Ex Terra: The Journal of Space Commerce

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Kevin Stadnyk, co-founder and CEO of Obruta Space Solutions.

Obruta Space Solutions is a Canadian company specializing in space robotics and technologies. Their mission revolves around enabling satellite servicing and addressing the challenges of space debris removal. The company does not build hardware for those tasks, but rather develops the software that will eventually allow such spacecraft to operate autonomously.

The company is developing a rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD) system. With this "RPOD Kit", Obruta enables orbital service providers to perform services such as on-orbit refueling, life-extension, and debris removal—services which exponentially increase a space asset's value. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are currently conducting ROPD experiments in preparation for free-flying test in the future

"There will be humans in the loop for the initial and foreseeable future in some capacity," Stadnyk said. "Similar to self-driving cars, the end goal is reaching full autonomy, but we know that it's not realistic to start this whole technology by being fully autonomous. It's just won't be safe enough, it won't be reliable enough."

Kevin holds two degrees in aerospace engineering and a background focused on satellite attitude control, orbital mechanics, and space debris removal technologies.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Matt George and Josh Foerschler of Burns & McDonnell, a design/build company with expertise constructing facilities for the space industry.

Josh Foerschler is Business Development Lead for space-related facilities, and Matt George serves as a project manager for space-related facilities at Burns & McDonnell.

The company's portfolio includes a 125,000 sq.ft. facility for Intuitive Machines, which recently landed a spacecraft on the Moon. Incorporated into the design are advanced manufacturing and production spaces, 3D printing areas, machine shops, research and development laboratories, clean rooms, and large-scale spacecraft assembly areas. Unique to the facility are mission control rooms to track and manage lunar missions, and a propulsion test facility to assess lunar lander engine capabilities. The space also includes offices, meeting areas, conference rooms and other amenities for both Intuitive Machines and its partners/tenants.

"We built them basically an engine testing verification facility on Houston spaceport. They call it "The Flame Range" or "The Rocket Petting Zoo"," Foerschler said.

The Innovative Launch, Automation, Novel Materials, Communications, and Hypersonics Hub (iLAuNCH) program is a collaboration of regionally based institutions, led by the University of Southern Queensland with The Australian National University, and the University of South Australia.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Dr. Joni Sytsma, Chief Technology Officer of iLAuNCH.

The effort is part of the Australian Government’s Trailblazer Universities Program delivered by the Department of Education. Through this program, the Australian Government will build new research capabilities, driving commercialization outcomes and investing in new industry engagement opportunities.

"I like to think I'm building the science fiction future," Dr. Sytsma said. "And my science fiction future has space cities, and space travel as an everyday thing."

A total of $370.3 million will be invested from 2022–2026 to build additional capacity to focus on the problems that matter to the nation by driving research excellence and real-world impact.

Six Australian universities will become leaders in research commercialisation, with dedicated investment in priority areas. Each Trailblazer university will receive $50 million, which will be matched by university and industry partner contributions.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with James Perry, Executive VP of ASTERRA, a company providing data-driven solutions for water utilities, government agencies, and the broader infrastructure industry. Their expertise lies in leak detection, infrastructure analysis, and soil characteristics monitoring.

Based in Israel with offices in San Diego, CA, ASTERRA develops innovative tools to enhance water management and infrastructure resilience using geospatial data. The company provides a number of industries with intelligence and insights from beneath the surface of their largest installations. Without breaking ground, ASTERRA uses patented algorithms and artificial intelligence to detect leaks, assess pipes, and locate moisture near major installations.

James Perry has spent over thirty years driving disruptive innovation. In both start-ups and Fortune 500 companies, James’ key mission is market adoption and to achieve a deeper foothold into new markets. James currently serves as the VP for Business Development at ASTERRA, based in San Diego, CA. In his free time James likes to sail out of the Mission Bay Yacht Club in San Diego and held the position of Commodore in 2016.

"What we're able to do is break down the ecosystem of maintaining water supply where leakage is causing non-revenue water challenges," Perry said.

GITAI Robotics is a space robotics startup that aims to provide safe and affordable labor in space while reducing operational costs by two orders of magnitude. The company is developing highly capable, safe, and reliable robots for ISAM (In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) services, including building and maintaining satellites, as well as space stations, lunar bases, and cities on Mars.

The GITAI Robotics S-2 robotic arm was recently transported to the International Space Station for a demonstration mission, and the company was also selected for the DARPA 10 program last month.

Nakanose said that the arm can be useful in relieving highly-trained from repetitive chores such as cleaning and routine maintenance. "Of course its important, but we can replace that kind of daily chores ... or dangerous operations ... with robots, robotic technologies," he said.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

Robin Dickey is a space policy and strategy analyst at The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy. She focuses on national security, space, geopolitics, and international relations. She recently published a paper titled “(Space) Ships Passing in the Night: Translating Maritime Rules of the Road for the Space Domain” which sheds light on this situation.

"Some of these maritime domain principals help make it easier to make the interactions between different satellites and different satellite operators more regular, more predictable, less risky, and all of those things can help ensure in the long term that commerce in space is able to flourish," Dickey said.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

Space Copy is the first multi-purpose interplanetary manufacturing device that combines lunar regolith sampling, spectral data analysis, and 3D printing into one mechanism. Space Copy works to reduce the costs of frequent payload service missions, and well as reduce the amount of pollution and debris emitted by continuous resupply missions sent to the lunar surface to sustain long-term human presence by providing an in-situ resource utilization technology to be used directly on the Moon and Mars to create supplies needed to sustain human life.

"In Junior High School I created a 3D CAD model prototype for a Mars habitat that was created using 3D printers. I actually submitted it to NASA to see if anyone was intersted in developing the theory into an actual technology. That didn't actually take off," Madison said. "And when I was 16 I was approached by the same NASA office that I had previously sent that project off to, and they offered me a contract position to review some innovations for science instruments that were being developed for terrestrial and Lunar use."

Moon Trades is a global consortium designing lunar robotics for mining and AI space education for STEM enthusiasts.

In her "spare" time, Madison advises young people considering STEM and space careers.

Madison is a graduate of Harvard Business School ('22) - Entrepreneurship Essentials (2021), Negotiation Mastery (2022), Disruptive Strategy (2022); Comprehensive Certificate of Specialization in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from Harvard Business School Online, class of 2022.

The Ex Terra Podcast has been named one of the Internet's top 15 Space Business Podcasts by Feedspot. We hope you'll subscribe to stay up to date on Space Commerce through our interviews with leaders in the industry.

On a programming note, this is our final podcast to 2023. We'll return in January. We wish you all an outstanding holiday season.

Arcfield was launched as a stand-alone company in 2021, but it has a long history in the aerospace industry dating back to 1957. The company was created to serve a single purpose: to solve the most complex and demanding national security and space-related challenges.

"We do an analysis every year of what our mission partners need, both government and commercial." Kevin Kelly, Arcfield

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Kevin Kelly, CEO of Arcfield.

Recently, Arcfield announced the acquisition of Orion Space Solutions, a company that applies fundamental space physics knowledge to solve real-world problems encountered in the space environment.

"We do an analysis every year of what our mission partners need, both government and commercial. We identify what those gap areas are. If it has capabilities that we feel we need to make part of Archfield's enterprise, we can either buy it or build it," Kelly said.

Kevin Kelly has been an active leader in the defense and intelligence industry for more than 30 years with proven success leading and managing companies through growth activities. He is passionate about innovation and ensuring that a company leverages its people, processes and technologies to its maximum potential to deliver for its customers.

Prior to Arcfield, Kevin was the CEO of LGS Innovations, a privately held independent technology company that was eventually acquired by CACI International in March of 2019. After its acquisition, Kevin oversaw the company’s integration into CACI through the company’s creation of a new high-tech sector (National Security and Innovation Solutions Sector), where Kevin would ultimately serve as president. In this role, Kevin oversaw the operations of a $2B business consisting of the technology and products portions of several key acquisitions; namely LGS Innovations, SIX3 Systems, TICOM Geomatics, and L3 NSS.

Sateliot is the first satellite operator to offer IoT or Internet of Things connectivity over standard 5G Narrow Band-IoT. Their constellation serves as cell towers in space, expanding mobile operator coverage and providing global connectivity to unmodified commercial terrestrial devices wherever they are.

"Everything is going to take some time to be in the hands of everyone everywhere. But it's going to happen, and that's the revolutionary thing." Gianluca Redolfi, Sateliot

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks With Gianluca Redolfi, Chief Commercial Officer of Barcelona, Spain-based Sateliot.

"What we are providing from the satellites is an extension of the current coverage," Redolfi said. "Because in many ... use cases, they do not have connectivity."

In April of this year, Sateliot launched the first of its planned 250-satellite constellation. "Groundbreaker" is a 22-pound spacecraft that will allow users to seamlessly switch from a terrestrial to a non-terrestrial 5G network, with no need to purchase any extra hardware, such as antennas or modems. Also, they can keep using their current sim cards and mobile operators, thanks to the standard roaming agreements carried out by Sateliot. This eases the way to a massive Internet of Things adoption worldwide.

"Everything is going to take some time to be in the hands of everyone everywhere," Redolfi said. "But it's going to happen, and that's the revolutionary thing."

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Laura Crabtree, CEO of Epsilon3.

Current mission tools are neglected in a program lifecycle, creating inefficiency, errors, and added costs over the course of a project. Epsilon3 arms operators with the best possible tools throughout an entire project’s lifecycle, which result in 10X more efficiency and operator-friendliness.

"The operator is not going off to do analysis. They need information in front of them quickly. So, how do we give them information quickly? You want to string together what happened yesterday, what happened two weeks ago, with what's going to happen tomorrow, and if you have everything on one platform, you have the string to do that," Crabtree said.

A graduate of the University of Southern California, Laura worked at both SpaceX and Northrop Grumman Corporation prior to co-founding Epsilon3 with Max Mednik.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Justus Parmar, founder of Fortuna Investments.

Parmar founded the private investment firm in 2015 to develop long-term partnerships with changemaking entrepreneurs in emerging industries.

Fortuna specializes in venture capital investments and has raised over $500 million for more than 125 companies since its founding.

Space is one of the target areas of investment for Parmar, and the company recently invested in Starfighters in Space, which owns and operates a fleet of F-104 aircraft that can launch payloads into space flying at Mach 2.

Still, Parmar is cautious about the current environment when it comes to investing in the commercial space sector. "I think we're in the thick of winter. At some point in time it's going to turn around. It'll be spring. Whether that's late next year or the following year is to be determined, but it will thaw out."

Parmar is an award-winning venture capitalist with over 15 years of public market experience. As the Founder and CEO of Fortuna Investments, he leads a team with offices in Miami, Los Angeles, and Vancouver that focuses on investing and creating the emerging technologies and industries of tomorrow. He has helped to raise more than $500 million for 125 early-stage companies and facilitated the initial public offering (IPO) of 24 companies. Several of his investment companies have reached a market capitalization of $1-billion in value.

This time on The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Mark Lester, COO of Phantom Space, about how the satellite launch business is evolving, and Phantom's role in that business.

The company is developing two launch vehicles and has a proven track record of successful satellite programs, spacecraft design, and launch missions. The launch vehicles are built around proven components so as to be more cost-effective to launch.

"You see changing expectations. The bar used to be 'get to space and you're one of a few.' Now, it's not only get to space but do it over and over again in a very reliable, dependable way."

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

In this third and final installment of our series looking at geopolitics in Asia and Space Commerce, Tom Patton talks with Dr. Namrata Goswami about space commerce in India, and the influence of political and economic factors in the country.

India has been on a roll in space, most recently with the landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft at the south pole of the Moon. India is also actively supporting the private commercialization of space, with some 140 space startup companies currently helping building the space infrastructure there. Dr. Goswami brings her unique insights into the space programs of her native country developed through extensive study of the topic, including research on the ground in India.

Dr. Goswami goes in-depth into the Modi government, India's historic stance as a non-aligned country, and how India is now gravitating towards the United States in terms of collaboration in space, as well as insights coming out of the G-20 Summit which had space as a topic of discussion.

"The fact that India has taken a decision to move funding to the private sector ... to build rockets and to build satellites and to build propulsion systems ... means that India's future in terms of space startups is pretty exciting," Dr. Goswami said.

Dr. Goswami is an author, professor, strategic analyst and consultant on Great Power Politics, Space Policy, Alternate Futures, and Frameworks of Conflict Negotiation and Resolution. She is currently working on a book project "China's Grand Strategy and The Notion of Territoriality and Resources" and a second project on conceptualizing a space power matrix answering a key question: what makes a country a space power?

In this second in our series of podcasts on international relations and space commerce, Tom Patton talks with Dr. Namrata Goswami about the current state of China's space program.

"Today, China has about 140 space startups. Several of them have already launched to orbit." Dr. Namrata Goswami

China has over the past several years landed multiple spacecraft on the Moon and returned regolith samples back to Earth. Additionally, they have launched, assembled and manned the Tiangong space station. According to CMSA, which operates the space station, the purpose and mission of Tiangong is "to develop and gain experience in spacecraft rendezvous technology, permanent human operations in orbit, long-term autonomous spaceflight of the space station, regenerative life support technology and autonomous cargo and fuel supply technology."

According to the China Aerospace Studies Institute, over the past 20 year the relationship between China and Russia has transitioned from "a relationship of convenience" to what both countries call a “comprehensive strategic partnership.”

What are the ramifications for Space Commerce in the U.S.? According to Dr. Goswami, China is taking a different approach to commercial space activities than Russia. "Today, China has about 140 space startups. Several of them have already launched to orbit. Now, what they are talking about is that they're going to build a commercial spaceport," she said.

Dr. Goswami is an author, professor, strategic analyst and consultant on Great Power Politics, Space Policy, Alternate Futures, and Frameworks of Conflict Negotiation and Resolution. She is currently working on a book project "China's Grand Strategy and The Notion of Territoriality and Resources" and a second project on conceptualizing a space power matrix answering a key question: what makes a country a space power?

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Global Security Consultant Namrata Goswami concerning US-Russia policy and how it ties into space commerce. This is the first in a series of three podcasts with Ms. Goswami, looking at our relationships with Russia, China and India related to space commerce.

"I do not see someone like Elon Musk being able to succeed or innovate in that environment." Namrata Goswami

On Sunday, Russia lost its Luna 25 spacecraft when it crashed while attempting to land on the surface of the Moon. The country is consumed with its war in Ukraine, and it has openly stated that it plans to leave the International Space Station partnership in the next few years, and has been collaborating with China on potential joint space exploration. Still, a Russian Cosmonaut will fly to the ISS on the Crew-7 mission scheduled to launch early Friday morning.

Affect of US-Russia Policy on Space Commerce

So how does US-Russia policy affect space commerce, and is there an analog to Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos in Russia that could spur a commercial space industry in Russia? "Given the fact that Roscosmos likes centralization, do not want to give up power, very much dictates the organization of Russian (space) firms, I do not see someone like Elon Musk being able to succeed or innovate in that environment," Goswami said.

According to Goswami, economic pressure including sanctions related to the war are forcing Russia to take more of a supporting role in its relationships with China and India as it relates to space. And India, with its recent signing of The Artemis Accords, which Russia opposed, is seen to be moving closer to the US when it comes to space. All of that and more will be discussed this week, and in the following two podcasts.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Ryan Elliott, Co-Founder and CEO of In Orbit Aerospace, a company building the orbital infrastructure to create new and improved products in microgravity, and deliver them back to Earth.

Manufacturing in space can be beneficial in many areas, ranging from creating new pharmaceuticals and improved semiconductors to fiber optics and 3D bioprinting. In Orbit Aerospace is taking a new approach to manufacturing in space, acting as an intermediary to transport equipment and materials in space, and returning them to Earth.

"We want to be the third-party logistics provider for manufacturers who want to make these products in orbit," Elliott said. "We provide them the transportation, the power, the data and the return back to the ground."

In Orbit Aerospace plans to be able to take manufacturing equipment and raw materials to both crewed space stations and autonomous facilities.

Manufacturing in space has been going on since the days of Skylab. But it has been mostly government funded. Now, Elliott says, the dynamic is changing, and the private sector is taking a much larger role in the sector.

In Orbit Aerospace has already signed its first customer, which Elliott was not a liberty to divulge now, but he did say that it's a biotech firm. That mission is currently targeted for launch in October 2024 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts, Radio Public, and most other podcasting platforms.

Nova Space Inc. offers organizations placement services from true space professionals, with decades of experience working across government, DoD, and commercial space. And, since space requires a complex and diverse set of skills and experiences for every project and mission, the Nova Space program offers digital learning paths, digital credential programs, and custom learning development to meet those specific needs.

In addition to recruitment and professional development, the program focuses on marketing its clients' organizations to potential customers and employees.

Christopher Allen has more than 15 years of experience in software marketing and engineering management ranging from digital marketing to enterprise grade cloud-based subscription services.

Recruitment and Professional Development Challenges

On the podcast, Christopher discusses some of the unique challenges faced by space companies in recruitment and professional development, such as the value to companies looking for talent and the people hoping to fill those jobs. He also delves into the changing role of universities in preparing the next generation of space entrepreneurs and developing the skillsets of the talent pool needed to make space commerce a reality.

"For space to be sustainable at its current rate of innovation opportunity, we really need to expand who's available to work in that space," Allen said.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Nino Marcantonio, CEO and Senior DoD Strategic Tech Advisor of Marcantonio Global.

As the pace of change in technology continues to accelerate at a very fast pace, it is important is for individuals, companies and the government to keep pace with this change.

Typhoon, as he was commonly known, recognizes the powerful metaphor of the Roman Centurions, the elite warriors of their time who played a crucial role in expanding and safeguarding the empire. He likenes their unwavering dedication and stoic virtues to the values necessary for the protection and advancement of American and Western culture.

Centurions Program Develops Space Commerce Companies

Marcantonio developed the Centurions Program to identify and train exceptional individuals and help them through the maze of securing defense and government contracts. Many of these individuals are engaged in space commerce, which is critical in this new era of space-based defense and information technology.

"We're put in a point in time where we need to think about non-traditionals that are extremely important. Because non-traditionals are the ones who might have something extremely innovative," Marcantonio said.

Nino Marcantonio has over 15 years of experience in the U.S. Federal, Defense, and Homeland Security mission space. Marcantonio Global co-founded the Defense Technology Innovation Program (DTIP) which aims to address critical shortfalls in the Defense Industrial Base by accessing innovative technologies from non-traditional defense contractors and non-profit research institutions.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

The US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis recently released its revised US Space Economy Statistics for 2012–2021. The new data builds on previous estimates that were released in January 2022 by incorporating new source data and improved methods.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Dr. Tina Highfill, an award-winning research economist with the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis.

The U.S. space economy statistics are built using BEA’s comprehensive supply and use tables (SUTs) and National Income and Product Accounts (NIPAs), which provide insight into the internal workings of the U.S. economy and detail the contribution of specific industries and products to GDP. The SUTs measure the flows of goods and services purchased by each industry, the incomes earned from production in each industry, and the distribution of sales for each product. The NIPA data present the value and composition of U.S. GDP, the types of incomes generated in its production, and its associated employment. The goal of the space economy statistics is to highlight the space-related production and spending that are already present in the SUTs and NIPAs. In practice, these statistics represent a rearrangement of existing data to isolate spending and production for the space economy.

COVID had Less of an Impact on the US Space Economy than Other Sectors

"Generally speaking, what we found is that the COVID pandemic didn't impact the space economy as much as the overall US economy, but it also didn't see the same rebound," Highfill said.

BEA continues to expand and improve upon the space economy estimates with the intention of developing a time series of estimates with full industry detail aligning with BEA’s other statistical releases. Additionally, research is underway to estimate space economic activity by categories that are more salient to space community users, such as launch and R&D, to provide an additional layer of understanding about the U.S. space economy.

A superconducting magnetorquer is an innovative idea for controlling spacecraft without the use of fuel. On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Max Arshavsky, CEO of Zenno Astronautics, a New Zealand startup developing just such an attitude control system, and other space applications.

The Zenno system is the first superconducting magnetorquer for spacecraft attitude control that uses no fuel, just a magnetic field to move spacecraft in Earth's orbit. The company successfully raised $6.8 million USD in a seed round in 2022, with double that on reserve ready to draw if they require it - making Zenno the company that has raised the biggest seed in New Zealand history. As of May 2023 has secured around $48 million USD in pre-sales.

Built on technologies with significant heritage, Z01 is a new approach to spacecraft attitude control which bypasses many of the limitations of traditional magnetic attitude control systems. Like a conventional magnetorquer, Z01 interacts with the ambient magnetic field of the Earth to generate a torque on a spacecraft.

Unlike anything that is currently available, Z01 uses high-temperature superconducting coils to eliminate Ohmic losses, allowing for extremely high currents and continuous operation at peak dipole moment.

Initial Superconducting Magnetorquer is for Attitude Control

"We're concentrating on pointing a spacecraft rather than moving a spacecraft with respect to Earth," Arshavsky said. "When we have two magnetic fields interact with each other, you get torque if the magnetic fields are not aligned."

Zenno Astronautics' hardware and software products ensure satellite missions are effectively managed, guaranteeing maximum economic returns and responsible use of space.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

Read More at The Journal of Space Commerce.

One of the challenges for spaceports is attracting new business to be able to sustain operations. At Spaceport America, that is the job of Dr. Francisco Pallares, the newly-appointed Director of Business Development.

Dr. Pallares joined the New Mexico Spaceport Authority from Sul Ross State University and was the former Deputy Director for Economic Development at the City of Las Cruces prior to accepting his new position.

Spaceport America is probably best known as the home of Virgin Galactic, which is poised to resume crewed flights as early as May 25. But the spaceport has other clients and functions as well, and attracting new business is critical to the facility's ongoing operations.

Built for Attracting New Business

Spaceport America was the first commercial spaceport in the world. It is an FAA-licensed launch complex, situated on 18,000 acres adjacent to the U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico, has a rocket-friendly environment of 6,000 square miles of restricted airspace, low population density, a 12,000-foot by 200-foot runway, and vertical launch complexes, so there is plenty of room for expansion. On the podcast, Tom Patton talks with Dr. Pallares about how the NMSA goes about marketing the facility to potential clients,what kinds of new business they are looking to secure, and why they are important to the overall success of Spaceport America.

The vision for the NMSA is for Spaceport America to become a premier multi-modal Spaceport for point-to-point space transportation, aerospace operations, research, development, and testing in support of our Nation’s commercial, civil, and national security space sectors. "I would not see it as something far fetched that we can start thinking about Spaceport America as having that value added, that additional production, into how can we deliver things across the world in two hours," Dr. Pallares said.

"Breaking All the Rules" is available on Amazon in both printed and e-book formats, and on jimcantrell.com, where autographed copies are available.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

For the longest time, space launch systems were single use. Now, the focus is shifting towards fully resuable rockets such as those in development by Stoke Space.

"We're really looking to try to maintain as much of the historical look that it had before." Kelly Henning.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Kelly Henning, COO of Stoke Space. The company is working to develop fully reusable rockets designed to be flown daily.

Allied Market Research released a report last year indicating that the reusable launch vehicle market is estimated to be worth $1.38 billion in 2025, and grow to $3.56 billion by 2035.

A unique feature of the second stage of the Stoke Space rocket is an actively (regeneratively) cooled metallic re-entry heat shield with an integrated modular LH2/LOX rocket engine that is robust, resilient to damage, and operates with passive failure modes. Designed for minimal refurbishment between flights and unlocking the potential for rapid turnaround.

The first stage of the fully reusable rockets will be powered by 7x LNG/LOX engines, and are designed for return to launch site (RTLS) or downrange landing.

Stoke Space Fully Reusable Rockets will Launch from an Historic Site

Stoke space has also secured exclusive access to the historic Launch Complex 14, where John Glenn began his orbital mission in 1962. There is a monument commemorating Glenn's flight, and the blockhouse has been maintained. However, the site will need some extensive refurbishment, and preserving the history of the site is important to the company. "The large structures, the ramps and some other features have been just, essentially abandoned and left to the elements," Henning said. "We're really looking to try to maintain as much of the historical look that it had before."

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

Digital engineering is a relatively new field that is having a big impact on space commerce. On this edition of the Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Greg Porter, Senior Systems Architect at Sev1Tech, which provides IT modernization, cloud, cybersecurity, engineering, training and program support services to U.S. government agencies and major commercial organizations. Headquartered in the Washington D.C. metro area, Sev1Tech is a trusted contractor supporting critical missions across the defense, intelligence, homeland security, space, and health markets.

"The worker out on the floor can actually put on the hololens and they can see virtual items overlaid into their real space." Greg Porter

Sev1Tech offers extensive digital engineering solutions such as model-based engineering, digital thread design, development and implementation, and digital twin design. These allow the company to create artificial and augmented reality environments for remote training and problem solving.

"The worker out on the floor can actually put on the hololens and they can see virtual items overlaid into their real space," Porter said, "which is super helpful when they're working on tasks and they can see work instructions right in front of them. And it even interacts with the person using the desktop model remotely."

Porter has been with the company since October 2021, leading the Artificial Intelligence team as well as the company's Digital Twin and Digital Thread efforts.

For over 12 years, Greg Porter has been a noteworthy leader in the IT industry. Prior to Sev1Tech, he was a Senior Systems Architect at Geocent, leading data analytics for logistics and Hadoop cluster projects, and Senior Big Data Administrator at Honeywell FM&T, where he was responsible for Big Data infrastructure design, configuration, installation, and security.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

It's no secret that space companies need to think about patents. But how important is patent planning? On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Patent Attorney Steve Sponseller, the author of "Cracking the Patent Code".

"The worst thing you can do is just not have a plan, and kind of randomly file a few patent applications on mediocre inventions." Patent Attorney Steve Sponseller.

Space technology companies invest considerable time and resources creating new systems. Those new systems often include valuable inventions that solve new problems faced by devices that are launching and operating in space. It’s important for your company to protect its investment of time and resources by considering patent protection for your most valuable inventions.

Obtaining patent protection can be a unique challenge for space companies given the pace at which the technology changes. Sponseller says that proper patent planning can give companies a clear roadmap to which inventions most need the protection of a patent.

Sponseller has boiled down the process into three steps:

• Identify all inventions developed by your team.
• Evaluate the identified inventions based on criteria that’s unique to your company.
• Protect the highest value inventions to build a strong portfolio of patents.

"The worst thing you can do is just not have a plan, and kind of randomly file a few patent applications on mediocre inventions." Sponseller said.

"Cracking the Patent Code" is available from Sponseller's website or from Amazon or as a free PDF download here. He is also the host of the podcast "Tech Leader Talk", which is available on most popular podcasting platforms, and hosts the Space Tech Innovation interview series.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, we welcome back Izzy House to talk about her new book "Space Marketing: Spaceports", the second book in her Space Marketing series.

"Most people misunderstand what 'marketing' is. They think it's just advertising." Izzy House

Space Marketing: Spaceports introduces marketing principles and tactics to the spaceport industry. This book is the second title in the Space Marketing Series. It provides insights from successful spaceport leaders and ideas on how to initiate a spaceport or other big initiatives.

Working on the book also led Izzy to launch her Space Marketing podcast, in which she talks to industry leaders about getting their messages out to the broader space commerce community.

"Most people misunderstand what 'marketing' is. They think it's just advertising," House said. "There are so many different facets to marketing. Advertising is one of them, but you also have education. You also have public affairs, you have outreach, and there are so many facets that go into marketing that if you don't market, people don't know you exist."

Izzy says she had an epiphany about how to combine her passions for space and marketing when she first saw the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors' complex. Since then, she has focused her efforts on helping space companies tell their stories not only to the space industry, but to the general public. She will be one of the speakers at the upcoming Space Tourism Conference April 28th in Los Angeles.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Don Osborne, CEO of EarthDaily Analytics, which is working to streamline the process of analyzing Earth Observation data.

According to the company website, the insights provided by EarthDaily Analytics allow customers in multiple industries to track long-term trends, monitor change, and take guided, strategic actions to better serve their customers and fulfill their missions.

In 2024, EarthDaily Analytics will launch EarthDaily, the world’s first earth observation system designed from the ground-up to produce scientific-quality imagery of the entire earth every day. The nine-satellite constellation of next generation satellites will collect scientific-grade imagery of the planet in a unique combination of 21 spectral bands, many of which will be 5-meter resolution. The constellation will have an expected lifespan of over 10 years.

Don Osborne has spent his entire career in the satellite and aerospace industry. Prior to joining EarthDaily, from 2009 to 2017 he was a senior executive at MDA, a Maxar Company, including as President of the MDA Information Systems Group where he was responsible for MDA’s Canadian businesses. Previously, he served as the President of Advantech Satellite Networks Inc. from 2006 to 2009. Don has also served as Vice President of EMS Technologies Inc. and Senior Vice President and General Manager for the EMS Satellite Networks group, a part of the Space & Technology/Montreal operations from 1999 to 2006. He joined EMS Technologies Inc. in January 1999, when it acquired the Spar Satellite Products business, where Don had served as Vice President of Marketing and other positions commencing in 1983 as a Mechanical Engineer. Don holds Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

The upcoming movie Helios will depict a very real scenario. A massive solar flare threatens the Earth, and the heroes of the film must save the planet.

"One of the key things that the movie really tries to portray is what it's going to be like in space for REAL." Patti Beninati.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Patti Beninati of Centerboro Productions, which is producing the film.

Set in 2030, the upcoming movie Helios will tell the story of a spaceship, the Helios, and its crew during their urgent mission to the International Space Station (ISS). When a massive solar flare hits the station, it is up to astronomer and former NASA astronaut Jess Denver and Air Force Colonel Sam Adler to team up and save humanity.

"One of the key things that the movie really tries to portray is what it's going to be like in space for REAL," Beninati says.

Centerboro Productions has already announced that the Orbital Reef private space station will provide one of the backdrops for the movie, and ULA will be depicted as the company that sends Helios on its mission atop a Vulcan rocket. More announcements will be made in the near future, Beninati says.

Helios is written by Patti Beninati (Hubble: 20 Years of Discovery), who is also Centerboro's president and the movie's producer, Michael K. Anderson (The Wonder Show), and Bernard Moore (Helios). Along with Beninati, Helios is produced by John Lewis (Lullaby), Todd Slater (King of Killers), Michael K. Anderson (The Wonder Show), Marilyn G. Haft (Grace is Gone). Space entrepreneur Robert Feierbach will serve as an executive producer.

Beninati, who says she was inspired to get involved in the space industry after seeing the first Star Trek movie as a child, hopes that Helios will serve as a similar inspiration for young people who see the film, as well as be a very entertaining film for moviegoers of all ages.

Next month, the Space Tourism Society will hold its annual Space Tourism Conference, held each year on April 28th on the anniversary of the date that Dennis Tito launched to the International Space Station in 2001.

"The investment community has absolutely woken up into the idea that ... space tourism is an industry that will have almost limitless growth, high profitability and also it's just a very sexy, exciting industry to be in." John Spencer.

On this edition of The Ex Tera Podcast, Tom Patton talks with John Spencer, CEO of the Space Tourism Society, which holds the annual event in Los Angeles, CA. The conference presents the cross-section of industries comprising space tourism: aerospace, media, entertainment, architecture, design, advertising, marketing, finance, high tech, science, manufacturing, futurism and the arts.

While most people still associate space tourism with very wealthy people buying tickets on commercial spacecraft for suborbital and orbital flights as well as visits to the ISS, there is much more to the industry, and there is much more to come. "The investment community has absolutely woken up into the idea that ... space tourism is an industry that will have almost limitless growth, high profitability and also it's just a very sexy, exciting industry to be in," Spencer said.

If you've ever traveled to witness a launch or visited a space museum, you've participated in space tourism. In the future, there will be many more such possibilities, according to Spencer, which will lead to the creation of thousands of jobs ... from rocket scientists to welders and hospitality personnel aboard orbital hotels ... and generate potentially billions of dollars in revenue.

This year's Space Tourism Conference will be held at the Renaissance Los Angeles Airport hotel. The conference will look ahead to the very near future and beyond. Private space travel has arrived. The countdown is done. It’s now time to fly many more private citizens—vacationers, contest winners, athletes, actors, artists, and all seeking incomparable life-altering experiences.

Satellites have vastly improved weather forecasting, but what are the practical applications for that information for businesses? On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Thomas Cavett, VP of Strategy and Operations at Tomorrow.io.

"Weather is the manifestation of climate." Thomas Cavett, Tomorrow.io

The mission of Tomorrow.io is to help countries, businesses, and individuals better manage their weather related challenges with the best information and insights. The company offers proprietary data and models, along with proprietary radar-equipped satellites designed by the company. Dozens of these satellites will begin launching dozens into space over the coming years.

Practical Applications for Weather Data Cuts Across All Industries

The practical applications for the data provided by Tomorrow.io runs the gamut from aviation and other modes of transportation to construction, mining and retail. For example, Seasonal buying cycles are ingrained in almost every retail business’ preparations each year. Companies plan inventory accordingly for spikes in demand for commodities like snow blowers in the winter, gardening tools in the spring, in-season fruit in the summer and Halloween decorations in the fall.

But while retailers are well accustomed to these predictable yearly trends, unexpected weather events such as winter storms or hurricanes can catch them flat-footed as these setbacks disrupt their business. Without proactive preparation, retailers run the risk of significant profit losses over time, missed revenue optimization and lack of long-term resilience as climate change causes increasingly frequent and destructive weather events.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Joseph Horvath, the CEO of Nova Space, a company focused on providing online training and professional development for the new space industry.

Nova Space has developed an innovative approach to online training and professional development for commercial space companies. Rather than the more traditional slide deck or talking-head webinar presentations, the Nova Space courses are interactive, giving the person taking the course an opportunity to have a more "hands-on" experience.

Training and Professional Development Offered Across Multiple Disciplines

From an initial professional training course, the Nova Space offerings drill down into specific topics such as orbital mechanics, rocket science, space systems engineering, satellite communications and service, space tourism and others. Subscriptions to the course material are available from the company.

Joseph Horvath has two decades of experience in space and astronautics with an extensive network across industry and DoD. While serving as a Marine Corps officer, he was the Service’s Senior Space Operations Officer, leading professional development, training, education, policy and exercise design. His educational background includes a BS in Astrophysics and MS in Space Systems Operations, as well as being a former DARPA Fellow. His work has been published in multiple journals including “A Hybrid Routing Protocol for Space Based Networks”, “Space Operations for the Warfighter” and “The Marine Space Support Team Concept”. Joseph brings to his role extensive leadership and management experience with a focus on agile practices and developing successful teams.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

Supporting national security and intelligence missions is critical to the security of the United States. On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Kevin Kelly, CEO of Arcfield, a company created to solve the most complex and demanding national security and space-related challenges.

According to the company website, Arcfield was purpose-built to solve the most complex and demanding national security and space-related challenges. With core capabilities in systems engineering and integration, mission assurance and C5ISR, we’re setting the trajectory for space and hypersonic mission success.

Arcfield offers its customers a commitment to innovation and excellence in technology that puts solving its customers’ complex challenges today while anticipating the mission needs of the future at the forefront of everything it does. The work is performed by a highly technical team that serves as a trusted partner to its customers, with a proven track record of exemplary performance.

National Security is Closely Tied to Space Commerce

Arcfield focuses on data management and information largely in the national security arena, though they do have close ties to the commercial space industry. National security is depending more and more on COTS components, and information that is relayed by and housed on commercial satellites can be a matter of national security. Additionally, national security missions often rely on commercial companies for launch services.

On the podcast, Tom and Kevin discuss topics ranging from data collection and management, and the exploitation of that data, to the talent pool for data management and the role of space technology in the intelligence arena. 

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

Several private companies are developing commercial space stations. Many are inflatable structures, but  Think Orbital is taking a different approach with its ThinkPlatform.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Sebastian Asprella, the CEO of Think Orbital, about the ThinkPlatform and the exciting future for private space stations.

What's different about ThinkPlatform? Rather than an inflatable structure, Asprella describes the assembly method of the space station as being like getting a box from Ikea. Flat-packed for launch into space and then assembled robotically. Asprella envisions the ThinkPlatform as being a place for working in space, but not necessarily a place to live, at least at first. More like a warehouse or storage unit than a luxury hotel.

ThinkPlatform Assembly Relies on Robotics

Walking robotic arms, e.g. Canadarm2 or ERA, have been used in space for decades to move itself and the heavy modules around the International Space Station. That is the technology Asprella envisions for assembly of the ThinkPlatform. The engineering requirements of the arm are lower than those for ISS arms because there is no need to catch free flying 10 ton vehicles. The arm can be weaker, slower, lighter, but has to incorporate an electron beam welding gun.

The combination of the robotic arm and an electron beam welding gun creates a "Swiss Army Knife" of universal space assembly.

Sebastian brings more than 25 years of leadership & entrepreneurship experience across business management, IT, pharma & aerospace sectors, in complex, multinational, transformation & digitalization programs to Think Orbital. Over the course of his career, he has delivered 18 products, led more than 25 teams, managing budgets in excess of $500 million.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

NASA is working towards a sustained lunar habitation, which is presenting some interesting engineering challenges. One of the people working on the concepts and solutions for making that human presence a reality is Goncalo Esteves, Founder and CTO, Argo Space Technologies.

Argo Space Technologies is focused on systems engineering, process implementation, product management, and engineering support for Lunar habitation. The company supported Planetoid Mines in its submission for the NASA Break the Ice Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to further the development of technologies that can excavate and transport large quantities of icy lunar regolith and can continuously operate for 15 days.

The teams will move on to build and test full-size prototypes in Level 2. The 13 U.S. teams will receive equal shares of NASA’s $500,000 prize purse for Level 1.

In Level 3, qualifying teams will put their prototypes to the test in a head-to-head onsite competition for a shot at $1.5 million in prizes.

But Lunar habitation is not the only aspect of space exploration in which Argo Space Technologies is involved. Goncalo and his team are also involved in the International Space Station (ISS) and World Design Organization – Business and Process Team

The team is working to design the new business processes for manufacturing in space and new business model as NASA works towards commercialization of the station. The team worked with ISS personnel to propose cycle time reduction from three years down to six months on projects for cost savings of some $500 million.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

They've also gotten much smaller. On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Dan Harkins, Chief Operating Officer of Tropical Weather Analytics, which is developing a constellation of weather forecasting nanosatellites.

Current weather forecasting models cannot keep up with the pace of climate change and extreme events. The NanoSats being developed by Tropical Weather Analytics will deliver the missing data set forecasters need to make more accurate and reliable weather predictions, the company says.

The polar winds interact with the jet streams and drive the majority of weather patterns across the globe. But existing satellites only provide a 2D solution to a 4D problem, measuring winds in just the horizontal axes while vertical winds are sparsely, and poorly, measured by weather balloons and stations. These new nanosatellites will leverage the company's 4D (XYZ + Time) measuring technique to collect wind measurements across all altitudes with greater frequency and higher resolution. This gives forecasters a more accurate starting point to derive their forecasts from.

Weather Forecasting Nanosatellites will Supplement Hurricane Hunters

Rising temperatures are potentially making hurricanes more powerful and more frequent. The US is the only country with Hurricane Hunter Aircraft. At a cost of $250M per year to maintain those aircraft, Tropical Weather Analytics believes it can deliver similar observational capability with its satellites to the 20 vulnerable countries at 4% of the costs ($10M per year). The company will also aid the US when multiple hurricanes form simultaneously or the aircraft experience mechanical problems which could prevent timely observations.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

With the announcement last month of the Impulse Space LEO Express-1 orbital mission, we thought it would be a good time to find out more about the company. On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Bary Matsumori, the Chief Operating Officer of Impulse Space.

We hear a lot these days about rideshare missions. The recent SpaceX Transporter 6 mission carried 114 payloads into orbit. But each of those payloads needed a way to reach its assigned orbit. Impulse Space Propulsion is a Space 2.0 company providing those last-mile space payload delivery capabilities. 

For LEO Express-1, Impulse has procured a launch slot for this mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-9 mission and is committed to meeting the current launch timeline of Q4 2023. Impulse will be among the first companies to demonstrate rapid in-space transportation services through high-thrust chemical propulsion.

Space Remains Available on LEO Express-1

While the primary payload of LEO Express-1 is currently undisclosed, there is additional payload space available for secondary customers to join the mission. A Mars mission is also in the planning stages.

Barry Matsumori was named COO of Impulse Space in March, 2022. He has an extensive background in the mobile wireless and Space 2.0 sectors spanning numerous leadership roles, among them serving as senior vice president of business development and advanced concepts at Virgin Galactic, senior vice president of sales and business development at SpaceX and nearly two decades at Qualcomm, where he was vice president of wireless connectivity. He has also worked with several early-stage technology companies in development and management capacities. 

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Michael Daily, CEO of Communications Metrics, a PR and Communications firm focused in part on helping space companies find their audience.

Communication Metrics provides commercial and civil space and defense businesses, organizations, and agencies with enterprise-wide public relations and strategic communications solutions.

Communication Metrics Incorporated (CMI) is a firm specializing in NewSpace public relations, strategic communications, and stakeholder relations. CMI contributes to the improvement of its clients’ conditions, helps to enhance the productivity and quality of its people, and assists in increasing the success and profitability of its operations. The company's all-inclusive approach leverages integrated marketing channels with a common message to ignite growth. According to Daily, they analyze your business model and create campaigns orchestrated to meet your goals. The team implements traditional and digital strategies that account for the entire consumer journey. Our approach has a significant focus on delivering measurable results.

Daily brings 26+ years of organizational communications experience with significant accomplishments to his marketing for space commerce efforts. Among those accomplishments is the development of an online course “NewSpace Business and Industry Ecosystem.” The course is designed to introduce multiple audiences, with interest in the commercial, civil, and defense space industry, to stakeholder engagement theory, planning, tools, techniques, and processes.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

European startup Space Cargo Unlimited is developing REV1, the first orbital manufacturing facility, targeting launch in 2025. On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Nicolas Gaume, the co-founder and CEO of the company.

Space Cargo Unlimited plans to commercially operate a fleet of autonomous (i.e. unmanned) cargo vehicles capable of returning to Earth in order to exploit the potential of microgravity for commercial applications on Earth. The REV1 pressurized vehicle -a real floating space factory- will be used for specific missions, especially in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and new materials. REV1 will be able to create unique laboratory conditions and real clean rooms essential for this type of research and manufacturing.

The first REV1 vehicle, scheduled for launch in late 2025, will need to be able to adapt to any available and compatible launcher system. This last feature will make it unique to carry out new missions, especially in an equatorial orbit. Designed to be reusable for a total of 20 missions, the REV1 will carry payloads for 2-3 months in space.

REV1 is Being Built in Partnership with Thales Alenia Space

This partnership agreement fully reflects Thales Alenia Space’s ‘New Space’ approach, which includes creating more and more synergies with start-ups and offering disruptive solutions, such as REV1, the first Space Factory, to evolve existing models. In the field of space exploration, Thales Alenia Space has already signed partnerships with emblematic start-ups. Moreover, the goal of the project initiated with Space Cargo Unlimited is perfectly in line with Thales Alenia Space’s ‘Space for life’ vision, by helping to make life better and more sustainable on Earth thanks to space.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

It’s like 1492 all over again, but this time with rockets. Yes, the age of commercial space exploration is upon us—so what does that mean? That's the theme of "Stellar Singularity: Navigating the Space Economy" by bestselling author Elizebeth Varghese. She's our guest on this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast

A futurist and the bestselling author of "[Block]Chain Reaction: The Future of How We Live and Work", Elizebeth invites us to view the dawn of the spacefaring economy with optimism. She outlines how every organization will need to understand, leverage, and operate in space, and how every company is becoming a space company.

In Stellar Singularity, Elizebeth discusses how space exploration improves life on Earth, and how our definition of life and sentience needs to expand, making the case for an “Interstellar Magna Carta” to act as the framework for collaboration across countries and companies. She articulates “Principles to Navigate Space as Global Commons” and outlines the four leadership qualities needed during the space age…and much more.

Praise for Stellar Singularity

“A Grand Tour of the issues, options, promises, and challenges! Elizebeth touches every side of the multifaceted, and daunting, notion of a spacefaring economy. A fascinating read!” Dan Geraci, President, Voyager Space Services, Chairman, The Planetary Society.

“A thoughtful, personal, well-researched, and timely piece of our human space exploration efforts… Read more about the space industry’s history, cultural connections, influential socioeconomic factors, key technological drivers, and how space exploration benefits all.., directly and indirectly, in from Elizebeth’s must-read latest work.” Dr. S. Anand Narayanan, Research Professor, Florida State University, Expert in Space and Medical Physiology, Global Health, Interdisciplinary STEAM Research and Education, NASA Fellow

“Elizebeth Varghese may not be the first space philosopher, but she certainly deserves the title. Stellar Singularity integrates the technological aspects of our expansion into space with imperatives for human behavior—particularly economic, diplomatic and ethical behavior. Knowledgeable people outside of the traditional space enterprise can and must contribute to this next phase of human development. Stellar Singularity is the work they should begin with to appreciate its challenges and opportunities.”  Gordon Roesler, Ph.D., President, Robots in Space LLC, and former DARPA space robotics program manager

“This book is a must-read..it provides a great summary of historical and technological developments through to shifts in democratization, policy and value chain realization.” Steve Ramage, Chief Engagement Officer - Group on Earth Observations (GEO), Governing Board - Digital Earth Africa, Earth Observation Advisory Committee - UK Space Agency

Elizebeth Varghese is a futurist, people & technology strategist, senior executive, and bestselling author. She is a Board member and Co-Chair of the  Entrepreneurship and Innovation Committee at Columbia Business School, Women’s Circle. She is also on the Council of Advisors at the SETI Institute. Elizebeth was recognized as among the top experts and inspirational leaders of 2022 per The HR Gazette and she has also been recognized as among The Outstanding Asian Americans in Business in 2021. She lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.

Phase Four is developing a new paradigm of in-space propulsion for the rapidly expanding space economy. From large constellations in LEO to new missions and cutting edge capabilities, the Phase Four team is the key to mission success. They are focused, innovative and passionate about space. 

Phase Four’s Maxwell RF thrusters do not implement cathodes anywhere in the system. This eliminates the choke point slowing down manufacturing of traditional plasma propulsion systems.

Phase Four RF Thrusters are Built on a Schedule

Phase Four builds its RF Thrusters in runs on a planned production schedule. This allows customers to sign up for units as long as the production run has not commenced, reducing lead times to as short as 3-4 months. The company aims for 3-4 production runs per year and each run is comprised of assembly, checkout, and acceptance testing. 

Beau Jarvis has extensive commercial experience in Japan, SE Asia, Latin America, Europe, Middle East & Africa. Building Phase Four's global business and enabling customers to operate spacecraft more efficiently and in new orbits. He has held leadership roles at Hawkeye 360, Planet, and Trimble navigation.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Stefan Powell, CEO of Dawn Aerospace, a company developing an innovative spaceplane as well as satellite thrusters fueled by "green" propellant.

Dawn Aerospace is based in Christchurch, New Zealand, with offices in Delft, The Netherlands and New York City. The company builds thrusters for both small satellites and CubeSats, and is flight testing a spaceplane that can operate from standard airports to deliver satellites to orbit. 

Dawn’s B20 thruster achieves performance equal to that of those using hydrazine propellants by using a unique, green-propellant combination; nitrous oxide and propylene. Having delivered this technology to both CubeSats and Small Satellites, Dawn is demonstrating this technology can be applied to satellites of all sizes. 

Using nontoxic propellants is naturally far less risky than using something like hydrazine, which is toxic at extremely low concentrations - 40 parts per million.  Dawn’s green propellants are great for the environment, but can also save the satellite operator about $500,000 per satellite by eliminating the safety precautions required to store and handle hydrazine.

The Dawn Mk-II Aurora is designed for multiple flights per day to 100 km (66 mile) and above. Taking off and landing from standard airports, alongside normal aircraft, this vehicle merges the world of rockets and aviation. The Aurora, a sub-scale suborbital vehicle, has been built to demonstrate Dawn’s core technology for daily access to space. It is the latest vehicle of a series that will one day deliver satellites and assets to, and return them from, space. The vehicle’s 3U payload is capable of hosting scientific experiments. The next vehicle in Dawn’s series, the Mk-III, will be based on this design, but much larger and capable of delivering 250 kg (≈550 pound) satellites to orbit. 

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Eric Spittle, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer of LinQuest Corporation.

The LinQuest mission is to be a national security space leader that enables defense and intelligence missions through advanced digital solutions and the development, integration, and operation of mission critical systems. But they don't focus solely on defense. Their model-based systems engineering (MBSE) approach also applies to commercial space companies looking to utilize their digital engineering capabilities to solve complex problems.

LinQuest’s unique MBSE methodology is at the forefront of OSD’s Digital Engineering Strategy and provides solutions across the entire program lifecycle, going beyond "traditional" MBSE capabilities by incorporating powerful tools in a seamless MBSE framework. 

Digital Engineering Applies to Multiple Disciplines

LinQuest leads military SATCOM development through architecture design, engineering, prototyping, integration, testing, and operations for current and next generation space-based communications systems. The company also enables planning, architecture, development, operation, logistics, and sustainment of Space Force and Air Force systems through deep subject matter expertise, advanced analytic solutions, and the development and deployment of tactical space superiority systems.

In its integration laboratory in Chantilly, VA, LinQuest creates digital threads of 5G User Equipment (UE) to RAN and Cell Base Station (gNodeB) access through terrestrial and NTN (satellite and UAV) emulation and over-the-air testing with a full suite of network and cybersecurity emulation, analysis, and test equipment. These tests are all remotely accessible through a web-based portal for Lab-as-a-Service (LaaS).

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

This time on The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Dan Hawk of the United First Nations Planetary Defense.

Dan was born and raised on the Oneida Indian Reservation. On March 30, 2022, he addressed the United Nations Legal Subcommittee of the Committee On the Peaceful Uses of Outer space by providing the history-making General Exchange of Views.

Dan has been appointed to lead the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium Lunar Dust Interoperability and Standards Focus Group. He discovered how lightning strikes and is currently working with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to prevent dust explosions in mines and factories.

What Does Planetary Defense Look Like?

The United First Nations Planetary Defense posits that we should stand ready to launch an asteroid intercept mission at any time, utilizing a ready rocket and an appropriate defensive payload. While it sounds like science fiction, the concept is certainly feasible

United First Nations Planetary Defense is also dedicated to saving Earth's oceans, forests and farmlands. In the interview, he discusses an alternate method for decommissioning the International Space Station that does not involve dropping it into the ocean.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

Jeff Crusey has been a Product Manager, a Senior Analyst at a VC, a company Co-Founder, a Strategy Manager at ViaSat, a VC with Sepharim Space, as well as an Angel investor for Space/Military Manufacturing Startups Epsilon3 and True Anomaly. He knows his way around 

Venture capital ... often abbreviated as VC ... is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds. They generally invest in startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth potential, or which have demonstrated high growth in terms of number of employees, annual revenue, scale of operations, and other factors. Venture capital firms or funds invest in these early-stage companies in exchange for equity, or an ownership stake. Venture capitalists take on the risk of financing risky start-ups in the hopes that some of the firms they support will become successful.

On the podcast, Jeff talks with host Tom Patton about the state of the commercial space industry in comparison to Silicon Valley in the late '70s and early '80s; how current events affect how companies invest; the perception that there is are many opportunities for venture capital investing in space, and; what market niches exist that an entrepreneur might look to fill.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, host Tom Patton talks with Michael Listner, founder of Space Law and Policy Solutions in Rochester, NH.

The field of space law is still very much in its nascent stages, despite the 60+ years man has been putting satellites and people in orbit. According to the Space Law and Policy Solutions website, as outer space development becomes more prolific so do the legal and policy issues that surround its use and exploitation. National security space, governmental (civil) space and non-governmental space create their own legal and policy issues in particular when they intersect the geopolitical and geolegal environment.

Issues relating to outer space security, space debris, non-governmental space activities, property rights, space resource rights and other emerging issues require operational thinking to identify the present and emerging issues and the complexities they create and create solutions to address them.

Space Law Topics Discussed on the Podcast

Some of the topics discussed in this edition of the podcast include:

What is the basis of Space Law

Has the law kept up with technological advances in space

Can space law be upheld among nations

The validity of contract law related to space activities

What must governments do to create a legal framework that will allow space commerce to flourish

Michael also hosts the YouTube channel "Space Thoughts" on which he discusses space as it relates to the law, policy, and geopolitics.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Morgan Boardman, CEO of Arkenlight, a UK-based developer and manufacturer of such micro-power sources, including nuclear batteries.

Arkenlight is the natural progression of the ASPIRE diamond group housed at the University of Bristol in the U.K. The company's radiovoltaic technology was developed by Professors Tom Scott and Neil Fox and their team of energy and diamond material scientists.

The company's mission is to recycle wastes from the nuclear power industry such as Tritium and Carbon-14 and safely convert them into useful products that benefit the technological advancement of humanity.

Morgan is a committed technologist whose knowledge spans from the deeply technical & scientific to the commercialization of high technology concepts. He joined the ASPIRE group in 2019, prior to the formation of the Arkenlight, to focus on commercializing a full range of radiovoltaics.

Arkenlight has one patent with more coming, covering the process of incorporating radioisotopes into diamond material and manufacturing. 

Among the products in development is the betalight voltaic battery, a type of nuclear battery which generates electrical current from a gaseous tritium light source (GTLS) or betalight vial and a scintillator sandwiched between two photovoltaic cells.

The GTLS gives a steady glow, while the tritium undergoes beta particle decay, and these particles excite the phosphor. The optical photons from the betalight are collected in a standard photo-voltaic (PV) cell, creating electrical current at the voltage of the PV cell. It will power devices for decades, according to the company.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

The Satellite Industry Association is a United States-based trade association providing representation of the leading domestic satellite operators, service providers, manufacturers, launch services providers, and ground equipment suppliers. 

Since 1995, SIA has advocated on behalf of the commercial U.S. satellite industry on policy, regulatory, and legislative issues affecting the satellite business. SIA is a recognized focal point for the U.S. satellite industry in Washington, DC, representing and advocating industry positions with key policy makers on Capitol Hill and with the White House, Federal Communications Commission and key Executive Branch departments and agencies. 

The SIA recently released its 25th annual State of the Satellite Industry Report (SSIR), a global summary of the commercial satellite industry, and our guest on this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast is Tom Stroup, president of the organization. As President of SIA, Tom is the trade association’s lead advocate for regulatory and policy issues of critical importance to SIA’s membership, including spectrum and licensing issues, defense and public safety matters, and export control and international trade issues. He also manages the day-to-day operations of SIA, including member communications, staff leadership and organization of SIA sponsored events. Tom became the president of SIA in December of 2014.

Prior to joining the Satellite Industry Association, Tom was with Shared Spectrum Company (SSC), a leading developer of spectrum intelligence technologies, where he served as CEO. For more than a decade, he served as the President of the Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA). Previous to his position at SSC, he founded and ran several companies in the technology industry, including Columbia Spectrum Management, P-Com Network Services, CSM Wireless, and SquareLoop.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.