T-Minus Space Daily — September 25, 2025

Main Theme:
This episode delivers a focused round-up of the latest innovations and critical issues in the space industry, highlighting new lunar mission ambitions, advancements in orbital servicing, and the pressing topic of cyber resilience for space systems. The highlight is an in-depth interview with Dan Trujillo, Technical Lead for Space Cyber Resiliency at the Air Force Research Lab’s Space Vehicles Directorate, who discusses both his role and the upcoming AFRL Space Cyber Summit.

Episode Highlights

1. News Roundup: Key Developments in Space

(00:59 – 08:42)

• Lunar Sample Return Mission Ambitions

  • Japan’s iSpace and Elevation Space sign an agreement to develop technology for returning lunar samples to Earth, aiming toward the first commercial lunar sample return.
  • “If they are successful, it could potentially be the first commercial lunar sample return mission, which is, you gotta say, pretty neat.” – Maria Varmazes (02:27)
  • However, iSpace’s prior landers, though successfully deployed in lunar orbit, crashed on the surface in both 2023 and 2025.
  • Both companies are engaging with prospective customers including governments, space agencies, and private entities.

• NASA’s Swift Observatory Orbital Boost

  • Catalyst Space Technologies wins a $30 million contract to use a robotic spacecraft to raise the Neil Gehrel's Swift Observatory’s orbit, extending its scientific mission.
  • Increased solar activity has sped up Swift’s orbital decay, creating the need for intervention.

• Axiom’s Commercial Space Station Progress

  • Redwire will deliver rollout solar array wings for Axiom Space’s payload power thermal module (AXPPTM), the first in their upcoming space station assembly.
  • The approach allows for progressive separation from the ISS and an independent, multi-module station by 2030.

• Nuclear Power Sourcing for Space

  • Xenopower and Orano agree to secure a supply of Americium-241 from nuclear fuel recycling in France for space radioisotope batteries, addressing scarcity of Plutonium-238.

• Planet Labs Expands Satellite Manufacturing to Germany

  • New Berlin facility will double Pelican satellite production capacity and add up to 70 new jobs, boosting Planet’s European market reach.
  • “Planet is expected to invest over eight figures on the new facility in Germany…” – Maria Varmazes (07:30)

• Additional Brief Updates

  • Launch agreements: Ourspace satellites, Turian Space event camera, Space Force ‘Front Door’ initiative rebranding, and continued Project Kuiper satellite deployments.

2. Exclusive Interview: Securing the Space Domain

Guest: Dan Trujillo, AFRL Space Vehicle Directorate’s Space Cyber Resiliency Technical Lead

(12:05 – 23:33)

Trujillo’s Mission & Perspective

• Leads a team bridging cutting-edge cyber R&D and operational space assets for USSF (and USAF):

  • “We do a lot of research in taking raw technology visions and maturing it in the lab...because a lot of these are just cyber technologies that we want to bump up or integrate into space systems.” (12:40)
  • Unique challenge: Space assets can't be physically serviced, so cyber defense and updates must be managed remotely, necessitating robust and anticipatory protections.

• The space-cyber domain is entering its ‘Wild West’ phase as satellites grow more autonomous and operate further from Earth:

  • “As we move out towards the moon and beyond...our satellites are going to have to be autonomous...To me, that's the Wild West right? ... you need to make sure [it] is secure, right?” (14:54)

• Critical need for built-in cyber protections at the ‘ground floor’ of future space architecture, especially as commercial constellations scale up.

  • “We want to make sure that we are able to design in the cyber protections from the get go before this large architecture is built out.” (14:30)

AFRL Space Cyber Summit (October 15–16, 2025, Albuquerque, NM)

• Purpose: Convene government, academia, and industry stakeholders to collaborate on emergent and persistent cyber threats to space vehicles.

• Evolution:

  • Started to map out who was working in ‘space cyber’, now brings together thousands from diverse sectors.
  • “It is a small group of people...thousands, but compared to some of the other domains, it's actually...very small.” (16:46)

• New Format:

  • Shorter 15-minute talks with extended open discussion (rest of the hour) to foster real exchange and new ideas instead of one-way presentation.
  • Day 1: Unclassified, open to the public (focus: collaboration, brainstorming).
  • Day 2: Classified (for registered/cleared participants).

• Key Topic Areas (Day 1): (18:49 – 22:30)

  • Securing the Space Vehicle Supply Chain
    • Ensuring security in globally distributed hardware/software sourcing and manufacturing.
  • Cyber Hardening of Space Vehicles
    • Reducing attack surface; designing flexible architectures able to face unknown and future vulnerabilities.
  • Onboard Cyber Detection
    • Detecting attacks in orbit, which could resemble malfunctions or faults, is crucial for timely response.
  • Onboard Cyber Protection
    • Techniques to neutralize or reduce malware impact on essential space functions.
  • Onboard Response Strategies
    • Avoiding hasty actions during missions, emphasizing nuanced and mission-aware responses to cyber attacks.
    • “You have to be smart about how you respond because you could be executing a mission you cannot kill that process. ...You might want to see if you can work through that.” (22:01)
  • Designing for Adaptive Cyber Resilience
    • Lessons from human immunity—preparing for “zero day” or unknown threats by enabling detection and defense that evolves with attackers.
    • “Is it possible we can develop some type of cyber protections that are able to adapt much like the human body?” (22:18)

• Registration Deadlines & Event Perks

  • Deadline: October 8
  • Last year drew over 100 participants; Summit coincides with Albuquerque’s “balloon fiesta.”
  • Summit details and registration at AFRL’s site.

3. Open-Source Spotlight: Starfall Meteor Detection

(24:23 – 26:06)

• Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Lab has open-sourced its “Starfall” bolide (meteor) detection software, which analyzes NOAA’s GLM satellite data for meteor events.
• Welcomes community contributions, with code available on GitHub.

Notable Quotes

• Dan Trujillo, on the challenge of cyber in the space domain:
  • “You can't go up and fix those satellites, right? ... It's just all through software updates. And that's a large part of our job.” (13:08)
• On the need for evolving strategies:
  • “We don't know what we don't know. ... Is it possible that we can develop some type of cyber protections that are able to adapt much like the human body?” (22:18)
• Maria Varmazes, on the stakes of commercial lunar sample return:
  • “If they are successful, it could potentially be the first commercial lunar sample return mission, which is, you gotta say, pretty neat.” (02:27)

Timestamps for Key Sections

• 00:59 — Main News Roundup: Lunar ambitions, orbital servicing, Axiom's new station, nuclear batteries, Planet Labs (ends ~08:42)
• 12:05 — Interview: Dan Trujillo, AFRL Space Cyber Resiliency Lead, on his team’s mission and the “Wild West” stage of space-cybersecurity
• 16:25 — Preview: AFRL Space Cyber Summit (agenda, audience, format)
• 18:49 — Summit Key Discussion Topics (detailed breakdown)
• 24:23 — Starfall Open Source Meteor Detection Software

Tone & Style

Pragmatic, enthusiastic, and deeply engaged with both technical issues and the broader significance for national security, commercial innovation, and humanity’s future in space.

For more details, show notes and links: space.n2k.com