
I look forward to hearing about that. So speaking of you being super busy, you've got travel plans coming up for Ascend, which is coming up real soon. Tell me about that.
- [15:17]
Patrick O'Neill
We get to go hang out in America's playground in the middle of July. You know, I'll tell you what it's going to be. Air conditioning will be my best friend as well as sunblock, because as a little ginger, you know, sometimes the sun, it kind of gets you pretty good. But we're excited to be there with our friends over at aiaa. This year we moved away from the ISS research and development conference and now we're working with the AIAA team to put together a variety of sessions where we're highlighting some of the great things that are happening on the space station and in low Earth orbit. So I think that we're also planning to do a live downlink transmission from the International Space Station to help kickstart the party. But then on top of that we'll have sessions that are focused on everything from space investment to, you know, how the space station is contributing to getting us from Low Earth orbit to eventually the Artemis program and getting us back to the moon and, and then eventually beyond. So what are the technologies that we are advancing? So one of those would be focused on AI and edge computing. So our friends at Hewlett Packard, I think will be joining that session to talk about how it is that they are contributing towards getting us that data throughput. But then we will also be having some emphasis on the annual Genes in Space student led program where these students had the opportunity to propose genetic experiments that will launch to the space station. So that's always been a, a really exciting collaboration we have with our friends over at Boeing and Mini pcr. But again, we're just grateful for the opportunity to work with the Ascend team this year in Las Vegas and hopefully in the future we can build on that and have more conversations about what's happening on the space station and why that matters for all of us.
- [16:52]
Maria Varmazes
Yeah, I was going to say the, the news dropped pretty recently about the 2026 Ascend. Can you tell me a little bit about what's, what's going on with that? That's far in the future, but still.
- [17:01]
Patrick O'Neill
I mean it is far in the future, but I do like the fact that it is going to be in Washington D.C. in May. And again, I love me some Vegas, but you know, July is a little bit hard but you know, May in next year in dc. So what we're planning to do there is hopefully have a little bit more of sessions that are directly infused and focused on tracks that are either ISS or Low Earth orbit. And again, we're really grateful for what it is that the Ascendant AIAA team has been able to do this year in lieu of ISS or ISS RDC not taking place. But again, hopefully next year we can build on that and really have some truly identified tracks and bring everyone together in one big, robust and exciting forum.
- [17:42]
Maria Varmazes
A lot of amazing updates. It's great as always to speak with you. Anything I missed that we should cover that you wanted to talk about or did we manage to cover?
- [17:49]
Patrick O'Neill
The only thing that I would flag for your viewers is be on the lookout for a lot of great insight that's going to be coming not only from the National Lab, but also from our friends over at NASA. Later on this year, we have a big milestone for the International space station program. 25 years of continuous human presence. So look for a lot of those updates and maybe some of the factoids and the cool things that have been happening on the space station along the way. We're excited to roll out a variety of campaigns around that. And so, again, it's just, it's a testament to, you know, us collectively working together with our international partners to find ways to live and work in space and to do great things for humanity.
- [18:40]
Maria Varmazes
I'll be right back.
- [18:48]
Dave
Hey, everybody. Dave here. I've talked about Delete Me before, and I'm still using it because it still works. It's been a few months now, and I'm just as impressed today as I was when I signed up. DeleteMe keeps finding and removing my personal information from data broker sites. And they keep me updated with detailed reports so I know exactly what's been taken down. I'm genuinely relieved. Knowing my privacy isn't something I have to worry about every day. The Delete Me team handles everything. It's the set it and forget it peace of mind. And it's not just for individuals. Deleteme also offers solutions for businesses, helping companies protect their employees personal information and reduce exposure to social engineering and phishing threats. And right now, our listeners get a special deal. 20% off your DeleteMe plan. Just go to JoinDeleteMe.com N2K and use promo code N2K at checkout. That's JoinDeleteMe.com N2k code N2K.
- [20:03]
Maria Varmazes
Welcome back. The billionaire pilot and private astronaut Jared Isaacman, best known for funding and commanding SpaceX's inspiration for and Polaris dawn missions, is investing in the next generation of space explorers with a new $15 million donation to Space Camp. The donation is helping build out the inspiration for skills training complex at the US Space and Rocket center in Alabama. And that is the home of the original Space Camp and the visitor center for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. And this donation follows a previous $10 million gift that he gave in 2022 to kickstart this exact project. And the new combined funds will support everything from simulated missions to the moon and Mars to activities for Space Camp robotics and US Cyber Camp students. A fourth dormitory for Space Camp attendees is also on the wish list, though more funding will be needed to make that happen. So if anyone listening happens to have deep pockets, maybe there's a Space Camp dorm building with your name on it in the future. Who knows? In the meantime, Isaacman has his own connection to Space Camp. I didn't know this, but he attended the Aviation challenge at age 12 and says that the experience helped inspire his path to the cockpit and then onwards to space. And now he's paying it forward to help launch the next wave of mission ready talent. In his own words, Space Camp is a national Treasure and the U.S. space and Rocket center posted this update on July 11 about these latest developments. And they said this we were beyond honored to welcome our friend and Aviation Challenge alum Jared Isaacman for a firsthand look at the Inspiration4 skills training complex taking shape, and we are beyond grateful for his $25 million commitment for this project. Jared's generosity is an investment in the future of space exploration and new generations of pioneers. The building will transform Space Camp as it transports trainees with new missions, night vision training, realistic simulated parachute landings, and more AD Astra future astronauts. This is just the beginning and that's T minus Brought to you by N2K CyberWire we would love to know what you think of this podcast. Your feedback ensures we deliver the inside set 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 space2k.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 cyber security 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@n2k.com N2K Senior Producer is Alice Carruth. Our producer is Liz Stokes. We're mixed by Elliot Peltzman and Trey Hester with original music by Elliot Peltzman. Our Executive Producer is Jennifer Ivan. Peter Kielpe is our publisher and I'm your host Maria Varmazes. Thanks for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.
- [23:29]
Patrick O'Neill
T minus.
- [23:42]
Dave
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