T-Minus Space Daily: "Beam me up, power!"

Date: September 18, 2025
Host: Maria Varmazis, N2K Networks
Featured Guest: Mary Glazkova, CEO, Mission Space
Special Reports: Torsten Kroenig & Yvette Gonzalez (Spacewatch Global, World Space Business Week)

Episode Overview

This episode of T-Minus Space Daily explores the latest advancements and business activities powering the space industry, with a strong focus on the critical infrastructure enabling connectivity, research, and innovation in orbit. Key themes include progress toward space-based cloud and power systems, the increasing importance of space weather monitoring, and evolving trends from the World Space Business Week in Paris. The episode also features an in-depth discussion with Mary Glazkova of Mission Space about their pioneering work in space weather data and recent collaborations.

Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Headlines: Major Contracts, Power Transmission, and Orbital Cloud News

(00:57–08:30)

• NASA/Northrop Grumman CRS-23 mission successfully docked with the ISS after propulsion delay; delivered 11,000+ pounds of cargo and experiments.

  "The spacecraft arrived at the ISS this morning, Thursday, September 18th at 7:24am Eastern Time..." (01:36)

• Axiom Space & Spacebuilt announced a collaboration to bring an optically interconnected Orbital Data Center (ODC) to the ISS by 2027.

  “Axiom says it will establish an optically interconnected high performance ODC node aboard the station, enabling satellites, other spacecraft in low Earth orbit and astronauts and researchers to store and process data and run artificial intelligence and machine learning workloads...” (02:23)

• Axiom Space University Alliance launched, uniting 15 partners globally to promote microgravity research and innovation.

• Japanese Power Beaming Milestone: NTT and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries demonstrated efficient optical wireless power transmission—152W over 1km at 15% efficiency, seen as a precursor for space-based power systems.

  “Power beaming is no longer sci-fi and we are all here for it.” (06:20)

• Hubble Network (satellite IoT company, not the telescope) raises $70 million in Series B funding, aiming to expand its satellite constellation for global low-power connectivity.

• Ursa Major receives $34.9 million contract for its Draper Engines, underscoring growing interest in rapid deployment and national security applications in space propulsion.

2. Additional Headlines

(08:30–09:12)

• Scout Space awarded AFWorks SBIR phase 2 contract.
• Hawkeye 360 Cluster 12 achieved full operational capability.
• Geopolitical Tensions: Noted continuing US-China satellite surveillance contest; linked article in show notes.

3. Guest Interview: Mary Glazkova, CEO at Mission Space

(11:16–21:15)

Mission Space — Building a Space Weather Constellation

• Overview of Mission: 24-satellite constellation focused on high-latitude, polar regions (most vulnerable to solar flares), with first radiation payload launched in March 2025.

  “So we're building the constellation of 24 satellites... Those are regions that are highly affected by solar flares. And the first payload was launched in March this year.” (11:33)

• Next-Gen Payloads & Research:

  • Upcoming instruments will track plasma and neutral density, benefitting satellite drag calculations and planning for Mars missions.
  • Mission Space recently won a Global Tech Award in the space sector.

• StarCloud Collaboration:

  • Mission Space will deliver real-time space weather analytics to StarCloud for its AI-powered orbital data centers.

  “They are one of the first who really sees and understands the problem of radiation because charged particles, they can damage the nodes and this is how you lose the information... This crucial data will enable them to dynamically optimize power and thermal management, ensuring uninterrupted performance even during solar storms.” (12:47)

• Industry Perspective and Vision:

  • Identifies growing need for LEO space weather intelligence as satellite constellations multiply.
  • Envisions Mission Space as a “hyper-NOAA”, filling critical data gaps with agile, cost-effective, replaceable small satellites.

  “I like to say that we're going to be like hyper NOAA... The gap is real. So we believe first of all that our approach of building super small instruments will allow us to deploy the constellation because it's cheap to launch, its easy to replace if something goes wrong. And the more data points you have, the better picture you have…” (15:33)

• On AI’s Role in Space Weather Prediction:

  • Skeptical of AI’s current reliability for practical predictions, due to insufficient real-time data and over-reliance on historical data.

  “Those models that they are built on historical data... they like fail from 6 to 12 hours so they can't predict any longer. And those who say that they can, this just an extrapolation and... the probability of the false alarm is very high.” (17:44)

  • Underlines importance of actual observation and open data sharing.

  “This is why we think the real data is king.” (18:18)

• Anecdote:

  • Critique of depending solely on historical ISS radiation data:

    “[Someone] told me... we're going to use the historic data from ISS. I was like, that's interesting, because Titanic also used historic data and it didn't go well.” (20:09)

• Satellite Conjunction & Space Debris Awareness:

  • Notes exponential LEO population growth (10,000 to 60,000 satellites by 2030 per LeoLabs), stressing the necessity for rapid, accurate space environment models.

4. World Space Business Week Recap (Paris)

(22:09–26:30)

Earth Observation Market Shifts

Reporting by Torsten Kroenig & Yvette Gonzalez (Spacewatch Global)

• Accelerated Evolution:

  • EO (Earth Observation) now central to security, economy, and policy. Dual military-commercial use increases, with commercial EO sector projected to double market share by 2034.
  • Defense still dominates: By 2034, military EO data/services expected to reach $3.1B, driving 40–50% of market value.

• Technology and Policy Trends:

  • Next-gen multi-sensor satellites, new orbits (e.g., sun-synchronous twilight), and international launch services diversifying access.
  • Governments emphasize "space sovereignty" in addition to data sovereignty.

• US Policy and the Rise of AI:

  • US government moving toward commercial partnerships and faster acquisition cycles.
  • Anticipate significant future investment in AI for EO, but the need for grounded, real-world datasets remains paramount.

  “You can't respond to insurance claims or disaster response without real data. So it's an extraordinary time for AI and for geospatial companies.” (25:35, Yvette Gonzalez)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On orbital data centers:

  “Orbital cloud infrastructure will continue to evolve as an ecosystem of space platform providers, LEO hardened computing hardware vendors and optical communications relays. Axiom Space believes that there is tremendous opportunity... to collaborate and unlock the future of space based cloud and AI.” (03:39)

• On AI for space weather:

  “The chances of false alarms are so high that people tend to just ignore them. This is kind of like dangerous... real data is king.” (17:44, Mary Glazkova)

• On legacy data and risk:

  “That's interesting, because Titanic also used historic data and it didn't go well.” (20:23, Mary Glazkova)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Top five headlines: 00:57–08:30
• Guest interview – Mission Space: 11:16–21:15
• World Space Business Week (Spacewatch Global Report): 22:09–26:30

Summary Table

| Segment | Start | Highlights | |----------------------------------------|--------|--------------------------------------------| | News headlines & analysis | 00:57 | NASA CRS-23, Axiom ODC, power beaming | | Mission Space Interview (Glazkova) | 11:16 | Space weather constellation, AI, StarCloud | | World Space Biz Week (Spacewatch) | 22:09 | EO sector trends, defense, AI |

Tone and Language

The episode strikes a balance between technical depth and journalistic clarity, with Maria Varmazis providing both context and color. Interview sections retain the conversational, sometimes humorous, tone of the speakers—particularly in anecdotes about AI and historical analogies.

For Listeners New to T-Minus Space Daily

This episode provides a comprehensive view of ongoing efforts to make space infrastructure resilient, intelligent, and interconnected. Highlights include the practical challenges of power and data in orbit, the race to monitor and forecast space weather amidst a rapidly growing satellite population, and the blend of commercial and national security interests shaping the future of Earth observation. The Mission Space interview is a must-listen for anyone interested in the emerging field of operational space weather data and its value to AI-powered applications.

Listeners looking for more information will find referenced source links in the show notes and further reading sections (space.n2k.com).