SEDScast

Anja Blaj is the CSO of Future Law Institute and the President of Blockchian Think Tank Slovenia. Anja works in areas of law that are rapidly advancing, such as space and blockchain applications. In this episode we discuss the current state and future challenges associated with space law and laws of other planetary bodies. We also walk through how legal precedent is established in emerging areas such as blockchain and commercial space operations. You can find Anja on LinkedIn or on Twitter @anjablaj. 

Hosted by Owen Marr and Badhon Tithi. 

Timestamps 

• 00:00 - Introductions 
• 01:23 - Guest background 
• 04:45 - Getting interested in space 
• 06:52 - State of space law 
• 10:13 - Current work and interests 
• 11:27 - Mining laws 
• 13:51 - Moving towards unity 
• 16:43 - Educating the public 
• 20:34 - Blockchain and non nation-states 
• 26:11 - Making changes to blockchain 
• 33:06 - Advice 
• 36:27 - Social media

Shaun D’Mello is the VP of Launch for Rocket Lab. In this episode, we asked Shaun all about Rocket Lab’s new projects: building a new medium-launch vehicle called Neutron and becoming a publicly traded company. We also talked about Rocket Lab’s rich history of success in the space industry, and how they’ve managed to succeed when so many others have failed.

Hosted by Owen Marr and Chad Cerutti.

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Introductions
• 01:04 - Guest background
• 03:21 - Joining Rocket Lab
• 06:14 - Reusable vehicles
• 10:26 - Rocket Lab expansion
• 13:18 - Other companies coming to New Zealand
• 14:48 - Contributors of success for Rocket Lab
• 17:10 - Future missions
• 19:03 - Neutron overview
• 25:06 - Competing in the small launch industry
• 28:04 - Company going public
• 30:57 - Launch naming
• 32:29 - Future work
• 33:58 - Advice
• 40:05 - Social media

Daniel Faber is the CEO of Orbit Fab, Inc. Orbit Fab is developing propellant infrastructure for satellites in Earth orbit. (Think gas stations in space!) Daniel has held several previous roles in the space industry, including CEO of Deep Space Industries from 2012 to 2017. In this episode, Daniel discusses his vision for the future of space and the role Orbit Fab will play in this growing ecosystem.

Hosted by Owen Marr and Rupal Nigam.

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Introductions
• 01:26 - Guest background
• 05:14 - Experiences at Deep Space Industries
• 08:05 - How to accomplish goals
• 09:48 - Details and logistics on OrbitFab
• 15:38 - Targeted satellites
• 17:04 - Standardization of parts
• 21:58 - Compatibility with existing satellites
• 23:31 - Current progress
• 25:28 - Minimum Viable Product specifications
• 26:07 - Future timeline
• 32:26 - Advice

Swati Mohan is currently the Mars 2020 Guidance, Navigation, and Controls Operations Lead at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. She has worked on Mars 2020 since almost the beginning of the project in 2013 and on multiple other missions such as Cassini (mission to Saturn) and GRAIL (a pair of formation flown spacecraft to the Moon). She completed her B.S. at Cornell University in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, and her M.S. and Ph.D at MIT in Aeronautics/Astronautics.

Hosted by Rupal Nigam and Riley Schnee.

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Introductions
• 01:00 - Background
• 02:45 - Mars 2020 GNC
• 06:50 - Mission Phases
• 11:05 - Hurdles
• 13:50 - Landing
• 15:55 - Getting into GNC
• 18:35 - What’s next?
• 21:20 - Advice

Fernando Abilleira is currently serving as the Mars 2020 MDNAV Manager and the Deputy Mission Manager for Launch/Cruise/EDL. The Mars 2020 Project will land a rover heavily derived from the Curiosity rover configuration that is designed to investigate key questions about the habitability of Mars and the possibility of extant life on the Red planet. Fernando has supported multiple flight projects and studies such as the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter, Mars Science Orbiter, Mars Netlanders, Mars Sample Return, and preliminary crewed mission to Mars studies among others.

Hosted by Rupal Nigam and Sahil Farishta.

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Introductions
• 01:10 - Background
• 03:20 - Mars 2020 Objectives
• 07:40 - Milestones and Obstacles
• 11:20 - Landing
• 16:15 - Why Mars?
• 19:30 - Testing for the mission
• 23:00 - What’s next?
• 26:30 - Advice

Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton is the Principal Investigator for the NASA Psyche mission, which is the first mission to explore an asteroid made of metal. The mission involves sending a spacecraft to the asteroid Psyche to study the properties of this metal world. In addition, Dr. Elkins-Tanton serves as the Vice President of the Interplanetary Institute at Arizona State University and the co-founder of Beagle Learning. Prior to her work on Psyche, Dr. Elkins-Tanton spent years in the business world as well.

Timestamps

• 01:05 - Introductions
• 05:39 - Overview of the Psyche mission
• 08:18 - Origin of the mission and proposal process
• 20:04 - Progression into phase D of the development cycle
• 23:26 - Looking forward towards post launch operations
• 27:04 - Analyzing data from the spacecraft
• 32:05 - Student advice
• 36:08 - The space narrative

In this bonus episode, the SEDScast team discusses the origins of SEDScast, lessons learned while creating the platform, favorite moments along the way, and a compilation of advice that guests have shared over the course of the year.

Timestamps

• Introductions: 2:05
• SEDScast Origin Story: 11:50
• Lessons from Producing SEDScast: 25:35
• Favorite Moments: 34:02
• Advice from S1 & S2 Guests: 48:40

Steve Isakowitz is the President and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation. The Aerospace Corporation is a federally funded nonprofit corporation that provides technical guidance to government and commercial entities pursuing space endeavours. Prior to this position, Steve served as President of Virgin Galactic, Deputy CFO of NASA and a variety of other roles throughout the years. Steve also founded the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship in memory of his son. The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship is a mentorship and internship program for students interested in commercial spaceflight.

Timestamps

• 4:40: Early Career
• 19:30: Virgin Galactic
• 21:00: The Aerospace Corporation
• 26:00: Matthew Isakowtiz Fellowship
• 28:30: Student Advice

Janet Ivey is the creator and CEO of the award-winning children’s show “Janet’s Planet,” the President of Explore Mars, Inc, and a Citizen Astronaut Candidate for Space For Humanity. Janet is committed to enriching the lives and education of children around the world through live performances, TV, and online programming covering topics such as science, space, history and health.

Jeff Manber is the Chief Executive Officer of NanoRacks. NanoRacks was the first company to develop and operate commercial space in the US National Lab aboard the ISS. They have assisted with the transport and deployment of over 1,000 space payloads to date, and their new Bishop Airlock is scheduled to launch to the ISS in December 2020. Prior to NanoRacks, Jeff contributed to a variety of space firsts such as leading MirCorp when they sent the first human to space without government funding.

Timestamps:

• MirCorp: 5:30
• NanoRacks: 17:30
• Student Advice: 42:00

Dr. Alec D. Gallimore is the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering at the University of Michigan. He is a leader in the field of advanced spacecraft propulsion and heads a laboratory that is developing the plasma drive system that may ultimately propel humans to Mars. Dean Gallimore has served on a number of advisory boards for NASA and the Department of Defense, including the United States Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (AFSAB).

Timestamps:

• Electric Propulsion: 03:00
• Michigan Engineering: 26:00
• Student Advice: 39:00

Peter Diamandis is an entrepreneur, engineer, physician, author, and so much more. He is a cofounder of SEDS, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary on October 30th, 2020. Peter joined us for a conversation on the founding of SEDS and his subsequent ventures. For Peter’s full biography visit www.diamandis.com.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Founding SEDS
• 10:00 ISU
• 16:30 XPrize
• 26:00 COVAXX
• 34:00 Future of Space
• 42:30 Student Advice

Elizabeth Barrios is a NASA Space Technology Research Fellow and PhD candidate at the University of Central Florida. She has worked as a materials engineer at NASA under the Pathways program since 2015 and is set to complete her PhD at the end of 2020. Outside of her research, Elizabeth is the SGAC regional coordinator for North and Central America, as well as being on the SEDS USA board of advisors.

Andrew Sloan is the Founder and creative director of Cosma Schema. Cosma Schema is a branding and design agency dedicated to working with space companies. They have developed logos, websites, and much more for some of the most popular new space companies, including a few that have been featured on SEDScast!

Danielle Wood is a Professor at the MIT Media Lab with a joint appointment from the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department. She is also the leader of the Space Enabled Research Group at MIT, which works to advance justice on Earth using designs enabled by space. Dr. Wood completed her PhD at MIT in 2012 and went on to work at NASA and Johns Hopkins before returning to MIT as a Professor. Danielle is on the Board of Advisors for SEDS USA and a mentor for the Brooke Owens Fellowship.

Timestamps:

• 02:45 MIT & Space Enabled Research Group
  
• 17:20 Satellite Programs in Developing Countries
  
• 26:40 NASA and Johns Hopkins
  
• 33:20 Advice for Students
  

Charles Miller is the CEO of Lynk Global, Inc. Lynk is a space startup focused on developing satellite technology that can connect directly to mobile phones. In February of 2020, Lynk became the first company to send a text message directly to a normal cell phone. Prior to Lynk, Charles was a senior advisor in NASA’s Commercial Space division. Charles has also co-founded a series of space organizations including NanoRacks LLC and ProSpace.

Timestamps:

• 02:25 Education and Career
• 17:00 Lynk
• 57:00 Student Advice

Richard French is the Director of Business Development and Strategy for Space Systems at Rocket Lab. Richard was recently promoted to this role after serving as Rocket Lab’s Director of Global Government Launch Services. Prior to his time at Rocket Lab, Richard spent 12 years at NASA JPL and HQ. Richard holds his bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering and master's degree in Space Systems from the University of Michigan.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introductions & Education
• 05:00 NASA JPL & HQ
• 13:30 Rocket Lab
• 39:30 Student Questions & Advice

Negar Feher is the Vice President of Business Development at Momentus Space. Momentus is a space startup that provides last mile services for satellites, providing their customers with the exact orbit needed for their satellites to succeed. Negar is responsible for running the customer side of Momentus, including sales, marketing and business expansion. Prior to joining, Negar worked at Space Systems Loral, which is now part of Maxar, and Lockheed Martin. She holds a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Stanford.

Timestamps

• 00:00 Education & Early Career
• 22:20 Momentus & Future of the Space Industry

Aaron Burnett is the founder of Spaced Ventures which is a public equity investment platform for space companies. Aaron comes from a finance and marketing background, and is also a self-pronounced “lifelong space geek.” He was spurred by the first Falcon Heavy launch in 2018 to get involved in the space industry. Aaron created Spaced Ventures to enable public investment in space and help more space startups succeed.

Reuben Sorensen is the cofounder and CEO of R2 Space. R2 is a smallsat company that develops and operates SAR satellites for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Reuben has a long history of working in ISR. His first job following his PhD was technology officer for Navy Seal teams. Reuben then spent several years working on radar and space technology for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Planet Labs before founding R2 Space.

Timestamps:

• 04:40 Navy Seals Technology
• 10:50 Joint Chiefs of Staff
• 15:10 Planet Labs
• 19:37 R2 Space
• 33:20 Student Questions and Advice

Justus Kilian is Principal at Space Capital and Founder of Space Talent. Space Capital is a space-focused venture capital firm in Manhattan. Space Talent is a web platform designed to connect people with space companies. Justus has a deep background in investment, having worked as an analyst at Merrill Lynch and then as an impact investor in Africa and Asia. Justus holds an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago.

Timestamps:

• 5:28 Space Capital
• 12:07 Space Talent
• 21:14 Space Industry Outlooks
• 43:00 Student Advice
  

Will Coogan is the Chief Engineer of Space Systems at Firefly Aerospace. Will is responsible for the technical development of the Genesis lunar lander and the Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV). Prior to joining Firefly, Will obtained a PhD from Princeton focusing on electric propulsion systems.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Background & Early Education
• 06:14 Princeton PhD
• 15:27 Firefly OTV
• 18:32 Firefly Lunar Lander
• 43:30 Student Questions and Advice

Tess Hatch is a Vice President at Bessemer Venture Partners. BVP is a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm which manages over $5 billion in its fund. Tess invests primarily in frontier technologies, including commercial space. BVP has investments in Rocket Lab and Spire Global, which Tess helps oversee. Our discussion with Tess is largely based on the role of traditional VCs and how they can enable space companies to achieve their visions.

Timestamps:

• 2:55 Education & Background
• 6:35 Venture Capital
• 25:12 Rocket Lab
• 32:00 Future of Space
• 45:00 Student Advice

Amanda Stiles is the Director of Mission Management and Integration at Rocket Lab. Amanda is also the Rocket Lab Moon Program Director, which will see its first lunar launch in early 2021 as part of the CAPSTONE mission. Prior to joining Rocket Lab, Amanda worked at SpaceX and XPrize. She holds a bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Washington and a master’s in Space Management from the International Space University.

Timestamps:

• 4:20 Education & Early Career
• 16:00 SpaceX
• 30:00 Rocket Lab
• 32:30 Capstone Lunar Mission
• 54:00 Student Advice

Adam Wuerl is the Director of Advanced Concepts and Strategy at Blue Origin. Adam’s team is responsible for developing concepts relevant to Blue Origin’s mission as defined by owner Jeff Bezos. Prior to joining Blue Origin, Adam worked on a number of projects at Spaceflight Industries and Lockheed Martin. He holds a master’s degree in Aerospace from Stanford and a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the University of Washington.

Timestamps:

• 3:30 Background
• 7:52 Early Career
• 22:10 Blue Origin
• 47:00 Student Questions & Advice

Sian Proctor is an analog astronaut and STEM educator who is passionate about the future of space. She has participated in a variety of research missions on Earth that examine how humans will live and work in space. In addition to being an analog astronaut and professor, Sian is a prolific public speaker. She talks to people of all ages and backgrounds to get them excited about space! Sian holds a master's degree in Geology and PhD in Science Education, both from ASU.

Timestamps:

• 04:08 Introductions & Background
• 11:33 STEM Education
• 15:40 Analog Astronauts
• 36:40 Preparing for Lunar & Martian Missions
• 47:00 Student Questions & Advice

Jeff Foust is a distinguished space journalist and Senior Writer at SpaceNews. He has been covering the space industry as a journalist since the 1990s and has built an impressive portfolio of work over his career. Jeff holds an undergraduate degree in Geophysics from Caltech and a PhD in Planetary Sciences from MIT. Jeff also serves as a Board Advisor for SEDS USA!

Timestamps:

• 02:35 SEDS
• 10:28 Early Career
• 21:24 SpaceNews and Journalism
• 43:15 Industry Discussion

Greg Johnson is a former NASA astronaut and USAF test pilot. Greg was the Space Shuttle Pilot for the STS-123 and STS-134 missions to the International Space Station. His test pilot career was focused primarily on variants of the T-38 and F-15 aircraft. Greg also served as the Executive Director of CASIS from 2013-2018. There he was in charge of leading half of the science conducted by NASA in the ISS National Lab. Today Greg sits on a variety of boards for companies and nonprofits focused on space.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introductions
• 3:05 Education
• 6:26 USAF Test Pilot
• 15:10 NASA Astronaut
• 48:14 Current Projects
• 53:46 Student Questions

Grant Bonin is the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Spaceflight Industries. SFI acts as an intermediary between launch providers and customers wishing to launch satellites. In this episode, Grant walks us through his time at Deep Space Industries, Rocket Lab, and SFI. We also talked through the recent acquisition of SFI by Mitsui, and how the company is continuing to improve space accessibility.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introductions
• 5:48 SEDS & Education
• 15:56 Deep Space Industries
• 25:54 Rocket Lab
• 32:30 Spaceflight Industries
• 49:42 Student Questions and Advice

Tanya Harrison is a planetary scientist and the Manager of Science Programs at Planet Labs. She leads the effort to use Planet Labs earth imagery data for science missions. Tanya is also a longtime Mars enthusiast, earning her the title of “Professional Martian.” She has worked on a variety of Martian missions and is heavily involved with Mars outreach projects. Tanya holds a PhD in geology with an emphasis in planetary sciences.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introductions
• 5:48 Mars Missions
• 15:24 Planet Labs
• 29:00 Martian Outreach
• 33:49 Student Questions & Advice

Kris Lehnhardt is a medical doctor working at NASA JSC in the Human Research Program. Kris leads the science side of the XMC team, which develops medical systems that enable future human exploration beyond low Earth orbit (LEO). In our discussion, we cover the fundamentals of designing human-rated spacecraft, how NASA has changed its approach over the years, and what we need to do to keep humans healthy when going beyond LEO for long durations.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introductions
• 01:34 Education & SEDS
• 11:15 Space Medicine and Designing Spacecraft for Humans

Ryan McLinko is the cofounder and CTO at Astranis. Astranis develops small GEO communications satellites which provide internet to remote areas. Astranis is set to bring their first customer satellite online over Alaska by the summer of 2021. Ryan holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in astronautics, both from MIT. He also serves on the SEDS USA Board of Advisors.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introductions
• 03:10 Education & SEDS
• 24:33 Astranis
• 50:10 Student Questions

Therese Jones is the Senior Policy Director at the Satellite Industry Association. SIA is a trade association which represents most of the major satellite manufacturers. Therese works with SIA members to develop policy positions and communicates these positions to federal bodies, such as the FCC and lawmakers. Therese holds a PhD in Policy Analysis from RAND and a Master’s degree in Astrophysics from UC Berkeley. She is also the founder of the AIAA Diversity Scholarship and holds a seat on the SEDS USA Board of Advisors.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introductions
• 03:40 Education
• 14:45 Satellite Industry Association
• 26:49 Space Policy Questions
• 52:04 Advice for Students

Will Pomerantz is Vice President of Special Projects at Virgin Orbit. He is also a prominent figure within SEDS, serving as chair to the Board of Advisors and as a trustee to the endowment fund. In addition to those positions, Will co-founded the Brooke Owens Fellowship and remains deeply involved as an advisor and mentor.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introductions
• 05:38 SEDS
• 17:23 Career
• 25:57 Virgin Galactic & Virgin Orbit
• 1:03:03 Brooke Owens Fellowship
• 1:13:25 Student Questions
  

Rob Meyerson is a longtime leader in the space industry, serving as the President and Chief Executive of Blue Origin from 2003 to 2017. During this time, Rob was responsible for growing the company from 10 people to over 1,500 and fulfilling the vision of company owner Jeff Bezos. Prior to joining Blue, Rob worked on space shuttle parachutes at NASA JSC and reusable launch vehicles at Kistler Aerospace. Today, Rob runs space consulting firm Delalune Space, which works with companies in the technology and financial sectors that are entering the space economy. Rob also serves on the Board of Advisors for Hermeus, and he is the executive producer of the AIAA ASCEND Conference.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introductions
• 01:40 Education and Early Career
• 19:56 Blue Origin
• 47:36 Delalune
• 57:15 Student Questions