T-Minus Space Daily: "Lucky launches, and love notes from space"

Date: February 13, 2026
Host: Maria Varmazas (N2K Networks)
Featuring: Greg Gillinger (Integrity ISR), Alicia Siegel (NASASpaceflight.com)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into a remarkably busy week in the space industry—packed with successful launches (despite the alleged bad luck of Friday the 13th), updates on crewed and commercial missions, Chinese space activities, and the lighter side of space culture with some themed Valentine’s Day humor. Maria Varmazas leads listeners through top headlines, an interview with satellite intelligence analyst Greg Gillinger, and a weekly space traffic report. The tone is informative but lively, with bits of humor woven into the serious business of space news.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Launch Highlights and Space Industry News

(01:36–09:50, 21:09–28:30)

• NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Launch

  • A SpaceX Falcon 9 successfully launched Crew-12 to the ISS from Florida after weather delays.

  • Crew includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adeno, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev.

  • Docking scheduled for Feb 14, bringing ISS back to a 7-person crew capacity.

  • Scientific Priorities: Experiments on pneumonia-causing bacteria, cardiovascular treatments, IV fluid generation for deep-space missions, plant health monitoring, and microbe interactions for space agriculture.

    "Happy Friday everybody. It certainly was not an unlucky start for NASA's SpaceX Crew 12, who finally caught a break this morning with the weather and launched to the ISS from Florida."
    — Maria Varmazas (02:15)

• Arianespace and Amazon LEO Satellites

  • On Feb 12, Arianespace launched 32 Amazon LEO satellites from French Guiana.
  • First use of Ariane 6’s four-booster configuration, marking its heaviest payload to date and its first fully commercial customer flight for Amazon’s constellation.

• NASA & VAST Sign Deal for ISS Private Mission

  • Sixth private astronaut mission planned for 2027, featuring up to 14 days onboard the ISS.
  • VAST collaborates with SpaceX and NASA for crew selection, training, and logistics.

• Axiom Space Funding

  • Secured $350 million to boost plans for orbital station successorship and advanced lunar spacesuits.

• NRO Awards for Commercial Remote Sensing

  • National Reconnaissance Office gives three companies contracts for advanced commercial sensing capabilities, focusing on non-Earth imagery, medium-wave IR, and RF services.

2. Satellite Intelligence & Surveillance Updates (with Greg Gillinger, Integrity ISR)

(09:51–21:01)

Chinese Launch Activity and Satellite Maneuvers

• Early 2026: Rare Launch Failures

  • China experienced rare launch failures, notably with the SJ32 mission, raising technical review concerns.

• New SJ29-A & B Satellites

  • Launched December 30, 2025, on a Long March 7 Alpha, into geosynchronous but not geostationary orbits.
  • Language in public Chinese notifications described these as "target" satellites—a first, hinting at new space domain awareness or target identification technologies.

    "...they use some interesting language saying that this was, these satellites were for—I believe was—target. They used the word target in there. We...haven't seen that ever before."
    — Greg Gillinger (10:41)

• Observable Differences

  • Ground observers confirmed two objects; one satellite is significantly brighter (likely different in size or composition).

  • SJ29-B is maintaining a ~30km distance from SJ29-A, indicating intentional proximity operations.

    "One spacecraft was significantly brighter than the other...they are not identical. Right."
    — Greg Gillinger (12:09)

• US GSAP (USA 325) Interaction

  • U.S. GSAP satellite USA 325 repositioned to observe the Chinese SJ29 pair, indicating ongoing “cat-and-mouse” surveillance and a focus on orbital security.

    "As SJ29 Alpha and Bravo got into position, USA 325, which is a GSAP satellite, also showed up in that area...the welcome wagon for SJ29 and kind of check things out."
    — Greg Gillinger (14:07)

• Ongoing Chinese Refueling/Rendezvous Operations

  • SJ21 and SJ25 engaged in multiple close-approach operations (sometimes <5km), possibly practicing satellite refueling and docking at GEO.

    "They looked to dock on 2 July of 2025 and remain docked for several months...there were several instances where we were unable to resolve the two different satellites from ground based telescopes."
    — Greg Gillinger (15:58)

• Yaogan 50 (Yao Gan) Launched to Unusual Orbit

  • Entered a retrograde orbit (142° inclination, far higher than usual sun-synchronous orbits), enhancing radar imaging resolution—likely a synthetic aperture radar system.

    "The interesting thing about Yagon 50 is it went into a retrograde orbit...142, which is really in retrograde. So that's going counter to the Earth's rotation....the greater your relative velocity...the better potential you have for greater resolution."
    — Greg Gillinger (19:20)

3. Weekly Space Traffic Report (Alicia Siegel, NASASpaceflight.com)

(21:09–27:51)

Major Launches & Developments

• China’s Secretive Spaceplane Flight

  • CSSHQ (comparable to Boeing’s X-37B) launched for fourth mission; details are tightly held.

    "...a Changzhong 2F carried the Changfu Sheyang Xiang Hangtian Qi, or CSSHQ into space. It's a reusable experimental spacecraft akin to Boeing's X37B..."
    — Alicia Siegel (21:12)

• Starlink Launches

  • Two launches from Vandenberg, California delivered 49 Starlink V2 minis in total; Falcon 9 first stages successfully recovered.

• International Mission Highlights

  • China’s Zhelong 3 launched an Earth observation satellite for Pakistan with six rideshare payloads.
  • Russia’s first Proton rocket launch in three years carried the Electro-L weather satellite and a frequency-holding payload.
  • ULA Vulcan launched US Space Force’s Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness satellites (7 & 8), experiencing an anomaly with a solid rocket booster but achieving mission goals.
  • Ariane 6’s inaugural four-booster launch for Amazon—outlined above.

• Crew-12 Launch Recap

  • Second flight for Falcon 9 B1101; new landing zone (LZ40) at SLC-40, built after decommissioning LZ1.

    "...this marked the fifth flight for Freedom and the second for Falcon 9 booster B1101, which touched down successfully on the brand new landing zone LZ40."
    — Alicia Siegel (26:10)

• Upcoming Launches

  • Four SpaceX Starlink missions and Firefly’s “Stairway to 7” flight planned (testing Block 2 upgrades after a 2025 failure).

4. Valentine’s Day in Orbit: Love Notes from Space

(28:30–31:51)

• Satirical Segment: Space Systems Command Valentines

  • In a playful tone, Maria spotlights U.S. Space Systems Command’s romantic e-cards (posted humorously to LinkedIn) for space lovers.

  • Sample puns include:

    • "I'm tracking your trajectory and you're headed straight for my heart."
    • "Are you a satellite? Because I'm picking up a strong signal between us."
    • "You launch my heart into a whole new orbit."

    "Nothing gets romance aflowin than words of love from your favorite military field command. And they even posted their sweet, Sweet Valentines on LinkedIn."
    — Maria Varmazas (28:56)

• Valentine’s Day on a Saturday

  • Maria humorously comments on the increased difficulty of securing flowers or dinner reservations for this rare weekend Valentine’s Day—a “10 out of 10” challenge.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Friday the 13th and ‘Unlucky Days’:

  • "Now it is Friday the 13th and in some corners that is considered an unlucky day. Well, it is unlucky for some, but hey, not for you because we are catching up with Greg Gillinger and all things intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in space later in the show."
    — Maria Varmazas (03:20)

• On Satellite Maneuvers:

  • "So what we do know is that both spacecraft are stable and operating and now maneuvering. And that one is...they're not the same shapes or sizes, I think is probably a safe bet."
    — Greg Gillinger (13:57)

• On Valentine’s Day from Space Command:

  • "If you really, really, really think the apple of your eye will go for a Space Systems Command Valentine's Day e-card on LinkedIn and it won't get you in trouble with HR jar, we've got the link for you. Happy Valentine's Day."
    — Maria Varmazas (30:53)

Segment Timestamps

• Intro & Top News: 01:36–09:50
• Satellite Intelligence Update (Greg Gillinger): 09:51–21:01
• Weekly Space Traffic Report (Alicia Siegel): 21:09–27:51
• Valentine’s Day Segment: 28:30–31:51

Additional Notes & Upcoming Content

• The podcast will not publish on Monday (President’s Day, US), but Maria teases:
  • A special “Nexus” episode on orbital data centers.
  • Debut of the three-part series “Cyber Beyond Borders” on NATO cyber defense.

Overall, this episode is a lively, info-packed roundup of news and trends in the global space sector, sprinkled with expert analysis and a dash of cosmic humor.