T-Minus: Space-Cyber Briefing

On this Deep Space episode, we share a conversation host ⁠Maria Varmazis⁠ had with ⁠Dr. Gabrielle Caswell at SpaceCom in January about Spaceport Australia, the spaceport that she owns, but if you can believe it, owning and running a spaceport is still barely scratching the surface of what she's working on. You can learn more on Gabrielle's website. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leade...

On this Deep Space episode, host Maria Varmazis speaks with Jeff Carr, who is President of the Griffin Communications Group. They discuss Jeff's and his family's storied space careers. Jeff shares his thoughts on the parallels between the US and the space program in 1968 with Apollo 8, and with the upcoming Artemis 2 mission in 2026. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and...

On this Deep Space episode, host Maria Varmazis catches up with friend Tim Gagnon aka KSCartist and Susie Morris, Tim's long-time creative collaborator at A-B Emblem while at SpaceCom. Everyone loves a patch in aerospace, stick em on board or on your flight jacket, hand them out at meetups or conferences, buy em at your favorite space store, who doesn't love a space patch. And Tim and Susie talked to me about what goes into this unique and very beloved art form.  Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app.</p...

In this special Reporter’s Notebook, Maria Varmazis⁠⁠⁠⁠, host here at N2K CyberWire, takes listeners behind the scenes of our three-part series on Cyber Coalition 2025 in Tallinn, Estonia. After exploring real-time incident response, cross-border coordination, and the broader stakes of collective cyber defense, this episode offers a more personal, behind-the-scenes look at how the reporting came together. Hosted by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence, the exercise brought together allied military, government, and industry teams inside NATO’s secure cyber range. Here, Maria reflects on moments that didn’t make the final cut — the atmosphere insid...

Happy International Women's Day! On this episode, Maria Varmazis caught up with ⁠Khalia Padilla, CEO at Imagine Engine, to discuss investing in optical space technologies and going global during Commercial Space Week 2026. She discusses two projects backed by Imagine Engine: one developing an optical transceiver that bridges radio-frequency and optical signals, supported by a NASA grant, and another building a modular, maneuverable satellite in collaboration with students from Lehigh University using similar RF-to-optical modulation techniques. And, more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T...

In the final installment of our three-part series on ⁠Cyber Coalition 2025⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Maria Varmazis⁠⁠⁠, host here at N2K CyberWire, and ⁠⁠⁠Liz Stokes, CyberWire Producer, step back from the cyber range to reflect on what their time in Tallinn really meant. This episode moves beyond the mechanics of the exercise and into the broader stakes of collective cyber defense in an increasingly uncertain geopolitical moment. Recorded two months after their visit, the conversation blends field tape and personal reflections — from standing outside the Russian Embassy in Old Town to recalling the weight inside NATO’s secure facilities. Estonia’s history, including the 200...

On this episode, Maria Varmazis caught up with Troy Morris, co-founder and CEO of KMI, during Commercial Space Week 2026. Troy recaps KMI's busy 2025 highlighted by an ISS demonstration that returned after over 200 days of testing, during which astronaut Suni Williams and crew helped evaluate a larger arm system designed to capture unprepared objects as a “tow truck for space.” And, more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠. Want to hear your company in the show?</p...

In this second installment of our three-part series on ⁠⁠Cyber Coalition 2025⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Maria Varmazis⁠⁠⁠, host of ⁠⁠⁠T-Minus⁠⁠⁠ Space Daily and CyberWire Producer ⁠⁠⁠Liz Stokes,⁠⁠ take listeners inside a single day at NATO’s cyber headquarters in Tallinn, Estonia — focusing on the human side of cyber defense. Hosted by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence and led by NATO Allied Command Transformation, Cyber Coalition is a defensive-only exercise built around collaboration, coordination, and information sharing across allied nations. This episode highlights how that plays out in practice, from legal teams working through cross-border policy questions to military defenders coordinating with civilian infrast...

As the space industry becomes increasingly commercialized, competitive, and mission-driven, one truth remains universal: having the right people on the team is mission-critical. This issue was explored during Commercial Space Week and part of the panel, Mary Baldino, Director. of Sales/Marketing at Vaya Space, and Tahara Dawkins, Director of Policy at Astroscale US, joined us to continue the conversation.  Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. Want to hear your company in the s...

NASA has released findings from a report by the Program Investigation Team examining the Boeing CST-100 Starliner Crewed Flight Test. NASA completed a successful wet dress rehearsal for the SLS rocket that’ll be used for the Artemis II mission. MDA Space has launched a wholly-owned subsidiary exclusively focused on delivering mission-critical capabilities for Canada's national defense priorities outside the space domain, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠. T-Minus Guest ⁠Maria V...

Stratolaunch has been awarded a $90.8 million contract by the Department of War (DoW) for the MACH-TB 2.0 program. Agile Space Industries has raised $17M in a Series A financing round. The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is soliciting commercial advancements to create affordable and scalable GEO reconnaissance systems, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. Selected Reading Stratolaunch Announces $90.8M Contract Award under MACH-TB 2.0 Task 3 for Air-Launched Capability Test Vehicles ...

China’s iSpace has raised $730 million to advance its reusable rocket ambitions. China’s Space Epoch has secured new funding and is targeting a 2026 launch and sea-recovery attempt. Voyager Technologies is working with ATMOS Space Cargo to expand in-space logistics and reentry capabilities, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Our guest today is Michelle Lucas, CEO and Founder of Higher Orbits. You can connect with Mich...

SatVu has closed a £30m funding round. Sateliot has signed a commercial contract with PLD Space for a dedicated rocket launch in 2027. Orbex released new photographs of its microlauncher, Prime, as the company looks to secure a future, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Our guest today is Courtney Stadd talking about the Beyond Earth Symposium.  You can connect with Courtney on LinkedIn, and read mo...

In this three-part series, ⁠Maria Varmazis⁠, host of ⁠T-Minus⁠ Space Daily and CyberWire Producer ⁠Liz Stokes⁠, take you inside NATO’s flagship cyber defense exercise, ⁠Cyber Coalition 2025⁠. Hosted by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia, the exercise brings together military, government, and industry teams from across the alliance to respond to realistic, high-pressure cyberattack scenarios targeting critical infrastructure and operational networks. Throughout the series, Maria and Liz will guide you through what they witnessed on the ground — from real-time threat detection and incident response to the strategic collaboration shaping NATO’s cyber resilience in an incre...

The Aerospace Corporation discusses the future of Orbital Data Centers, or ODCs, with partners from Axiom Space and Sophia Space. Parker Wishik is joined by Jason Aspiotis, Director of In-Space Infrastructure & Logistics at Axiom Space, Dr. Leon Alkalai, Founder and CEO of Mandala Space Ventures and CTO at Sophia Space, along with Lori W. Gordon, Systems Director in the Space Enterprise Evolution Directorate at The Aerospace Corporation.  Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. W...

Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) compliance is essential in the space industry. We explore space supply chain cybersecurity with Frank Chimenti, Director of Programs at Beyond Gravity, and Regan Edens, CISO at DTC Global. You can connect with Frank and Regan on LinkedIn, and learn more about CMMC compliance for space here. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can...

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched NASA’s SpaceX Crew 12 to the International Space Station (ISS). The crew are expected to dock on Valentine’s Day. Arianespace successfully launched 32 Amazon Leo satellites from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. NASA and Vast have signed an order for the sixth private astronaut mission to the ISS, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Our guest today is Greg Gillinger, SVP for Stra...

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan launched the United States Space Force’s USSF-87 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Orbex has filed a notice of intention to appoint Administrators. The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a new €81.2 million contract with OHB Italia for the development of the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses) mission, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Our guest today is G...

Stoke Space has announced an extension of its previous Series D financing, bringing the total amount raised in the round to $860 million. Starcloud has revealed plans to launch Amazon Web Services’ AWS Outposts to space. Eutelsat has signed for €1bn Export Credit Agency financing for the procurement of satellites for its OneWeb constellation, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Our guests today are Stacey Connaughton and Jon Fere...

Elon Musk pivots SpaceX’s focus from Mars to the Moon. SpaceX has acquired a cylinder storage business, Hexagon Masterworks, for $15 million. Voyager Technologies has been awarded a new contract to provide full-service mission management services to the International Space Station (ISS), and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Our guest today is Felipe Machado, Commercial Sales Director at OPW Clean Energy Solutions’ CPC-Cryolab. You can find...