That Space Podcast

Charles Miller is the co-founder and CEO of Lynk, the world's only commercially licensed satellite-direct-to-mobile phone service provider. Charles is a serial space entrepreneur with 30 years of experience in the space industry. He has served as the founder or co­founder of multiple private ventures and organizations, including nano-racks which is the current world leader in nanosatellite launches. Charles and I discuss how Lynk is providing global connectivity for mobile users with cell towers in space,  the history and potential of this market, how their service can save lives worldwide and their focus on sustainability.  

On this episode, I talk to Jim Cantrell who was a co-founder of Space-X and is responsible for founding multiple companies who have pioneered the space revolution, including his latest venture, Phantom Space, which is on a mission to commoditize access to space. Jim walks me through the history of commercial space and how a series of fortunate events have led to the activity we see today, how capitalism is fueling the modern space revolution, the purpose of spaceports and what future role he foresees for them, how he is working to capitalize on where the industry is headed, how an infamous plane ride led to the launch of Space-X, and the motivation behind his latest book titled "Breaking All The Rules: The Inside Story of the New Space Race."

On this episode, I have an engaging conversation about the space economy and its global environmental impact with Karen Jones, who is a Senior Policy Analyst in the Center for Space Policy and Strategy at the Aerospace Corporation. Karen has extensive experience advising governments, policymakers and companies on the environmental impacts of space. Her research is helping shape responsible practices, ensuring space will be approached with conservation in mind, while also aiming at preserving life on Earth. We discuss the environmental role of the space sector including remote sensing for methane emission, space based solar power, and monitoring of fishing activities on earth. After all, what kind of world are we leaving behind for Keith Richards?

On this episode, I talk to Meagan Crawford who is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of SpaceFund, a venture capital company focused on funding space startups. Much of what you see today regarding the commercialization of space can be traced to Meagan's work advising and investing in space startups, since before it was cool to do so! SpaceFund's portfolio companies are some of the most recognizable names in new space including SpaceX, Axiom Space, Orbit Fab, and Made In Space, among others. We talk about how an unexpected conversation in college inspired her on this path, how timing plays a key role in technology and investment, why she founded the now longest standing space business plan challenge in the world, we compare asteroids to floating snowballs, define what the real space economy is, where she sees the development of space heading beyond LEO and how we are living in an opportune time with the convergence of so many industries. If you are fascinated by the business of space and are curious to learn as much as you can about this rapidly growing sector like I am, you will love this conversation.

On this episode, I talk to Laura Forczyk, who is on a mission to empower businesses, governments, nonprofits, and professionals around the world to succeed in the rapidly growing space-sector. Spanning her nearly 20-year career in space, as a scientist, analyst, author and now small business owner, Laura is leveraging her experiences to help others navigate the space sector so they can find their place within it. We talk about her background working with startups and how that experience led to her starting her own business, the inspiration behind her book, Becoming Off Worldy, and the plans for an upcoming book, and how she has become a trusted thought leader to news outlets, including BBC, Forbes, Fox, NPR and others. If you are curious about advancing or transitioning your career in the space sector, I highly encourage you to tune-in to our conversation. www.lauraforczyk.com

On this episode, we talk to Joe Guzman, who is the founder and CEO of RockDrill Resolve, a company who has set their sights on resolving the very important issue of space debris. Joe shares his experience of rising through the ranks of the U.S. Army and his exposure to space related systems throughout his tenure; most of which were the origins of what is now the U.S. Space Force. We talk about why there is a need for a Space Force, how he is leveraging his previous experience to tackle the space debris issue and how his technology nicknamed "Space Cowboy" will be at the forefront of this effort.

In support of the Houston Angel Network's Aerospace Investment Symposium on October 27, 2022 at The Ion Houston, we discuss the opportunities and challenges of investing in space with Giuseppe Liberati, who is the CEO of Bridging Value, LLC and Chair of the Aerospace Committee for the Houston Angel's Network.

Dr. Franck Marchis is the Chief Scientific Officer at Unistellar, a company who has developed a compact, digital telescope called the eVscope, that allows anyone to view space from anywhere in the world with just the telescope and a cell phone. He explains the technology behind the eVscope and how Unistellar is leading the New Astronomy movement by building a global community of citizen astronomers, who can collectively leverage their data in partnership with the SETI institute to better understand and contribute to astronomical discoveries.

On this episode, we speak to Dan Harkins of Tropical Weather Analytics, a small satellite company whose aim is to save lives and mitigate damage by providing more accurate data to weather forecasters to better predict weather events before they happen. Dan tells about commercial weather and how it is an $8 billion a year and growing industry, how their technology will impact industries such as energy, aviation, farming, and construction. How current weather forecasting data only captures a piece of the weather puzzle and how their satellites can make it 2x more accurate. In one way or another, we are all impacted by the weather. Wouldn't it be nice to know exactly what weather can be expected in any given location in the world? Tropical Weather Analytics is on a mission to make it happen.

We talk to Dan Lopez of Arkisys, who is building one of the first business platforms in space for new technology hosting, satellite integration, assembly and resupply. Arkisys is unlocking undiscovered markets and enabling pioneering technologies for space development. Dan leads finance, strategy, corporate development, operations, and partnerships at Arkisys. Most recently, he was a technical co-founder and board member of several NewSpace startups and nonprofits, providing strategy for game-changing space data, machine learning applications and products for some of the world's most influential organizations.