T-Minus Space Daily: Episode Summary – "Reports, Rockets, and Revisions"

Release Date: November 15, 2024
Host: Maria Varmazas & Alice Carruth
Produced by: N2K Networks

Introduction: Celebrating Apollo 12

The episode opens with host Maria Varmazas commemorating the 55th anniversary of Apollo 12. Maria recounts the historic launch of the United States' second manned mission to the Moon, which took off from Cape Canaveral on November 14, 1960, amidst a stormy sky. She highlights the dramatic event where lightning struck the launch pad and vehicle, causing a temporary loss of the spacecraft’s electronics. This incident led to the ingenious switch to auxiliary signal conditioning equipment, a fix that has since become a beloved meme in the space community.

Notable Quote:
Maria Varmazas at [00:47]: “And this triggered a famous fix of switching the signal conditioning equipment, also known as the sce, to the auxiliary position. The birth of an uber meme.”

Alice Carruth adds a humorous touch by mentioning NASA’s hypothetical satellite named "Apollo G. Oh Y" designed to apologize to aliens, eliciting a playful response from Maria.

Financial Updates in the Space Industry

AST Space Mobile

Maria provides a comprehensive update on AST Space Mobile, noting the successful launch of the first five Bluebird cellular broadband satellites during the quarter. AST reported a robust financial position with $518.9 million in cash and equivalents. The company announced a multi-launch campaign from Florida, partnering with Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket to deploy up to 60 Block 2 satellites between 2025 and 2026. AST’s global service will initially focus on key markets, including the United States, Europe, Japan, and strategic governmental sectors.

Notable Quote:
Maria Varmazas at [02:58]: “AST Space Mobile's global service aims to initially target key markets such as the United States, Europe, Japan, the US government and other strategic markets.”

MDA Space

Alice Carruth reports that MDA Space released its third-quarter financial results, showcasing a 38% year-over-year revenue increase to $282.4 million. The Canadian space mission partner also highlighted a significant backlog of $4.6 billion, propelled by a $1 billion award for FaZe’s C&D of the Canada ARM3 program announced in Q2.

Notable Quote:
Alice Carruth at [04:04]: “That's an improvement of up to 38% year over year.”

Citius Space

Maria announces Citius Space’s impressive third-quarter growth, with revenues rising 90% year-over-year to $1.9 million. Additionally, Citius successfully closed its public offering of 5.6 million Class A common shares at $1.25 each, securing $7 million before expenses.

Notable Quote:
Maria Varmazas at [04:31]: “Citus Space reported their third quarter 2024 financial results. The company reported revenues of $1.9 million, a 90% increase year over year.”

Impulse Space

Alice details Impulse Space’s new contract with SpaceX for three Falcon 9 rocket launches. These missions will support the development and deployment of Impulse’s vehicles, Helios and Mira, with the inaugural launch of Helios slated for mid-2026.

Notable Quote:
Alice Carruth at [05:01]: “Impulse Space has signed a contract with SpaceX for three Falcon 9 rocket launches that will support the ongoing development and deployment of Impulse's vehicles Helios and Mira.”

ABL’s Strategic Shift

Maria covers ABL’s strategic decision to exit the commercial launch market. Founder Dan Piedmont announced via social media that ABL will refocus on national defense and missile defense technologies following setbacks, including the loss of their RS1 vehicle during testing in July.

Notable Quote:
Maria Varmazas at [05:17]: “ABL has announced the decision to step away from the commercial launch market.”

Sierra Space and DOE Collaboration

Alice reports on the collaboration between Sierra Space and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop advanced thermal protection systems for space vehicles. The partnership involves Oak Ridge National Lab creating exterior spacecraft tiles capable of enduring the extreme temperatures of atmospheric reentry, with further testing planned at NASA's ARC Jet Plasma facility.

Notable Quote:
Alice Carruth at [05:43]: “The DOE's Oak Ridge National Lab has worked with Sierra on developing exterior spacecraft tiles that can withstand the high temperatures of reentering Earth's atmosphere.”

Contract Announcements

Southwest Research Institute and NASA

Maria announces that the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio secured a NASA contract worth $60 million over ten years. The institute will build three coronagraphs for NOAA’s Lagrange 1 Series project, part of NOAA’s Space Weather Next program.

Notable Quote:
Maria Varmazas at [06:19]: “Southwest Research Institute will build three coronagraphs for the Lagrange 1 Series project, which is part of NOAA's Space Weather Next program.”

Ispace US and Volta Space Partnership

Alice reveals that Ispace US has entered into an initial framework agreement with Volta Space to collaborate on lunar missions. This partnership aims to develop a commercial offering for "Survive the Night" capability, integrate Volta’s Light Port receiver into future missions, and deploy additional Volta payloads on the Moon’s surface.

Notable Quote:
Alice Carruth at [06:43]: “I Space and Volta have signed an initial framework for negotiations on a future partnership to develop a commercial offering for Survive the Night capability.”

Moon’s Surface and Planet’s Expansion with Abilio

Maria highlights Moon’s Surface and Planet’s expansion agreement with partner Abilio, which utilizes Planet Insights and PlanetScope satellite data to enhance digital agriculture solutions. This expansion provides Abilio with threefold the agricultural data across France compared to 2023, significantly boosting their capabilities.

Notable Quote:
Maria Varmazas at [07:03]: “Through this expansion, Abilio will have access to agricultural data across France, nearly three times the amount of Planet data that it previously integrated into ITS Solutions in 2023.”

Weekly Space Traffic Report

Alicia Siegel from NASASpaceflight.com delivers an extensive space traffic update, detailing numerous launches and missions:

• China’s Changzheng 2C and Kinetica 1 Launches:
  Multiple satellites, including synthetic aperture radar and Earth observation satellites, were successfully deployed into sun-synchronous orbits. Notably, the Kinetica 1 mission marked the first foreign satellite launched by a Chinese commercial space company.

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Missions:
  SpaceX achieved a record 17th launch within 31 days, deploying thousands of Starlink satellites with multiple first stage booster landings, demonstrating unprecedented launch cadence and reusability.

  Notable Quote:
  Alicia Siegel at [09:32]: “This mission marked the 17th launch by SpaceX over a period of 31 days, a record for the company thus far.”

• Upcoming Launches:
  Plans for future launches include Falcon 9 missions carrying the Optus X satellite, additional Starlink batches, India’s GSAT 20 communications satellite, the sixth launch of SpaceX’s Starship rocket, Rocket Lab’s HASTE program, and Progress cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station.

Notable Quote:
Alicia Siegel at [09:41]: “SpaceX has now launched a total of 7,324 satellites, of which 667 have reentered and 6,014 have entered their operational orbit.”

NASA Report on Space Travel and Aging

Maria introduces a significant study released by NASA, which examines the impact of space travel on aging. The report concludes that human spaceflight accelerates aging symptoms by inducing genomic instability, mitochondrial dysfunction, and increased inflammation. These findings underscore the necessity for developing a Frailty Index to monitor and mitigate health risks for astronauts during missions.

Notable Quote:
Maria Varmazas at [17:30]: “The report concluded that NASA needs a Frailty Index. Well, that's a phrase, Frailty index to monitor development of frailty related astronaut health risks during spaceflight.”

The discussion lightly touches on astronaut Suni Williams, who faced media scrutiny over her appearance, which she attributes to the rigorous demands of space missions. Hosts Maria and Alice defend her, emphasizing the authenticity and challenges of space travel.

Notable Quote:
Maria Varmazas at [17:00]: “The results provide insights into potential avenues for developing countermeasures to combat frailty related health risks for both astronauts and aging populations on Earth.”

Conclusion and Upcoming Content

Alice wraps up the episode by directing listeners to the Show Notes for additional resources, including a NASA call for proposals and a partnership announcement from Forsway and ESA. She teases the upcoming "NSF Space Traffic Report" and promotes the next day's "T Deep Space" episode featuring an interview on Decision Intelligence from Space with Sature.

Notable Quote:
Alice Carruth at [07:43]: “That concludes our intel briefing for today... We've added two additional ones to read about. One is a call from NASA for proposals to lease the Vibration Test facility, and another is a partnership announcement from Forsway and ESA.”

Maria encourages listener engagement, inviting feedback and promoting N2K CyberWire’s services for optimizing investments and enhancing team intelligence.

Notable Quote:
Maria Varmazas at [19:38]: “If you like the show, please share a rating and review in your podcast app. Please also fill out the survey in the show notes and send an email.”

Key Takeaways

• Financial Health: AST Space Mobile and MDA Space report strong financials, while Citus Space showcases significant revenue growth and successful public offering. Impulse Space secures a pivotal contract with SpaceX, and ABL shifts focus towards national defense amidst recent setbacks.

• Collaborations and Contracts: Strategic partnerships, such as Sierra Space with DOE and Ispace US with Volta Space, are paving the way for advancements in thermal protection and lunar mission capabilities. Southwest Research Institute’s contract with NASA underscores the ongoing commitment to space weather research.

• Launch Cadence: SpaceX continues to dominate the launch landscape with record-breaking Falcon 9 missions, deploying thousands of Starlink satellites and demonstrating remarkable booster reusability.

• Health and Aging in Space: NASA’s report highlights the accelerated aging effects of space travel, emphasizing the need for a Frailty Index to safeguard astronaut health and inform aging research on Earth.

• Future Missions: Upcoming launches from various global space agencies and private companies indicate a bustling schedule ahead, with significant missions planned for both Earth orbit and beyond.

This episode of "T-Minus Space Daily" provides a thorough overview of the latest financial developments, strategic partnerships, and launch activities within the space industry. Additionally, it delves into critical research on the physiological impacts of space travel, offering valuable insights for both industry professionals and enthusiasts. Stay tuned for more in-depth analyses and interviews in future episodes.