The Most Interesting Thing in A.I. AI in Flight - with Nicholas Thompson, Tory Bruno and Joe Schurman
Nov 12, 2025
Tory Bruno, CEO of United Launch Alliance, shares his journey in aerospace, revealing how his company is adapting to a competitive space landscape with autonomous and reusable rockets. He discusses the critical role of AI in optimizing flight paths and enhancing safety in crowded low-earth orbit. Joe Schurman from PwC dives into the potential of AI in the burgeoning space economy, emphasizing market opportunities and the importance of agentic AI for modernizing legacy systems. Together, they explore the future of human space exploration and the quest to communicate with extraterrestrial life.
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From Backyard Rockets To Rocket CEO
- Tory Bruno started building rockets as a child using dynamite propellant he found on his family's ranch.
- He studied engineering at Cal Poly and spent 30 years at Lockheed before leading ULA and transforming it.
Competition Rewrote ULA's Playbook
- Competition from new entrants and geopolitical changes forced ULA to reinvent and develop the Vulcan rocket.
- Moving from monopoly to competitive commercial and military launch business radically changed ULA's strategy and tempo.
Energy, Complexity, And Material Gains
- Rocket launches are unforgiving because vehicles hold millions of pounds of propellant and must perform with near-perfect reliability.
- Advances in materials rather than propellant chemistry have enabled higher performance rockets in recent years.