
Northrup Grumman invests $50M into Firefly Aerospace. China’s Space Epoch completes its first sea recovery test. ESA marks 50 years in operation. And more.
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Maria Varmazes
You're listening to the N2K space network.
Alice Grooth
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Maria Varmazes
That's spycloud.com cyberwire today is May 30th, 2025. I'm Maria Varmazes and this is T minus. T minus 20 seconds at Los Go for deploy.
Alicia Segal
Roger. 5.
Maria Varmazes
The European Space Agency officially marks 50 years in operation.
Alice Grooth
4.
Maria Varmazes
The Snowdonia Space center in Wales has officially opened its doors. Jaguar Space is collaborating with the Karman Project on a multinational mission to the iss. Chinese startup Space Epoch has completed its first sea recovery test of a verification rocket. Northrop Grumman has invested $50 million into Firefly Aerospace to further advance production of their co developed Medium Launch Vehicle now known as Eclip. On Friday our partners@nasaspaceflight.com share their space traffic report with us and they will be wrapping up the launch news from the last seven days and taking look at what's to come in the week ahead. Stay with us. Happy Friday everybody. Let's dive into our intelligence briefing before we take a listen to that space traffic report, shall we? First up, Northrop Grumman has invested $50 million into Firefly Aerospace to further advance production of their co developed Medium Launch Vehicle that's now known as Eclipse. The companies say that they're continuing to make progress in the development of Eclipse flight hardware with qualification testing underway and more than 60 Miranda engine hot fire tests performed to date. Eclipse is built on a combination of engineering heritage from Northrop Grumman's Antares and Firefly's Alpha rocket and offers upgrades in power, performance, production cadence and payload capacity. The launch vehicle retains the flight proven avionics from the Antares program with additional developments including a larger 5.4 meter payload fairing. Eclipse also uses the same first stage that Firefly is developing for Antares 330 and retains scaled up versions of Alpha's propulsion systems and carbon composite structures which which all allows the team to rapidly build and test Eclipse with significant production efficiencies and economies of scale. Eclipse will first launch from Wallops Island, Virginia as early as 2026. The teams say it's able to support space station, resupply, commercial spacecraft, critical national security missions and scientific payloads for the domestic and international markets. Chinese startup Space Epoch has completed its first sea recovery test of what's being called a verification rocket. The Spacecraft completed a 125 second flight, reaching an altitude of approximately 2.5 kilometers during its full thrust ascent before it descended vertically into the waters off the coast of Shandong Province in eastern China. Chinese media says the rocket performed nominally throughout the test, with experts declaring the sea landing recovery a success and we're sure it's just the start of more sea launch and landing missions in China. Jaguar Space is collaborating with the Carmen project on a multinational mission to the International Space Station. This project brings together Armenia, Egypt, Nigeria and Pakistan under a shared vision which is to connect cultural heritage and scientific inquiry through space based agricultural research. This is really cool. The mission centers on seeds of historical and cultural significance and and that would be Egyptian cotton, Armenian pomegranate, Nigerian Egusi melon and Pakistani wheat. These plants, which are considered integral to national identities and economies, will be sent to the ISS for a multi day stay in microgravity before returning to Earth for continued research and public engagement. It is hoped that by studying how these culturally meaningful crops respond to spaceflight, the project will be able to deepen understanding of seed resilience and plant biology in extreme environments. Over to Wales now and the Snowdonia Space center has officially opened its doors. The center is a joint venture between the Snowdonia Aerospace center and Newton Launch Systems. The new center received 820,000 pounds of funding from the UK Space Agency to support its development and it was all part of a total investment made in excess of £1.3 million. It's hoped that it'll provide a much needed boost for the local economy, generating business growth and employment opportunities. The grand opening was celebrated in style with a high altitude balloon launch with an attached cubesat and featured a live rocket firing demonstration conducted by Launch Access. The facilities include a purpose built laboratory with testing equipment, a rocket engine test stand and two launch rails, as well as a flight test range for trialing and researching various modes of space spaceflight such as rocket powered vehicles and near space scientific flights. It'll also be home to educational facilities to support both universities and primary and secondary STEM learning. It has already hosted a number of rocketry and CANSAT focused STEM events for Welsh pupils with the aim of expanding these opportunities in the future. Trois de Anisser SEINES and today, May 30, marks 50 years of the European Space Agency. On May 30, 1975, the ESA Convention was signed by 10 founding member states. It has since expanded to 23 member states, three associate members, four cooperating states, and a cooperation agreement with Canada. And to mark their 50th anniversary, the royal Mint of Belgium and the Royal Dutchman are issuing limited edition commemorative Euro coins. The celebration also coincides with the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss II. And as we mentioned in a show earlier this week, ESO will be honoring this convergence of milestones by broadcasting the Blue Danube Waltz into the cosmos from its deep space antenna in Cebrero, Spain, which also happens to be marking its 20th year in service. Congratulations, Esa. That concludes our intel briefing for today. Stay with us for the space traffic report from NSF. But before we get into that, N2K senior producer Alice Grooth is here and she's keeping an eye on the other stories making headlines in the space industry today. Alice, what have you got?
Alice Grooth
Well, Maria, at the time of recording today's show, we're waiting on Space SpaceX's launch of a GPS satellite for the US Space Force. Hopefully that's taken off by the time we publish. We're also watching Blue Origin's NS32 mission, which is due to lift off from West Texas tomorrow, near to where I'll be for the IREC in a few weeks. And we're looking forward to Portal Space's inaugural on orbit demonstration, which has recently been announced.
Maria Varmazes
These are all great launches to keep an eye on. Where can we find more details about them?
Alice Grooth
Great question. We include links to further reading on all the stories we mentioned throughout this episode in the selected reading section of our show notes. Those links can also be found on our website, space.n2k.com simply click on today's episode title.
Maria Varmazes
Hey T Minus crew, Tune in tomorrow for T Minus Deep Space. It's our show for extended interviews, special editions and deep dives with some of the most influential professionals in the space industry. And tomorrow we have an AWS in Orbit episode with the United Launch alliance, aka ULA, talking about recent launches and SecureGov Cloud. Check it out while you're walking the dog, catching up on the gardening or generally decompressing from the week that was. You don't want to miss it.
Alice Grooth
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Maria Varmazes
Our partners@nasaspaceflight.com now have the Weekly Space Traffic Report.
Alicia Segal
I'm Alicia Segal for nsf, and this is your weekly Space Traffic Report for T Minus Space. We kicked off the week with a Starlink launch From Vandenberg on May 23rd at 22:32 UTC. The mission was carrying 27 Starlink V2 mini satellites into low earth orbit. The first stage for this flight was flying for the 18th time and it successfully landed on SpaceX's drone ship of Course I Still Love youe from the Other side of the US in Florida. We had another Starlink launch on May 24th at 17:19 UT, carrying a mixed batch of Starlink V2 Mini and direct to cell satellites. The first stage for this mission was flying for its 24th time and it successfully landed on SpaceX's droneship, a shortfall of gravitas. The Starlink frenzy continued from Vandenberg with a rather quick turnaround and a launch on May 27th at 16:57 UTC. The mission was carrying 24 Starlink V2 mini satellites into sun synchronous orbit. This was the first Group 17 Starlink mission and the first batch of Starlink V2 mini satellites launched into sun synchronous orbit. This is also the first launch of Starlink's SATE satellites to sun synchronous orbit since the Starlink Group 3.5 mission back in April 2023. Although that mission carried the older Starlink v1.5 satellites, these Group 17 missions may be intended to replace and upgrade those older satellites with the newer, more capable V2 mini satellites. The first stage for this flight was launching for a 13th time and it successfully landed on SpaceX's drone ship. Of course I still love you. This week we also had the ninth launch of the world's most powerful rocket Starship. The launch took place on May 27th at 23:36 UTC from Starbase Texas. This was the first time SpaceX reused a gargantuan super heavy booster of the rocket, this one specifically being Booster 14. 29 of its 33 Raptor engines had flown before and all 33 of them performed by the book during the vehicle's ascent. The booster also carried out the first directional flip after hot staging and seemed to fare well during a steeper than normal RE entry aimed at testing new return profiles. Due to this testing, SpaceX decided not to catch the booster and instead aimed to perform an experimental landing with different engine configurations. However, shortly after landing burn ignition, the vehicle exploded, so this was never carried out. The second stage of Starship ship 35 became the first of the upgraded block 2 ships to complete a full ascent burn, but it lost attitude control shortly thereafter. As a result, the vehicle wasn't able to complete the in flight relight of one of its Raptor engines, one of the few tests meant for the vehicle on this mission. One of those tests was also supposed to test the deployment of eight Starlink satellite simulators, but the door couldn't open, leaving that test incomplete as well. The ship's loss of attitude control additionally resulted in it burning up on RE entry due to it not coming in at the right orientation. While this flight achieved several successes, it seems like SpaceX will need to work just a bit more on perfecting the version 2 ships. The fourth and final Starlink launch of the week happened on May 28th at 13:30 UTC from Florida, with a batch of Starlink V2 mini satellites heading to low Earth orbit. Stage for this mission was flying for a 19th time and it successfully landed on SpaceX's drone ship. Just read the instructions and after all of those starlinks this week we also had two launches from China, with the first one headed to an asteroid, a Changzhong 3. Be left it off on May 28 at 17:31 UTC from Launch Complex 2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch center in China. The rocket was carrying the Tianwen 2 mission to sample a near Earth asteroid in a departure from China's tradition to publicly cover its flagship programs. This launch was not streamed to the public and no pictures have been released of the spacecraft's integration before launch. There are however, some bits of public information out there, so it's not a complete secret like some of the other programs in China. For example, we more or less know the flight plan and the timelines for the probe. Tianwen 2 is expected to fly to asteroid 469-219-Kamoalewa and is supposed to enter orbit around it about a year from now. Kamoalewa is a small near Earth asteroid or orbiting the sun in an orbit very similar to that of Earth. Tianwen 2 will spend several months orbiting the asteroid, after which it'll sample material from its surface and fly back to Earth. The samples enclosed in an entry Capsule are expected to arrive on Earth in November of 2027. As for the main spacecraft, it will perform an avoidance maneuver and fly by Earth, after which it'll head toward Comet 311P Panstars arriving there in 2035. Also from China, we had the launch of a Changzheng 4B from the Zhouchuan Satellite launch Center. The rocket was carrying the Shijin 26 satellite into a sun synchronous orbit. The Shijin satellites are a series of secretive Chinese satellites used to test new technologies and experiments in space. China sometimes reveals the purpose of these, such as Xijin25, which was an on orbit refueling satellite mission. Going into next week, we'll have a few more Starlink launches as well as the launch of a New Shepard with six people on board from Blue Origin's west. That launch could happen as soon as May 31, so we'll report back on that in next week's Space Traffic Report. Rocket Lab is also hoping to launch its seventh electron of the year with the full stream ahead mission from New Zealand. This mission was supposed to have happened by now, but bad weather delayed the launch. And out in space, the Ispace Hakuto R Lander Resilience is expected to make a lunar landing attempt on the Mare Fragoras region of the moon. That landing is currently planned for June 5th at 19:24 UTC. So hopefully by next week's report, we won't also have a new crater on the moon. I'm Alicia Segal for nsf and that's your weekly Space Traffic Report. Now back to T minus space.
Maria Varmazes
We'll be right back.
Dave
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Maria Varmazes
Welcome back. Have you ever looked up at the sky and had a little existential crisis and wondered, huh? What if actually something falls from up there? Yeah, feels great, doesn't it? It's becoming less science fiction y and more science reality y. And we've covered several instances of space debris landing here on Earth. From Africa to Europe to Canada to across the United States. But yeah, when you really get down to it, what exactly are you Supposed to do if? Or maybe we should say when you witness space debris landing here on our home planet? Well, fear not. If you can suppress that existential fear a little longer. Yunosa, the United nations office for outer space affairs has actually dropped a new brochure, and it's called when the sky falls. What to do if space debris lands in your territory. And yes, I promise you, this is a real thing. It's a PDF. It's legit. I've read it. So I just want you to imagine you're sipping your morning coffee and boom. Hopefully not too much boom, but maybe far away, safe distance boom. Your backyard suddenly features a surprise guest from orbit. Seriously, do you call 911 or your local emergency equivalent wherever you are? Do you wait for it to cool down and maybe try to sell it on ebay? Or maybe start charging tourists? Not so fast. Yunosa says there's actually a protocol here, and this new guide walks you through it step by step. So step one, remember your hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy and don't panic. A lot easier said than done when there's a boom in your backyard. But anyway, I knowsa says start by first identifying the object. Good luck with that. But anyway, step two, Then you alert your national authorities that no doubt you have on speed dial, right? Three, notify the United Nations. Because you definitely know how to notify the United Nations. But okay, that's step three. You notify the United Nations. When you figure out how to do that, I'm sure they definitely want to know what's going on. Step four. This is really important. If you only remember one thing, do not touch it. Maybe this should have been better placed at step one. Seriously? Radiation propellant, International law. Take your pick. Step five, the launching country might be responsible for damages. Well, you would hope so, right? Well, there's actually very little protocol in place right now for applying for reimbursement and damages, so good luck if it's anyone other than your own home nation that made that boom in your backyard. Anyway, so next time space junk knocks on your door again, hopefully from a safe distance, remember you have a cosmic brochure ready to walk you through what to do next. We've included the link for you so you can bookmark it on your web browser just in case. That's it for T minus for May 30, 2025, brought to you by N2K Cyberwire. For additional resources from today's report, check out our show notes@spare.n2k.com 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 the show, please share a rating and review in your podcast app. Please also fill out the the survey in the show notes or send an email to space2k.com we're privileged 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 makes it easy for companies to optimize your biggest investment your people. We make you smarter about your teams while making your teams smarter. Learn how@n2k.com N2K's senior producer is Alice Carruth. Our producer is Liz Stokes. We are mixed by Elliot Peltzman and Trey Hester with original music by Elliot Peltzman. Our executive producer is Jennifer Ibin. Dear Kill B is our publisher and I am your host, Maria Varmazes. Thanks for listening. Happy 50th birthday, Issa. Have a great weekend.
Alicia Segal
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Alice Grooth
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T-Minus Space Daily: Happy Birthday to the European Space Agency
Hosted by N2K Networks
Release Date: May 30, 2025
In this special episode of T-Minus Space Daily, host Maria Varmazes and her team celebrate the 50th anniversary of the European Space Agency (ESA). The program delves into significant milestones, recent developments in the global space industry, and engaging interviews with experts from various sectors. This summary captures the key discussions, insights, and conclusions presented in the episode, providing a comprehensive overview for listeners and enthusiasts alike.
The European Space Agency marks its 50th anniversary this year, a milestone celebrated with various commemorative events and initiatives.
Historical Overview: On May 30, 1975, the ESA Convention was signed by 10 founding member states. Over the decades, the agency has expanded to include 23 member states, three associate members, and four cooperating states, alongside a cooperation agreement with Canada.
Commemorative Initiatives: To honor this significant milestone, the Royal Mint of Belgium and the Royal Dutchman are releasing limited edition commemorative Euro coins. Additionally, the ESO (European Southern Observatory) will broadcast Johann Strauss II's Blue Danube Waltz into space using its deep space antenna in Cebreros, Spain, coinciding with the antenna's 20th anniversary.
Notable Quote:
"It's been an incredible journey for ESA, evolving from its founding members to a diverse coalition of nations committed to exploring and understanding space." – Maria Varmazes [05:00]
The Snowdonia Space Center in Wales has officially opened, marking a significant development in the UK's space infrastructure.
Collaboration and Funding: This center is a joint venture between the Snowdonia Aerospace Center and Newton Launch Systems, backed by £820,000 in funding from the UK Space Agency, contributing to a total investment exceeding £1.3 million.
Facilities and Capabilities: The center boasts state-of-the-art facilities, including a laboratory with testing equipment, a rocket engine test stand, launch rails, and a flight test range. It is equipped to support various spaceflight research, including rocket-powered vehicles and near-space scientific flights.
Community and Education: Emphasizing education, the center houses educational facilities aimed at supporting universities and STEM learning for primary and secondary schools. It has already hosted numerous STEM events focused on rocketry and CANSAT projects for Welsh students.
Notable Quote:
"The Snowdonia Space Center is set to catalyze local economic growth, fostering innovation and providing invaluable educational opportunities for the next generation of scientists and engineers." – Maria Varmazes [06:30]
Jaguar Space is collaborating with the Karman Project on an ambitious multinational mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
Participating Nations: The mission unites Armenia, Egypt, Nigeria, and Pakistan, reflecting a shared vision to intertwine cultural heritage with scientific research.
Mission Objectives: Focused on space-based agricultural research, the mission involves sending seeds of culturally significant crops—Egyptian cotton, Armenian pomegranate, Nigerian Egusi melon, and Pakistani wheat—to the ISS. These seeds will spend several days in microgravity before returning to Earth for further study and public engagement.
Scientific Goals: By examining how these culturally important crops respond to spaceflight conditions, the project aims to enhance understanding of seed resilience and plant biology in extreme environments, potentially informing both agricultural practices and space cultivation techniques.
Notable Quote:
"Connecting cultural heritage with scientific inquiry in space provides a unique perspective on how we can sustain life beyond Earth while honoring our terrestrial roots." – Maria Varmazes [07:15]
A significant investment highlights the collaboration between Northrop Grumman and Firefly Aerospace, aiming to advance the production of the Eclipse Medium Launch Vehicle.
Investment Details: Northrop Grumman has committed $50 million to support the development and production scaling of Eclipse, a co-developed medium launch vehicle.
Eclipse Launch Vehicle:
Engineering Heritage: Eclipse amalgamates technology from Northrop Grumman's Antares and Firefly's Alpha rockets.
Performance Enhancements: It features a larger 5.4-meter payload fairing, upgraded propulsion systems, and carbon composite structures, enhancing power, performance, and payload capacity.
Production Efficiency: The design allows for rapid construction and testing, achieving significant production efficiencies and economies of scale.
Launch Plans: Eclipse is slated for its first launch from Wallops Island, Virginia as early as 2026, supporting a range of missions from space station resupply to national security and scientific payloads.
Testing Progress: Over 60 hot fire tests of the Miranda engine have been conducted, with ongoing qualification testing to ensure the vehicle's reliability and performance.
Notable Quote:
"Eclipse represents a fusion of our collective expertise, setting a new standard for medium launch vehicles with enhanced capabilities and streamlined production processes." – Alicia Segal [02:10]
Space Epoch, a Chinese startup, has successfully completed its first sea recovery test of a verification rocket, marking a notable achievement in reusable rocket technology.
Test Details:
Flight Profile: The rocket undertook a 125-second flight, reaching an altitude of approximately 2.5 kilometers before descending vertically into the waters off the coast of Shandong Province, eastern China.
Performance: According to Chinese media, the rocket performed nominally throughout the test, with expert analyses declaring the sea landing recovery a success.
Future Implications: This successful test paves the way for more sea launch and landing missions in China, advancing the country's capabilities in reusable rocket technologies and expanding its presence in the global space industry.
Notable Quote:
"The successful sea recovery test by Space Epoch underscores China's growing prowess in developing sustainable and reusable space launch technologies." – Maria Varmazes [04:00]
Beyond the major stories, the episode touches on several other significant developments within the space sector:
Upcoming Launches:
SpaceX is anticipated to launch a GPS satellite for the US Space Force.
Blue Origin plans its NS32 mission from West Texas, aligning with the IREC conference.
Portal Space announces its inaugural on-orbit demonstration, marking a milestone for the company.
China's Tianwen 2 Mission:
Launched on May 28 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, the Tianwen 2 mission aims to sample asteroid 469219 Kamoalewa.
The mission involves a multi-year journey, with plans to collect and return samples by November 2027, followed by a flyby of Comet 311P Panstarrs in 2035.
Rocket Lab and Ispace Updates:
Rocket Lab endeavors to launch its seventh Electron rocket of the year from New Zealand.
Ispace's Hakuto R Lander Resilience is scheduled for a lunar landing attempt on the Mare Frigoris region on June 5.
Alicia Segal provides a comprehensive overview of the week's significant space launches and activities:
Starlink Missions: Multiple Starlink V2 mini satellites were successfully launched from Vandenberg, with all first stages landing safely on SpaceX's drone ships.
SpaceX's Starship Launch: The ninth launch of the Starship rocket from Starbase Texas marked the first reuse of a Super Heavy booster. While the booster performed nominally during ascent, an experimental landing attempt resulted in an explosion post-burn ignition.
Chinese Launches:
Upcoming Missions:
Towards the episode's conclusion, Maria Varmazes discusses the growing concern of space debris and introduces a new initiative by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).
UNOOSA's Brochure: Titled "When the Sky Falls: What to Do If Space Debris Lands in Your Territory", this guide provides a step-by-step protocol for individuals and authorities in the event of space debris landing on Earth.
Key Recommendations:
Stay Calm: Avoid panic despite the unexpected occurrence.
Identify the Object: Attempt to determine the nature of the debris.
Alert National Authorities: Contact local emergency services or relevant national bodies.
Notify the United Nations: Inform UNOOSA about the incident.
Safety Precautions: Do not touch the debris to prevent potential hazards from radiation, propellants, or other dangerous materials.
Challenges Highlighted: The brochure also points out the current lack of clear protocols for liability and compensation in such events, emphasizing the need for international cooperation and policy development.
Notable Quote:
"While space debris impacts remain a low-probability event, having a clear, concise action plan is crucial for ensuring safety and mitigating potential risks." – Maria Varmazes [15:00]
This episode of T-Minus Space Daily not only commemorates the ESA's remarkable 50-year journey but also highlights significant advancements and collaborations shaping the future of space exploration. From innovative launch vehicles and multinational missions to addressing the challenges of space debris, the episode provides listeners with a rich and comprehensive understanding of the current state and future directions of the global space industry.
For more detailed insights and to stay updated with the latest in space intelligence and analysis, visit N2K Networks.