T-Minus Space Daily: Year in Review 2025

Podcast: T-Minus Space Daily
Host: Maria Varmazes, alongside Alice Carruth, Jennifer Ivan, and Liz Stokes
Episode: T-Minus Year in Review 2025
Date: December 24, 2025

Episode Overview

This special year-end episode of T-Minus Space Daily brings together the core production team to reflect on the most significant space industry moments of 2025, their personal highlights, and what they're most excited for in 2026. The discussion is lively, heartfelt, and infused with genuine passion for space exploration and industry advancements.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Favorite Moments of 2025

Liz Stokes: Experiencing a Rocket Launch

• Personal Highlight: Witnessed her first live rocket launch in Florida, describing it as “life changing.”
• Quote:

  “It was amazing and incredible and it was probably my favorite moment at N2K, I think. Cause I got to experience it with you, Alice and Maria, and it was amazing.” (04:02)

• Memorable Moment: Team ended one episode singing “Rocketman”—a fun, spontaneous, and unplanned bonding experience.
• Quote:

  “Our editor ended it with us singing Rocketman... It was just... I'm just glad I knew the words to an older song I was so proud of.” (04:32, 04:51)

Jennifer Ivan: Sharing the Launch and Artemis Anticipation

• Remote Joy: Felt chills witnessing the launch remotely through the team's live audio and video from Florida. Appreciated the emotional authenticity captured for audiences.
• Quote:

  “To hear the video and to hear your voices and to hear the catch in your throats, like, it was just. It gave me the chills, and I felt like I was experiencing it with you guys. And then when we played it on the show, it just really, really made my heart soar.” (06:19)

• Forward Look: Has been deeply engaged following Artemis developments, eagerly awaiting the next crewed lunar mission.
• Quote:

  “I love watching all the new astronaut classes coming in. There's so many things that are happening this year... I'm really excited for NASA now to move forward with Artemis.” (07:13)

Alice Carruth: New Glenn and Commercial Competition

• Highlight: Saw the expansion of competitive commercial space, particularly the debut of Blue Origin’s New Glenn, which exceeded industry expectations.
• Quote:

  “New Glenn... We’ve now seen two of them. They’ve proven themselves above and beyond what people were expecting. To me, that has been an incredible thing to see.” (08:34)

• Reflection: Praises competition as vital for industry growth.
• Quote:

  “Space is so new still to the commercial industry, so we need to see this competition for it to thrive.” (08:58)

Maria Varmazes (Host): Firefly’s Blue Ghost Lunar Mission

• Highlight: The watershed success of Firefly’s Blue Ghost—the first commercial US lunar lander to complete a full mission.
• Quote:

  “Firefly, a private company, successfully landing a lander on the moon and doing the science and having a full, complete mission success... That was just an absolute watershed moment. Like, I cried tears of just total joy.” (09:49)

2. Most Anticipated in 2026

Liz Stokes: Meeting Bill Nye at SpaceCom

• Event: Looking forward to attending SpaceCom in January and possibly meeting Bill Nye, who is giving a keynote address.
• Quote:

  “And there's a special keynote speaker... Bill Nye the Science Guy... Hopefully, I don't know, fingers crossed, we might get to talk to him. That would be amazing if we can. But yeah, I mean... just getting to see him down there would be incredible because he was such a pivotal point in my childhood.” (14:39–15:16)

Jennifer Ivan: The Thrill of Ongoing Competition and Watching Progress

• Insight: Relishes the “first-row seat” to rapid industry development, especially the intensifying competition in both international and domestic contexts.
• Quote:

  “It's not just a global space race, but it's also, you know, within our own country, watching all the different companies coming and going... I really am excited to see, you know what, what's next.” (17:07)

Alice Carruth: The Rise of Space Data Centers

• Focus: Watching the swift progression of space-based data centers, brought into focus by Lone Star's first successful lunar installation.
• Quote:

  “We've gone from thinking at the beginning of 2025, 'Oh, this is a pipe dream,' to all of a sudden having a first data center on the moon. Good job to Lone Star and getting that up there.” (17:58)

Maria Varmazes: Artemis II and Science Milestones

• Anticipation: Excited for the Artemis II crewed lunar flyby—her first chance to witness humans traveling around the moon in her lifetime.
• Quote:

  “Going around the moon with humans hasn't happened in my lifetime. So I'm a little bit excited about that. And by that, I mean incredibly excited.” (19:51)

• Concerns: New NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman faces tough budget constraints, with hopes for revitalized agency support.
• Science Plug: Anticipates more discoveries from the Rubin Observatory, which “came online this year,” and continued excitement about comets and the possibility of interstellar objects.

3. Reflections on Public Perception and Societal Impact

• Growing Appreciation: The team notes a major shift in how the general public perceives space, with increasing recognition of its relevance to everyday life—communications, financial transactions, and even agriculture.
• Quote:

  “2026, I feel like we're really seeing an inflection point of people getting space all of a sudden. It's like the communications for the last 70 years have finally started to permeate and people are going, 'Oh, yeah, space, it's not such a waste anymore.’” (21:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Rocketman Episode:

  “Our editor ended it with us singing Rocketman... I didn't think it would be one of my favorite episodes.” — Liz Stokes (04:32)

• On Firefly’s Blue Ghost:

  “I think China is going to surprise all of us next year... But seeing that, you know, the American commercial space actor succeeding like that was just a really powerful moment.” — Maria Varmazes (10:03)

• On Bill Nye:

  “We are going to meet Bill Nye the Science Guy...” — Alice Carruth (16:13)

• On Data Centers in Space:

  “I think we're going to see such a huge difference to absolutely everything here on the ground if we can get these space data centers up in the air.” — Alice Carruth (18:01)

• Public Engagement:

  “I'm always excited when people get excited about science, even if it's for kind of funny reasons.” — Maria Varmazes (21:23)

Important Timestamps

| Time | Segment Highlight | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 03:15 | Liz shares her rocket launch highlight | | 06:19 | Jennifer on the emotional impact of launch sharing | | 08:24 | Alice talks commercial competition and New Glenn | | 09:48 | Maria highlights Firefly’s Blue Ghost mission | | 14:39 | Looking ahead: Bill Nye at SpaceCom | | 17:07 | Jennifer anticipates further industry breakthroughs | | 17:58 | Alice on space-based data centers | | 19:51 | Maria on Artemis II and her space science wishlist | | 21:30 | Public perception inflection point (Alice) |

Tone and Team Dynamics

The conversation is collegial, enthusiastic, supportive, and occasionally humorous. The team’s camaraderie is clear, particularly in segments about their shared experiences and hopes to meet their heroes (“We are going to meet Bill Nye the Science Guy…”), and their willingness to laugh and reminisce about inside jokes (e.g., “Jen on a Stick”).

Conclusion

The T-Minus Space Daily team wraps up 2025 with gratitude for each other, their audience, and the rapid momentum in the space industry. All look forward to a 2026 defined by new milestones: Artemis II, burgeoning commercial space competition, the rise of space-based data centers, scientific revelations, and ongoing public engagement. Their blend of industry insight and personal enthusiasm makes this year-in-review both informative and uplifting for listeners of all backgrounds.