NASA will conduct a fueling rehearsal for the Space Launch System (SLS) as early as January 31 (U.S. time) in preparation for the crewed lunar orbital mission Artemis II.

As a cold-weather countermeasure, environmental control system adjustments and water quality inspections inside the Orion spacecraft are underway.

Via Satellite provides access to its previous Thursday Morning Conversations episodes.

Theresa Condor is the CEO of Spire Global.

The TMC conversation with Theresa Condor covers her first year as CEO of Spire Global and new growth markets for Spire.

Thursday Morning Conversations explore both the business of satellite and personal topics such as favorite TV shows, first music concerts, and preferred late-night snacks.

The kickoff TMC for 2026 features a conversation with Theresa Condor, CEO of Spire Global.

Thursday Morning Conversations (TMC) returned in 2026 with new questions, new guests, and a new format.

Via Satellite’s Thursday Morning Conversations feature casual conversations with top executives and all-stars in the satellite community.

The TMC conversation with Theresa Condor also includes non-business topics such as spy novels and flapjacks.

Mars has a thin atmosphere that is approximately 95% carbon dioxide.

Microgravity and reduced gravity environments cause physiological effects that complicate long‑term human habitation off Earth.

Asteroid belt resources and small bodies could be exploited using rotating O'Neill‑style cylindrical habitats to provide artificial gravity.

Titan has a dense nitrogen atmosphere, liquid methane lakes, and an average surface temperature near −179 °C.

Near‑term space programs mentioned as advancing rapidly include NASA Artemis, Chinese crewed and robotic lunar programs, and SpaceX Starship development.

Post‑human futures could include biologically and cybernetically modified humans, integrated AI, and novel propulsion technologies (nuclear, solar sails, fusion, antimatter) enabling exploitation of the Kuiper Belt and potential interstellar missions.

Medium‑term (2050–2150) scenarios have moderate probability for a scientific model colony on Mars, orbital habitats, and lunar and martian bases contingent on closed‑loop resource recycling, autonomous energy (likely nuclear), and in‑situ production such as extracting oxygen from regolith.

The Moon is about three days travel from Earth by current crewed transfer trajectories.

Human life in space will require assisted living technologies such as habitats, space suits, biotechnologies, and advanced engineering to mitigate radiation, temperature extremes, and non‑Earth atmospheres.

Short‑term (by 2050) permanent bases on the Moon and possibly on Mars have low but non‑zero probability due to high costs, biological challenges, and uncertain economic returns.

Mars contains frozen water and an atmosphere, but colonization there faces challenges from reduced gravity, high radiation, and extreme climate.

Mars has a day length of 24 hours and 37 minutes.

International treaties prohibit national appropriation of celestial bodies and the placement of weapons of mass destruction in space but do not ban all military uses of space.

In‑situ production of propellants from water (hydrogen and oxygen) and of construction materials could significantly reduce transport costs from Earth.

Europa, Ganymede, Enceladus, and Callisto have subsurface oceans beneath ice shells.

Mars surface gravity is about 38% of Earth's gravity.

No body of the Solar System other than Earth is naturally suitable for unassisted human life.

Humans adapted or modified for space environments may become unable to live on Earth again due to specialized physiological changes.

Evolutionary pathways for humans in space include an initial stage of enhanced Homo sapiens supported by exoskeletons and neural interfaces, later stages of targeted genetic modifications, and eventual post‑human bio‑technological hybrids adapted to non‑Earth environments.

Titan’s thick atmosphere provides significant shielding from space radiation compared with many other non‑Earth bodies.

Long‑term (23rd century and beyond) scenarios include autonomous cities on Mars housing 10,000–100,000 people, colonies on Callisto, Ganymede, and Titan with sealed habitats, large orbital colonies between Mars and Jupiter, and automated mining and manufacturing on asteroids and moons.

Very long‑term (24th–26th century) projections envisage regular human presence on icy moons like Enceladus and Europa powered by local reactors such as thorium systems or fusion.

Lunar habitats could exploit lava tubes for underground bases but must contend with no atmosphere, large temperature swings, and high radiation levels.

Orbital rotating habitats powered by solar energy could provide artificial gravity and controlled day/night cycles to create Earthlike living environments.

Many legacy satellite operators face a 2026 debt-maturity wall that will require refinancing or recapitalization.

China’s filing for a 200,000-satellite mega-constellation has amplified backlog and theoretical interference issues at the International Telecommunication Union.

GN Docket No. 25-166 is titled Transparency in Foreign Adversary Control.

GN Docket No. 25-166 places all Part 25 satellite and earth-station authorization holders and international Section 214 authorization holders into a designated reporting tier called Schedule A.

If an applicant cannot produce a clean Schedule A attestation because beneficial ownership cannot be verified or control is obscured, the FCC has an expedited pathway to dismiss or revoke authorization.

The FCC is voting on GN Docket No. 25-149 at the same Open Meeting to codify and simplify foreign ownership rules for trusted partners and allied jurisdictions.

By stripping U.S. market access, the FCC’s new enforcement pathway can economically demonetize speculative satellite systems even if those systems remain registered at the ITU.

Schedule A attestations must be submitted through the FCC’s consolidated Foreign Adversary Control System (FACS) portal.

The FCC’s new Foreign Adversary Control framework introduces a 5 percent disclosure floor for any direct or indirect equity or voting interest associated with a designated foreign adversary once an entity attests that it is subject to such control.

Every Schedule A entity must file a mandatory, definitive attestation regarding whether it is subject to Foreign Adversary Control.

The Space Force awarded approximately $50 million to Northwood Space to augment the Satellite Control Network.

FCC revocation or denial of U.S. market access cannot remove filings from the ITU Master International Frequency Register but can strip landing rights and deny commercial access to the U.S. market.

For U.S. and allied operators, a clean Schedule A filing becomes a marketable asset under the new FCC framework.

The FCC delegates streamlined revocation authority to the Enforcement Bureau to address authorizations that fail to meet the new disclosure requirements.

The Federal Communications Commission will vote on GN Docket No. 25-166 at its Open Meeting on January 29.

A minority limited partner contribution tied to a restricted jurisdiction at or above the 5 percent level can create regulatory exposure under the new rules.