Space Business Podcast

#71 Payam Banazadeh, Capella Space

My guest this week is the founder & CEO of another prominent new space company – Payam Banazadeh from Capella Space. Capella is a remote sensing company that is using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology. Don’t worry – we will explain what SAR is during the episode. The important summary: it allows you to see at night and through cloud cover. You can imagine that has interesting and important use cases. Payam will take us through those and many other things about Capella. Enjoy!
Capella's job board: https://www.capellaspace.com/about-us/careers/
Opportunities to learn more about space business:
Check out the new 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
The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics.
Support us at https://www.patreon.com/spacebusinesspodcast
Follow the podcast on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/podcast_spaceTimestamps
0:00 Intro
2:50 Elevator pitch
4:07 Origin story
8:00 MH370
10:05 Geographic coverage
14:58 General use cases
19:10 Pricing
21:11 Government use cases
25:02 Commercial use cases
29:40 Cool things Capella detected
32:05 Hostile behavior
35:44 Satellite manufacturing & design
39:22 Sales process
46:27 Consolidation
48:52 Vision
50:49 Financing
55:27 Wrap-up: hiring, other things to do in the space sector, sci-fi

#70 Alex Fielding, Privateer

It’s another fun episode this week as I sit down with Alex Fielding, co-founder and CEO of Privateer. You may have heard about Privateer when it first emerged last year, with few details about it, but intriguingly having Apple co-founder Steve "Woz" Wozniak as its President and co-founder. Earlier this year, Privateer came further out of stealth and we learned that, among other things, they are doing space situational awareness … and got a sponsorship from Swiss watchmaker Omega!  But there is so much more to the story. Listen to the episode to find out. Full disclosure: my venture fund E2MC is an investor in Privateer.
 
Opportunities to learn more about space business:
Check out the new 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
The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics.
Support us at https://www.patreon.com/spacebusinesspodcast
Follow the podcast on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/podcast_spaceTimestamps
0:00 Intro
2:32 Elevator Pitch
4:22 Alex's career path
9:35 A comparison between space and oceans
10:56 The domain awareness aspect and insurance in LEO
15:44 The tragedy of the commons in space
19:11 Space debris and mapping problems
25:04 Infrastructure vs Applications
29:46 How Privateer looks in practice
34:30 The "rocket science" developer issue
37:14 The initial Privateer apps
40:24 Fun apps
43:41 What is missing?
45:26 Timeframe
46:31 The name "Privateer"
47:49 Being based in Hawaii
53:12 Other interests in space
58:26 Sci-Fi

#68 Shey Sabripour, CesiumAstro

My guest is Shey Sabripour, the founder and CEO of CesiumAstro, a prominent late stage startup in the satellite communications area. Specifically, they design and build phased array communications systems, actually not only for satellites but also for aerial platforms like drones. You may now wonder what phased array is, but don’t worry, Shey explains it in the episode. In any event, it’s important tech, as also evidenced by the fact that CesiumAstro managed to raise a US$60 million Series B round a couple of months ago.
 
Opportunities to learn more about space business:
Check out the new edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy
I am also 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
The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics.
Support us at https://www.patreon.com/spacebusinesspodcast
Follow the podcast on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/podcast_space
CesiumAstro job board: https://www.cesiumastro.com/careers
Timestamps
0:00 Intro
2:30 Elevator pitch
3:05 Phased array payloads
5:37 LEO constellations
8:46 CesiumAstro's origins
14:16 Becoming a satellite integrator
16:06 Customers
19:23 Supply chain issues and space heritage
23:29 Future products
24:49 In-space communications
29:00 Future of satellite communications
30:54 Medium/long term vision for CesiumAstro
32:27 Funding and hiring
36:30 What else is interesting in space
38:03 Sci-Fi

#67 Bradford Space

Our guests this week are Ian Fichtenbaum and Chris Carpenter from Bradford Space. Bradford has been around for a while and their systems, such as propulsion and attitude control, have gathered quite a bit of space heritage already. Now they have an exciting new project. Hear about it in this episode!
 
Opportunities to learn more about space business:
Check out the new edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy
I am also 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
The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics.
Support us at https://www.patreon.com/spacebusinesspodcast
Follow the podcast on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/podcast_space
Timestamps
0:00 Intro
2:25 Elevator pitch and company origins 
6:54 Guests' backgrounds
12:50 The most capable space company
18:27 Mass manufacturing
21:18 Vertical integration and software side
25:43 Overall Strategy and long term value
32:14 Space transportation and use cases
38:11 Status of the project
44:48 Manufacturing vs operating
48:07 Vision for the company
50:54 What else is exciting in space?
52:34 Sci-Fi

#66 Chris Hadfield

I have an Easter / Passover / Ramadan treat for you: my guest this week is none other than Chris Hadfield, the Canadian astronaut. Among his many accomplishments are being the first Canadian to conduct EVA (colloquially a ‘spacewalk’) and also the first Canadian to serve as Commander of the Int’l Space Station. Besides that, he is also a musician and a writer, who recently published a thrilling novel called ‘The Apollo Murders’. We talk about all of this during this episode – you will not want to miss it. Enjoy & happy holidays!
 
Opportunities to learn more about space business:
Check out the new edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy
I am also 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 just came out in its Portuguese translation: https://www.amazon.com/Para-Cima-Economia-Espacial-Portuguese-ebook/dp/B09X5WV3WC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ROKTHNSCZCRI
The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics.
Support us at https://www.patreon.com/spacebusinesspodcast
Follow the podcast on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/podcast_space
 
Links to things mentioned in the episode
Creative Destruction Lab Space Stream: https://creativedestructionlab.com/streams/space/
Chris Hadfield's MasterClass online course:
https://www.masterclass.com/classes/chris-hadfield-teaches-space-exploration
The Apollo Murders (novel)
https://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Murders-Colonel-Chris-Hadfield-ebook/dp/B08W514GW2/
 
Timestamps
2:40 The post-astronaut life
6:02 We go to space for the benefit of what we're doing on earth
7:18 Cherished memories from space
8:48 The Overview Effect
12:02 Space tourism
17:57 Playing music in space and human behavior
20:46 Sports and reproduction in space
24:40 Mars
30:56 Life in space
38:30 Creative Destruction Lab
44:04 What is most exciting in space development?
49:30 Getting the space message out
55:03 The Apollo Murders
01:04:30 Sci-Fi

#65 Jakub Dziwisz, Orbify: simplifying satellite data apps

In this episode we are talking about analyzing satellite imagery for interesting use cases here on Earth. Our guest is Jakub Dziwisz from the startup Orbify. Their platform aims to make it really easy to deploy apps that take advantage of satellite imagery for use cases such as tracking deforestation and many others.
 
Opportunities to learn more about space business:
Check out the new edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy
Raphael is also designing a new live-taught course. Join the mailing list to get updates and early access: https://jfx8zhjodpz.typeform.com/to/t0VSuhVD
The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics.
Follow the podcast on Twitter @podcast_space
Help us expand our work by becoming a supporter:  https://www.patreon.com/spacebusinesspodcastTimestamps
0:00 Intro
2:23 Elevator Pitch
5:26 Use cases
12:00 Origin of the company
15:52 How the platform work in practice
20:23 Data sources
22:51 Further use cases 
26:34 More on data
28:48 Go-to-market
32:26 Revenue model
33:49 Capital intensity and funding
37:46 The Polish space ecosystem
41:18 What else is interesting in space?
43:13 Sci-Fi

The New Space Economy MOOC

New Space Economy MOOC: https://space4impact.org/new-space-economy-mooc/
Future course early save-the-spot:  https://jfx8zhjodpz.typeform.com/to/t0VSuhVD
 
The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics.
Follow the podcast on Twitter @podcast_space

#64 Ian Christensen, Secure World Foundation: Space Sustainability

We are talking about space sustainability this week. I sat down with an expert in the topic, Ian Christensen from the Secure World Foundation. A lot of the conversation is about space debris, but we also talk about some other interesting topics. Check it out.
Opportunities to learn more about space business:
Check out the new edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy
I am also designing a new live-taught course. Join the mailing list to get updates and early access: https://jfx8zhjodpz.typeform.com/to/t0VSuhVD
The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics.
Follow the podcast on Twitter @podcast_space
Space Sustainability Summit in London: https://swfsummit.org/
 
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
2:20 Intro to Ian and the Secure World Foundation
5:21 What is space sustainability?
7:08 Space debris
11:53 Different approaches to avoiding future debris
15:00 Space traffic management
18:05 International cooperation in Space
22:28 What can we do about anti-satellite tests?
25:12 Other aspects of debris
26:24 Keeping the wider space environment safe
29:55 Nuclear waste in space
33:22 Space "ESG"
38:20 How can investors help out SWF
40:41 SWF due diligence checklist
43:28 SWF summit for space sustainability - https://swfsummit.org/
44:47 Sci-Fi

#63 Bulent Altan, Mynaric: space laser communications

Our guest this week wears many hats in the space sector, but we will focus on one of them. After having been an early employee at SpaceX, Bulent Altan is now the CEO of Mynaric, a laser communications company. Space Lasers? Trust me, it is as cool as it sounds, both from a technology as well as business potential perspective. I share Bulent’s view that optical is the future of communications. Find out why in this episode.
Opportunities to learn more about space business:
Check out the new edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy
I am also designing a new live-taught course. Join the mailing list to get updates and early access: https://jfx8zhjodpz.typeform.com/to/t0VSuhVD
The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics.
Follow the podcast on Twitter @podcast_space
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro
2:27 Bulent's story incl. why he chose laser communications
7:17 The current state of satellite connectivity
12:32 Downlinking satellites
15:21 Optical comms taking over
18:19 Laser tech talk
29:32 Optical's commercial advantage
40:15 Mynaric's to-do list
49:18 Space sector recent past and future
52:14 Sci-fi

#62 Peter Platzer, Spire

Our guest this episode is one of the best-known entrepreneurs in New Space, Peter Platzer, founder and CEO of Spire Global. We cover a lot of ground in our conversation, including talking about commercial space in general and about Spire’s new space-as-service offering. You don’t want to miss this one!
The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics.
Follow the podcast on Twitter @podcast_space
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
2:19 The Luxembourg space ecosystem
4:50 Spire origin story
11:44 Drivers of New Space
19:26 Current state of remote sensing
22:43 Customers
26:00 Lessons from the computer industry
28:32 Call to arms for potential entrepreneurs
31:55 Rapid fire question on selected trends
37:16 Space as a service
55:54 Sci-Fi

#61 Matt Villarreal, Infinite Composites: pressure vessels

I thought we may should an episode once in a while talking about specific important components of spacecraft. This is the first such episode: my guest is Matt Villarreal, co-founder and CEO of Infinite Composites. They design and manufacture composite pressure vessels. If you don’t yet know what that is, you will after this episode. Enjoy!
If you enjoy the show, please leave us a review on your favorite podcast app - we highly appreciate it!
If you have comments or questions about the episode, email us at spacebusinesspodcast@gmail.com or post them on our Twitter (@podcast_space).
The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics and produced in partnership with the International Space University (ISU). Follow the podcast on Twitter @podcast_space
If you got interested in learning more about the business opportunities in space, check out my online course at https://www.udemy.com/course/space-entrepreneurship/
If you speak German, also check out my recently published introductory book on the space economy. In 2022, it will be published in English and Portuguese, too.
Timestamps0:00 Intro
1:56 Elevator pitch and background
7:00 Problems with the way tanks are traditionally done
9:05 Trying to push a non-traditional product in space
11:44 Where is the company right now?
13:45 The challenge of scaling up
15:26 Typical space customer
17:56 Space heritage
18:36 Growth strategy
20:43 Pricing
24:36 The competitive Landscape
30:10 Government contracts
31:05 Spaced Ventures
34:06 If you weren't doing Infinite Composites what else would you be doing?
35:04 Sci-Fi

#60 Nicolas Peter: Space in Europe, Entrepreneurship, ISU & more

I sat down with Nicolas Peter, who is a long-term veteran of ESA, having worked in the Director General’s office, among other roles. He currently serves as Professor of Space Policy and International Affairs at the International Space University (ISU) and also as ISU’s head of their new Space Policy and Entrepreneurship Lab. We discuss a range of topics including Europe’s role in space, space entrepreneurship and ISU.
If you enjoy the show, please leave us a review on your favorite podcast app - we highly appreciate it!
If you have comments or questions about the episode, email us at spacebusinesspodcast@gmail.com or post them on our Twitter (@podcast_space).
The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics and produced in partnership with the International Space University (ISU). Follow the podcast on Twitter @podcast_space
If you got interested in learning more about the business opportunities in space, check out my online course at https://www.udemy.com/course/space-entrepreneurship/
If you speak German, also check out my recently published introductory book on the space economy. In 2022, it will be published in English and Portuguese, too.
Timestamps
0:00 Intro
1:46 Bio
3:06 European space conference
5:50 New faces at space conferences
8:09 Space in Europe
15:51 Space in the capital markets
21:12 VC funds
26:40 Space ecosystem Europe vs. U.S.
31:55 ISU
35:45 Space data use cases
40:36 ISU transitioning alongside the space sector
46:21 Futurism
48:05 Sci-Fi