NewSpaceVision

This week, we’re proud to feature a unique story. Our guest interned at both Blue Origin and SpaceX in the early 2000s, later becoming Skybox’s (now Planet Labs' Terra Bella) 3rd employee, after his professor encouraged the would-be founders to start the company following a university competition.

It’s not surprising he’s been at the forefront of space innovation, considering he's been passionate about space since the age of six, citing an obsession with rockets. “I probably scared my mom to death many times, blowing stuff up in the garage, trying to mix rocket fuels and launch things.”

If you guessed Jonny Dyer, you were right. Consistently at the forefront of space innovation, Jonny is now the CEO of Muon Space, which is building satellites tailored for monitoring the climate on Earth. With their first launch in 2023 on SpaceX’s Transporter-8, and two more scheduled this year, Muon is poised to break barriers in satellite imaging as a whole.

Our conversation spanned the length of Jonny’s career but focused on Muon Space’s strategy and value proposition, and Jonny’s pragmatic and profound reflections on the Earth observation ecosystem. Don’t miss it!

Jonny:

You don't really have to know Walter to pick up on the fact that he's a leader. When he arrived at our office for this episode, we hadn't given him the floor number. So, before our producer had time to offer him a welcome downstairs, Walter had already taken the elevator to the top and was methodically eliminating options as he descended.

"I figured I'd eventually find the the right one this way."

This decision-maker mindset was more than evident throughout our conversation with him - one of the most engaging we've had in a while.

In a generous show of authenticity, Walter opened up about his life: the makings of his present self and the decisions that guided him, the genesis of his current company and its clichéd yet entirely reasonable inspiration, and his personal greivances with the disingenuous politics of the space sector.

In this memorable episode, you'll learn about what it takes to run a space company, and what it feels like to "outstretch" one - and everything in between.

Follow Walter:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/walterballheimer

Follow Reflex:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/reflex-aerospace/

https://www.instagram.com/reflexaerospace/

https://twitter.com/reflexaerospace

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An investor's guide to earth observation:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/daniel-seidel-979524137_i-wrote-an-investors-guide-to-earth-observation-activity-7117028884901949441-Wo61?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Yuk’s succes was not simple - not unlike his journey. Yuk used to be an officer in the Singapore army, as the head of maintenence and recovery operations of its armored and track vehicles.

“… It was a great honor and privilege… where else on Earth are you going to find a 21 year old reponsible for a 100 million dollar technology portfolio?”

He then went on to go to law school & specialized in space, later joining a company that would use an electrodyanmic tether as a propulsion unit to station-keep in low earth orbit. But when that company went under, he used the reason for its failure to inspire a new venture: Charter.

Charter is building Ubiks, a logisitics platform tailored to the process of building space systems.

“It takes over the moment you’ve arrived at your initial stable design, and now you need to put the meat to the metal and actually build the thing.”

Discover how Yuk got into space law following his position in the army, the challenges he faced in his first company, and how that led him to secure Techstars funding for Charter with its co-founder.

Follow Yuk:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chanyukchi/?originalSubdomain=uk

https://www.chanyukchi.space/

Charter:

https://www.charter.space/

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Vice President of Engineering at Planet Labs, Kiruthika shares her transition from the precision-intensive environment of a radio astronomer to the dynamic realm of a startup, where she leads teams through the design of satellites' power, avionics, and communications sytems. She gives us a look into the unique world of satellite constellation management, and the Planet value of performance over density, as Planet CEO Will Marshall says.

What makes Planet Labs stand out in the space industry? The answer lies in the company's "agile aerospace" philosophy and their strategic projects. Discover how Kiruthika and her team navigate the complexities of satellite systems, the impact of Planet's acquisitions, and the development of their constellations. We also explore current and future trends that are poised to redefine the satellite industry.

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In this episode, we sat down with Philippe Raisin, co-founder and CTO of VIDA, which is changing the renewable energy sector with earth observation. Philippe shared his unique journey from a personal interest in renewable energy to the inception of VIDA, which was born out of a non-traditional background in EO. He gave an inside look into how VIDA is leveraging geospatial data to address global energy challenges, and the transformative role the technology plays in their mission.

We delve into the intricacies of VIDA's work, discussing everything from the adoption and validation of satellite imagery to the hurdles of licensing, as well as the type of projects VIDA works on. Philippe offered valuable insights into the intersection of technology, renewable energy, and sustainable investment.

Follow Philippe & VIDA:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/praisin/

https://twitter.com/prraisin

https://www.linkedin.com/company/vida-place/

https://www.vida.place/

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In this episode, our hosts sit down with a pioneering figure in the space legal sector who transitioned from telecom law to finding his place among the stars. Discover how a canceled internship and a rapid pivot led Dr. Baumann to Eutelsat, one of the leading players in satellite broadcasting, before journeying into the heart of the Cologne Institute of Air and Space Law.

Following his academic foray, our Dr. Baumann found himself serving as a crucial part of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), first as an internal lawyer managing small projects before transitioning to the big leagues - working on major endeavors like Galileo and Copernicus. Listen as he recounts his decision to strike out on his own, developing a law firm with an out-of-this-world business plan that garnered an award and sprouted from the roots of his work at the DLR.

Dr. Baumann delves into the intricacies of space law, dissecting the core treaties, national laws, and evolving technologies that present new legal challenges. He touches on historical moments that influenced space law, such as the Sputnik launch and the space race, while dissecting major treaties that have set the stage for current day regulations. Finally, we discuss the surprising and not-so-surprising developments in the NewSpace ecosystem, from the rise of SpaceX to the ease of startup funding, and reflect on the immense progress and potential the future holds for the commercial space industry.

Follow Dr. Baumann & BHO Legal:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ingo-baumann-7a8183/

https://house-of-space.com/

https://www.bho-legal.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/bho-legal/

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The sheer amount of data available from satellites enables us to solve some of the world’s most complex problems.

Renaud Allioux was inspired by Planet to do just that when he left Airbus to co-found Preligens, an AI and intelligence company in the earth observation space, which he is now Chief Innovation Officer of.

We spoke about Renaud’s journey, from working on exciting missions in physics and engineering at Airbus, to solving crucial problems in the defense industry.

He also explained how the intelligence sector and its troves of data make it hard to keep up, and why building software can be more challenging than building a spaceship due to requiring a different mindset and business plan.

Renaud gave us deep insights into what Preligens is doing, shared incredible stories from his career so far, and talked about the macro and micro perspective on EO. He shed light on why it’s so hard to break into the industry, the future of AI versus human analysis in defence, and how the private sector, contrary to popular belief, can be more advanced than government institutions.

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Our guest for this episode is LiveEO’s Michael Cruickshank, a former conflict journalist, who takes us on a journey through the world of open source intelligence (OSINT). From developing ship tracking software using satellite data to using algorithms for automated detection of burnt villages, he reveals how OSINT empowers truth-seekers in a conflict-ridden world. We delve into the origins of OSINT, its role in geospatial analysis (and vice versa), the risks faced by those in the field, and the potential impact of AI.

Follow Michael:

https://twitter.com/mj_cruickshank

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In this episode, acclaimed filmmaker & entrepreneur Torsten Hoffman shares insights from his experience making documentaries about cryptocurrency - but most importantly his latest project "Fortitude" which explores the burgeoning newspace industry. He highlights the stark differences between the two communities and the surprising quality of people he met in the newspace industry. With interviews featuring top companies, astronauts, and thought leaders in the space industry, the documentary covers everything from the space economy to asteroid mining. Torsten also discusses the importance of space exploration for humanity and the incredible potential of the industry in terms of data and innovation.

Here's the podcast episode that was discussed:

https://bit.ly/422FphY

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John recieved a call from a former coworker who knew his strengths would break molds at a new position for Planet Labs. Now at LiveEO, John applies his expertise as its Chief Product Officer.

This episode showcases John’s accumulation of knowledge since before his career, having grown up “in an environment surrounded by tech.” He continued to drive innovation everywhere he went, from spearheading email efforts in the US house of representatives at the start of his career, to running the global partner ecosystem at Planet before joining LiveEO.

He adresses the myriad use cases for satellite data & how he came to learn of them, sheds light on what LiveEO is doing & how it’s changing the game, and explains that no one has to be an expert in space to harness the value of satellites.

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Although he did not begin his career in the geospatial industry, Sean is now CEO of satellite imaging marketplace UP42.

Our conversation with him spanned several subjects, like: partnering with google, what it’s like to work with multiple companies to consolidate tasking into their platform, and how satellite imaging finding growth the way GPS did is a realistic possibility in the future of earth observation.

Follow Sean & UP42:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanwiid

https://www.linkedin.com/company/up42

https://twitter.com/UP42_?s=20

Follow this episode's featured startup Sat.io:

https://satio.space

https://www.linkedin.com/company/sat-io

https://twitter.com/sat_io_?lang=en

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The satellite and earth observation industry can often be frustrating, and Joe Morrison is vocal about what needs to be addressed to maximize its potential. In fact, it was his honesty that landed him at Umbra as Vice President of Customer Experience; his now popular blog on the satellite industry was read by Umbra’s co-founder, who later reached out to him.

With his light-hearted demeanour, Joe tackles intricate subjects in a way digestable for all. In this episode we spoke with him about the myriad applications of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data and Umbra’s edge as a manufacturer.

Follow Joe:

https://joemorrison.substack.com/

https://joemorrison.medium.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-morrison/

https://twitter.com/mouthofmorrison?s=20&t=Vz_4TWS3FeAaGh_ChVUGSg

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As soon as Helen answered our first question - what she thinks the future of space will look like - we knew we’d be in for a treat. Despite being asked that question too many times to count, The Exploration Company's CEO delivered an answer that, like her professional journey, captivated us throughout.

Helene’s remarkable story is one filled with ambition, determination, gut and, as she admits, some luck. Now, her company wants to design a capsule that will eventually carry humans, directly challenging world superpowers and paving the way for EU NewSpace.

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For our October Episode, we invited Yonatan Winetraub, Co-Founder of SpaceIL - an Israli non profit organization established to participate in the Google Lunar XPrize contest in 2011 which launched the very first privately funded Moon Mission with its Lunar Lander Beresheet. The spacecraft made Israel the 7th country to ever accomplish to enter an orbit around the moon. Join us in an inspiring conversation about the founding story of SpaceIL and how it fascinated a whole generation of kids in Israel, the different design phases of the Lunar Lander, the SpaceIL team structure, the exceptional funding situation, Yonatans role in the Beresheet development, technical challenges during the development stages, an indication on upcoming plans of the company and of course mind-boggling and nerve-racking insights on the last few moments of the mission in April 2019 before the spacecraft collided with the lunar surface while attempting to land on the moon. Despite all that, SpaceIL’s Beresheet mission is the closest a private entity has come so far to landing on the lunar surface, it provided valuable information and learning experiences for future private missions to the moon and above all, inspired a whole generation of kids in Israel and NewSpace companies around the world. Lastly, to put it in Yonatan Winetraubs words “if you crashed a pa rty, you still had a good time”.

S H O W  N O T E S

• Guest: Yonatan Winetraub
• Hosts: Daniel Seidel, Sven Przywarra
• Speaker Intro/Outro: Karoline Stegemann
• Production: Jeevanantham Saravanan
• Organization: Nina Stary