T-Minus Space Daily – China’s Record-Breaking Investment in Private Rocket Companies

Podcast: T-Minus Space Daily by N2K Networks
Episode Date: February 18, 2026
Host: Maria Varmazes
Special Guest: Michelle Lucas, CEO and Founder of Higher Orbits

Episode Overview

This episode spotlights China's unprecedented private sector investment in space launch companies—most notably iSpace's record $730 million raise for reusable rockets, aiming to rival SpaceX. Alongside, other major stories on international space partnerships and advances in space infrastructure are unpacked. In the feature segment, host Maria Varmazes interviews Michelle Lucas, CEO and Founder of Higher Orbits, exploring a decade of impact in STEM outreach and the organization’s future plans.

Key News Segments & Insights

1. China’s Private Rocket Boom

Timestamp: 01:15–03:15

• iSpace’s Record Raise:

  • iSpace (not to be confused with Japan’s ispace) has secured $730 million in investment to fuel its reusable rocket program, which directly positions the company as “a domestic alternative to SpaceX and its Falcon 9 rocket launch.” (01:30)
  • “It’s not a small raise. In fact, it’s a new record for the biggest investment in a private company building rockets in China.” (01:43)

• Other Chinese Startup Momentum:

  • Space Epoch also landed new funding in a Series B round (amount undisclosed), targeting a 2026 launch with a sea recovery attempt—expanding China’s launch flexibility for responsive missions. (02:10)
  • Space Epoch’s maritime landings and stated move into “large scale development” highlight China’s rapid commercial space maturation.

2. International Collaboration Highlights

Timestamp: 03:15–04:15

• Voyager Technologies & Atmos Space Cargo:

  • Adding end-to-end microgravity mission solutions, Voyager will be Atmos’ integration/implementation partner, with Atmos supplying “free flying orbital vehicles with controlled and precise return capability.” (03:30)
  • Both companies “will mutually refer customers and mission opportunities across their network.” (03:48)

• Kepler & Nanoavionics Partnership:

  • Canadian Kepler Communications picked Kongsberg Nanoavionics as its preferred European partner for optically connected missions up to 500 kilos.
  • This partnership aims for “faster and more secure optical communications” using US Space Development Agency standards, and offers Nanoavionics’ customers access to Kepler’s Optical Data Relay network and On-Orbit Compute Services. (04:00–04:50)

3. Space-Based AI & Wildfire Detection

Timestamp: 04:50–05:38

• Loft Orbital & SmartSat CRC’s Joint Demo:
  • New project will demonstrate AI-driven wildfire detection from low Earth orbit (LEO), processing data onboard the satellite for near real-time analysis—instead of sending data to Earth for processing.
  • “The satellite will do the thinking in orbit,” signifying growing sophistication in edge AI applications for rapid natural disaster response.

4. Industry Trends: Smarter Space Infrastructure

Timestamp: 01:15–05:38

• The day’s news features ongoing themes of “access control and smarter space infrastructure” that underpin future commercial and governmental space use.

Interview Feature: Michelle Lucas, Higher Orbits CEO

Timestamp: 07:46–21:40
Maria Varmazes interviews Michelle Lucas at Commercial Space Week, reflecting on 10 years of Higher Orbits, the ‘Go for Launch’ program, and the personal stories—and systemic change—behind STEM outreach.

1. Higher Orbits Milestones:

- Celebrating 10 Years

• Higher Orbits marks its 10th anniversary as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, with the 100th ‘Go For Launch’ program scheduled at its original location—Deerfield High School, Illinois—with astronaut Dottie Metcalfe Lindenberger.

  “Our plan is to run our 100th Go for Launch on the 10th anniversary of the first Go for Launch, at the same location, with the same astronaut.” (08:15, Michelle Lucas)

2. Reflections on Impact

- Changing Lives, Building a Tribe

• Lucas shares how the program has touched thousands of students, some of whom later report being inspired toward space careers.

  “We’ve reached thousands of students over these 10 years... Sometimes they come back five years later and, like, ‘Hey, by the way, I just graduated with my degree in astrophysics and I was inspired by the Go for Launch I went to.’ And I’m like, whoa, where have you been the last six years?” (09:21, Michelle Lucas)

• The initiative "was a little pet project on the side” and became her life’s passion—working 70-80 hours a week:

  "What I definitely didn’t envision was how all-consuming my passion for this would become.” (10:41, Michelle Lucas)

3. The Power of Showing Up & Broadening STEM

- Reaching Beyond Self-Identified STEM Students

• Lucas emphasizes that about half of participants aren’t initially interested in STEM; some attend because “my mom made me come.”

  “I’m not above bribery... In the immortal words of astronaut Marcia Ivins, ‘If you feed us, we will work.’ That works for astronauts, it works for students.” (13:00, Michelle Lucas)

• She highlights the power of helping students “find their tribe,” which expands personal and professional networks and exposes them to new possibilities.

  “Helping students find their tribe... some of those students who weren’t so excited about STEM—when we show them what the actual possibilities are versus what they think the possibilities are—suddenly it’s a whole new world for them.” (13:23–13:36, Michelle Lucas)

4. Stories of Transformation

- Testimonies of Lasting Change

• Lucas shares the story of “Abby,” a student uninterested in STEM, who ultimately graduated with an aerospace degree and now works as a manufacturing engineer:

  “Abby just graduated from CU Boulder with an aerospace engineering degree last May... And this is from a student who was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t know, maybe professional lacrosse. I kind of like looking at the stars. That’s fun.’” (16:26–16:37, Michelle Lucas)

• Another example: a student interested in painting and crochet, now sees how “you need people to tell that story” in science and industry through communications and graphics.

  “The average engineer is not amazing at telling the story... that is one of my goals, to make all of our students better communicators as well.” (17:34–17:43, Michelle Lucas)

5. Building a Lasting Community

- Higher Orbits Alumni Network

• Higher Orbits is launching its first alumni meetup (“Alumni rendezvous”) in Chicago, bringing together past participants with industry stakeholders:

  “We’re going to be able to bring students back from across the country to meet each other, to share their stories, and also bring in industry to talk with them. Because this is our future workforce.” (19:35–19:46, Michelle Lucas)

• A personal full-circle moment: the Dragon capsule at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry that carried the first Go for Launch student experiment to space—a symbol of coming home and inspiring the next generation.

  “I saw the new unveiling of everything, and I was just tears, because it is this full circle moment for Higher Orbits, but also for me personally as the little kid who was in love with space in Chicago.” (20:37, Michelle Lucas)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Chinese Investment Theme

• “It’s not a small raise. In fact, it’s a new record for the biggest investment in a private company building rockets in China.”
  (01:43, Maria Varmazes)

STEM Transformation

• “We’ve reached thousands of students over these 10 years... Sometimes they come back five years later and, like, ‘Hey, by the way, I just graduated with my degree in astrophysics, and I was inspired by the Go for Launch I went to.’ And I’m like, whoa, where have you been the last six years?”
  (09:21, Michelle Lucas)

• “What I definitely didn’t envision was how all-consuming my passion for this would become.”
  (10:41, Michelle Lucas)

• “Abby just graduated from CU Boulder with an aerospace engineering degree last May... And this is from a student who was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t know, maybe professional lacrosse. I kind of like looking at the stars.’ That’s fun.”
  (16:26–16:37, Michelle Lucas)

• “Helping students find their tribe... some of those students who weren’t so excited about STEM—when we show them what the actual possibilities are versus what they think the possibilities are—suddenly it’s a whole new world for them.”
  (13:23–13:36, Michelle Lucas)

Community and Legacy

• “The capsule that is on display there now, the Dragon capsule... happens to be the capsule that carried our first ever Go for Launch student experiment to space.”
  (20:36, Michelle Lucas)

Timeline of Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:15–03:15| China’s iSpace funding, record raise, and Space Epoch update | | 03:15–04:15| Voyager-Atmos, Kepler-Nanoavionics, and optical comms news | | 04:50–05:38| Loft Orbital/SmartSat CRC’s AI wildfire detection demo | | 07:46–21:40| Feature Interview: Michelle Lucas, Higher Orbits 10th year | | 23:00–26:49| Perseverance Rover Mars anniversary: legacy and milestones |

Original Tone & Style

• The tone moves from brisk, data-driven news updates to a warm, inspiring, and deeply personal conversation about educational impact, aspiration, and space community.
• Maria Varmazes, the host, maintains an engaging, forward-looking, and inclusive style, using stories and personal insights to enrich the episode.

Summary

This episode stands out for connecting big-picture industry shifts—especially China’s escalating private rocket investment and international partnerships—with the grassroots power of STEM education to inspire and diversify the future space workforce. Michelle Lucas’s stories offer a powerful reminder of how opening doors and building supportive communities can reshape not just individual lives, but the entire trajectory of space innovation.

Listeners come away with an understanding of:

• China’s rising private space sector and its global implications
• Growing sophistication (and international collaboration) in space enterprise
• The vital importance of outreach, real-world mentorship, and inclusion in STEM

For more stories, insights, and to connect with the daily space community, visit space.n2k.com.