Space Minds

Winnie Lai, founder and CEO of Auriga Space, is developing electromagnetic launch systems for defense and space transportation. She discusses catapulting payloads with less fuel, responsive alternatives to rideshare launches, and Auriga’s Hermes counter-drone platform. Lai also explores Golden Dome missile defense, hypersonic testing, and a bold vision for lunar launch infrastructure and a highway from Earth to the Moon.

In this episode, Mike Gruss speaks with Laura Crabtree, the CEO of Epsilon3 who is also a former SpaceX astronaut trainer. They talk about ways that space companies can organize themselves to increase speed, especially to remove roadblocks around testing and certification.👉 See more episodes in the Space Minds playlist About Space MindsSpace Minds is a new audio and video podcast from SpaceNews that focuses on the inspiring leaders, technologies and exciting opportunities in space.This weekly podcast features compelling interviews with scientists, founders and experts who love to talk about space, covers the news that has enthusiasts daydreaming, and engages with listeners. Join Mike Gruss and journalists from the SpaceNews team for new episodes every Thursday.Space Minds Podcast⁠https://spacenews.com/space-minds-podcastSign up for a SpaceNews newsletter⁠https://spacenews.com/newsletters/⁠

In this episode, SpaceNews’ Mike Gruss talks with the CEO of Aalyria Brian Barritt, about how networks are evolving, what scaling the company means and the role of software interoperability for space.👉 See more episodes in the Space Minds playlist About Space MindsSpace Minds is a new audio and video podcast from SpaceNews that focuses on the inspiring leaders, technologies and exciting opportunities in space.This weekly podcast features compelling interviews with scientists, founders and experts who love to talk about space, covers the news that has enthusiasts daydreaming, and engages with listeners. Join Mike Gruss and journalists from the SpaceNews team for new episodes every Thursday.Space Minds Podcast⁠https://spacenews.com/space-minds-podcastSign up for a SpaceNews newsletter⁠https://spacenews.com/newsletters/⁠

Shatel Bhakta, NASA’s principal systems engineer for Moon Base, has helped shape the ISS, Orion, and Gateway. She discusses the essential building blocks of a lunar outpost, from habitats and power to communications and mobility. The conversation explores Artemis milestones, autonomous robots, international partnerships, NASA’s 2028 infrastructure campaign, and the long road toward sustained lunar and Martian operations.

In this episode, a panel of industry experts discuss what’s needed to build a moon base. During a live event at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, leaders Astrolab, Firefly Space and APL share what a lunar future could look like and what has to happen in the next couple of years to make it a reality.👉 See more episodes in the Space Minds playlist About Space MindsSpace Minds is a new audio and video podcast from SpaceNews that focuses on the inspiring leaders, technologies and exciting opportunities in space.This weekly podcast features compelling interviews with scientists, founders and experts who love to talk about space, covers the news that has enthusiasts daydreaming, and engages with listeners. Join Mike Gruss and journalists from the SpaceNews team for new episodes every Thursday.Space Minds Podcast⁠https://spacenews.com/space-minds-podcastSign up for a SpaceNews newsletter⁠https://spacenews.com/newsletters/⁠

Ken Stoler, Arrow Electronics’ space business development lead, explores how spacecraft makers are rethinking risk. They discuss the rise of resilient satellite designs, shifting demand across massive constellations, and the growing role of FPGAs, GPUs, and AI-ready computing in orbit. The conversation also examines supply-chain diversity and the emerging infrastructure of Artemis, robotics, habitats, and space data centers.

In this episode, SpaceNews’ Mike Gruss and Novaspace CEO Pacôme Révillon look at what to expect from the space industry in the next year by playing a game of true or false.👉 See more episodes in the Space Minds playlist About Space MindsSpace Minds is a new audio and video podcast from SpaceNews that focuses on the inspiring leaders, technologies and exciting opportunities in space.This weekly podcast features compelling interviews with scientists, founders and experts who love to talk about space, covers the news that has enthusiasts daydreaming, and engages with listeners. Join Mike Gruss and journalists from the SpaceNews team for new episodes every Thursday.Space Minds Podcast⁠https://spacenews.com/space-minds-podcastSign up for a SpaceNews newsletter⁠https://spacenews.com/newsletters/⁠

In this episode of the podcast, SpaceNews’ Mike Gruss interviews Josef Aschbacher, the director-general of the European Space Agency, at the World Space Business Week conference in Paris. They discuss Europe’s growing push for stronger sovereignty in space and other domains. Aschbacher also shares his views on where Europe is leading in space, where he feels it needs to catch up and what he hopes to get out of Europe’s new investments in space.👉 See more episodes in the Space Minds playlist About Space MindsSpace Minds is a new audio and video podcast from SpaceNews that focuses on the inspiring leaders, technologies and exciting opportunities in space.This weekly podcast features compelling interviews with scientists, founders and experts who love to talk about space, covers the news that has enthusiasts daydreaming, and engages with listeners. Join David Ariosto, Mike Gruss and journalists from the SpaceNews team for new episodes every Thursday.Space Minds Podcast⁠https://spacenews.com/space-minds-podcastSign up for a SpaceNews newsletter⁠https://spacenews.com/newsletters/⁠

In this episode, SpaceNews' Mike Gruss interviews Jeff Janicik, founder and chairman of Innoflight. They discuss Golden Dome, Artemis and working with big numbers for the Space Development Agency.This episode is sponsored by Frontgrade.👉 See more episodes in the Space Minds playlist About Space MindsSpace Minds is a new audio and video podcast from SpaceNews that focuses on the inspiring leaders, technologies and exciting opportunities in space.This weekly podcast features compelling interviews with scientists, founders and experts who love to talk about space, covers the news that has enthusiasts daydreaming, and engages with listeners. Join David Ariosto, Mike Gruss and journalists from the SpaceNews team for new episodes every Thursday.Space Minds Podcast⁠https://spacenews.com/space-minds-podcast/Sign up for a SpaceNews newsletter⁠https://spacenews.com/newsletters/⁠

Lorne Graves, CTO at FrontGrade with a background in RF systems and electronic warfare. He talks about why on‑orbit edge processing and 10× compute matter. He explains RF sensors, AI tightening OODA loops, and lessons from Ukraine on reconfigurable, software‑defined platforms. He also covers how edge processing shifts ground workflows and the tradeoffs of adding compute in space.