Space Business Podcast

My guest this week is the President of Portugal Space, the Portuguese Space Agency, Ricardo Conde. Portugal Space was only recently formed, in 2019. Ricardo and I talk about that experience of founding a new national space agency and dive into some of their marquis projects, including in the remote sensing value chain and the Santa Maria Spaceport in the Azores Islands. We also talk about the space economy in general and how a country like Portugal can add specific value. A quick heads up: this episode was live recorded in Ricardo’s offices and there is some background noise from the AC, but it gets better over time. Enjoy!   Opportunities to learn more about space & the space economy: Check out the edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy Raphael is designing a new, live-taught course. Join the mailing list to get updates and early access: https://jfx8zhjodpz.typeform.com/to/t0VSuhVD Raphael's introductory book on the space economy recently came out in its Portuguese translation: https://www.amazon.com/Para-Cima-Economia-Espacial-Portuguese-ebook/dp/B09X5WV3WC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ROKTHNSCZCRI The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/spacebusinesspodcast Follow the podcast on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/podcast_space   Timestamps 0:00 Intro 3:51 The origins of Portugal Space 17:29 Global navigation data friction and space debris 31:44 Portugal Space timeline 37:52 Open sourcing capability for space startups and space education 48:33 Building an ecosystem of space companies in Portugal 52:54 Space law and regulations in Portugal 57:45 International space companies 59:37 The potential successful outcome 01:02:25 PT Space is hiring! 01:05:00 Closing message

My guest this week is Bessie Schwarz from Cloud to Street, a company that uses satellite imagery, and other data, to come up with better flood models for customers like governments and insurance companies. Hence, it is an example of the use of space technology for something useful right here on Earth, which is one of our favorite topics!   Opportunities to learn more about space & the space economy: Check out the edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy Raphael is designing a new, live-taught course. Join the mailing list to get updates and early access: https://jfx8zhjodpz.typeform.com/to/t0VSuhVD Raphael's introductory book on the space economy recently came out in its Portuguese translation: https://www.amazon.com/Para-Cima-Economia-Espacial-Portuguese-ebook/dp/B09X5WV3WC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ROKTHNSCZCRI The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/spacebusinesspodcast Follow the podcast on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/podcast_space   Timestamps 0:00 Intro 2:28 Elevator pitch 5:18 Origin story 8:07 The product 16:40 Clients 21:31 Value-add 28:24 The flood model 30:25 Using space data for Earth 38:22 Market size 41:17 Vision 44:02 Core competencies 48:10 Funding the business 50:35 Closing questions incl. sci-fi & cli-fi

Raphael reviews what has happened so far in the space sector in 2022 and what some of the exciting things are that may happen during the rest of the year.   JWST images: https://www.nasa.gov/webbfirstimages/   Space Perspective capsule: https://www.space.com/space-perspective-capsule-balloon-tourist-flights   Opportunities to learn more about space & the space economy: Check out the new edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy Raphael is designing a new, live-taught course. Join the mailing list to get updates and early access: https://jfx8zhjodpz.typeform.com/to/t0VSuhVD Raphael's introductory book on the space economy recently came out in its Portuguese translation: https://www.amazon.com/Para-Cima-Economia-Espacial-Portuguese-ebook/dp/B09X5WV3WC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ROKTHNSCZCRI The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/spacebusinesspodcast Follow the podcast on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/podcast_space

This week I’m talking to Sita Sonty, who is Boston Consulting Group’s global lead for commercial space. She also previously worked at Raytheon, Sierra Nevada and SpaceX, besides being a U.S. diplomat for many years. She is one of the most interesting people I know and I am also happy to have her as an advisor at my venture firm E2MC. Enjoy our conversation! Opportunities to learn more about space & the space economy: Check out the new edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy Raphael is designing a new, live-taught course. Join the mailing list to get updates and early access: https://jfx8zhjodpz.typeform.com/to/t0VSuhVD Raphael's introductory book on the space economy recently came out in its Portuguese translation: https://www.amazon.com/Para-Cima-Economia-Espacial-Portuguese-ebook/dp/B09X5WV3WC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ROKTHNSCZCRI The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/spacebusinesspodcast Follow the podcast on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/podcast_space   Timestamps 0:00 Intro 1:53 Sita's Background 8:07 From diplomacy to the private space sector 10:16 Contrasts between space companies 17:46 Sita's role at Spacex 23:29 Life after Spacex 25:29 Private sector clients & space 32:15 Favorite use cases for space 35:14 Rapid fire questions on the space economy 45:35 Financing space 48:42 Being a mom: Kids and Space 51:39 Parting thoughts

We are talking about the future of the space economy as well as geopolitics and exo-politics in this episode (exo-politiics would be politics off-Earth!). I could not have a better guest for these topics:  Dr. Pippa Malmgren is a renowned economist who has, among many other roles, advised President George W Bush. She recently published a couple of articles about space on her Substack. Our conversation spans everything – from Ukraine over space-based solar power all the way to aliens. You will not want to miss it. Enjoy! Link to Dr. Pippa Malmgren's Substack: https://drpippa.substack.com/   Opportunities to learn more about space & the space economy: Check out the new edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy Raphael is designing a new, live-taught course. Join the mailing list to get updates and early access: https://jfx8zhjodpz.typeform.com/to/t0VSuhVD Raphael's introductory book on the space economy recently came out in its Portuguese translation: https://www.amazon.com/Para-Cima-Economia-Espacial-Portuguese-ebook/dp/B09X5WV3WC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ROKTHNSCZCRI The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/spacebusinesspodcast Follow the podcast on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/podcast_space Timestamps 0:00 Intro 2:46 Pippa's background 3:49 The Space Space 6:55 War In Space 8:48 Resilience 12:43 Cities on the Moon 16:04 Space law and regulations 20:09 Game Theory in Space politics 24:50 Nation States vs Private Companies 32:00 Testing the limits 42:20 The impact of space technology on Earth 45:30 Is the Space Economy ready to develop? 53:31 Global cooperation use cases and life in space 58:21 Sci Fi

My guest this week is the founder & CEO of another prominent new space company – Payam Banazadeh from Capella Space. Capella is a remote sensing company that is using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology. Don’t worry – we will explain what SAR is during the episode. The important summary: it allows you to see at night and through cloud cover. You can imagine that has interesting and important use cases. Payam will take us through those and many other things about Capella. Enjoy! Capella's job board: https://www.capellaspace.com/about-us/careers/ Opportunities to learn more about space business: Check out the new edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy Raphael is designing a new, live-taught course. Join the mailing list to get updates and early access: https://jfx8zhjodpz.typeform.com/to/t0VSuhVD Raphael's introductory book on the space economy recently came out in its Portuguese translation: https://www.amazon.com/Para-Cima-Economia-Espacial-Portuguese-ebook/dp/B09X5WV3WC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ROKTHNSCZCRI The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/spacebusinesspodcast Follow the podcast on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/podcast_space Timestamps 0:00 Intro 2:50 Elevator pitch 4:07 Origin story 8:00 MH370 10:05 Geographic coverage 14:58 General use cases 19:10 Pricing 21:11 Government use cases 25:02 Commercial use cases 29:40 Cool things Capella detected 32:05 Hostile behavior 35:44 Satellite manufacturing & design 39:22 Sales process 46:27 Consolidation 48:52 Vision 50:49 Financing 55:27 Wrap-up: hiring, other things to do in the space sector, sci-fi

It’s another fun episode this week as I sit down with Alex Fielding, co-founder and CEO of Privateer. You may have heard about Privateer when it first emerged last year, with few details about it, but intriguingly having Apple co-founder Steve "Woz" Wozniak as its President and co-founder. Earlier this year, Privateer came further out of stealth and we learned that, among other things, they are doing space situational awareness … and got a sponsorship from Swiss watchmaker Omega!  But there is so much more to the story. Listen to the episode to find out. Full disclosure: my venture fund E2MC is an investor in Privateer.   Opportunities to learn more about space business: Check out the new edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy Raphael is designing a new, live-taught course. Join the mailing list to get updates and early access: https://jfx8zhjodpz.typeform.com/to/t0VSuhVD Raphael's introductory book on the space economy recently came out in its Portuguese translation: https://www.amazon.com/Para-Cima-Economia-Espacial-Portuguese-ebook/dp/B09X5WV3WC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ROKTHNSCZCRI The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/spacebusinesspodcast Follow the podcast on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/podcast_space Timestamps 0:00 Intro 2:32 Elevator Pitch 4:22 Alex's career path 9:35 A comparison between space and oceans 10:56 The domain awareness aspect and insurance in LEO 15:44 The tragedy of the commons in space 19:11 Space debris and mapping problems 25:04 Infrastructure vs Applications 29:46 How Privateer looks in practice 34:30 The "rocket science" developer issue 37:14 The initial Privateer apps 40:24 Fun apps 43:41 What is missing? 45:26 Timeframe 46:31 The name "Privateer" 47:49 Being based in Hawaii 53:12 Other interests in space 58:26 Sci-Fi

My guest is Shey Sabripour, the founder and CEO of CesiumAstro, a prominent late stage startup in the satellite communications area. Specifically, they design and build phased array communications systems, actually not only for satellites but also for aerial platforms like drones. You may now wonder what phased array is, but don’t worry, Shey explains it in the episode. In any event, it’s important tech, as also evidenced by the fact that CesiumAstro managed to raise a US$60 million Series B round a couple of months ago.   Opportunities to learn more about space business: Check out the new edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy I am also designing a new live-taught course. Join the mailing list to get updates and early access: https://jfx8zhjodpz.typeform.com/to/t0VSuhVD Raphael's introductory book on the space economy recently came out in its Portuguese translation: https://www.amazon.com/Para-Cima-Economia-Espacial-Portuguese-ebook/dp/B09X5WV3WC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ROKTHNSCZCRI The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/spacebusinesspodcast Follow the podcast on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/podcast_space CesiumAstro job board: https://www.cesiumastro.com/careers Timestamps 0:00 Intro 2:30 Elevator pitch 3:05 Phased array payloads 5:37 LEO constellations 8:46 CesiumAstro's origins 14:16 Becoming a satellite integrator 16:06 Customers 19:23 Supply chain issues and space heritage 23:29 Future products 24:49 In-space communications 29:00 Future of satellite communications 30:54 Medium/long term vision for CesiumAstro 32:27 Funding and hiring 36:30 What else is interesting in space 38:03 Sci-Fi

Our guests this week are Ian Fichtenbaum and Chris Carpenter from Bradford Space. Bradford has been around for a while and their systems, such as propulsion and attitude control, have gathered quite a bit of space heritage already. Now they have an exciting new project. Hear about it in this episode!   Opportunities to learn more about space business: Check out the new edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy I am also designing a new live-taught course. Join the mailing list to get updates and early access: https://jfx8zhjodpz.typeform.com/to/t0VSuhVD Raphael's introductory book on the space economy recently came out in its Portuguese translation: https://www.amazon.com/Para-Cima-Economia-Espacial-Portuguese-ebook/dp/B09X5WV3WC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ROKTHNSCZCRI The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/spacebusinesspodcast Follow the podcast on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/podcast_space Timestamps 0:00 Intro 2:25 Elevator pitch and company origins  6:54 Guests' backgrounds 12:50 The most capable space company 18:27 Mass manufacturing 21:18 Vertical integration and software side 25:43 Overall Strategy and long term value 32:14 Space transportation and use cases 38:11 Status of the project 44:48 Manufacturing vs operating 48:07 Vision for the company 50:54 What else is exciting in space? 52:34 Sci-Fi

I have an Easter / Passover / Ramadan treat for you: my guest this week is none other than Chris Hadfield, the Canadian astronaut. Among his many accomplishments are being the first Canadian to conduct EVA (colloquially a ‘spacewalk’) and also the first Canadian to serve as Commander of the Int’l Space Station. Besides that, he is also a musician and a writer, who recently published a thrilling novel called ‘The Apollo Murders’. We talk about all of this during this episode – you will not want to miss it. Enjoy & happy holidays!   Opportunities to learn more about space business: Check out the new edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy I am also designing a new live-taught course. Join the mailing list to get updates and early access: https://jfx8zhjodpz.typeform.com/to/t0VSuhVD Raphael's introductory book on the space economy just came out in its Portuguese translation: https://www.amazon.com/Para-Cima-Economia-Espacial-Portuguese-ebook/dp/B09X5WV3WC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ROKTHNSCZCRI The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/spacebusinesspodcast Follow the podcast on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/podcast_space   Links to things mentioned in the episode Creative Destruction Lab Space Stream: https://creativedestructionlab.com/streams/space/ Chris Hadfield's MasterClass online course: https://www.masterclass.com/classes/chris-hadfield-teaches-space-exploration The Apollo Murders (novel) https://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Murders-Colonel-Chris-Hadfield-ebook/dp/B08W514GW2/   Timestamps 2:40 The post-astronaut life 6:02 We go to space for the benefit of what we're doing on earth 7:18 Cherished memories from space 8:48 The Overview Effect 12:02 Space tourism 17:57 Playing music in space and human behavior 20:46 Sports and reproduction in space 24:40 Mars 30:56 Life in space 38:30 Creative Destruction Lab 44:04 What is most exciting in space development? 49:30 Getting the space message out 55:03 The Apollo Murders 01:04:30 Sci-Fi