RIF at NASA.

Summary

T-Minus Space Daily: Episode Summary – "RIF at NASA"
Release Date: March 11, 2025
Host: Maria Varmazes, N2K Networks

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1. NASA Implements Workforce Reduction

At [03:07], Maria Varmazes dives into significant organizational changes within NASA. Acting Administrator Janet Petro announced a phased Reduction in Force (RIF) in compliance with the US President's executive order. Key offices affected include:

• Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy
• Office of the Chief Scientist
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Branch

Varmazes notes, "Details were not shared in the message," highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the scope of the layoffs. [03:43], she adds that all federal agencies must submit RIF plans by Thursday, affecting multiple sectors within the space industry. The segment underscores the potential ripple effects across related agencies and expresses hope for swift reemployment opportunities for those impacted.

2. Redwire Corporation Reports Strong Financial Performance

Transitioning to industry news, Varmazes reports on Redwire Corporation's robust financial outcomes. The company announced revenues of $304.1 million for the full year 2024, marking a 24.7% increase from $243.8 million in 2023. Additionally, Redwire has forecasted full-year 2025 revenues to rise to $605 million, up from the previous $535 million estimate.

Troy Morris, co-founder and CEO of Cal Morris, comments on [04:39]:
"The company enters 2025 with strong momentum as they look to close the Edge autonomy acquisition in the second quarter."

3. Rocket Lab Schedules Upcoming Launches

At [04:43], Rocket Lab announces its next two Electron launches from New Zealand, a first for the launch provider. The schedule includes:

• March 15: Launch for customer IQPs.
• Three days later: Launch for Kinais, part of the High5 mission.

This mission is the fifth dedicated Electron launch under a multi-launch contract aimed at deploying a constellation of 25 IoT satellites within a year.

4. US Space Development Agency's New Solicitation

Varmazes details the US Space Development Agency's (SDA) latest solicitation for 10 tranche 2 transport layer gamma variant space vehicles. Managed by the Advanced Fire Control Program (AFC), this initiative seeks:

• Payloads designed to close future kill chains.
• Potential integration of AFC prototypes into warfighter space architectures.

The SDA anticipates awarding a T2TL Gamma contract to a single vendor, with further details available in the show notes.

5. China's Launch of a New Communications Satellite

China successfully launched a new test communications satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, as reported at [05:38]. The satellite, carried by a Long March 3B rocket, aims to validate multi-band and high-speed communication technologies.

6. In-Depth Interview with Troy Morris – KMI’s ISS Experiment

The episode features an exclusive interview with Troy Morris, CEO of Cal Morris from KMI, discussing their ongoing experiment aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Key Highlights:

• Project Reach's Evolution:
  [09:29] Morris explains the project's origins, collaborations with the University of Southern California, NASA, JPL, and DARPA, leading to the development and testing of innovative technology now operational on the ISS.

• Milestones Achieved:
  [14:13] Morris shares impressive progress, noting, "We did 33 captures in a very small unit of time on this last session," demonstrating the experiment's success and scalability.

• Future Plans:
  Looking ahead, Morris outlines plans for additional test sessions, including more challenging scenarios like tumbling runs. He emphasizes the transition to a free-flying platform outside the ISS, leveraging lessons learned from the Astrobee platform.

• Collaborative Efforts:
  Morris highlights the importance of partnerships, stating, "I don't know anyone who does space alone," and acknowledges the collective effort driving their success.

Notable Quote:
[11:48] Maria Varmazes: "Oh, congratulations. I mean that is no small accomplishment."

7. Additional News Highlights by Alice Cruz

Alice Cruz, N2K's senior producer, provides a brief overview of five additional stories in the "Selected Reading" section:

1. Leadership Changes at Poland's Space Agency
2. Top-Level Shifts at Relativity
3. Partnership Announcements:
   • Momentous and Solstar Space
   • SES and Link Global
   • Sonar Space with Trimble

Listeners are directed to visit [07:05] space.n2k.com for detailed links and further information.

8. Peer-Reviewed Study on Atmospheric Changes and Satellite Debris

In a segment titled "We work on space problems to solve Earth problems," Varmazes discusses a study published in Nature Sustainability by MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the University of Birmingham.

Study Findings:

• Atmospheric Impact:
  Projected CO₂ emissions between 2000 and 2100 could lead to a 50-66% reduction in the atmosphere's capacity within 200-1000 kilometers altitude—critical for low Earth orbit (LEO) operations.

• Space Debris Concerns:
  Decreased atmospheric density may "reduce atmospheric drag," prolonging the lifespan of space debris and exacerbating the Kessler Syndrome, where cascading collisions increase debris density.

• Implications for Satellite Launches:
  The surge in satellite deployments, particularly for broadband internet (e.g., Starlink), coupled with changing atmospheric conditions, could lead to a "too crowded" LEO, increasing collision risks.

Expert Insight:
William Parker, lead author from MIT Aeroastro, emphasizes the fragile state of the upper atmosphere:
"The upper atmosphere is in a fragile state as climate change disrupts the status quo."

Listeners are encouraged to access the full study via the show notes.

Conclusion

Maria Varmazes wraps up the episode by highlighting N2K's role in providing essential space intelligence to global leaders and professionals. She encourages listeners to share the podcast and stay connected through their website for ongoing updates and in-depth analysis.

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Notable Quotes:

• Troy Morris at [12:15]:
  "We're doing our best with the data and the video and the video we've been able to share is awesome."

• Maria Varmazes at [14:27]:
  "That's amazing. I keep saying congratulations, but truly, I mean, all of that is just incredible."

• Troy Morris at [19:09]:
  "We've got champions fighting for us and that's how we've gone so far."

---

For more detailed information and access to all discussed links, visit space.n2k.com.

Transcript

[Maria Varmazes]

You're listening to the N2K space network.

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[Maria Varmazes]

Learn [e-mail] Security today is March 11, 2025. I'm Maria Varmazes and this is T minus T minus 20 seconds to Los China launched a new communications test satellite four. The US Space Development Agency has issued a solicitation to recompete 10 tranche 2 transport layer gamma variant Space Rocket Lab has scheduled its next two electron launches from New Zealand. Redwire reports Q4 and full year 2024 financial results. NASA outlines its plans for a phased reduction in force, closing several office and our guest today is Troy Morris, co founder and CEO of Cal Morris. KMI has an experiment on the International Space Station and Troy will be sharing the latest updates on their work with us later in the show.

[Troy Morris]

Foreign.

[Maria Varmazes]

It is Tuesday, everybody. Let's dive into today's intel briefing. We're kicking off with some troubling news from the US Space Agency. In a memo sent to NASA employees yesterday, Acting Administrator Janet Petro shared that she would implement the US President's executive order to reduce the agency's workforce. NASA has already started implementing what they're calling a phased reduction in workforce. In the announcement, they shared that the Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy, the Office of the Chief Scientist and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Branch have all been closed. Details were not shared in the message.

[Troy Morris]

About how many roles have been or.

[Maria Varmazes]

Will be impacted by the Reduction in Force or rif. All federal agencies have been instructed to produce plans for RRIFs by Thursday this week, so unfortunately it will be reaching other agencies involved in the space industry also. We hope that those impacted will find other opportunities quickly and wish them all the best for the future. Redwire Corporation held an investor call this morning to share financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ending December 31, 2024. The Company experienced another solid year of growth, reporting revenues for full year 2024 at $304.1 million, which is up 24.7% compared to $243.8 million for a full year of 2023. They've also adjusted their forecasting for the 12 months ending December 31, 2025 full year revenues of $605 million, which is up from $535 million. Jonathan Bailiff, chief financial officer of Redwire.

[Troy Morris]

Says The company enters 2025 with strong momentum as they look to close the.

[Maria Varmazes]

Edge autonomy acquisition in the second quarter. Rocket Lab has scheduled its next two electron launches from New Zealand for the first time. The launch provider has announced a three day window between launches. Rocket Lab will launch its next electron rocket no earlier than March 15 for customer IQPs, followed three days later by its latest launch for Kinais. The High5 mission for Kinais is the fifth of five dedicated Electron launches in a multi launch contract with the company that will see Rocket Lab deploy an entire constellation of 25 IoT satellites in less than a year. The US Space Development Agency has issued a solicitation to recompete 10 tranche 2 transport layer gamma variant space vehicles. The call will be executed by the Advanced Fire Control Program, also known as afc. AFC delivers operationally relevant prototypes to inform and influence future tranches. There is a potential for future mission integration of AFC prototypes into the proliferated warfighter Space Architectures operational infrastructure. SGA seeks T2TL gamma space vehicles with a payload specifically designed to close future kill chains. SDA expects to make a T2TL Gamma award to one vendor. More details can be found by following the link in our show notes and China has launched a new test communications satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch center in southwestern Sichuan Province. The spacecraft was carried by a long March 3B rocket and entered the planned orbit. According to Chinese media, the satellite will used to carry out multi band and high speed communication technology validation. And that concludes Today's intel briefing. N2K senior producer Alice Cruz has more on the stories that didn't make the top five for today.

[Alice Cruz]

Alice yes, there are five additional links in the selected reading section of our show notes. The first covers the change at the top at Poland's Space Agency. The second covers change at the top of Relativity and we have three partnership announcements from Momentous and Solstar Space SES and Link Global and Sonar Space with.

[Maria Varmazes]

Trimble and a little reminder for all our listeners on where those stories can be found.

[Alice Cruz]

As always, we include links to all the stories mentioned throughout this episode in the selected reading section of our show Notes. Those links can also be found on our website space.m2k.com just click on this episode title Meet T Minus Crew if.

[Maria Varmazes]

You are just joining us, hi and welcome. Be sure to follow T Minus Space daily in your favorite podcast app. Also, if you could do us a favor, share the intel with your friends and coworkers. Little challenge for you by Friday, please show three friends or coworkers this podcast. A growing audience is the most important thing for us and we would love your help as part of the T Minus Crew. So if you find T minus useful, please share so other professionals professionals like you can find the show.

[Troy Morris]

Thank you.

[Maria Varmazes]

It means a lot to me and all of us here at T Minus.

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[Maria Varmazes]

Today's guest is Troy Morris, co founder and CEO of Cal Morris. KMI has an experiment on the International Space Station and Troy's here to tell us more about it.

[Troy Morris]

The Reach project has been many years in the running. I would have to really put my head down to it of when specific parts of it started. Some of its origin was before kmi, to be honest, some of the efforts with the University of Southern California, who we continue to work with, NASA, jpl, darpa. There were some origins back then, long before we ever found the technology literally sitting on a shelf and worked with a partner to get it from. Oh, it's some idea. We threw together very rough sketches to working with the university, getting the patent pushed out together. We have the exclusive license on this technology. KMI took it fully in hand and developed it through testing, testing safety, a lot more testing. And now we've passed 100 days on orbit that this technology has been up there courtesy of a SpaceX ride. So a lot of partnerships to get there. I mean I don't know anyone who does space alone. And so we've been very happy and successful working with partners. And one of the neatest among the huge category of neat awesome people has been Sunny Williams herself. So we're working to as she gets her feet back on the ground later this year to get some time with her again. As she has run all of our operations on station so far. She has a one in how many humans are alive right now? Billions perception on how this technology is truly functioning because we're doing our best with the data and the video and the video we've been able to share is awesome. The video we haven't shared yet. There's more to it. So the excitement vibes is coming from that perspective of the history. So again, I would say at kmi we've been working on this in a organized, constructive way, even under the reach name since 2021. And then it was something that I know the team, once we got the permissions, the agreements, all the paperwork signed, I think it was nine months from green, let's go to launch and we're on board the iss and that's something that we are bringing the largest payload by volume, by mass, by power draw that Astrobee has ever seen. So there's a lot more safety meetings when you're not just pushing the envelope, you are redefining where the envelope involves. So it's something that to push that fast, to do that much different and to be successful right out of the gate is huge.

[Maria Varmazes]

Oh, congratulations.

I mean that is no small accomplishment. And as I geeked out, I mean I don't have to tell you this, it looks incredible.

My goodness. When I was reading about the success.

In December and I was like, oh, can't wait to see the video. It moves a lot more quickly than.

I would have guessed.

For some reason in my head I was expecting sort of a slow motion. It's quite impressive how quickly it moves. I was not expecting that.

[Troy Morris]

Yeah, and it's something that again, that's within the safety confines of. I've talked to quite a few different groups on multiple coasts of this country and some entrepreneurs around the world, and I remind them, they're like, oh, this is great. We should take our technology and go inside the iss. I'm like, politely, if you don't have to. There is a level of space testing and then there's a level of human crewed space testing. And there's a massive world that to all the researchers and all the technologists out there, getting something to be human safe is a challenge even beyond what we are preparing to be asset space of. You know, if you've got something that squeezes a little bit hard on a aluminum or a steel shell, the drum isn't going to complain. Obviously, once you add humans into the mix, we're fleshy, we're filled with all these fluids. We don't like getting pierced.

[Maria Varmazes]

Ugly bags of mostly water, if I remember that quote correctly.

[Troy Morris]

So it's something that, yeah, the speed, the motion, the extra deburdering. Just so much extra to be intentionally safe in every step that we've been doing. And then the videos continue to blow people out the water. I'm like, that's great, but I feel like the guy watching a movie. I'm like, I'm glad you guys all enjoyed Lord of the Rings. I'm worried about the horses that I had to get on set. And so the. It's fun being on this side of producing this amazing work for people to look at. And this is again, just a test video of what we're doing in the larger scheme.

[Maria Varmazes]

Yeah, and I want to hear about that. I'm sure that you all have been working on that already. And this is sort of like, yes, that validation. I'm so curious though, what you've heard from Sunny so far. I would love to be like a fly on the wall for anything you've heard so far.

[Troy Morris]

It's been very positive. I don't have any direct quotes that are cleared yet for press release, but I know some of the early reactions of various crew was, wow, it didn't just work, it's working great. I mean, for example, KMI was prepared to do our calibration test in the very first session. And we cruised through that to the point of we still had spare time, which you never have spare time doing space operations.

[Maria Varmazes]

Spare time.

[Troy Morris]

And so we started into the actual testing during a calibration setting of like, does it turn off and on? We had time, so we did some early runs there. So again, it's just been gangbusters is the best way I can put it.

[Maria Varmazes]

That's amazing. I keep saying congratulations, but truly, I mean, all of that is just incredible. I can tell. And I want to hear what's next because this is such a great step. So I'm sure this is just a springboard for all sorts of things that.

You'Re working on now.

[Troy Morris]

Yeah. So in the short term picture, again I said in the calibration Test, we did nine capture runs when we were expecting to do zero. So that was a great step. Then in the second session, because we have completed three of this planned session so far. In the second session we did 12 runs. And I want to clarify for those of science, not every single run is 100% perfect capture. Sometimes something goes wrong, the wrong command has been given. And everyone thought the Astrobee, the platform we were on, was going to go forward and it did not because someone hit the wrong key. But that happens. And so we're like, okay, how does the system react if only 3/4 of it are hitting the object we're trying to capture? And then in this last third session we did just briefly ago, we did 33 captures. So I am not the world's fastest mathematician, but from 9 to 12 to 33 over a similar unit of time, we're getting good at this. And that's the excitement we have for our upcoming session 4. And looking at some additional sessions as now some of our terrestrial partners have some further curiosity. Like what if you did xyz? And so we've got tumbling coming up, we've got more challenging situations, but again, we did 33 captures in a very small unit of time on this last session. And that's again just in the short.

[Maria Varmazes]

Term picture, longer term, beyond a linear progression.

If I'm doing mapping it correctly in my brain, that's fantastic. My brain's going, okay, you all were on an Astrobee. That's the platform moving forward for now. Or is there another platform that maybe you all are going to be working with?

[Dave]

Or yeah.

[Troy Morris]

So on the iss, again with all those safety things I've mentioned, I think a dozen times it was something that we saw a utilization path of speed and ease of using something that already has permission to fly around. The ISS already has batteries, already has comms, already has electromagnetic interference. It is as plug and play as you could hope for in one of the biggest experiments humanity has ever done. So on the iss, it is a no brainer for us to use what's there. And that's sped up our timelines aggressively as we move forward. All the wonderful lessons we've learned about Astrobee are pretty much for nothing because we are going into a free flyer outside the ISS for actual asset management. And so it's something that we're sharing a lot of these lessons in academia and at conferences and actually one of my co founders is on the NOW board to help the next group. I don't even want to say generation the next group, the next few months and years that are going to work with Astrobee to share our lessons with them. But the Astrobee is a provided platform, we're partnering currently and then we've already contracted with suppliers for our free flyer that'll go out in space and capture true space assets. So on one hand it's completely different. You've got larger tanks, you've got different test parameters. On the other it's almost similar of we are bringing our Reach payload and the special softwares that all go behind to make it all work and plugging into a space tested, very vigorous program just rather than being run by the lovely people at MIT and at NASA aims it's now being done by a much larger organization and has a little bit more thrust than the computer fans that the Astropeat uses.

[Maria Varmazes]

Keep doing it. It's just amazing to see and I'm just really, I'm honored frankly that you all take the time to speak to me about it now and then and it's just so wonderful to see what you're doing. So congrats again and thanks so much for joining me today.

[Troy Morris]

I love talking about our successes and being able to share with your audience at T minus. It's been great to be able to talk with them over. I don't know if it's years now, but we're getting close to, if not.

[Maria Varmazes]

Getting close to it.

[Troy Morris]

Yeah, yeah. So it's something that I'll be happy to continue to update with all the hard work my team is doing. I really just am a smiley face who answers a few silly questions every so often. But I mean the wonderful team in Marquette, Michigan, the team across the country working hard in so many ways, physical software, bureaucracy. It is really a huge team effort from our team and our supporters who they may not wear the KMI name tag every day but but we've got champions fighting for us and that's how we've gone so far. So the whole industry has really been supportive and so we're excited to do what we can to extend that hand forward for those that might follow after us. And just continue pushing the boundaries to what humanity can do.

Foreign.

[Maria Varmazes]

We'Ll be right back.

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[Maria Varmazes]

Welcome back. We work on space problems to solve Earth problems and more and more. It's clear that we need to solve.

[Troy Morris]

Earth problems to keep going on to space.

[Maria Varmazes]

A new peer reviewed study in nature sustainability by researchers at MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the University of Birmingham took a look at how atmospheric changes due to greenhouse gas emissions may.

[Troy Morris]

Intersect with the ballooning number of satellites.

[Maria Varmazes]

In low Earth orbit. Using projected CO2 emissions between the years 2000 and 2100, the report says we could see a potential 50 to 66% reduction in the atmosphere's carrying capacity between 200 and 1000 kilometers in orbit. Now, 200 to 1000 kilometers in orbit is the lower half of what's usually defined as low Earth orbit altitudes. And that is where you'll find both space stations. Hubble SpaceX Starlink satellites yeah, it's a popular altitude range, an orbital sweet spot, if you will. And add to that that we know less about how our atmosphere works than we really would like. But we're learning more and more all the time like that different layers of the upper atmosphere behave differently, especially when interacting with greenhouse gases. Once you get past the homopause, the.

[Troy Morris]

Point at which the atmosphere is, well.

[Maria Varmazes]

Mixed, that is when thermodynamics, gravity, density, molecular diffusion all lead to a bit of a layer cake in the atmosphere where each different layer behaves differently and changes in one can affect neighboring layers in different ways.

[Troy Morris]

So one layer absorbing more greenhouse gases.

[Maria Varmazes]

The report says, will actually cause upper atmospheric layers to have decreased density, which will reduce atmospheric drag. And maybe that sounds great for propellant.

[Troy Morris]

Use, but it's not so great for.

[Maria Varmazes]

For getting rid of space debris. In fact, in this situation, space debris will stick around a lot, lot longer. Kessler affect anyone? Lead author William Parker at MIT Aeroastro says the upper atmosphere is in a fragile state as climate change disrupts the status quo. At the same time, there's been a.

[Troy Morris]

Massive increase in the number of satellites.

[Maria Varmazes]

Launched, especially for delivering broadband Internet from space. If we don't manage this activity carefully and work to reduce our emissions, space could become too crowded, leading to more collisions and debris. And he went on to add that we rely on the atmosphere to clean up our debris. If the atmosphere is changing, then the debris environment will change too. We show the long term outlook on orbital debris is critically important on curbing our greenhouse gas emissions. And we've got a link to the study for you in our show notes if you'd like to take a look for yourself. That's it for T minus for March 11, 2025, brought to you by N2K CyberWire. For additional resources from today's report, check out our show [e-mail] 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.

[Troy Morris]

The Fortune 500 to many of the.

[Maria Varmazes]

World'S preeminent intelligence and law enforcement agencies. N2K's senior producer is Alice Carruth. Our producer is Liz Stokes. We're mixed by Elliot Peltzman and Trey Hester with original music by Elliot Peltzman. Our executive producer is Jennifer Ibin. Peter Kilpe is our publisher and I'm your host, Maria Varmazes. Thanks for listening. We will see you tomorrow.

[Troy Morris]

T Minus.