← T-Minus: Space-Cyber Briefing
T-Minus: Space-Cyber Briefing
Rocket Lab Closes Geost Deal.
00:25:09
Rocket Lab completes the acquisition of Geost. IN-SPACe selects a group led by PixxelSpace for a constellation. ESA moves to pull away from NASA. And more.
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- [00:02]
Maria Varmazes
You're listening to the N2K space network.
- [00:08]
Bryce Kennedy
You say you'll never join the Navy, that you'd never track storms brewing in the Atlantic, and skydiving could never be part of your commute. You'd never climb Mount Fuji on a port visit or fly so fast you.
- [00:25]
Maria Varmazes
Break the sound barrier.
- [00:28]
Bryce Kennedy
Joining the Navy sounds crazy. Saying never actually is. Start your journey@navy.com, america's Navy Forged by the Sea.
- [00:41]
Maria Varmazes
Today is August 12th, 2025. I'm Maria Varmazes and this is T -T -20 seconds. Los Sedris go for deploy. LEO Labs has entered into a Space act agreement with NAS to evaluate the company's data and determine its applications for new NASA Conjunction assessment missions. NASA selects Cambrian Works and Catalyst Space Technologies to develop concept design studies for a possible orbit boost for the Neil Garrels Swift Observatory. The European Space Agency is deliberating moves to become less dependent on NASA programs. Inspace has selected a consortium led by Pixel Space to build a commercial sovereign constellation of Earth observation satellites. Rocket Lab has completed the acquisition of the parent holding company of geost. Our guest today is Bryce Kennedy, Space Connectivity Senior officer at the International Telecommunications Union. Bryce and producer Alice Carruth discussed emerging space economies and the role of the itu. Find more after today's headlines. Happy Tuesday, everybody. Thanks for joining me. Let's dive into today's briefing, shall we? Rocket Lab has completed the acquisition of the parent holding company of geost. The acquisition, which was first announced in May, was completed for $275 million before closing adjustments, comprising approximately $125 million in cash and over 3 million shares of Rocket Lab common stock, with an additional potential earnout of up to $50 million tied to future revenue targets of Geost's business. Geost technologies support missile warning and tracking, tactical intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, Earth observation and space domain awareness. Rocket Lab says that with the acquisition now complete, the company is now better positioned to bid for US national security programs such as the golden and the Space Development Agency's proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. GEOST will continue to operate in Arizona and Virginia, expanding Rocket Lab's footprint across North America. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization center, known as Inspace, has selected a consortium led by Pixel Space to build a commercial homegrown constellation of Earth observation satellites. Inspace has invested more than 12 billion rupees, which amounts to nearly 137 million dollars or over the next five years for this project. The consortium also includes Peersight Space, Satcher Analytics India and Dhruva space, and together they will design, build and operate the satellites. The constellation aims to reduce India's dependence on foreign systems, including the widely used U.S. global Positioning System. And India is not the only nation looking to pull back dependence on United States technology. The European Space Agency's Director General, Josef Aschbacher has told media that Europe needs to become less depend on NASA's tech and exploration programs if it wants to keep its status as a major space power. The warning comes following proposed NASA budget cuts, which have a direct impact on ESA's programs. Around 95% of ESA's total 7.7 billion euro annual budget is independent of decisions made in the United States, but roughly half of the 600 million euro allotted for human and robotic exploration this year relies on NASA's current spending plans. ESA will be reassessing funding and international partnerships when the members meet in November to set ESA's next three year budget. NASA is exploring an opportunity to demonstrate technology to raise a spacecraft's orbit to a higher altitude if any of you caught the last episode of the Aerospace Corporation's monthly Nexus segment with us here on T minus, then this is sounding very good for cosmic and if you didn't catch the segment, well, we've added a link in the show notes called European VV27 Victory so you can go and take a listen. In any case, the US Space Agency has selected Cambrian Works and Catalyst Space Technologies to develop concept design studies for a possible orbit boost for the agency's Neil Garrel's Swift observatory. The spacecraft's low Earth orbit has been decaying gradually since its launch in 2004, and NASA says this lowering orbit presents an opportunity for the space agency to advance a US Industry capability while potentially extending the science lifetime of the Swift mission. The concept studies will help determine whether extending Swift's critical scientific capabilities would be more cost effective than replacing those capabilities with a new observatory. And LeoLabs has entered into a Space act agreement with NASA to evaluate the company's data and determine its applications for new NASA Conjunction Assessment, or CA missions. Under the agreement, NASA's Conjunction Assessment Risk Analysis, or CARA program, which performs CA for NASA, will receive LEO labs, satellite metric observations and radar cross section data, orbit determination and orbital safety products, and more. NASA will test LeoLabs data to ensure that it can integrate with the Department of Defense's Space Surveillance Network tracking data to produce a combined CA solution. And that just about wraps up today's top five stories. But as always, there is so much more going on in the space industry N2K senior producer Alice Gruth joins us now with some of the other stories that we are watching. Alice, don't we have a few launches later today?
- [06:52]
Alice Carruth
At the time of recording there are two big launches on the schedule. Ariane 6 returns to the skies this evening with the Metop SGA1 liftoff is expected at 9:37pm local time from Europe Spaceport in French Guiana. And here in the US we're going to be watching ULA's Vulcan liftoff from Cape Canaveral just before 8pm Eastern. Vulcan will be carrying a pair of US Space Force national security satellites to GEO. We'll have more on both those launches on tomorrow's show.
- [07:19]
Maria Varmazes
And what else have we got linked in today's Selected Readings section?
- [07:22]
Alice Carruth
We have three additional STOR is in there for you today. AST Space Mobile released their Q2 results, Black sky has secured a contract extension from an unnamed customer and Redwire has announced updates to its Acorn 2.0 software product.
- [07:35]
Maria Varmazes
And a reminder, those links can also be found on our website, which is space.n2k.com hey t/ Crew. If you're just joining us, be sure to follow T Minus Space daily in your favorite podcast app. Also, please do us a favor and share the intel with your friends and co workers. 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 like you can find the show. Thank you so much. It means a lot to me and all of us here at T Minus.
- [08:27]
Bryce Kennedy
I'm Ben Yellen, co host of the Caveat Podcast. Each Thursday we sit down and talk about the biggest legal and policy developments affecting technology that are shaping our world. Whether it be sitting down with experts or government officials, or breaking down the latest political developments, we talk about the stories that will have tangible impacts on businesses and people around the world. If you are looking to stay informed on what is happening and how it can impact you, and make sure to listen to the Caveat podcast.
- [09:02]
Maria Varmazes
Our guest is Bryce Kennedy, the Space Connectivity Senior Officer at the International Telecommunication Union. Bryce spoke to producer Al Screws about what attracted him to his role at itu.
- [09:16]
Bryce Kennedy
When I got into the space industry I remember talking to a White House. I think he's on the Space Council many, many, many years ago when it was first stood up. So it was an older gentleman and I go I want to work for the most powerful, influential, impactful organization in space. And I was like is it, is it SpaceX Is it NASA? He's like no, it's an organization you've never heard of. And I'm like okay, tell you, is it your P. Space Jackson? Tell me. He's like, it's the IT I'm like what? And he goes, yeah, it's International Telecommunication Unit. He's like, they are really the bedrock of all space. He's like, they, if you can imagine oxygen in space, they are the people that control that and, and really ensure that the world participates at this holistic equal level. They are in charge of all the radio frequency for the world. It was established in 1860 with the advent of the telegraph. And I have to give credit where credit's due. The fact that it has been this long standing the world. No nation can circumvent the ITU and the way that they regulate spectrum and hand it out and then also work with orbital slots and all kinds of stuff. Every, every nation participates at some level with the itu, which is really impressive.
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Alice Carruth
They must be pretty busy at the moment because we've gone from what a handful of satellites really to tens of thousands, thousands at this point in the last maybe what, 10 years, it really has rapidly grown. How are they managing that when you've got such a huge player with the US but then we're starting to see a lot more sovereign nations bringing satellites on board Again.
- [10:56]
Bryce Kennedy
When you're an organization from 1860, you have to be used to adapting to current climates. You know, moving from telegraph to satellites alone is a massive, a massive change. And you know, so I work primarily with the developing sector and one of the things that I'm seeing that the ITU is really starting to leverage is that history. So working with developing nations to understand what spectrum usage is, what the best management structures are, even down to space agency best practices policy and regulatory schema, the whole thing. And yeah, really, really pulling in that, that history to help inform the the future of space.
- [11:50]
Alice Carruth
You must do a lot of traveling with this kind of role, particularly if you're working with the developing nations. What are you seeing in those developing nations? What are you expecting in the coming years?
- [11:59]
Bryce Kennedy
There's a massive, massive uptick in terms of these countries that want to participate. And I think one of the things that's we're starting to see is maybe in the beginning, and I could be wrong with this, but in the beginning I think, you know, we use the US as the blueprint to what, you know, like I said before, regulatory licensing schema looked like, even down to kind of a NASA type Space agency thing. But back to understanding the basic principle in business is what Know your customer and each nation, their quote unquote customer, their population, their infrastructure, their desires, their whatever, know the customer of that group of people. And so one of the things that ITU is doing is really helping bring this global perspective of different institutional knowledge from Roscosmos to JAXA to ESA to NASA to fcc, you know, to other countries versions of that and having those conversations to see what fits best with those, those countries. Because the one thing we want to make sure is that everyone that participates is really aligned with their core values of that country and then also the broader legacy of space. You know, one of the great missions that I went on was to Mongolia for it was the landlocked developing country summit. And one of the things it was so beautiful to see, like hey, you know, Mongolia, I Forget what percentage, 40 or 50 percentage, maybe even higher of the population is nomadic. And they're like, we get, we need satellite, we get, we need this footprint in space. But also this is who our population is. So we were able to really understand at the ground level of what those landlocked countries needed.
- [13:50]
Alice Carruth
I'd love you to talk a bit more about what you found out in Mongolia. It must have been quite an experience to see how, why are they looking at space? Is it for technological advancements? Is it so they can have telehealth, for example? What is it you're seeing when you're going to places like Mongolia?
- [14:05]
Bryce Kennedy
Mongolia is really man, they're pushing the, their tech infrastructure. So they have mining. The mining is a really big thing. But with that they're also pushing themselves to be technologically up to date and futuristic and a hub for that. You know, one it's so funny is they, they really love their, and I love this about this because it's, it's, they're not forgetting their past. So they have a Genghis Khan, that global kind of mission to, I wouldn't say take over the world, but that, that ability to, to lead in their past. And they're bringing that, that, that, that mentality that is just baked into their ethos, into the future. And they're doing it through tech. And so one of the things is like making sure that, you know, should, should their people really start to, to move in that, that, that direction and then start to pull in people from a global, from around the globe that they want to be at the forefront of that. And I have to say I forget the name of their, their version of the fcc, but Their group that leads, that is, is really pushing that because, you know, again, they have the nomadic groups, they have the, the historical culture and all this other stuff, but at the same time they really see that this is, this is the forward trend and, and just leading with that as opposed to, I don't know, I see some countries really going the opposite with like, oh, space is improving and we don't need that. We have terrestrial lines. We'll just, we'll just focus on that. And yeah, it's just, and even, even having the landlocked developing countries summit was to me very revolutionary because they were able to share insights. They were able to say, I think it was Laos who put up a satellite. And they were able to say, maybe we want to start sharing, you know, spectrum usage and all these different things and really pull each other in as a group where they could start to have a, again, back to this thing, knowing your customer, right, and looking at what works for them as opposed to say, a, I don't know, generic blueprint, I guess.
- [16:16]
Alice Carruth
That brings me to the event that you guys are advertising coming up in October in Geneva. It's about space sustainability. What is ITU doing getting involved in space sustainability and space domain awareness?
- [16:28]
Bryce Kennedy
Yeah, so we have the Space Sustainability Forum. Last year was the first year. And it just goes to show you that what the ITU is still able to, in terms of pull in from just an idea of like, hey, we need to start having these conversations. You know, we understand our three roles of regulation, standardization in developing countries, but let's pull in at a global level in one area, key players to, to go deeper into this subject. So again, we can start harnessing that information and understanding best practices at the ITU level and then at the Mason level. And so this will be the second year, it's going to be much bigger. There's going to be a host of really, really diverse and dynamic speakers that are going to pull in everything from the regulation policy, from launch, from spectrum usage, from. We have the Youth Advisory Board speak. We have all kinds of different inputs that I would say would take a global organization like the ITU to be able to host something so dynamic and so diverse where we can really get down to, you know, brass tacks and see how we can ensure that sustainability is, quote, unquote, sustainable. You know, it's one thing to kind of throw out these metrics in this, you know, chest banging, like, we need to make sure whatever sustainability means, and I think even the ITU is pulling back of like, what does sustainability what does it mean for each country, for each participant? Not just coming with a traditional blueprint of, let's say, space debris or, or something like that. They're, they're broadening that, messaging that, broadening that definition through the input of the member states. And yeah, I, I, like I said, I give them a lot of credit because most people would kind of default to the. Maybe they adhere to a definition of that. ITU is definitely not doing that.
- [18:41]
Maria Varmazes
We'll be right back.
- [18:45]
Bryce Kennedy
This episode is brought to you by Lifelock. When you visit the doctor, you'd probably hand over your insurance, your ID and contact details. It's just one of the many places that has your personal info and if any of them accidentally expose it, you could be at risk for identity theft. LifeLock monitors millions of data points a second. If you become a victim, they'll fix it, guaranteed. Or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year@lifelock.com podcast terms apply.
- [19:18]
Maria Varmazes
Welcome back. There is a new research article published on August 4 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences titled the Entities Enabling Scientific Fraud at Scale are Large, Resilient, and Growing Rapidly. And for those of us outside the world of science and academia, the term scientific fraud probably raises some question marks. Why would anyone bother faking scientific research or publishing in a dodgy scientific esque journal when surely at some point the truth catches up to you, right? Well, as is so often the way for unscrupulous things, the reason, says the article's authors, is money. You get better jobs, better access, and better recognition the more you author papers based on your research or have your papers cited. And if your future depends on these things happening and there's a way to get a leg up if you just fake it, well, yeah, people are doing that from the article itself and I quote, increasing inequality in resource accessibility may be contributing to the increasing scale of scientific fraud. However, even when provided with resources, research remains a high risk activity. One does not know a priori whether a study will be successful or not. Why risk failure jeopardizing one's career, when for a relatively small fee, one can easily acquire the publications and and citations that would otherwise require an immense amount of labor? Why indeed. And Keith Cooper@Space.com asked a question for all of us to ponder. Right. Is astronomy safe from these kinds of pressures for scientific fraud? Traditionally, space sciences were not big moneymakers compared to the sciences that might yield lucrative materials science or medical breakthroughs. But space is in the geopolitical limelight right now, and we are in a bit of a Space Race 2.0. So it does stand to reason, says Cooper, that we should expect to see an uptick in scientific fraud in the space sciences as well. Unfortunately. And the authors of the research fraud study stated their concern that junk science is being published in junk pseudo journals and that is all fast outpacing legitimate science and peer reviewed publications. So much so that it's going to drown out the real stuff. And when you add in, oh, you knew I was going to say it, artificial intelligence to the mix, being trained on fake scientific research, well, it is just slop all the way down. And that's T minus Brought to you by N2K CyberWire we'd love to know what you think of this podcast. Your feedback ensures we deliver the insights that keep you a step ahead in the rapidly changing space industry. If you like our show, please share a rating and review in your podcast app. Please also fill out the survey in the show notes or send an email to space2k.com we're proud that N2K CyberWire is part of the daily routine 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 helps space and cybersecurity professionals grow, learn and stay informed. As the nexus for discovery and connection, we bring you the people, the technology and the ideas shaping the future of secure innovation. Learn how@n2k.com N2K's senior producer is Alice Carruth. Our producer is Liz Stokes. We are mixed by Elliot Peltzman and Tre Hester with original music by Elliot Peltzman. Our executive producer is Jennifer Ivan. Peter Kilby is our publisher and I am your host, Maria Varmazes. Thanks for listening. See you tomorrow.
- [23:09]
Bryce Kennedy
T minus.