Valley of Depth

Today’s Pathfinder episode features Phantom Space cofounder and CEO Jim Cantrell. The Tucson-based space transportation company is focused on the mass production of rockets. Jim began his career at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab and the French Space Agency (CNES), working on Mars exploration technologies and a joint French-Soviet Mars program​​. He was a founding member of SpaceX, serving as its first VP of business development. He later co-founded Moon Express, a company focused on commercial lunar robotic transportation​ and Vector Space, a micro-launch vehicle company​.Phantom primer: Phantom's strategy focuses around a central idea: mass production of rockets. Instead of going all-in on vertical integration, Cantrell's choosing to leverage the expertise of outside specialists for key technology—for example, propulsion company Ursa Major is fueling Phantom's rocket engines. By providing some but not all the R&D, the company can operate with a substantially leaner core staff. The thought is that this mass-produced, “Henry Ford”-like development and production approach will substantially lower costs and increase efficiency. Cantrell says that Phantom’s price tag to get to space will be roughly $100M, substantially lower than competitors. The company’s product roadmap includes:The Daytona, which is a two-stage rocket designed to deliver payloads up to 450 kgs to LEO, is​ expected to first launch in late 2024/early 2025.Its larger sibling, Laguna, has a planned lift capacity of 1,200 kgs to LEO with the first launch expected in 2027. The Laguna will have both an expendable and reusable configuration for its first stage similar to SpaceX's Falcon 9.In addition to Phantom’s early days, Mo and Jim discuss: The infamous Elon and Russian ICBM storyLearnings from VectorThe evolution of venture capitalists and spacePros/cons of vertical integrationTeam constructionAnd much more… This episode is brought to you by SpiderOak, a US-based software company that builds space cybersecurity products and solutions for civilian, military, and commercial space operations. Learn more at https://spideroak.com/ • Chapters • 00:00 - Intro and SpiderOak Ad 01:30 - Jim, Elon, and Russia 07:05 - Why did Elon reach out to you at the time? 09:48 - What is Phantom Space?15:32 - Relying on an external supply chain17:38 - To vertically integrate, or not to vertically integrate?21:17 - Development timelines 26:07 - Other products outside of launch 28:08 - Team construction 34:52 - SpiderOak Ad break 35:40 - Vector: What went well and what were the key challengers? 42:16 - Space VCs: then vs now 49:55 - What company are you most excited about?51:29 - Alternative methods to reach orbit53:43 - Is it harder to build a new launch vehicle or a winning Formula 1 car?• Show notes • Phantom's website — https://www.phantomspace.com/Phantom's socials — https://twitter.com/PhantomSpaceCJim's socials — https://twitter.com/jamesncantrellMo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes • About us • Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 15,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We’re also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world. Payload began as a weekly email sent to a few friends and coworkers. Today, we’re a team distributed across four time zones and two continents, publishing three media properties across multiple platforms: 1) Payload, our flagship daily newsletter, sends M-F @ 9am Eastern (https://newsletter.payloadspace.com/) 2) Pathfinder publishes weekly on Tuesday mornings (pod.payloadspace.com) 3) Polaris, our weekly policy publication, hits inboxes Tuesday (https://polaris.payloadspace.com/) 4) Parallax, our weekly space science briefing, hits inboxes Thursday (https://parallax.payloadspace.com/)

While warfare used to mean dropping bombs and shooting bullets, modern conflict is increasingly seeing actors targeting an adversaries’ critical infrastructure with cyberattacks. The number of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure perpetrated or sponsored by nation-states doubled from 20% to 40% between July 2021 and June 2022, according to Microsoft. The US is particularly vulnerable since the vast majority of critical infrastructure is under private ownership. This makes the implementation of safety standards challenging and complicates the government's task of monitoring and guarding against threats. Enter: Galvanick.Catch-up quick: The LA-based startup, which just announced a $10M seed round, is building cybersecurity solutions to protect industrial infrastructure. Galvanick's first product is an industrial-based XDR platform. Think of it as a system that collects data from different industrial machines and locations to keep an eye out for any potential threats. This allows the operations and computer security teams to understand what’s normal behavior—and what isn’t—and to quickly see if something is out of whack. First customer? The company’s initial target market is the aerospace and defense industry, where cyber threats are particularly acute due to national security interests.A sneak peek…We interview Josh Steinman, cofounder and CEO of Galvanick. Josh founded the company in 2021 after witnessing the extent of the issue as a former senior director for cyber at the National Security Council. We discuss:Galvanick’s origin story and visionThe importance of the National Security CouncilAsymmetric attacks and the extent of the cyber problemWhat separates successful defense startupsThe top three threats to AmericaAnd much more… This episode is brought to you by SpiderOak, a US-based software company that builds space cybersecurity products and solutions for civilian, military, and commercial space operations. Learn more at https://spideroak.com/ • Chapters • 00:00 - Intro and SpiderOak Ad01:10 - Good morning, we are going to win03:35 - Galvanick overview05:56 - Josh's background and the Galvanick origin story09:35 - Influencing the creation of the Defense Innovation Unit11:28 - National Security Council Primer14:25 - How did you land a role on the NSC?16:29 - What is an asymmetric attack and how does cyber fit into that description?22:47 - What are the critical  vulnerabilities that we face today?27:20 - Galvanick's technology29:53 - How are you thinking about scaling in the market and growing the business?32:44 - Customer pushback on the product36:55 - How is generative AI going to change cyberattacks?39:01 - SpiderOak Ad break39:49 - What separates successful defense startups from the rest?42:33 - How would you digitize our infrastructure?47:17 - Top threats to America today50:28 - Is China ahead in critical technology developments?52:50 - Perspective on US decline vs China rise57:12 - The future of cybersecurity01:00 - How to get in touch with Josh and Galvanick• Show notes • Galvanick's website — https://www.galvanick.com/Galvanick's socials — https://twitter.com/GalvanickCoJosh's socials — https://twitter.com/JoshuaSteinmanMo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes • About us • Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 15,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We’re also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world. Payload began as a weekly email sent to a few friends and coworkers. Today, we’re a team distributed across four time zones and two continents, publishing three media properties across multiple platforms: 1) Payload, our flagship daily newsletter, sends M-F @ 9am Eastern (https://newsletter.payloadspace.com/) 2) Pathfinder publishes weekly on Tuesday mornings (pod.payloadspace.com) 3) Polaris, our weekly policy publication, hits inboxes Tuesday (https://polaris.payloadspace.com/) 4) Parallax, our weekly space science briefing, hits inboxes Thursday (https://parallax.payloadspace.com/)

VLEO is a term that you don’t hear everyday in the space industry. It refers to “Very Low Earth Orbit,” a region of space that’s roughly twice as close to Earth’s surface as the commonly-used LEO, or “Low Earth Orbit,” where most companies are building their satellite constellations. But not Albedo. The Austin, TX- and Denver, CO-based startup is changing the architecture of Earth Observation (EO) by operating satellites at an orbital regime in which no other commercial provider is successfully operating.Today’s Pathfinder episode features Albedo cofounder and CEO Topher Haddad. Haddad spent the initial years of his career at Lockheed Martin, where he developed passive and active remote sensing systems before jumping into the famed startup accelerator Y Combinator to start Albedo.Why VLEO? Albedo is pushing the boundaries of EO by offering aerial-quality imagery (optical and thermal to start) from space. In Dec. 2021, the company obtained the first commercial NOAA license to sell 10-cm satellite imagery—much higher-res than the 30-cm imagery that was allowed previously. Operating in VLEO enables 10-cm resolution at substantially lower cost than existing government satellites as long as you can solve the propulsion and positioning problem (more on that in the pod!).Albedo is targeting early 2025 for its first satellite launch with a second launch later that year and several more in 2026. The initial constellation of six satellites is expected to achieve daily revisit, and the full constellation of 24 is intended to eventually reach five revisits per day.A sneak peek…Mo and Topher chat about the early days of Albedo, learnings from Lockheed, and building across Austin and Denver. In addition: VLEO: why, what, how?A satellite resolution primerAlbedo product roadmapArtificial intelligence in EOMarket for high-resolution imageryAnd much more… This episode is brought to you by SpiderOak, a US-based software company that builds space cybersecurity products and solutions for civilian, military, and commercial space operations. Learn more at https://spideroak.com/ • Chapters • 00:00 - Intro and SpiderOak Ad 01:38 - What is Albedo?03:45 - How did Topher got into EO? 06:32 - The infamous classified tweet09:19 - Satellite resolution primer 12:11 - Operating in VLEO14:16 - Technological innovations for VLEO 18:22 - Current product roadmap20:49 - Why start with optical and thermal? 22:55 - Higher resolution offerings and NOAA license 26:32 - How you approach the government vs commercial customer?29:59 - SpiderOak Ad break 30:47 - From space to server in under an hour 34:42 - Competitor landscape 36:43 - AI within the EO market 39:42 - Resolution vs revisits?41:44 - Building the Albedo team44:43 - Austin vs Denver offices 46:17 - Distributed teams, centralized culture 48:56 - Life at YC51:39 - Lessons learned at Lockheed 53:09 - What will a VLEO platform enable you to do in the long run? 56:28 - What other companies are you excited about? 57:35 - Albedo's investors: Breakthrough Energy & Shield Capital• Show notes • Albedo's website — https://albedo.com/Albedo's socials — https://twitter.com/AlbedoMo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes • About us • Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 15,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We’re also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world. Payload began as a weekly email sent to a few friends and coworkers. Today, we’re a team distributed across four time zones and two continents, publishing three media properties across multiple platforms: 1) Payload, our flagship daily newsletter, sends M-F @ 9am Eastern (https://newsletter.payloadspace.com/) 2) Pathfinder publishes weekly on Tuesday mornings (pod.payloadspace.com) 3) Polaris, our weekly policy publication, hits inboxes Tuesday (https://polaris.payloadspace.com/) 4) Parallax, our weekly space science briefing, hits inboxes Thursday (https://parallax.payloadspace.com/)

Pierre-Damien Vaujour, CEO and co-founder of Loft Orbital, shares insights about making space accessible with their innovative 'space infrastructure as a service'. He discusses the company's unique model that allows quick satellite deployment, likening their offerings to a subscription service. Highlights include the importance of bulk buying satellites, navigating government contracts, and the strategic growth in Toulouse, Europe's aerospace hub. Vaujour’s passion for simplifying satellite operations makes for an engaging conversation about the future of space exploration.

Tom Mueller is best known for his instrumental role at SpaceX as propulsion CTO, but he’s now turned his sights to his new venture, Impulse Space. Founded in 2021, Impulse aims to provide reliable and economical in-space transportation services. The company services include GEO/GTO/LEO logistics, in-orbit servicing, spacecraft life extension, active debris removal, and situational awareness.The company plans to operate within Earth’s orbit and beyond, including lunar and Mars missions, which Mueller believes will open the gateway to space resource transportation, asteroid mining, in-space manufacturing, and propellant depots.Last summer, the company announced a partnership with Relativity to launch the first private mission to Mars and just last week Orbit Fab announced that it would use a vehicle developed by Impulse Space for an in-orbit refueling demonstration.In addition to Impulse’s origin story, Mo and Tom discuss:Building propulsion systemsInitial target marketsEngineering thrusters vs enginesMira’s first mission this OctoberLessons learned (and memorable stories) from SpaceXAnd much more… This episode is brought to you by SpiderOak, a US-based software company that builds space cybersecurity products and solutions for civilian, military, and commercial space operations. Learn more at https://spideroak.com/ • Chapters • 00:00 - Intro and Ad spot 01:41 - Why rockets and why propulsion? 03:25 -Early work at TRW07:43 - Introducing Impulse 10:54 - The size of Impulse's market12:59 - First product: Mira 15:19 - Second product: Helios17:00 - Small thruster performance 20:31 - Competition in orbital transfer vehicles 22:16 - Chemical propulsion vs electrical? 23:10 - What are some of the elements/process of innovation that you're applying from SpaceX? 26:38 - Relativity mission 28:56 - Efficiency in getting propellant from the Moon vs the Earth 31:03 - Building and recruiting a team 33:22 - Spider Oak Ad break 34:29 - Why is launch so hard? 37:55 - How do you bounce back from failure? 38:52 - Future of rocket propulsion 40:42 - Starship and the future of engineering constraints42:26 - What other companies excite you? 43:32 - What's harder, designing a championship-winning F1 car or a new launch vehicle from scratch? 46:46 - Do you spend more time racing or tinkering? 48:19 - The future of racing electric vehicles? 49:41 - If you could race a lap in your favorite car, who would you take with you? 52:57 - Most memorable moment from your time at SpaceX 54:29 - When do you think we'll be back on the Moon? Mars?• Show notes • Impulse Space's website — https://www.impulsespace.com/Tom's socials — https://twitter.com/lrocketMo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes • About us • Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 15,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We’re also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world. Payload began as a weekly email sent to a few friends and coworkers. Today, we’re a team distributed across four time zones and two continents, publishing three media properties across multiple platforms: 1) Payload, our flagship daily newsletter, sends M-F @ 9am Eastern (https://newsletter.payloadspace.com/) 2) Pathfinder publishes weekly on Tuesday mornings (pod.payloadspace.com) 3) Polaris, our weekly policy publication, hits inboxes Tuesday (https://polaris.payloadspace.com/) 4) Parallax, our weekly space science briefing, hits inboxes Thursday (https://parallax.payloadspace.com/)

Space travel is about to get a lot more accessible. At least, that’s what Space Perspective cofounders and co-CEOs Taber MacCallum and Jane Poynter are saying. The company’s aim is to provide the quintessential astronaut experience to as many people as possible, focusing not on the rocket ride or microgravity, but on the view of Earth from space.In today’s Pathfinder podcast, Mo chats with both Taber and Jane from Space Perspective’s HQ near Cape Canaveral, FL. They discuss:Taber and Jane’s life’s work supporting crewed spacecraftThe origins of Space PerspectiveThe importance of seeing Earth from aboveThe advantages of balloon-based tourismSpace Perspective vs. competitorsThe future of space tourismAnd much more…And much more… This episode is brought to you by SpiderOak, a US-based software company that builds space cybersecurity products and solutions for civilian, military, and commercial space operations. Learn more at https://spideroak.com/ • Chapters • 00:00 - Intro and SpiderOak Ad 01:15 - Space Perspective overview08:22 - Taber & Jane's background16:53 - The conceptual beginnings of Space Perspective21:05 - Safety systems25:24 - SpiderOak Ad Break26:30 - Pricing, target market, target customer30:50 - First commercial flight?32:02 - The feeling of weightlessness33:20 - Handling anxious clients36:02 - Launch logistics39:40 - Advantages of launching from a ship41:00- Regulatory considerations43:10 - The long-term vision44:30 - A pioneer in the space industry48:15 - StratEx launch54:45 - Who are you taking to space?• Show notes • Space Perspective's website — https://spaceperspective.com/Space Perspective's socials — https://twitter.com/SpacePerspectivDr. Robert Zubrin on "Why Mars?" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S6k2LBJhacMo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes • About us • Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 15,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We’re also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world. Payload began as a weekly email sent to a few friends and coworkers. Today, we’re a team distributed across four time zones and two continents, publishing three media properties across multiple platforms: 1) Payload, our flagship daily newsletter, sends M-F @ 9am Eastern (https://newsletter.payloadspace.com/) 2) Pathfinder publishes weekly on Tuesday mornings (pod.payloadspace.com) 3) Polaris, our weekly policy publication, hits inboxes Tuesday (https://polaris.payloadspace.com/) 4) Parallax, our weekly space science briefing, hits inboxes Thursday (https://parallax.payloadspace.com/)

In today’s Pathfinder podcast, host Mo Islam chats with cofounder and CEO of True Anomaly, Even Rogers. Before founding True Anomaly, Even held a number of different space jobs, including Air Force space operations officer, where he helped lay the foundation for the establishment of the Space Force. While serving, he witnessed a shift within the space community from focusing on counterinsurgency operations to addressing vulnerabilities and threats in space systems amid the rise of China. True Anomaly develops spacecraft and software solutions to make space a protected harbor for the US and its allies. They are focusing on offering: operational testing, responsive operations, and space domain awareness. Even and Mo talk about the story behind True Anomaly, deterrence in space, and transitioning from the military to Silicon Valley. They also discuss: True Anomaly’s product suite Striking the right balance of former military personnel and engineers Jackal’s demo mission this fall Why VC investors are backing defense companies Security and data integrity in space And much more… This episode is brought to you by SpiderOak, a US-based software company that builds space cybersecurity products and solutions for civilian, military, and commercial space operations. Learn more at https://spideroak.com/ • Chapters • 00:00 - Intro and ad 01:50 - Even's journey from the military to Silicon Valley 08:48 - True Anomaly overview 12:12 - How did you pick your initial team? 13:34 - Product overview and roadmap 16:18 - Upcoming demo mission 19:07 - Current and future clients 21:43 - Key metric: cost per maneuver 25:24 - Autonomy and AI 28:20 - Security and data integrity 30:00 - SpiderOak ad break 30:48 - DoD's focus: "tactical and responsive" 33:36 - Vertical integration of True Anomaly 34:23 - Team construction and bridging skill gaps 38:25 - What has changed in the VC market for space startups? 44:37 - Deterrence theory in space 48:52 - Other veteran owned space companies 49:56 - Why Denver? • Show notes • True Anomaly's website — https://www.trueanomaly.space/True Anomaly's socials — https://twitter.com/The_TrueAnomaly Mo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes • About us • Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 15,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We’re also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world. Payload began as a weekly email sent to a few friends and coworkers. Today, we’re a team distributed across four time zones and two continents, publishing three media properties across multiple platforms: 1) Payload, our flagship daily newsletter, sends M-F @ 9am Eastern (https://newsletter.payloadspace.com/) 2) Pathfinder publishes weekly on Tuesday mornings (pod.payloadspace.com) 3) Polaris, our weekly policy publication, hits inboxes Tuesday (https://polaris.payloadspace.com/) 4) Parallax, our weekly space science briefing, hits inboxes Thursday (https://parallax.payloadspace.com/)

You need to be paying attention to the space industry. Why? Because Payload Cofounder Ari Lewis has finally agreed to be a guest on Pathfinder. You’ve probably seen Ari in his natural habitat: flying around the country to events and conferences, sporting his trademark Payload baseball cap, helping companies understand why they need to partner with Payload. But today, the lifeblood of Payload’s sales engine sits down with fellow cofounder and Pathfinder host Mo Islam. Mo and Ari discuss the Payload origin story, scaling a media organization, and the future vision of the business. They also talk about: Challenges faced by the space industry today Parallels between the space and crypto industry How to build a strong media brand The Payload 10-Year VisionAnd much more…Our episode is brought to you by SpiderOak, a US-based software company that builds space cybersecurity products and solutions for civilian, military, and commercial space operations. Learn more at https://spideroak.com/ • Chapters •00:00 - Introduction 00:35 - SpiderOak Ad 01:13 - Introduction to Ari 01:37 - What finally made you decide to come on the show? 02:16 - Payload origin story 07:01 - How Ari got to Payload 09:02 - Crypto to space? 13:02 - What made Payload unique and allowed it to grow? 18:25 - How does Payload make money? 21:53 - Space industry challenges and how Payload can help 31:02 - How you view Twitter as a tool for the space industry 35:57 - SpiderOak Ad Break 36:45 - Will Payload expand beyond the space industry? 39:00 - Fundamentals of building a strong brand 45:53 - How Ari stays focused and motivated 47:37 - Hobbies outside of work 48:29 - Secret energy source? 50:23 - How does someone working at Payload ask for a raise? 51:39 - Favorite part about Payload or memory 54:40 - The Payload 10 Year Vision• Show notes •Ari's socials — https://twitter.com/amlewis4Mo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes • About us •Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 15,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We’re also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world. Payload began as a weekly email sent to a few friends and coworkers. Today, we’re a team distributed across four time zones and two continents, publishing three media properties across multiple platforms: 1) Payload, our flagship daily newsletter, sends M-F @ 9am Eastern (https://newsletter.payloadspace.com/) 2) Pathfinder publishes weekly on Tuesday mornings (pod.payloadspace.com) 3) Polaris, our weekly policy publication, hits inboxes Tuesday (https://polaris.payloadspace.com/) 4) Parallax, our weekly space science briefing, hits inboxes Thursday (https://parallax.payloadspace.com/)

Today, Pathfinder unveils an industry exclusive. An influential trio – Major General (Ret.) Kim Crider, Eddie Papczun, and Mike Dickey – veterans of A&D, have come together to launch Elara Nova, a consulting firm meticulously crafted to cater to the ever-expanding space industry. With illustrious careers under their belts, these three have held distinguished positions in the Air Force and Space Force (Kim was the Chief Technology Innovation Officer and Mike was Chief Architect) and later ventured into space and defense consulting.Recognizing a critical void in the market not being met by major consulting organizations, Crider, Papczun, and Dickey have forged a comprehensive and cohesive consulting powerhouse. Their vision: bolster the space industry, fortify national security, and aid companies in cultivating international alliances.Kim and Eddie join us to discuss:The origins of Elara NovaWhy a space-focused consultancy?Range of services and target clientsImportance of data for a company’s space strategyNavigating private vs government funding“A pacing threat in China”And much more…And much more…Our episode is brought to you by SpiderOak, a US-based software company that builds space cybersecurity products and solutions for civilian, military, and commercial space operations. Learn more at https://spideroak.com/ • Chapters •00:00 Introduction and SpiderOak Ad01:32 Introducing Kim & Eddie01:50 The start of a new business venture05:32 Origins of Elara Nova06:20 The Avengers of the Space Industry11:19 Why Elara Nova and why now?22:42 Kim's background as Chief Technology Innovation Officer of the USSF27:02 How important is data to a company's space strategy?35:20 SpiderOak Ad Break36:08 Focusing on government vs commercial customers40:10 How should startups navigate funding and government capital?45:10 DoD vs NASA space budget48:50 US lead vs China53:54 NASA prediction54:55 Elon prediction55:57 The first to the Moon59:10 How to get in touch with Elara Nova• Show notes •Elara Nova — https://elaranova.com/Kim's Email: kim@elaranova.comEddie's Email: eddie@elaranova.comMo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes • About us •Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 15,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We’re also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world. Payload began as a weekly email sent to a few friends and coworkers. Today, we’re a team distributed across four time zones and two continents, publishing three media properties across multiple platforms: 1) Payload, our flagship daily newsletter, sends M-F @ 9am Eastern (https://newsletter.payloadspace.com/) 2) Pathfinder publishes weekly on Tuesday mornings (pod.payloadspace.com) 3) Parallax, our weekly space science briefing, hits inboxes Thursday (https://parallax.payloadspace.com/)

When Shey Sabripour moved to Austin, TX, more than a decade ago, he was immediately struck by the city's laid-back lifestyle and impressive talent pool (we imagine the Tex Mex didn’t hurt either). After spending a few years as CTO of local Texas startup Firefly Aerospace, Shey couldn’t resist the entrepreneurial itch any longer. Instead of following the commercial space industry flock to Los Angeles, Shey saw something special in Austin and decided it was the perfect breeding ground for his new company, CesiumAstro. For the uninitiated, Cesium builds high-throughput, software-defined phased array communication systems for airborne and in-space platforms. Today's Pathfinder podcast invites CEO Shey Sabripour to break down how phased array antennas work—and why they’re a game changer for satellites and spacecraft trying to communicate with each other and the ground. Shey joins us on the show to discuss: Cesium’s origin story A primer on phased array technology Why phased array antennas are the holy grail for satellites The importance of product design Why build in Austin, TX And much more…Today’s episode is brought to you by SpiderOak, a US-based software company that builds space cybersecurity products and solutions for civilian, military, and commercial space operations. Learn more at https://spideroak.com/ • Chapters •00:00 - Intro and SpiderOak Ad 01:09 - Shey's beginnings with the space industry 03:50 - Cesium and its mission 10:50 - A layman explaining phased array technology 16:47 - Use cases for phased arrays 20:33 - Shift in cost curve 22:37 - "Phase array antennas are satellites' holy grail" 23:47 - Cesium's core product offering 27:05 - Initial customer base 28:48 - Ad break 29:40 - Why start Cesium? 33:24 - The importance of phased array antennas 35:14 - Learnings from startups and aerospace primes 38:06 - Why build in Austin? 40:10 - How can founders building highly technical companies tell their story? 45:26 - Focusing on product design 47:58 - What else would you be building if not Cesium? 49:48 - What startup are you most excited about? 51:40 - An (unknown) underlying trend in space• Show notes •CesiumAstro — https://www.cesiumastro.com/Mo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes • About us •Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 15,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We’re also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world. Payload began as a weekly email sent to a few friends and coworkers. Today, we’re a team distributed across four time zones and two continents, publishing three media properties across multiple platforms: 1) Payload, our flagship daily newsletter, sends M-F @ 9am Eastern (https://newsletter.payloadspace.com/) 2) Pathfinder publishes weekly on Tuesday mornings (pod.payloadspace.com) 3) Parallax, our weekly space science briefing, hits inboxes Thursday (https://parallax.payloadspace.com/)