Space Business Podcast

#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

#59 Laura Forczyk: Becoming Off-Worldly

We will talk about space tourism this week. Laura Forczyk is back – she just published a book called “Becoming off-worldly” that talks all about space tourism and the space tourism experience. As an investor in space tourism and, hopefully, some day a customer, I’m really excited about this one. 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.
 
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:43 Laura's new book
7:13 Government astronauts, commercial and "in between"
9:28 Private space missions
14:36 Mental experience of spaceflight
25:43 Supply and demand
27:03 Who should go to Space?
32:38 The Overview Effect
35:34 Safety
38:45 The Moon
43:10 Medical emergencies in Space
46:00 High altitude balloons
48:27 Other topics & wrap-up

#58 Eric Ingram, Scout: space domain awareness

This week we talk about space domain awareness – knowing what is going on around you in space, including things like space debris. This is similar to the episode we had with Kayhan Space just a couple of weeks ago, so you may want to check that one out, too. My guest this week is Eric Ingram, CEO and founder of SCOUT, a startup that wants to deploy sensors in space that produce the data you need for space domain awareness.
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.
Timestamp:
0:00 Intro
1:43 Scout and Space Domain Awareness
3:21 Space debris
8:01 What Scout is detecting
10:57 Scout coverage focus
13:00 Scout sensor tech
17:03 People who don't want to be observed
18:52 Dealing with image data
22:05 Satellite orbits
26:53 Types of customers
31:05 SDA's future
34:14 Where the company is currently
34:44 Scout is Hiring: https://scout.space/careers
37:32 What else would you do in space as an entrepreneur?
38:53 Sci-Fi

#57 2022 Preview

It's that time of the year again: we will do a preview of some of the exciting things that may happen in space in 2022!
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
3:18 Science
5:26 The Moon
7:10 Rockets
10:15 Human space flight
12:09 Space Business and Finance
13:25 Space education and outreach

#56 Steve Good, Ramon Space: in-space computing

In this episode, we are talking about computing in space again. If you listened to episode 49, with Exo-Space, you already know a little about this topic. This week, my guest is Steve Good, Chief Commercial Officer of Ramon Space, another company focused on computing in space.
If you have comments or questions about the episode, email us at spacebusinesspodcast@gmail.com or post them on our Twitter (@podcast_space).
If you enjoy the show, please leave us a review on your favorite podcast app - we highly appreciate it!
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.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:58 Elevator Pitch
4:33 The current state of computing in space
8:27 Availability of more advanced hardware in space
14:55 Ramon's products
17:13 Radiation
20:47 Sales
24:44 Ramon strategy
28:52 Hosted payloads
34:15 Vision
36:42 Space certification time vs hardware cycle
39:15 Favorite use cases
42:43 Sci-Fi

#55 Araz Feyzi, Kayhan Space: space traffic management

We are talking about space debris again this week. Unfortunately this topic just keeps getting more urgent, e.g. due to the recent anti-satellite test. My guest is Araz Feyzi from Kayhan Space. Kayhan ingests data about space objects, including debris, and provides warnings about potential collisions and guidance for avoidance maneuvers.
If you have comments or questions about the episode, email us at spacebusinesspodcast@gmail.com or post them on our Twitter (@podcast_space).
If you enjoy the show, please leave us a review on your favorite podcast app - we highly appreciate it!
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.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:58 Kayhan's Elevator Pitch and collisions in space
11:28 The 1 in 10,000 collision chance
18:45 Fully automated processes and unpredictable events
25:50 Alternative tracking methods
32:03 Where Kayhan is now
34:17 Kayhan is hiring
36:33 Sci-fi

#54 ThinkOrbital: Space Stations

After the quick overview about space stations two episodes ago, on this episode, I am actually talking to a space station startup, ThinkOrbital. They are proposing an innovative solution to build bigger stations, and lots of them. I discuss all of that with their CEO Sebastian Asprella and CTO Vojtech Holub. Enjoy!
If you have comments or questions about the episode, email us at spacebusinesspodcast@gmail.com or post them on our Twitter (@podcast_space).
If you enjoy the show, please leave us a review on your favorite podcast app - we highly appreciate it!
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.
Timestamp:
0:00 Intro
1:56 Elevator pitch and background story
4:25 Use cases
08:45 The roadmap to 2069
13:04 Space Tourism
16:27 The special tech behind Think Orbital
21:45 Making space tourism cheaper
24:32 The overview of the Space Station landscape
31:31 Emerging Space Nations
35:57 The challenges of designing and operating a space station
42:08 What is the 2022 plan?
43:19 what would you do if you weren't doing ThinkOrbital?
45:20 Sci-fi

#53 Luca Rossettini, D-Orbit: space logistics

My guest this week is Luca Rossettini, founder and CEO of D-Orbit, arguably one of the most prominent European new space companies. D-Orbit is already successfully operating a last-mile delivery service in orbit, a so-called space tug, but there is so much more on their visionary roadmap. Luca and I talk all about it - enjoy!
If you have comments or questions about the episode, email us at spacebusinesspodcast@gmail.com or post them on our Twitter (@podcast_space).
If you enjoy the show, please leave us a review on your favorite podcast app - we highly appreciate it!
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.
Episode notes:
0:00 Intro
1:51 D-Orbit elevator pitch & history
12:57 Fundraising and business focus over time
16:54 "Skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been"
19:24 D-Orbit's core activities and roadmap
25:29 D-Orbit's ION space tug
36:33 Other roadmap elements
47:43 Interplanetary transport
52:37 What else is interesting in space?
54:05 Sci-Fi

#52 Space Stations Galore

This week's episode is another short teach-in episode, just like my episodes #34 on business models in space and #43 on Starship. This time we will talk about space stations, in light of the recent announcements of two new proposed commercial space stations. Enjoy!
If you have comments or questions about the episode, email us at spacebusinesspodcast@gmail.com or post them on our Twitter (@podcast_space).
If you enjoy the show, please leave us a review on your favorite podcast app - we highly appreciate it!
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.
 
Episode Notes:
0:00 Intro
1:25 Why are we talking about Space Stations and what is CLD?
3:43 Government Space Stations
5:53 Private Space Stations
10:21 Other space station projects and the future of space stations
 

#51 - Mo Islam, Payload Space

My guest this week is Mo Islam from Payload Space, a new space focused media company. If you are like me, you are always on the lookout for where to get your space news from –besides this podcast of course. The Payload email newsletter, which is their first product, is one of my favorites - sign up here. They recently closed their seed getting money from a number of investors, including the Winklevoss twins and are now gearing up to expand. Mo will tell us all about it. Enjoy!
If you have comments or questions about the episode, email us at spacebusinesspodcast@gmail.com or post them on our Twitter (@podcast_space).
If you enjoy the show, please leave us a review on your favorite podcast app - we highly appreciate it!
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.
Episode Notes
0:00 Intro
2:00 Payload Space origins and The "media gap" in covering the space sector
9:54 The parallels to Crypto
14:30 Content strategy
20:47 Free vs Paid
28:18 Geographic target region
33:59 Finding experts and hiring people
37:56 The jump from weekly to daily content
40:31 Favorite stories
47:03 If you weren't doing Payload Space, what would you be doing?
47:42 Sci-Fi