Ex Terra: The Journal of Space Commerce

With so much discussion about the eventual retirement of the International Space Station, a lot of attention is being paid to companies developing private space stations … and there are several. A new entrant in that arena is Joules Space Technology, LLC, an aerospace research and development company focused on making space more human-friendly. They specialize in artificial gravity and are developing a space station called Space Station EO. On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Jules Ross, founder and CEO of Joules Space Technology, which is developing the concept of an artificial gravity space station. The company hopes to be the first aerospace company to conquer NASA's five hazards of human spaceflight - Space Radiation, Isolation, Distance from Earth, Gravity Field, and Hostile/Closed Environment. Space Station EO ... for Earth One ... would solve those problems with private living quarters, an electromagnetic radiation shield, Earth simulation technology to give astronauts more of a feeling of home, and be a self-sustaining dual gravity platform for science and more. "Our platform has both environments on one platform. It has 1G and 0G. So now we can do our experiments in 1G and then do backup experiments in 0G, or vice versa," Ross said. "So the scientists and the experiment can be on the space station at the same time." Ross envisions a future where people of ordinary means can experience space in a safe and comfortable environment, and Space Station EO could be the first step in making that vision a reality.

The C-Tech Club is a global community of founders and CEOs of construction technology start-ups. Founded in 2019, it has grown to cover 425 founders in 31 countries, creating a ‘safe space' for them to collaborate and learn from each other. Now the C-Tech Club is getting involved with the space sector, with a Space Chapter specifically supporting founders focused on design and construction in space. On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with John Priestland, founder of the C-Tech Club. The Space Chapter's mission is to support independent innovators whose technology is suitable for in-orbit or lunar deployment, or extreme environments or space facilities here on Earth. Founders benefit from monthly speaker meetings, a vibrant social media group, conference events (such as ‘C-Tech Club Start-up Village' at Digital Construction Week, advocacy with Government and construction leadership groups and social events such as dinners. At these events, founders can collaborate, learn from each other and build connections with people facing the same challenges that they face. "Now we think it's time to take that trusted environment, that 'safe space' where founders can share and work together into the space sector. Because there are really exciting developments in orbit, on the Moon and further afield, and we think it's time to help founders play their part in the space mission," Priestland said. The Space Chapter focuses on businesses involved in on-orbit, lunar, extreme environment and space facilities opportunities. Relevant technologies are likely to include: 3D printing of structures; new materials; structural design software; robotics; hyper-accurate sensors (to allow remote handling); physical/digital twins; and novel surveying and scanning techniques. There may also be spin-offs from space-related construction technology for conventional Earth-based construction. If you are interested in joining the C-Tech Club's Space Chapter (which is open to founders and CEOs of start-ups actively involved in design and construction for space), please email them here.

One of the issues with satellites is that their power can be limited ... whether by the size and weight of batteries or the efficiency of their solar panels. But what if you could "plug" your satellite into a power source like you were plugging it into a wall outlet in your home or business? That's the concept be Star Catcher, a start-up company that is working to develop a power grid in space. On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Andrew Rush, Co-founder, president and CEO of Star Catcher. The company is developing technology that will collect solar power in space and beam it to client satellites on a pay-as-you-go basis. "In space, everything is a camping trip. You have to take everything with you, and if you didn't bring it with you, you're out of luck. And that is an impediment to the commercialization, industrialization and exploration of any arena, including space. And so that's why we're trying to build this power grid. To have infrastructure so that it's just as easy to build a business in space as it is on the ground." The Star Catcher orbital infrastructure will transform how satellites are powered, the company says. Spacecraft connect to the network and receive energy via existing solar arrays, which means there is no retrofit required to utilize the service. The company recently closed a seed round in excess of $12 million, which it will use to grow its staff and develop the necessary technology in hopes of flying a demonstration mission late in 2025.

The U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis recently released its most recent statistics concerning the impact of Space Commerce on the country's GDP for the years 2017-2022. The findings show the space economy accounted for $131.8 billion, or 0.5 percent, of total U.S. GDP in 2022. On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks to Dr. Tina Highfill, the lead economist working to develop these statistics for the BEA. "What we see is, for the first time, this fast growth is being caused by an increase in spending from national defense ... so U.S. Space Force ... but also private R&D. Space Force does mostly R&D at this point, so a lot of R&D both in the private and government sectors is driving growth in the space economy," Highfill said. The estimates developed by BEA give business leaders, policymakers, and the public a new tool to analyze the space economy and to inform investment decisions. For the first time, this release of the space economy statistics is presented in the same format as BEA's official industry statistics. This means the industry detail is expanded from just over 30 industries to 75 industries, providing even more information about the industrial composition of the U.S. space economy and its changes over time. Additionally, two new datasets are provided that show price indexes for value added (also known as GDP) and gross output, also published with the same 75-industry detail. Lastly, this report focuses on GDP and chained growth rates, further aligning with BEA's official statistical releases.

New Space companies are constantly looking for alternative revenue streams to fund their projects. While many rely on traditional sources of funding, an emerging trend in the sector is Space Sponsorships. On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Stirling Forbes, the founder and CEO of Forbes Space, a dedicated space sponsorship, partnership and growth services agency. "It's a 1+1=3," Forbes said. "A brand receives the unparalleled product differentiation publicity that comes with associating with a space company, and a space company will receive the crucial financial or technical or global public awareness support for their mission, or innovation or exploration, or really just general progress for humanity." Forbes has a Master of Science in Space Studies degree from the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, and a First Class honors BSc degree from University College London in the History and Philosophy of Science where his thesis was on the commercialization and militarization of space. Over the last five years, Stirling has established a wide network in the space, commercial and marketing sector, building numerous relationships with influential people in those industries, both in person and through LinkedIn. His network extends to over 140 individual space companies alongside over 1100 connections in a CEO, Founder or president Role.

It's pretty well known that there is a lot of debris in space. What if some of that debris could be recycled in space to create new materials which could be used for other purposes? Cislunar industries is working to create methods to recycle and repurpose metals in space. On this edition of the Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Joe Pawelski, the co-founder and CTO of Cislunar Industries. In April of last year, the company was awarded a patent for its Space Foundry for in-space metal processing and contactless manipulation. The Modular Space Foundry technology takes recovered space debris and reprocesses it into standardized metal feedstock in the form of rod, wire filament, and other useful geometries, as well as propellant. In May, ThinkOrbital successfully operated an electron-beam welding system in space. CisLunar Industries developed the system that powered the operation, a 20kV power supply that boasts industry-leading size, weight, and power (SWaP). "In space, the name of the game is we don't want to create more particles, or we don't want to create more debris. I mean that's the whole idea ... we're trying to prevent debris. So manufacturing processes that don't make debris and that aren't very invasive are really interesting to us." Cislunar Industries believes that a dynamic and robust industrial in-space economy is essential to this future, and envisions a future where humanity is enabled and empowered to expand beyond Earth to permanently and sustainably settle the Solar System.

The Aerospace Corporation is an independent, nonprofit corporation operating the only Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) for the space enterprise. They perform objective technical analyses and assessments for a variety of government, civil, and commercial customers. On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Sam Wilson, a systems director for the Center for Space Policy and Strategy at The Aerospace Corporation and is known for his work in defense space policy, national security, and space commerce. Sam recently published a budget brief titled 'FY 2025 Defense Space Budget: Continued Emphasis on Proliferation Under a More Constrained Top-Line'. "You're seeing a lot of commercial companies now providing some of the same services you used to see reserved for only government missions," Wilson said. "And I think that's interesting, and we'll see what that looks like in the future." This year's request includes funding for new proliferated networks of communications satellites and increasing attention on commercial satellite communications. With more limited growth, the presidential budget request reflects trade-offs and priorities for DOD's space activity.

Lonestar Data Holdings is a pioneering company that offers Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) from the Moon. On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Chris Stott, the Founder and CEO of Lonestar Data Holdings. In February, Lonestar successfully demonstrated the concept of data storage and retrieval from the Moon as part of the Intuitive Machines IM-1 mission. From the surface of the Moon, Lonestar's Independence payload successfully completed the first ever data center test in their proof-of-concept demonstration. This included the transmission of the Declaration of Independence from Earth to the Moon and the receipt back from the Moon of a copy of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights, all while ensuring data storage on the Moon for the State of Florida. Stott says that his market is terrestrial. Lonestar uses space to serve that market. "This idea of where to keep your data, data has a passport. Especially if you're regulated data from a country or a company, it's finding the right location that offers you protection under data sovereignty laws, as well as access to your data in a safe and secure manner. For us, space was that solution." Lonestar recently announced their second lunar data center mission, the Freedom Payload, scheduled to launch with Intuitive Machines on their IM-2 Lander.

Imagine getting critical supplies ... or frankly almost anything ... delivered to nearly any location from space. That is the vision of Inversion Space, a company creating autonomous re-entry vehicles to deliver cargo from space, making space a transportation layer for Earth. "At Inversion, our goal is to be able to make it so that humanity can deliver cargo to anywhere on Earth in under an hour." Justin Fiaschetti, Inversion Space On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Justin Fiaschetti, the CEO of Inversion Space. The company currently has two capsules under development. Ray is designed for technology maturation, and Arc, which will be a fully autonomous global delivery system. The company was founded in 2021 and went through Y Combinator, securing funding from various partners. "At Inversion, our goal is to be able to make it so that humanity can deliver cargo to anywhere on Earth in under an hour," Fiaschetti said. "Taking that transportation modality that happens on the ground right now, whether it be through boats or aircraft or rail, and adding a layer on top of that that's faster, has less infrastructure, and can allow for full global reach without any terrestrial infrastructure." Inversion is creating nearly every component of the Ray and Arc capsules in house, with each being purpose-built for the system. The first test of Ray is planned for later this year. https://www.inversionspace.com

The Radiation Team is a radiation reliability consulting provider specializing in delivering customized, cost-effective radiation solutions for mission-critical space systems. They focus on accurate analysis, speed, efficiency, and necessary and sufficient engineering to mitigate the impacts and risks of ionizing radiation throughout the development lifecycle of space systems. Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Reston, WA, The Radiation Team works with clients, often from mission inception, to determine what are the risks of radiation exposure to critical components, and then develop strategies to protect those components. "The field is so broad, identifying what is the best approach to take for a customer or a mission is part of the challenge," Chertkow said. Prior to founding The Radiation Team, Chertkow worked at both Blue Origin and SpaceX in lead roles in the radiation field.

Space Florida is a leading aerospace economic development organization dedicated to strengthening Florida's position as a global leader in aerospace research, investment, exploration, and commerce. As the state's premier aerospace agency, Space Florida is committed to attracting and expanding the next generation of space industry businesses. On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Rob Long, president and CEO of Space Florida. He was named to the position last year following the retirement of Frank DiBello. Rob has over 25 years of leadership experience in the aerospace industry. His expertise spans launch operations, logistics, and spaceport management. His strategic vision aims to position Florida as a global hub for aerospace commerce. "We are definitely engaged from the start-up side, we do a lot with capital accelerator programs, we work with Florida Venture Forum and other similar organizations to male sure we're involved in some of those early aerospace companies. Small mid-cap companies to the largest Fortune 500 companies. We have the ability to deal with all of those," Long said.

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.

Last year saw the largest number of rocket launches, the largest mass to orbit ever achieved, and a wide variety of space missions by a growing number of countries and companies. In short, it's getting busy up there. So how can we keep ourselves safe and free from collision and conflict? 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.

Young entrepreneurs will be the future of space commerce, just as they are in most industries.On this edition of the Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Madison Feehan, who is leading multiple space commerce efforts … one that is involved in looking at ways to build on the Moon, and the other working on advanced space robotics and STEM education. "In Junior High School I created a 3D CAD model prototype for a Mars habitat that was created using 3D printers. That didn't actually take off." Madison Feehan At just 20 years old, Madison is the COO of Space Copy, and the co-founder and CFO of Moon Trades. 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."

Space launches have become very common, in fact, multiple times a week is now the norm. Each launch takes a well choreographed set of operations to get payload to space. But what goes on behind the scenes to make this happen? 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.

Phantom Space Corporation was founded to change the way satellites and other assets are transported into space, through space, and ultimately back to Earth. The company's approach of offering of launch, propulsion, and satellite solutions enables a widening demographic to access space, space technology, and space data. 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?

A Conversation with Global Security Consultant Dr. Namrata Goswami 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.

There is a great deal of work being done in the arena of manufacturing in space. Many of the companies working to place private space stations in orbit say that manufacturing is one of the functions that can make them commercially viable. Aboard the ISS, several additive manufacturing … or 3D printing … processes have been studied. 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.

Like all businesses, space companies face challenges in recruitment and professional development. How do companies in the industry address those issues? On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Christopher Allen, co-founder and COO of Nova Space, which has just introduced a new program to help in that area. 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.

The government and defense sectors are crucial to space commerce. Government and defense contracts are regularly awarded to private space companies to supply technology related to propulsion, communications, Earth observation and a host of other verticals. "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." Nino Marcantonio 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.

A remarkable technological advancement is revolutionizing the way we maintain and extend the lifespan of satellites in Earth orbit. Welcome to the world of on-orbit satellite servicing, where cutting-edge technology and expertise converge to overcome the challenges of maintaining and upgrading satellites in space." According to the website Orbiting Now, there are 7,854 satellites currently in Earth Orbit. of those, 7,047 are classified as being in Low Earth Orbit ... with another 211 in Medium Earth Orbit. Most of these satellites were designed for a single mission, and given the constraints of fuel and eventual technical obsolescence, have a limited lifespan. But A growing industry is emerging that would extend the useful lives of satellites, reducing costs and beginning the process of easing the congestion in low- and medium-Earth orbits. According to MarketsandMarkets, the satellite servicing industry is expected to reach $5.1 billion by 2030; registering a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.5 percent during the forecast period. Aging satellite constellations and the need for satellite refueling are driving the growth of the on-orbit satellite servicing market. The Geostationary Orbit (GEO) segment is projected to lead the market during the forecast period. On-orbit servicing allows for repairs and maintenance to be performed on satellites in GEO, which can help address unexpected failures or problems. This can provide greater flexibility and resilience to the satellite operator's network. 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.

Veteran space industry insider Jim Cantrell, author of "Breaking All The Rules: The Inside Story of the New Space Race", got into the space business rather by accident. "I really never wanted to be in the space business when I was young." Jim Cantrell A flier posted at his college got the self-proclaimed southern California gear head involved in a project to design a Mars rover, which his team won. From there, Jim has been an engineer for NASA and the French Space Agency CNES, traveling the world working on space projects. Then, he was contacted by Elon Musk about joining a little company called SpaceX. He took the gig. In "Breaking All the Rules", Cantrell chronicles his career in the space industry through his time with SpaceX, and on the podcast, he tells Ex Terra why he left the world's most recognizable commercial space company to strike out on his own. Through the lens of a space entrepreneur, Cantrell foresees a "bloodbath" coming in the not-too-distant future leading to the failure of multiple new space companies, citing Virgin Orbit as an example. "The money that comes from investors, particularly these large venture funds, as really the equivalent of government money without the strings attached to it," Cantrell said. "And the fact is there are different strings attached to it, and the expect a profit." Cantrell still predicts that SpaceX will be successful in establishing a human presence on Mars. Breaking All The Rules Availability "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.

Earth Observation is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the emerging space economy. But the time and manpower needed to analyze all the data can be a drain on company resources. "Our focus is on the end-to-end system and producing quality data." Don Osborne 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.

To be competitive in the commercial space industry, companies need to focus on training and professional development for both new hires and existing employees. "For about 90 percent of the jobs out in the space industry, you don't need advanced, or even necessarily basic college-level space education." Joseph Horvath 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.

Since the launch of the first weather satellite in 1960, these spacecraft have vastly improved weather forecasting around the world. Weather satellites now provide incredibly detailed images of weather systems as well as a wealth of data that make make those forecasts extremely accurate 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.

Marketing for Space Commerce is one of the aspects of our business that sometimes seems to fall through the cracks, but no matter what your business, companies need to find ways to reach their customers. It's just fundamental. If you want to sell something, you have to find a buyer. 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.