Thermal vision & sovereign ambition.

Summary

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T-Minus Space Daily: "Thermal Vision & Sovereign Ambition"

Host: Maria Varmazas (N2K Networks)
Date: February 17, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of T-Minus Space Daily focuses on breakthrough developments in space intelligence and infrastructure, highlighting advances in thermal Earth observation, European sovereign space ambitions, digital twin technology for agriculture, and new partnerships in rapidly iterating in-space manufacturing. The show features news updates from the global space industry and an insightful interview with Courtney Stod (Staad), Executive Vice President of the Beyond Earth Institute, previewing the upcoming Beyond Earth Symposium and discussing the future of space policy, international competition, and commercial opportunities.

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Key News Segments & Insights

1. SatVu’s $40M Raise & NATO Investment (01:21)

• SatVu, a UK-based thermal intelligence company, closes a £30 million ($40 million) funding round, bringing total equity to £60 million ($80 million).
• Strategic investment comes from the NATO Innovation Fund.
• Funding will accelerate deployment of a high-resolution thermal satellite constellation providing persistent, reliable, and global Earth observation.
• SatVu’s constellation:
  • Hotsat 2 & 3 to launch in 2026
  • Hotsat 4 & 5 under contract, with early works for Hotsat 6
• Quote:
  “SatVu’s thermal intelligence technology can provide governments and businesses across NATO nations with a level of detailed data that was simply not available before.”
  — Trisha Saxena, NATO Innovation Fund [02:37]

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2. Sateliot & PLD Space: Fully Spanish Private Launch (03:41)

• Sateliot signs with PLD Space for a 2027 dedicated launch—a first for an all-Spanish private mission.
• Launch will send two TRITO satellites into LEO via PLD’s Miura 5 reusable micro-launcher.
• The new-generation satellites expand IoT, mobile, data, voice, and video via direct-to-device 5G.

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3. Orbex’s Future Uncertain Amid Administration Procedures (04:43)

• UK launch company Orbex in financial distress, enters administration procedures.
• To build confidence, Orbex releases new photos of its microlauncher “Prime"—once touted as an advanced, low-carbon micro-launcher.
• Test launches scheduled for later in the year with existing customer commitments still in flux.

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4. Australia’s $15M Digital Twin for Agriculture (05:46)

• Australasian Space Innovation Institute initiates a $15 million “national digital twin” project for Australian agriculture.
• Aims for coordinated, AI-enabled geospatial decision-making at national scale; integrates satellite, IoT/sensor, climate, and agronomic data.
• The digital twin will help in climate resilience, biosecurity, water management, and productivity via predictive modeling and scenario testing.

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5. SOFIA Space & Outpost Tech: On-orbit AI for Rapid Manufacturing Innovation (06:49)

• SOFIA Space and Outpost Technologies partner to evaluate on-orbit AI for manufacturing with quick return-to-Earth capability.
• SOFIA’s Tile Orbital Compute aims for in-orbit processing, reduced latency and bandwidth, faster cycles, and autonomy in manufacturing.

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Feature Interview: Courtney Stod (Staad), Beyond Earth Institute

Begins at [09:38]

Symposium Preview and Goals

• Beyond Earth Symposium: Feb 24–25, 2026, at American University, Washington DC.
• Theme: "From Space Habitat to Space Town: Creating a Clear Pathway."
• 40+ speakers: mix of senior corporate execs, NASA officials (past & present), academic and government leaders.
• Goals: Foster debate on pathways from Earth orbit to lunar & beyond, emphasize actionable recommendations.

Notable Quotes

• “The energy and the vision that the next generation is bringing... is so important to robust discussion.”
  — Courtney Stod [11:42]
• “This is not just bloviating over a day and a half and populating an echo chamber, but we invite everyone, both on stage and certainly in the audience, to participate in a robust engagement discussion. Because after all, this is the future of your country, of our species off planet.”
  — Courtney Stod [14:00]

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Symposium Discussion Points

Embracing Diverse Viewpoints ([11:20]–[15:50])

• Deliberate inclusion of differing, even opposing, viewpoints—particularly on panels addressing international competition, commercialization, and station transition.
• Example: A panel will discuss the scale and implications of China’s space ambitions—competition vs. cooperation.

Addressing US-China Space Rivalry ([12:11])

• “Is it a race? What is it? And what can the United States most effectively do to counter the Chinese and their allies, at the same time recognizing... the need [for] areas of cooperation at a technical level?”
  — Courtney Stod

Transitioning to Commercial Space Stations ([12:58])

• Importance of ensuring seamless transition from ISS to future commercial stations.
• Real-world impacts—from scientific research (e.g. cancer, plastics, biologics) to electronics—the need to maintain knowledge continuity.

Focus on Lunar Habitats & Settlement ([13:55])

• Showcasing visions for lunar habitats; includes “very compelling video” from a leading space architect.
• Discussions on resource utilization: rare minerals, helium-3, water, and the economic/national security potential.

“Symposium” in the True Sense ([15:11])

• Emphasizes the event’s genuine, interactive format—substantive dialogue not just from panelists but also from engaged audience participation.
• “It wasn’t just, you know, I have a question in the form of a comment type stuff. It was really robust discussion from a lot of different points of view.” — Maria Varmazas

Invitation & Broad Call to Participate ([15:50])

• Quick, easy registration via beyondearthsymposium.org.
• Aimed at fostering connections across policy, industry, and next-generation leaders.
• “This is...an inflection point. We have for the first time an entrepreneur businessman running NASA who’s got a writ to take the United States to the moon—this time to stay.” — Courtney Stod [16:11]

Uplifting Future for Space – Youth and Hope ([17:40])

• Courtney closes with optimism about space’s next generation:
  “The young people who are coming in droves...they’re extraordinary. You will see that we’re in really good hands in terms of our future in the space domain.”

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Human Spaceflight Updates ([20:01])

• SpaceX Crew-12: Safely arrived at ISS, joining Expedition 74. ESA’s Sophie Adenot makes history as the second French woman in space and first since 2001.
• Artemis II Update:
  • Next SLS wet dress rehearsal targeted for Feb 19; launch could happen as early as March 6, fingers crossed.

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Memorable Quotes

• “We want robust engagement... Because after all, this is the future of your country, of our species off planet.” — Courtney Stod [14:00]
• “If you ever question the future...all you need to do is see the young people who are coming into this domain of space exploration and development.” — Courtney Stod [17:40]

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Timestamps for Noteworthy Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------|-------------| | SatVu/NATO funding and constellation | 01:21–03:07 | | Sateliot & PLD Space Spanish launch | 03:41–04:30 | | Orbex microlauncher/administration details | 04:43–05:28 | | Australia’s Agri Digital Twin | 05:46–06:37 | | SOFIA Space/Outpost in-space mfg partnership | 06:49–07:23 | | Courtney Stod interview (Beyond Earth Symposium)| 09:38–18:41 | | Human spaceflight (Crew-12, Artemis 2) | 20:01–21:54 |

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Overall Tone & Takeaways

• The episode blends technical news with policy and community-building, emphasizing international competition and collaboration, commercial innovation, and the vibrant, multidisciplinary future of space.
• The tone is energetic, encouraging, and forward-looking—highlighting both challenges and optimism (particularly the role of young professionals).
• The Beyond Earth Symposium is positioned as a lightning rod for substantive debate and action in the evolving space ecosystem.

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Useful Links:

• Beyond Earth Symposium
• space.n2k.com (for further details on all discussed news items)

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Transcript

[Maria Varmazas]

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[Maria Varmazas]

Today is february 17, 2026. Happy lunar new year. I'm maria varmazas and this is t minus t 20 seconds los speed reservo for deploy. Sofia Space and Outpost Technologies Corporation are partnering to evaluate use cases at the intersection of on orbit AI computing and rapid return to Earth space manufacturing. The Australasian Space Innovation Institute has launched a $15 million national digital twin for Australian agriculture project Orbex released unseen photographs of its micro launcher named prime as the company looks to secure a future satelliot has signed a commercial contract with PLD Space for a dedicated rocket launch in 2027. SatVu has closed a 30 million pound welcome. Later in today's show, Courtney Stod will be joining us to talk about the Beyond Earth Symposium which is being held in Washington D.C. from February 24th. Stay with us to find out more about that event and how you can go after today's headlines. We ended last year and indeed continued into the start of 2026 talking about Europe's plans for sovereign space capabilities and it seems that those plans are already starting to take shape. Let's dive in in today's intelligence briefing, shall we? First up, UK based thermal intelligence company Satvu has closed a 30 million pound funding round. That's $40 million for those of us on this side of the pond. The new raise brings SatVu's total equity funding to 60 million pounds, or around $80 million. This funding enables SatVu to accelerate the delivery of a high resolution thermal constellation that's designed for persistence, reliability and global relevance, giving customers a new trusted layer of insight and positioning the company to define what thermal earth observation makes possible at scale. The new raise includes a strategic investment from the NATO Innovation Fund. Trisha Saxena, Senior Associate at the NATO Innovation fund, says that SatVu's thermal intelligence technology can provide governments and businesses across NATO nations with a level of detailed data that was simply not available before. ZatView has two satellites that are planned for orbit in 2026 and an additional three initiated under contract. These spacecraft are all part of a planned multi satellite constellation. Hotsat 2 and Hotsat 3 are planned for launch this year while Hotsat 4 and 5, together with long lead elements of Hotsat 6 are now under contract and staying with Europe. Satelliot has signed a commercial contract with PLD Space for a dedicated rocket launch. It marks the first fully Spanish private space mission and the agreement includes the launch of two TRITO satellites and their subsequent deployment into low earth orbit. The flight will be carried out on a dedicated Miura 5 launch and Miura 5 is the two stage reusable rocket launcher for small satellites within the Miura family designed, manufactured and operated by PLDSpace. Satelliot's new generation TRITO satellites will have increased operational power of their payload. In addition to providing dual connectivity for IoT devices, they will enable direct to device connectivity for mobile units, enabling access to data, voice and video services based on the 5G standard. The launch is scheduled for 2027. Last week we shared the news that UK launch company Orbex had started procedures to enter administration. Yesterday Orbex released new, as yet unseen photographs of its micro launcher Prime. The company is scrambling to find a way to secure its future and has chosen to share photographs of prime being assembled, highlighting the main structural components of the launch vehicle in near flight configuration. The first test launches of Orbex's microlauncher Prime were due to take place later this year and Orbex had commercial launch commitments from several satellite customers for prime, which was billed as one of the most advanced low carbon micro launchers in the world. Orbex filed a Notice of Intention to appoint administrators last week and will continue trading while all options for the future of the company are explored, including potential sale of all or parts of its business or assets. Let's head on over now to Australia and the Australasian Space Innovation Institute has launched a 15 million doll digital twin for Australian agriculture. The aim of the project is to establish a capability for coordinated decision making and innovation across the agriculture, forestry and fisheries system at a national scale. The Australasian Space Innovation Institute is an independent, not for profit organization and this initiative aims to deliver a sovereign AI enabled geospatial digital twin that integrates satellite Earth observation, IoT and sensor data, climate data and agronomic models into a shared digital environment, all to create a dynamic virtual replica of Australia's agricultural landscapes. Designed as a whole of agriculture capability. The AI enabled capabilities will support predictive scenario modeling across climate resilience, biosecurity, water management and productivity, enabling decision makers to test options, anticipate risks and optimize actions before implementation and Sophia Space and Outpost Technologies Corporation are partnering to evaluate use cases at the intersection of on orbit AI computing and rapid return to Earth space manufacturing. The collaboration reflects shared strategic interest in how localized intelligence and faster iteration cycles could support the long term scaling of in space manufacturing. The collaboration will evaluate how SOFIA Space's Tile Orbital Compute platform can process manufacturing and sensor data directly in orbit and reducing latency, conserving bandwidth and enabling faster, more autonomous decision making, potentially integrating with outposts in space manufacturing and return to Earth systems. And that wraps up today's top stories, my friends. As a quick reminder, you can read more about all of the stories mentioned throughout the episode today by visiting the selected Reading section of our show Notes and Hey T minus crew. We mentioned this a little bit last week, but our daily show will be winding down soon. Friday will be our last daily show and we are currently developing what T minus will look like in the future and we want to hear your input. Do you want to hear more interviews? More in depth analysis? Weekly or bi weekly programs? I want to hear it. We want to hear it. So share your thoughts with us by emailing space2k.com and thank you so much for all your support these past years. We really appreciate it.

[Courtney Stod]

Foreign.

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[Courtney Stod]

Foreign.

[Maria Varmazas]

I recently caught up with my friend Courtney Staad to talk about the Beyond Earth Symposium coming up next week.

[Courtney Stod]

I'm Courtney Stad. I wear multiple hats, but for this interview, I am Executive Vice President of the Beyond Earth Institute, a nonprofit space policy think tank. I've been in the commercial space world for almost a half a century. 1/3 government, 2/3 of industry.

[Maria Varmazas]

That's amazing. Well, Courtney, again, as always, thank you for catching up with me. And I know coming up very soon is the Beyond Earth Symposium. I went to the last one. I had a great time. I enjoyed it very much. So tell Me a bit about the 2026 Beyond Earth Symposium.

[Courtney Stod]

Indeed. So this one will happen in Washington once again at the same location you were at American University, Washington College of Law on Tuesday, Wednesday this month, February 24th, 25th. It'll be a day and a half. The theme of it is From Space Habitat to Space Town, creating a clear pathway. 40 speakers over a day and a half, composed of a number of senior corporate executives, senior former agency, including NASA officials and current NASA officials, thought leaders from academia. And we hope to have folks in the audience from the hill, from academia, government, of course, and certainly the corporations, companies that are helping advance our mission to establish habitats not only in Earth orbit, but on the moon and beyond as well.

[Maria Varmazas]

One thing I really enjoyed when I was at the last Beyond Earth Symposium was that there were a number of by design. You all did a really great job designing this. Thank you. Differing viewpoints, in many cases diametrically opposed. And we heard from all of them. And I really. That got me thinking about a lot of things when I went home. I remember really digesting that. I'm hoping you're doing the same thing this year because I thought that was so fascinating.

[Courtney Stod]

We are. We're also bringing more young people, the next generation. So you have a mix of old folks like myself who've been around for a long time, who hopefully I'm parting season. We're seasoned. There you go. Have to remind my wife I should be called season. But we have certain amount of experience, lessons learned, but also the energy and the vision that the next generation is bringing to the future of space development is so important as to robust discussion. A random example would be China. What is the scope and nature of the challenge represented by the Chinese? They have a very robust, a very aggressive space program. Not only Earth orbit, but the moon, Mars. And we want to. We will be having a panel that will discuss in earnest the nature of that challenge. Is it a race? What is it? And what can the United States most effectively do to counter the Chinese and their allies, at the same time recognizing that we also need areas of cooperation at a technical level with them as well. So we'll have an array of experts who can take on that issue, for example. And then the whole issue of the space station is being terminated, at least at the moment, in the year 2030. We have a number of commercial companies that are seeking to develop and deploy commercial space stations. How do we ensure an effective transition? We do have hundreds of ventures that have deployed thousands of payloads over the life of the space station. How do we ensure that the learning curve associated with those payloads, some of which might lead to some real breakthroughs in, from cancer research to plastics and different biologics, for example, electronics, how do we ensure effective continuity as we move to different commercial platforms? So those are a couple of random examples.

[Maria Varmazas]

I was going to say the moon, I imagine also lunar habitat, I imagine.

[Courtney Stod]

Absolutely. And we have one of the leading space architects who will be showing a very compelling video of what his vision for what a habitat might look like. And we also put a big emphasis, as you know, on actionable recommendations. So this is not just bloviating over a day and a half and habitating, you know, populating an echo chamber, but we invite everyone, both on stage and certainly in the audience, to participate in a robust engagement discussion. Because after all, this is the future of your country, of our species off planet. And as we deal with all the often ugliness on the planet and the horrendous challenges that we have. What I think you saw when you came to our last symposium is that it's a very uplifting experience for that day and a half people full of energy and innovation. And at least for me, you walk away really energized by the promise of space.

[Maria Varmazas]

I certainly echo that. And I don't know if I told you this when I saw you at the last symposium, but I've been to many events that call themselves symposia symposiums, how to pluralize that, and they have not lived up to that name, but this one actually does. So I wanted to give you kudos on that because a symposium truly should be what this is, where yes, you have many differing points of view on the stage, but then the audience, the questions and the dialogue, we encourage that.

[Courtney Stod]

We encourage that.

[Maria Varmazas]

It was but many, many different points of view. It wasn't just, you know, I have a question in the form of a comment type stuff. It was really robust discussion from a lot of different points of view.

[Courtney Stod]

That's the feedback we want to hear. And it's not just in the auditorium itself. Oh, in the hallways as well. There are venues, if I may, for those hopefully listening and eager to register. It's very easy to find us. It's just beyond earth symposium.org and our 2026 again, February 24th, 25th, this month in Washington D.C. will pop up and it's a very quick registration and we invite really all of you to come out, particularly if I may, Maria. This is a. I know it's an often used term, but an inflection point we have for the first time an entrepreneur businessman running NASA who's got a writ to take the United States to the moon this time to stay. We hope, we pray, that Artemis 2, which has been delayed to March but fingers crossed, will successfully launch and have the first crew circling the moon in generations. And then that'll be a down payment for their successors who will land on the moon in the next several years. One hopes, one praise. And that will be a down payment on permanent settlement. And for those of you in the audience who've been tracking, there are a number of very exciting rare mineral and helium 3 for fusion, water and other opportunities that could well lead to profitable enterprises with tremendous benefits for our precious blue dot, as Carl Sagan referred to at our planet Earth, as well as scientific observatories. And frankly, there are also national security elements that we'll touch on during our symposium as well. Just an addendum to that. If you ever question the future. It's very easy to get cynical or pessimistic in today's rather polarized environment. But if I could add another point about being uplifted by the day and a half symposium, it's the young people who are coming in droves into this domain of space exploration and development. They're extraordinary. And so I have to tell you that the existence proof is coming in viewing, but you will see that we're in really good hands in terms of our future in the space domain.

[Maria Varmazas]

We'll be right back.

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[Maria Varmazas]

Welcome back. Two quick updates now for you in human spaceflight for our closeout story today. And first up is SpaceX Crew 12, who are now officially aboard the International Space Station and have joined Expedition 74, officially the crew photos are honestly really great. Everyone's beaming, especially ESA's astronaut Sophie Adenot, who is the second French woman ever in space and and the very first one to go to space since 2001, if you can believe it. And honestly, I'd be all smiles too. And the second bit of news for you is about Artemis 2. NASA is now targeting February 19th, that is this Thursday for the second wet dress rehearsal for the SLS. The nearly 50 hour countdown actually starts tonight at 6:40pm local time in Florida, with simulated launch time at 8:30pm on the 19th. And if all goes well, we may be looking at an actual Artemis 2 launch no earlier than March 6th. Let us keep those fingers crossed. And that is 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. You like the 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 are 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 [e-mail] N2K Senior Producer is Alice Carruth. Our producer is Liz Stokes. We're mixed by Elliot Peltzman and Trey Huster with original music by Elliot Peltzman. Our executive producer is Jennifer Ibin. Peter Kilpe is our publisher and I'm your host, Maria Varmazes. Thank you for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

[Courtney Stod]

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