In this episode, Immad and Raj interview Delian Asparouhov, a Partner at Founders Fund and the Co-Founder of the space-manufacturing startup Varda. Delian shares his insights on the potential of space manufacturing and how overcoming the difficult challenge of atmospheric reentry will be the key to opening manufacturing in orbit. Delian's background in venture capital brings a commercial mindset to the field of aerospace, offering a fresh perspective on space technology. The conversation provides a deep look into what the future of the space tech industry holds for entrepreneurs and the world at large.
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Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:03:10 - Delian's path from VC to Space Tech
00:08:25 - The Advantages of VC Experience in Aerospace
00:10:12 - Economic Incentives for Human Presence in Space
00:12:19 - Industrializating Outer Space
00:16:09 - Manufacturing and Micro-Gravity
00:21:24 - Pharmaceutical Applications in Space Manufacturing
00:24:38 - The Market Potential for Space Manufacturing
00:26:41 - The Importance of Crystal Structure in Pharmaceuticals
00:28:14 - Merck's ISS Experiment and Commercialization Challenges
00:30:20 - The Re-Entry Challenge in Space Manufacturing
00:36:12 - Automation vs Human Presence in Space Manufacturing
00:38:19 - Scaling Varda's Space Manufacturing Operations
00:40:14 - Varda's Mission Economics and Future Goals
00:49:42 - Over-engineered components for missions
00:52:10 - Permanent human presence in space
00:56:00 - Economics in space
01:02:10 - Varda's far-fetched mission
01:06:18 - Robotic aviation and Mars
