New Leadership at ISRO.

Summary

T-Minus Space Daily: New Leadership at ISRO Release Date: January 8, 2025 | Host: Maria Varmazas | N2K Networks

---

Introduction

In this episode of T-Minus Space Daily, host Maria Varmazas delves into significant developments within the global space industry, with a particular focus on the recent leadership change at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The episode also features an insightful interview with Tony Brown, Founder and President of the AFCS Space Coast Chapter, who discusses the chapter's strategic partnership with Spacecom.

---

Leadership Transition at ISRO

At [03:05], Maria Varmazas announces the appointment of Dr. V. Narayanan as the new Chairman of ISRO, succeeding AS Somanath on January 14. Dr. Narayanan, currently the Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Center, will also take on the role of Secretary at India's Department of Space for a two-year tenure.

Quote:
“Narayanan will take charge from AS Somanath on January 14, when the latter's tenure at the helm ends.” — Maria Varmazas [03:05]

---

US-India Space Collaboration

The episode highlights the strategic technology partnership forged between the United States and India, aimed at enhancing collaboration in commercial space technology. This partnership includes plans for a bilateral space accelerator focusing on lunar exploration, human spaceflight, geospatial data services, and technology co-development.

Quote:
“India and the United States are working towards the launch of a new bilateral space accelerator to promote commercial space cooperation.” — Maria Varmazas [03:05]

---

ISRO's Spadex Docking Experiment Delayed

ISRO has postponed its Spadex docking experiment due to unexpected excess drift between two mission satellites during a maneuver to reduce their distance to 225 meters. The revised timeline for the docking attempt is yet to be announced.

Quote:
“The issue arose during a maneuver to reduce the distance between the satellites to 225 meters, with the drift exceeding expectations.” — Maria Varmazas [03:05]

---

JAXA's Wooden Satellite: LignoSat

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully deployed its first wooden satellite, LignoSat, from the International Space Station. This CubeSat is designed to test the performance of wood in space, evaluating its potential as a sustainable material alternative through sensors that measure strain, temperature, and radiation effects.

Quote:
“Researchers will use sensors to evaluate the strain on the wood and measure its responses to temperature and radiation in space.” — Maria Varmazas [03:05]

---

Deorbit and Pale Blue's Launch Service Contract

Italian space company Deorbit has signed a launch service agreement with Pale Blue, a Japanese propulsion firm specializing in water-based propulsion systems. The contract involves conducting in-orbit validation missions of Pale Blue's water ion thrusters using Deorbit's Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) Ion satellite carrier, scheduled for June and October.

Quote:
“Under the agreement, Deorbit will conduct an in orbit validation mission of Pale Blue's water ion thrusters using its Orbital Transfer Vehicle or OTV Ion satellite carrier.” — Maria Varmazas [03:05]

---

Rocket Lab Joins Kratos' Hypersonic Testbed Initiative

Rocket Lab has been selected to join Kratos Defense and Security Solutions in a $1.45 billion, five-year contract to develop the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Testbed 2.0 (MACH TB 2.0). This initiative aims to bridge the gap between ground tests and system-level flight tests for hypersonic technology.

Quote:
“Rocket Lab will join the Kratos led team of subcontractors that will provide systems engineering, assembly, integration and test mission planning and execution and launch services.” — Maria Varmazas [03:05]

---

Gilat Satellite Networks Acquires Stellar Blue Solutions

Israeli satellite company Gilat Satellite Networks has completed the acquisition of Stellar Blue Solutions, a US-based provider of next-generation Satcom terminal solutions, for $98 million in cash. This acquisition, which could rise by an additional $147 million contingent on milestone achievements, is expected to generate annual revenues between $120 and $150 million in 2025.

Quote:
“Gilat expects its annual revenues from Stellar Blue to range between $120 and $150 million in 2025, based on Stellar Blue's robust backlog.” — Maria Varmazas [03:05]

---

Impact of Southern California Wildfires on NASA's JPL

The ongoing wildfires in Southern California have led to the closure of several facilities, including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Maria Varmazas extends her thoughts to the affected individuals working and residing in the area.

Quote:
“We're all thinking of you. Please take care and stay safe.” — Maria Varmazas [03:05]

---

Interview with Tony Brown: Strategic Partnership with Spacecom

Maria Varmazas interviews Tony Brown, Founder and President of the AFCS Space Coast Chapter, discussing the chapter's recent strategic agreement with Spacecom aimed at expediting procurement acquisition lead times. This partnership will launch with a two-part acquisition panel series at the upcoming Spacecom Space Congress 2025.

Key Discussion Points:

• Collaboration and Ecosystem Building: Tony emphasizes the importance of fostering a collaborative ecosystem between the federal government, state and local agencies, and industry to streamline acquisitions and address future threats.

  Quote:
  “When people collaborate, there's nothing that we can't get done or solve.” — Tony Brown [15:27]

• Introduction of Acquisition Panels at Spacecom: The inaugural panels are designed to bring together stakeholders from defense and industry to discuss future acquisitions and technological needs.

  Quote:
  “This is collaboration. So what I want to say to you is one, thank you for the opportunity. I love the T minus platform.” — Tony Brown [19:39]

• Vision for Space Grove: Though humorously coined during the conversation, "Space Grove" represents the envisioned collaboration hub to integrate academia, industry, and defense sectors.

  Quote:
  “I hope that maybe, you know, a few months later you say, hey, how did it go? And I'm like, you would not believe.” — Tony Brown [19:14]

---

Future Technologies: Light Sails and the Starshot Program

Concluding the episode, Maria Varmazas explores the theoretical advancements in light sail technology, particularly the Breakthrough Initiative's Starshot program. Light sails, or solar sails, utilize photon pressure from stars to propel spacecraft, offering the potential for interstellar travel. The Starshot program aims to overcome engineering challenges by incorporating lasers to maintain propulsion over greater distances, targeting Alpha Centauri within a 20-year timeframe.

Quote:
“If they can make it work, our closest neighboring star, Alpha Centauri, would only be 20 years away.” — Maria Varmazas [21:58]

---

Closing Remarks

Maria wraps up the episode by inviting listeners to provide feedback and highlights the upcoming Space Week in Florida, where T-Minus Space Daily will host live interviews and cover the event from the convention center floor.

---

Notable Quotes Summary:

• “Narayanan will take charge from AS Somanath on January 14, when the latter's tenure at the helm ends.” — Maria Varmazas [03:05]
• “India and the United States are working towards the launch of a new bilateral space accelerator to promote commercial space cooperation.” — Maria Varmazas [03:05]
• “When people collaborate, there's nothing that we can't get done or solve.” — Tony Brown [15:27]
• “If they can make it work, our closest neighboring star, Alpha Centauri, would only be 20 years away.” — Maria Varmazas [21:58]

---

Conclusion This episode of T-Minus Space Daily provides a comprehensive overview of pivotal changes and collaborations in the space sector, underscoring the dynamic nature of global space endeavors. From leadership transitions at ISRO to innovative propulsion technologies and strategic industry partnerships, the episode offers valuable insights for space professionals and enthusiasts alike.

---

For more detailed information and additional stories, visit the show notes. Share your thoughts by emailing us at [e-mail] or submitting the survey in the show notes. Your feedback helps us tailor content to keep you ahead in the rapidly evolving space industry.

Transcript

[Maria Varmazas]

Foreign you're listening to the N2K space network.

[Tony Brown]

Ransomware supply chain attacks and zero day exploits can strike without warning, leaving your business's sensitive data and digital assets vulnerable. But imagine a world where your cybersecurity strategy could prevent these threats. That's the power of the Threat Locker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform Robust cybersecurity is a non negotiable to safeguard organizations from cyber attacks. ThreatLocker implements a proactive, deny by default approach to cybersecurity, blocking every action process end user unless specifically authorized by your team. This least privilege methodology mitigates the exploitation of trusted applications and ensures protection for your organization. 247365 IT professionals are empowered by ThreatLocker application allow listing, ring fencing, Network control and EDR solutions, enhancing their cybersecurity posture and streamlining internal IT and security operations. To learn more about how ThreatLocker can help mitigate unknown threats in your digital environment and align your organization with respected compliance frameworks, visit threatlocker.com.

[Unknown Speaker 1]

Foreign.

[Maria Varmazas]

Today is January 8, 2025. I'm Maria Varmazas and this is T -T -22nd Los Speed Reservo for deploy.

[Unknown Speaker 1]

Roger.

[Maria Varmazas]

5 Galat Satellite Networks has successfully closed the acquisition of Stellar Blue Solutions 4 Rocket Lab, selected to join the KRA team for the multi Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Testbed. Deorbit has signed a launch service contract with pale blue. JAXA's first wooden satellite in space has been deployed from the International Space Station. Dr. V. Narayanan has been appointed as the new ISRO Chair and our guest today is Tony Brown, founder and President of the AFCS Space Coast Chapter. They've just signed a strategic agreement with Spacecom to expedite procurement acquisition lead times. The first joint initiative will be an inaugural two part acquisition panel series at Spacecom Space Congress 2025, which is being held later this month by the way, so stay with us to find out more about it.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

Foreign.

[Maria Varmazas]

We'Re kicking off this midweek intel briefing for you with a slurry of news out of India, starting with the appointment of Dr. V. Narayanan as the new Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, also known as ISRO. Narayanan will take charge from AS Somanath on January 14, when the latter's tenure at the helm ends. He'll also assume the position of Secretary at India's Department of Space. India's government appointed Narayanan to serve for a period of two years. He currently serves as the Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Center. This news comes as the United States and Indian National Security advisors met in Washington D.C. this week to forge a strategic technology partnership to include space. The nations are working to reduce barriers to collaboration around commercial space technology following the US Government's recent conclusion of updates to missile technology control regime export policy. India and the United States are also working towards the launch of a new bilateral space accelerator to promote commercial space cooperation including around lunar exploration, human spaceflight, geospatial data and services and the co development of technology and also staying in India after launching on December 30, the nation's space docking experiment, also known as Spadex, has been delayed again. ISRO has further postponed the docking attempt for spadex after detecting excess drift between the two mission satellites. The Indian Space Agency stated that the issue arose during a maneuver to reduce the distance between the satellites to 225 meters, with the drift exceeding expectations after a non visibility period. A revised timeline for the docking attempt will be announced soon. Moving over to Japan now and JAXA's first wooden satellite in space has been deployed from the International Space Station. The Lignosat arrived at the space station in December and the CubeSat is designed to see how wood performs in the harsh environment as a potential sustainable alternative to conventional satellite materials. The Lignosat is designed using 10 centimeter long Honoki magnolia wood panels assembled with a Japanese wood joinery method. Researchers will use sensors to evaluate the strain on the wood and measure its responses to temperature and radiation in space. Moving over to Italy now and Deorbit has signed a launch service contract with Pale Blue. PaleBlue is a Japanese space propulsion company specializing in water based propulsion systems that are suited for a wide variety of missions for spacecraft ranging from three U cubesats to 700 kilogram satellites. Under the agreement, Deorbit will conduct an in orbit validation mission of Pale Blue's water ion thrusters using its Orbital Transfer Vehicle or OTV Ion satellite carrier. The contract covers the integration of two propulsion systems on Deorbit's OTV and includes the operations period. The missions are scheduled for launch in June and October of this year. It's an international show today. Now we're heading over to New Zealand and Rocket Lab has been selected to be a member of the team led by Kratos Defense and Security Solutions that has been awarded a five year contract for the multi service Advanced capability hypersonic testbed 2.0 under Task Area 1. The total potential value of the Mock TB 2.0 contract award over a five year period is $1.45 billion. The Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Test Resource Management center established MACHTB to support its National Hypersonic Initiative 2.0 by creating an affordable flight test bed to rapidly increase hypersonic flight test capacity. Mach TB 2.0 will provide an affordable bridge between hypersonic ground tests and system level flight tests. Rocket Lab will join the Kratos led team of subcontractors that will provide systems engineering, assembly, integration and test mission planning and execution and launch services. Israeli company Gilat Satellite Networks has successfully closed the acquisition of Stellar Blue Solutions, which is a US based provider of next generation Satcom terminal solutions. The acquisition's consideration at closing was $98 million in cash. The consideration payment in connection with the acquisition may increase by up to an additional $147 million in cash with the condition that the acquired business achieves operational and strategic business milestones during the first two years that follow the signing of this agreement. Gillot expects its annual revenues from Stellar Blue to range between 120 and $150 million in 2025, based on Stellar Blue's robust backlog and before we close out our Intel Briefing today, a quick note about the ongoing wildfires raging in Southern California. Many facilities are understandably closed today because of the danger, including NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. More important than facilities are the people who work and live in the area. We're all thinking of you. Please take care and stay safe. That concludes our Intel Briefing for today. You'll find three additional stories in the Selected Reading section of our show Notes, along with further reading on all the stories mentioned. They cover cyber attacks on JAXA linked to Chinese hacker Mirror Face, Revada's expansion to their Asia Pacific team, and a story From Reuters on SpaceX's plans for expansion in Italy. Hey T Minus Crew, if you find this podcast useful, please do us a favor and share a five star rating and short review in your favorite podcast app that'll help other space professionals like you to find the show and join the T Minus Crew. Thank you.

[Unknown Speaker 3]

This episode is brought to you by Indeed. We're driven by the search for better, but when it comes to hiring, the best way to search for a candidate isn't to search at all. Don't search match with Indeed. Use Indeed for scheduling, screening and messaging so you can connect with candidates faster. Listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility@ Indeed.com SBO terms and conditions apply.

[Maria Varmazas]

We here at T Minus Space are excited to be heading to Space Week in Florida from January 27th through the 30th. I'll be hosting our podcast from the convention center floor from Tuesday through Thursday that week and doing interviews around the show floor. So please come by and say hello if you'll be in Florida later this month. I'm looking forward to seeing you all there. And speaking of Space Week, today's guest is Tony Brown, founder and president of the FCS Space Coast Chapter. Now, FCA International is a nonprofit membership association serving the military, government, industry and academia. It advances professional knowledge and relationships in the fields of communications, IT intelligence and global security. AFCS Space Coast Chapter has just signed a strategic agreement with spacecom to expedite procurement acquisition lead times. The first joint initiative will be an inaugural two part acquisition panel series at spacecom, which is part of Space Week.

[Unknown Speaker 1]

I consider AFC an organization of collaboration basically with the federal government, state and local agencies and the community and just putting kind of partnerships together and a collaborative ecosystem where we have kind of communication. So when I talk to base commanders or I talk to folks in the government, I say, what could you use from an organization like us to maybe help collaborate industry and workforce development and other different scenarios? One of our leaders, Colonel Mike Black, says he likes to think of us as almost like, almost like a thought leader. And so it's just a, it's just a very interesting platform. Different chapters do different things different ways. But we're just so excited to be doing whatever we can to support folks in the Cape Canaveral region. There was this ecosystem that seems to be very robust with industry and the DoD where they actually have these sessions. And I think they're approximately eight to nine times out of the year, maybe more. But basically where the government lets industry know what they're looking at in the future as far as acquisitions are concerned, and it gives industry a chance to respond appropriately. And so like I say, this has been a very robust, robust ecosystem. And in my what if mode, I said, what if this kind of model we could do in space and the Canaveral region? And that was a thought process that I kind of thought about a year ago. I know, I know a lot of other people had been thinking about it. I started to kind of run this up the ladder. Everybody that I spoke to thought it would be a great idea. And then the next thing was, how are you going to do this? And I did the regular thing. I said, I don't know, but we'll figure it out. And that's where we got there. It's talked to some retired DOD folks that I Won't mention their name right now. It'll come up later. And I said, what if? And they said, oh, yeah, you can do it and we can do it. And all of a sudden I called over to spacecom, sent some emails, and next thing you know, it has legs now. Reached out to stakeholders within DoD and NASA. They were like, okay, and here we go. Now it's. Now it's lights, cameras. It's lights, cameras, action now.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

Yeah, I was going to say. So the. @ Spacecom that's coming up just in a few weeks.

[Maria Varmazas]

My goodness, this is.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

And by the time this goes to air, even less time really soon. So this is going to be sort.

[Maria Varmazas]

Of introducing the space community to this.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

Idea, this best practice kicking things off.

[Maria Varmazas]

It sounds like.

[Unknown Speaker 1]

Yeah, exactly. And kind of like the premiere, right? It's like the premiere of a series, hopefully, if we look at it. And I find it great that we're talking about these analogies. So we've gone from space to the ocean and now we're talking Hollywood movie premieres. Right? Movie premieres. Right. So let's keep it along those lines. But yeah, so, like, this would be like the first one, as far as I can tell. And the thing that I thought would be unique for this venue if we at least do this yearly and this format is that we'll have so many acquisitions and so many stakeholders from all around the country and actually the world at this event. So what better way to kind of introduce this model and at least letting it be annual for that one, because you'll have all the stakeholders within one place in one year. And it's in January, which everybody's like, coming off the holidays, and what are we looking at as far as planning for. For the next year? But I'm hearing the same things. And it's always about solving a problem. Right. DOD is saying, hey, we have threats, we have things like our adversaries are. Could be far ahead than we are. And they're saying, we want industry to give us solutions. And I'm hearing industry saying, hey, we'd really like to know what DOD wants. And I'm saying, oh, okay, well, here we go. Let's create an ecosystem in order to foster that. And my big word is collaboration. I love that word because I think when people collaborate, there's nothing that we can't get done or solve.

[Maria Varmazas]

Absolutely. Yeah. That collaboration is so key. And hearing that, those forces of those lines.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

Sorry, I am mixing up my own metaphors now.

[Maria Varmazas]

Those lines of communication being open, especially at an event as big as spacecom is going to be so crucial, I.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

Really look forward to hearing what kicks.

[Maria Varmazas]

Off from this because it's going to.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

Be, we're going to be, you know, time out. We're going to hear that this is.

[Maria Varmazas]

Where it all began. And I think it's going to be really, really cool to hear that.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

And then beyond spacecom, you're still super busy with other things, so I'm just going to drop the phrase space Grove, because that's the first I heard of.

[Maria Varmazas]

It when I read it in the.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

Press release, because I was like, come on, there's space this, space that. Now we've got space Grove. So you're shaking your head, like, I got to give it to you. I like it. Tell me about, tell me about Space.

[Maria Varmazas]

Grove as a collaboration.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

Have.

[Maria Varmazas]

What, what is it?

[Unknown Speaker 2]

What, what's, what's happening with this?

[Unknown Speaker 1]

Okay, okay, See, I, I was hoping you wouldn't do that, but Maria, you caught it, you know, you did it. Okay, so I did it. So. Okay, so it's kind of like the pulse, right? Like there's already something in place there, right? So, and, and we're probably not going to call it a pulse. It's going to be called something else. Okay. But there is a tech grove in Orlando that's a very robust community involving UCF and DoD and industry, and it's a really wonderful ecosystem of collaboration. And again, not trying to reinvent the wheel. So if we could create this quote, unquote, that word that you just brought up.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

You're like, I don't want to say it. It's fine.

[Unknown Speaker 1]

I don't want to say it. You know, I'm afraid, I'm afraid that I'll get a call later on going, how did you use that name? Or what's going on here? But we put it out there, so I going to run with it right onto it. Right.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

I saw that. I was like, I kind of love that. But I get.

[Unknown Speaker 1]

So the teaser is looking to hopefully build out this ecosystem that would foster academia, industry. And now in my eyes, I know what I want it to look like, but I won't go there right now.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

Really?

[Maria Varmazas]

Because I was going to ask you, what do you want it to look like?

[Unknown Speaker 2]

You don't want to tell me?

[Maria Varmazas]

Oh, all right. So you, you want the community to make that happen.

[Unknown Speaker 1]

You always. It's like a trailer. You just kind of gotta throw it out there. All right? And see, you know, throw it up against the wall and see. But definitely, it's a dream. One would love to make this work. And it's needed. And it's needed.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

Yeah. And you're right at the start of it, really, truly. So it's a very exciting place to be. I won't say Space Grove any more than the time I just said it. I'll stop saying it.

[Unknown Speaker 1]

You're scaring me, Maria. Like tonight I might have nightmares. I might be like, did I actually say that? So I don't know whether I get the calls later on and say, wow, that's a great idea or what the heck are you doing, Tony? So I'm coming back to you when.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

One way or the other, I'm in trouble now. The idea behind this collaboration hub, I think is fantastic. So the collaboration being key, it's wonderful that it's a sustained effort. Not just that an event is a one off, but long term.

[Maria Varmazas]

So needed.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

It's going to drive things forward. It's fantastic. Congratulations, Tony, on the launch of all this. And as it moves forward, it's just really exciting to hear about and I'm thrilled that you took the time to tell me about it. I'm sorry about saying the phrase. I won't say it again. Thank you for taking the time to walk me through it. I appreciate it. Is there anything else you want to leave the audience with? I won't ask you to say that phrase again. Is there anything you want to leave the audience with?

[Unknown Speaker 1]

So, one, I want to put this back on. Remember we talked about collaboration? This is collaboration. So what I want to say to you is one, thank you for the opportunity. I love the T minus platform. It's very interesting. And thank you for what you're doing as far as communication with the community and space and all of that. I'm really honored to be a part of the space programs down here. And a year and a half ago, this wasn't on my whiteboard. None of this was on my whiteboard. None of this was even a thought process. Funny how quickly things can move. But, and, and, and also I think another thing was when we first talked, you got it right away, it, it made sense. You know, there wasn't so much sense. It wasn't, you know, it wasn't talking to like me being the nutty professor and you, you know, digging deep, it makes sense and it makes sense for the community. So we hope that maybe, you know, a few months later you say, hey, how did it go? And I'm like, you would not believe. And then I'm hoping to actually be able to use that word, those two words, space. Group. It happened. I said it.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

That happened. That happened.

[Maria Varmazas]

That happened. I know when I check back in.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

With you in a quarter or two, in some time, not too long, there are going to be incredible stories about what came out of this that are just going to blow my hair. It's going to blow my hair back. It's going to be amazing. So I can't wait to hear about it. Thank you, Tony. Thank you so much for your leadership on this and for getting such an incredible initiative started.

[Maria Varmazas]

So I really look forward to hearing.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

How it goes and hopefully meeting you at spacecom as well.

[Unknown Speaker 1]

Well, thank you. You put a lot of pressure on me by, you know, saying that the event's gonna. I feel like I'm going into a Super bowl game and we're expecting to win, and so I've gotta do the. Hey, one event at a time. And we'll go from there.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

That's right. That's right, Tony. All right, well, thank you. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Thanks for taking the time to speak to me today.

[Unknown Speaker 1]

Thank you.

[Maria Varmazas]

We'll be right back. Welcome back. An interesting story piqued our interest as it came across the T minus desk this morning, and it is about future tech. Still very much in the theoretical realm, but it's grounded in something that is a personal favorite of mine. Light sails, also known as solar sails. Not new tech or even a new idea. Deploy a massive sail in space and let the photons from the sun push it along, acting as solar wind. The idea is that the steady photon stream from the sun, or really any star, would cause continuous acceleration with theoretically the only speed limit there being the speed of light, that could potentially make spacecraft interstellar. It's a cool idea and sci fi loves a light sail star. Deep Space Nine and for all mankind both feature it. The obvious problem with it, though, is that as you get further and further away from your star, that light pressure is going to diminish. So why not bring your own light source? Now's about lasers for light pressure. That is a fascinating idea that the Breakthrough Initiative's Starshot program is working on tackling. Now, there are a lot, and I do mean a lot, of engineering challenges with light sails alone, let alone all of those before you can say beam me up or over and add some lasers. For one thing, the sails have to be both huge and ultralight, so you can't attach much of a spacecraft to them. Think nanocraft at best. And a laser pointing at something so delicate could quite easily fry a hole in things, but nothing worth trying is easy, and humanity loves a challenge. And the team of scientists and engineers tinkering away on this one say if they can make it work. Our closest neighboring star, Alpha Centauri, would only be 20 years away. That sounds to me like a worthy moonshot Centauri shot. That's it for T minus for January 8, 2025, brought to you by N2K CyberWire. For additional resources from today's report, check out our show [e-mail] we'd love to know what you think of this podcast. You can email [e-mail] or submit the survey in the Show Notes. Your feedback ensures we deliver the information that keeps you a step ahead in the rapidly changing space industry. N2K strategic workforce intelligence Optimization the value of your biggest investment Your people. We make you smarter about your team while making your team smarter. This episode was produced by Alice Carruth. Our associate 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. Our executive editor is Brandon Karpf. Simone Petrella is our president. Peter Kilpe is our publisher and I'm your host, Maria Varmazes. Thanks for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

T minus.