The University of Texas Center for Space Research co-hosted the 2025 National Defense in Space Summit (NDSS) on February 22nd at The University of Texas at Austin. The NDSS brought together academia, researchers, and the US Space Force through keynote addresses, expert panels, and networking events, fostering collaboration between established leaders and emerging talents.  This year’s theme focused on the multi-disciplinary and rapidly changing field of space sensors and their role in defense and protection of space-based capabilities. UT’s distinguished academic research panel included CSR Director Lori Magruder, alongside ASE/CSR’s Srinivas Bettadpur and Brandon Jones, and Jackson School of Geoscience’s Michael Young.