Space Business Podcast

#47 Dr. Pete Worden

Dr. Pete Worden is a distinguished space scientist, who holds and has held many prominent roles in the space ecosystem, including: Chairman of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, a former Director of NASA Ames, a former USAF General, advisor to the Luxembourg Government on space resources and a trustee of the International Space University. Much of our conversation revolves around finding life in other places. Enjoy!
Episode Notes:
0:00 Intro
2:04 The Breakthrough Prize Foundation
8:18 Looking for life in space
14:43 Terrestrial interference
16:34 Breakthrough Starshot
22:02 Other potential missions
26:16 Other locations to look for simple or intelligent life
33:45 Interstellar objects
41:51 What should we do with the moon?
44:56 How can we mess this up?
50:00 Sci-Fi
52:00 Breakthrough Prize Announcements
 

#46 Delian Asparouhov, Founders Fund & Varda

This week I sat down with Delian Asparouhov, a principal at famed VC Founders Fund and also co-founder and President of Varda, a space startup focused on in-space manufacturing.
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
1:47 Delian's background
3:43 How did you get involved in Space investing?
10:30 Non-obvious signs of why space attractive
17:53 Incubation projects in space
23:51 Value chain in space
30:26 Space investing opportunities 
39:53 Space companies with government dependence
45:10 What could go wrong?
47:43 Favorite ways of keeping up with the space economy
49:14 The Miami ecosystem
52:00 Sci-Fi

#45 - Galactic Chloe

Chloé Carriere is a fellow space communicator who is, among other things, the host of the Galactic Chloé show on YouTube. We talk about all things space communications. 
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.
Episode Notes:0:00 Intro
1:54 Chloe's background
5:11 Targeting a broader audience
8:13 Audience feedback
10:00 Where to find space news and education
11:08 Guests
18:21 Do you want to go to space?
22:36 Getting humans to Mars, Government support and media backlash
29:29 How to communicate space to a broad audience in the right way
33:41 Sci-fi

#44 Tim Chrisman, Foundation for the Future: building the space economy

Tim Chrisman is the Executive Director of the Foundation for the Future, a non-profit organization dedicated to help building the space economy. Their objectives include helping to ensure there is sufficient financing and qualified workforce around for us to do that.
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
2:20 F4F pitch
5:27 How did F4F begin?
8:07 Space political structures
9:50 How would you structure financing for the space economy?
14:34 Governance and managing risks for a space economy development entity
18:58 Drafting legislation
24:51 Government avenues supporting space and small space entrepreneurs
27:30 Workforce development in space
33:42 What would be the ideal type of person to run the space corporation once established?
37:17 Have you seen any similar models happening elsewhere in the world?
39:19 How can people get involved?
41:00 Sci-fi

#43 Starship

Raphael talks Starship in this episode
For any bold ideas about Starship or space entrepreneurship email E2MC Ventures at liftoff@e2mc.spaceIf 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.
 
Links mentioned in the episode:
https://www.sohnlein.com/post/calling-all-space-entrepreneurs-it-s-time-for-the-next-wave
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbH1ZDImaI8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B2_dfvRZ4M
 
Episode Notes:
0:00 Intro
2:08 What is Starship
13:57 Starship's commercial significance
17:43 Call to arms

#42 Going to the Moon with Yoav Landsman

My guest Yoav Landsman was the Deputy Mission Director of the SpaceIL Beresheet mission to the Moon, and he now has a Moon-related startup, called Moonscape. Join us to hear about all things lunar!
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
1:38 Yoav's introduction
5:18 General low lunar orbit questions
7:52 "The way to the Moon"
15:00 Moon navigation
18:15 Moon communications
22:34 Radiation
26:44 SpaceIL's Beresheet Lunar Mission
33:32 Starship
41:11 The Moon in 2030
44:15 Best use cases for the Moon
47:15 Sci Fi
50:21 Where can people learn more about the moon?

#41 Yanina Hallak, UARX Space: space transportation

My guest this week is Yanina Hallak, co-founder and CEO of UARX Space, a Spain-based company developing in-space transportation vehicles. 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 Company's name and elevator pitch
3:58 Dedicated launch vs rideshare
9:37 OTV tech
14:12 Customer demand
15:51 The cubesat standard
20:14 When did you start the company?
22:09 More on demand patterns
27:05 The moon and Deep Space
32:46 Mars and Venus
34:10 First OTV in orbit and the space ecosystem in Galicia
39:29 The medium/long term vision for the company and being a female C level executive in space
43:40 Argentina
45:36 What else besides UARX would you be doing in Space?
47:10 Sci Fi (and LEGO)
 

#40 Guillermo Söhnlein: NewSpace - from scarcity to abundance

Guillermo Söhnlein has been involved in the space sector for almost twenty years in various roles, including being the original founder of Space Angels Network and the Chairman of asteroid mining company DSI. We are having a broad conversation about what is going on in space right now, incl. exploring how its current success was three decades in the making, and a lot of discussion around space entrepreneurship. 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
2:22 Richard Branson's suborbital flight
6:22 Are things accelerating up in the space industry?
9:12 Have we been prepared for things happening so quickly?
13:33 "Space Industry"
15:54 The transition to the "application phase"
20:50 The Silicon Valley mindset applied to the Space Sector
25:30 Market demand, large scale production, and general space entrepreneurship talk
36:05  The inflow of new space investors
40:00 The Oceans and Outer Space
42:32 Venus
50:17 What should the space community prioritize?
54:49 Sci-Fi

#39 Josh Western, Space Forge: in-space manufacturing

This week I sat down with Josh Western, CEO of the UK-based space startup Space Forge, who are developing a spacecraft platform for in-space manufacturing. This is a really exciting field of commercial space activity, which is starting to happen in earnest now! https://spaceforge.co.uk/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
2:08 Elevator Pitch
3:36 Space Forge origin story
6:25 Why would someone produce something in space just to bring it back to Earth?
9:00 Examples of Space Manufacturing use cases
15:08 Economic Viability
18:34 Previous Experiments and Space Manufacturing Proof of Concept
19:40 The transition from the experimental phase to industrial scale producing
25:15 Re-entry
27:41 How flexible is the Space Forge platform?
30:09 Space Forge business model
35:31 Potential Space manufacturing platforms
41:12 Timetable for first flight
42:36 Vision for the company
44:03 In-space manufacturing for space
47:23 Wales
50:32 Space Forge is hiring right now! https://spaceforge.co.uk/
51:10 Sci-Fi

#38 Moon Society: Developing the Moon

This week’s guest is James Burk, the Vice President of the Moon Society. As you can imagine, we talked all about … the Moon, especially how we can develop a sustained human presence there. In this context, also check out the Moon Society's upcoming Lunar Development Conference: https://www.moonsociety.org/conferences/2021-ldc/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 notes0:00 Intro
1:53 What is the Moon Society
2:39 Lunar Development Conference
3:08 The Moon Society's origin story
5:36 Moon exploration in the 2000s
7:32 Commercial lunar bases
12:27 Vision for lunar bases
16:55 Lunar base financing and economy
21:21 Transport capability to the Moon
24:53 Which lunar missions are most exciting
25:22 The viability of a lunar businesses
28:54 Required lunar infrastructure
30:41 The "new" space race
32:39 Law enforcement on the moon and in space
36:16 The Moon in Sci-Fi
40:11 Lunar base governance
45:12 Other aspects of lunar development
46:20 How to get involved in moon projects

#37 Laura Forczyk, Astralytical

This week’s guest is Laura Forczyk, a planetary scientist turned space consultant and also author. We talk about a wide range of subjects in space, including what is currently going on in space tourism.
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 The Blue Origin auction
7:25 Yusaku Maezawa's dearMoon and Space selection processes
11:50 Tom Cruise and artists in space
14:55 How do you build a sustainable business on the moon?
16:23 Space project timelines
19:03 Should funding make us more optimistic on space?
22:54 Laura's background
26:14 Writing a book on space tourism
30:03 NASA's Venus mission
32:42 The overview effect
38:37 A China vs. USA space race (or not)?
41:55 Sub-Orbital point to point flights
46:30 The space age Millennials & Generation Zs
49:21 Diversity in the space industry
51:34 Advice for the next generation in the space industry
54:08 What are relevant trends?
56:55 Sci-Fi

#36 - Aravind Ravichandran, Terrawatch Space

This week’s guest is my friend Aravind Ravichandran, previously of PWC’s space consulting group and now working on his own at Terrawatch Space. He is an expert on remote sensing / Earth observation, but I think you will find his perspectives on the space sector and space business very insightful in general. He also has his own space podcast, the Terrawatch Space podcast, where I was a guest a few weeks ago.
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
3:05 Aravind's current activities
6:14 Aravind's thoughts on space entrepreneurship
7:47 Aravind's consulting activities
9:42 Common misperceptions investors have about the space sector
13:33 Investor familiarity with downstream EO
17:41 Whose responsibility is it to educate about space
19:21 Interesting trends in upstream EO
26:51 Hosted payloads
33:38 Intelligence layer
39:00 Ideal team for an EO intelligence startup
42:21 Forward integration
45:42 Dissemination layer
51:32 EO example/success cases
54:32 What other activities besides EO are interesting
56:35 What else Aravind is excited about in space
58:58 India space
01:04:41 Sci-Fi