Space Station Acceleration with Vast CEO Max Haot 5/16/24

In the wake of Hurricane Milton – space companies like ICEYE are enabling real-time data and analysis of conditions on the ground. ICEYE U.S. CEO Eric Jensen joins Morgan Brennan to lay out how the company is collecting data of earth to help governments and companies respond faster and how the startup is channeling Apple to build its satellites. 

The Department of Defense is prepared to award nearly $1 billion in loans to jumpstart technology critical to national security. The office, established in 2022, recently issued a Notice of Funding Availability laying out the criteria and application process for the Pentagon loans. The loans can be awarded to 31 categories ranging from quantum science to space propulsion. OSC Director Jason Rathje joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the new program and the intersection between technology and national security.

The U.S. Commerce Department has unveiled a proposed a ban on Chinese software and hardware in connected vehicles on American roads—but it could expand to drones and other technology. Skydio co-founder & CEO Adam Bry joins Morgan Brennan on the heels of his company’s customer day. The largest maker of drones in the U.S., Bry and Brennan discuss the future of the technology, implications for public safety, & potential for package delivery by drones.

World leaders and policymakers are meeting for both the UN General Assembly and Climate Week this week: a primetime for Planet Labs’s latest product launch and satellite success. The company, which operates the largest earth observation constellation in low-Earth orbit, has unveiled the world’s first-ever forest carbon monitoring system at 3 meter resolution. Additionally, the publicly traded company revealed images from it new hyperspectral satellite, Tanager-1. CEO Will Marshall joins Morgan Brennan to discuss AI in the space race, and why he believes his company  is positioning itself for a “multi-trillion dollar transition to a sustainable economy.”

Polaris Dawn has done the impossible: making history with private citizens conducting a spacewalk. The extravehicular activity was done to test SpaceX’s new suits. Fresh off of splashdown, mission commander & Shift4 CEO Jared Isaacman joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the view from his walk, how this space mission compared to Inspiration4— his previous venture—and the path ahead for the Polaris Program.

AST SpaceMobile has successfully launched its first five Bluebird commercial satellites, in a major step towards building space-based service for smartphones. Founder & CEO Abel Avellan joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the company’s direct-to-cell service, how the business model compares to competitors like SpaceX’s Starlink, and whether the company has the cash it needs to build out a constellation.

AST SpaceMobile has successfully launched its first five Bluebird commercial satellites, in a major step towards building space-based service for smartphones. AT&T has been a strategic partner of the company since 2018, as well as a key investor and beneficiary of the mass market. Fresh off the launch, AT&T Head of Networks Chris Sambar, joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the commercial partnership, how its venture differs from Verizon’s investment in the company, and the future of satellites for smartphones.

Within the next decade, thousands of satellites are set to head to space, but satellites may need to duck for cover. As more payloads enter low Earth orbit, space junk— debris from previous rocket launches, inactive satellites, and more—is also on the rise. LeoLabs is a startup that analyzes it all, and says number of active payloads it tracks has increased tenfold. With an additional 13,000 pieces of debris in orbit, what’s the future of space traffic management? CEO Tony Frazier joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the trajectory of space traffic, using AI to analyze satellites, and his six months on the job.

From astronauts stuck at the I.S.S. to Blue Origin’s latest suborbital spaceflight, it’s been a big week for human spaceflight. Commercial players have dominated the skies since the development of the Commercial Crew Program—helping to kick off a new era of public-private partnerships in space. Lori Garver, NASA’s former Deputy Administrator, was a key architect in the program. She joins Morgan Brennan to parse through how Boeing can recover from its latest Starliner struggles, Polaris Dawn’s prospects of launch, and space policy come the November 2024 election.

A boom in private human spaceflight is on the horizon as more heavy-lift rockets come online. But at the ISS is set to retire in 2030, what is the future of space stations? Private players are stepping in to meet demand, with Gravitics, a Washington-based in-space infrastructure startup, a likely winner in the space. Founder & CEO Colin Doughan joins Morgan Brennan to discuss commercializing low-earth orbit, supplying hardware to commercial space stations, and its recent $125 million deal with Axiom Space.