#77 Jim Cantrell, Phantom Space

My guest this week is the CEO and founder of Phantom Space, Jim Cantrell. Having started at JPL, Jim is also a decades-long veteran of commercial space. He has been involved in around a dozen space startups, including SpaceX in its early days. There are probably few people who have been around the commercial space sector as much as he has, so we do not only talk about Phantom but about the space economy in general. Enjoy!

https://www.phantomspace.com/

 

Opportunities to learn more about space & the space economy:

• Check out the edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy
• Raphael is designing a new, live-taught course. Join the mailing list to get updates and early access: https://jfx8zhjodpz.typeform.com/to/t0VSuhVD
• Raphael's introductory book on the space economy recently came out in its Portuguese translation: https://www.amazon.com/Para-Cima-Economia-Espacial-Portuguese-ebook/dp/B09X5WV3WC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ROKTHNSCZCRI. Stay tuned for the English translation, which should come out soon.

The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics.

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Timestamps

0:00 Intro

2:20 Jim's background

6:30 The last 20 years in space vs. Jim's expectations

9:20 SpaceX

14:14 A couple of key lessons from SpaceX

21:23 Phantom Space business model

24:15 Phantom Space and partner startups

26:55 Taking the "friction" out of space business

32:47 Standardization in space

35:32 How Russia is affecting the Space Economy

39:57 Vision for Phantom Space

40:40 Key lessons from Jim's experience with startups

45:18 Core DNA of Phantom Space

47:15 Phantom Space's vehicles

50:23 Phantom Space in 10 years

50:56 Rapid fire questions on the space economy

55:33 The space sector in 20 years

01:01:42 Fun questions