Daniel Smith (6:35)

Alice thanks Maria. I only have one additional article for you today. It's on the success of SpaceX's first international booster landing after this week's Falcon 9 launch. SpaceX says the new landing collaboration with the Bahamas will enable Falcon 9 to launch to new orbital trajectories and where.

Maria Varmazas (6:53)

Can listeners read more about that?

Daniel Smith (6:55)

As always, we include links to further reading in our podcast, show notes and Those notes can also be found on our website space.n2k.com just click on this episode title.

Maria Varmazas (7:06)

Thank you very much Alice Hey T minus crew. If your business is looking to grow your voice in the industry, expand the reach of your thought leadership or recruit talent, T minus can help. We'd like to hear from you. Just send us an email@spaceuk.com or send us a note through our website so we can connect about building a program to meet your goals.

Alice Carruth (7:38)

And now a message from our sponsor. Zscaler, the leader in cloud security enterprises have spent billions of dollars on firewalls and VPNs, yet breaches continue to rise by an 18% year over year increase in ransomware attacks and a $75 million record payout in 2024. These traditional security tools expand your attack surface with public facing IPs that are exploited by bad actors more easily than ever with AI tools. It's time to rethink your security. Zscaler Zero Trust plus AI stops attackers by hiding your attack surface making apps and IPs invisible eliminating lateral movement Connecting users only to specific apps, not the entire network continuously verifying every request based on identity and context Simplifying security management with AI powered automation and detecting threats using AI to analyze over 500 billion daily transactions. Hackers can't attack what they can't see. Protect your organization with Zscaler Zero Trust and AI. Learn more@Zscaler.com Security.

Maria Varmazas (8:57)

Our guest today is Scotland's envoy to Space, Daniel Smith. Daniel has worked in the space industry for a number of years, launching startups and running a space marketing company. But I was particularly interested in his new role as envoy to the space industry and wanted to ask quite simply why Scotland?

Daniel Smith (9:18)

I'm from Scotland and basically been involved in the sector for around maybe eight or nine years now. Set up a number of different space companies, been involved and found in five space companies so far. And yeah, at the moment I'm here to promote my own company, Astro Agency, which is a marketing space marketing company and doing some stuff with Fire Arrow, which is another business I'm a co founder of which is spaceport development and a new role I got recently to be Scotland's Space Envoy, which is I'm very, very proud of and so I'm trying to spread the word about what's good about Scotland and yeah, all right.

Maria Varmazas (9:51)

Let'S get into that. Exactly because okay, as I was saying earlier, I don't think I've met an envoy before so this is really interesting that you're My first envoy. So yes please. I've had the pleasure of speaking to many folks from the space industry in Scotland. There are so much really fantastic activity going on. We've got Saxavoord obviously that's huge. So I won't do your job for you. Tell me, tell me what's good in Sky.

Daniel Smith (10:15)

Yeah, well, I mean, I think, you know, the envoy role in itself is quite an interesting one because the Scottish government have recognized the importance of space, you know, not just as a sector on its own, but underpinning pretty much every sector we can imagine. Right. So they're really behind it. And then we've obviously got UK wide support and UK Space Agency and then that ESA support too. So I can see why things are moving so Fast. We're around 150 to 180 space companies now.

Maria Varmazas (10:40)

That is a lot more than I think people would realize. Yeah, it is, yeah.

Daniel Smith (10:43)

So I think that's really what the role is about is getting out there, talking about that, letting people know what's going, going on. We've got this kind of full value chain. We talk about Europe leading small satellite manufacturer in Glasgow and then we've got the launch that you've touched upon there with Saxavoord and others and launch vehicles of course, number of those as well. And then right at the other end there's the downstream data applications. So more than 30 companies that are analyzing satellite information and turning those into insights that can be used to support a number of different. Whether it's conservation, environmental or industrial challenges. Yeah.

Maria Varmazas (11:14)

So I'm always curious how Scotland came to have such a strong position in the space industry. I think it's fascinating.

Daniel Smith (11:21)

It's a really good question. Yeah, we've been exploring that a lot and it's just funny how it's kind of happened in different ways. So we've got a really strong research and academic background.

Maria Varmazas (11:29)

Yes.

Daniel Smith (11:30)

So obviously Scotland played quite a big role in the James Webb Space Telescope with the MIRI instrument and yeah, there's a number of different missions and a number of the Scottish companies. There's one called stardundee that was around. I think they were the first space company in Scotland. They make these space wire for, you know, big missions and that kind of thing. And then there was the small satellite side with cloud space and spire and then Alba Orbital and it's led to more than 200 satellites being manufactured, designed and manufactured in Glasgow. So interesting with Glasgow is it used to be known for, you know, ships, shipbuilding. So now we're seeing. So now it's like from ships to spaceships is what we're trying to say, something in that.

Maria Varmazas (12:06)

Right.

Daniel Smith (12:07)

That's the marketplace.

Maria Varmazas (12:07)

I like that. You should definitely. That is nice. You should definitely use that one. I like that. Yeah. So what do you anticipate? You've just been named as Envoy.

Daniel Smith (12:16)

Right.

Maria Varmazas (12:16)

So it's almost like being named like the beauty queen. Are you going to be going on a tour? What are you going to be doing?

Daniel Smith (12:22)

I think it's because I travel so much, they thought, this is going to be an easy one. Let's just give it to him. So, yeah, in December, I was out again with my own. From my own business side of things in Australia and in the Gulf region. But wherever I go, I'm trying to talk about Scotland. So again, thanks for having me on, because it's a great chance to do that. And then you hear in the us, I think the US is going to be more and more of a big market for us, obviously, for. For those reasons that we can all think of and the number of Scottish companies I speak to now that are staying in the us. We want to do more in the us, but also, you know, Scotland's a really interesting place in terms of accessing the European market and all that's going on.

Alice Carruth (12:57)

Yeah.

Daniel Smith (12:57)

So we're quite keen to promote Scotland as a great place to set up a business as well and be part of that UK proposition. So hopefully some of your listeners might be thinking about, you know, how do I tap into the European and the wider world, and if they are looking to expand, then, yeah, please consider Scotland.

Maria Varmazas (13:11)

I was going to say give me the. Give me the pitch. Go for it.

Daniel Smith (13:15)

Did I mention the ships? Spaceships.

Maria Varmazas (13:17)

I do love that one.

Daniel Smith (13:18)

That was pretty much it. No, I think it comes back to that three levels of support. I think, having set up a few different companies in Scotland. It's about the Scottish government support and the recognition that it has for space. The economic agencies like Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise, south of Scotland Enterprise and sdi, who are Trade Organization, Scottish Development International. So we've got people from that organization that are space specialists in the US and in many different regions around the world. So there's a lot of support for companies. And then you add the UK level support from Department of Business and Trade, UK Space Agency, etc. And then as I mentioned earlier, that ESA on top of that too. I think it just makes it. It makes it a nice place to. To set up a company.

Maria Varmazas (14:00)

Yeah, fantastic. Well, anything else you want to add before we close out today?

Daniel Smith (14:04)

No, I don't think so. I think we've covered everything. But yeah, just thank, thanks a lot and hope to speak to you guys again.

Maria Varmazas (14:08)

Yeah, likewise. Thank you so much for joining me today. I appreciate it.

Daniel Smith (14:11)

No problem.

Maria Varmazas (14:26)

We'll be right back.

Alice Carruth (14:32)

Your business needs AI solutions that are not only ambitious, but also practical and adaptable. That's where Domo's AI and data products platform comes in. With Domo, you can channel AI and data into innovative uses that deliver measurable impact, secure AI agents connect, prepare and automate your data workflows, helping you gain insights, receive alerts and act with ease through guided apps tailored to your role. Data is hard. Domo is easy. Learn more@AI.domo.com that's AI.domo.com welcome back.

Maria Varmazas (15:17)

It is the 63rd anniversary today of the Friendship 7 mission. Launched today, February 20th. In 1962, Friendship 7 marked the first American orbital flight, with John Glenn becoming the first American to orbit the Earth. The mission was part of NASA's Project Mercury and was a crucial moment in the space race between the US and Soviet Union. After all, once the USSR had sent Yuri Gagarin into orbit in 1961, the United States needed a success to prove its own space capabilities. During Friendship 7, Glenn completed three orbits of Earth, lasting in all about five hours. During his second orbit of Earth, controllers saw a warning that the spacecraft's landing bag had deployed erroneously, possibly meaning that the capsule's heat shield was gone, which then would mean that the spacecraft would burn up during reentry. Thankfully, Glenn's spacecraft re entered safely, and Friendship 7 demonstrated the reliability of American spacecraft and human endurance in space. Friendship 7 was significant for advancing space technology for future missions, including Apollo, of course, and it also allowed the United States to regain momentum in the space race, propelling American leadership in space exploration forward during the Cold War. John Glenn's flight most certainly inspired future generations of scientists and astronauts, and he left a lasting legacy in both space exploration and international cooperation. That's it for T minus for February 20, 2025, brought to you by N2K Cyberwire. For additional resources from today's report, check out our show notes@space.n2k.com we're privileged that N2K and podcasts like T minus are part of the daily routine of many 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's senior producer is Alice Carruth Our producer is Liz Stokes. We're mixed by Elliott Peltzman and Trey Hester with original music by Elliott Peltzman. Our executive producer is Jennifer Ibin. Peter Kilby is our publisher and I am your host, Maria Vermazes. Thanks for listening. We'll see you tomorrow. T minus.

Alice Carruth (17:52)

Hey, everybody. Dave here. Have you ever wondered where your personal information is lurking online? Like many of you, I was concerned about my data being sold by data brokers. So I decided to try Deleteme. I have to say, DeleteMe is a game changer. Within days of signing up, they started removing my personal information from hundreds of data brokers. I finally have peace of mind knowing my data privacy is protected. Deleteme's team does all the work for you with detailed reports so you know exactly what's been done. Take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for Deleteme now at a special discount for our listeners today. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com n2k and use promo code n2k at checkout. The only way to get 20% off is to go to JoinDeleteMe.com N2K and enter code N2K at checkout. That's JoinDeleteMe.com N2k code N2K.