Space Capital Podcast

Chad Anderson, Managing Partner of Space Capital dives into the highlights of Q1 2025 and reflect on a transformative quarter for the space economy. From record investments and the rise of AI-powered geospatial intelligence, we explore the trends shaping the future of the space economy. Resources: Space IQ report: https://www.spacecapital.com/space-iq Learn more about the space economy: https://www.spacecapital.com/space-economy-book

Welcome to the newest episode of the Space Capital Podcast, where we will review the Q3 2024 Space IQ review, our quarterly analysis of startup activity and investment trends in the space economy. Space Capital's Chad Anderson and Justus Kilian are going to walk through the results published in our Q3 2024 Space Investment Quarterly, explore current market dynamics, and deep dive into specific themes with industry leaders in Satellite communications and Geospatial intelligence. Download the Q4 2024 Space Investment Quarterly Buy The Space Economy wherever you buy books Watch the Space IQ playlist on YouTube With over 150 LPs, portfolio CEOs, and industry leaders in attendance, the 2024 Space Capital Summit tackled important topics like the role of AI in leveraging geospatial data and the coming impact of SpaceX's Starship. Here are links to replay the public Summit panels.  

Welcome to the newest episode of the Space Capital Podcast, where we will review the Q3 2024 Space IQ review, our quarterly analysis of startup activity and investment trends in the space economy. Space Capital's Chad Anderson and Justus Kilian are going to walk through the results published in our Q3 2024 Space Investment Quarterly, explore current market dynamics, and deep dive into specific themes with industry leaders in Satellite communications and Geospatial intelligence. Download the Q3 2024 Space Investment Quarterly Buy The Space Economy wherever you buy books Watch the Space IQ playlist on YouTube With over 150 LPs, portfolio CEOs, and industry leaders in attendance, the 2024 Space Capital Summit tackled important topics like the role of AI in leveraging geospatial data and the coming impact of SpaceX's Starship. Here are links to replay the public Summit panels. Unlock the future of space technology with "The Race for Space Superiority." This report explores the critical role of innovation and investment in maintaining national security and driving economic growth. Download now

In this episode of The Space Capital Podcast, host Chad Anderson delves into the burgeoning space economy with Nikolai Khlystov, lead for space at the World Economic Forum. Together, they explore the findings of a groundbreaking report that projects the space economy to reach a staggering $1.8 trillion by 2035. Nikolai shares insights on how space technologies are becoming increasingly ubiquitous, transforming industries far beyond traditional aerospace, and contributing to solving some of the world's most pressing challenges. From ride-hailing apps to disaster response, this conversation illuminates the far-reaching impact of space-based technologies and their potential to reshape our global economic landscape. Show Notes: Follow Nikolai Khlystov on LinkedIn. World Economic Forum Report: Space: The $1.8 Trillion Opportunity for Global Economic Growth  Mckinsey Report: Space: The $1.8 trillion opportunity for global economic growth  Buy The Space Economy wherever you buy books. With over 150 LPs, portfolio CEOs, and industry leaders in attendance, the 2024 Space Capital Summit tackled important topics like the role of AI in leveraging geospatial data and the coming impact of SpaceX's Starship. Here are links to replay the public Summit panels. Unlock the future of space technology with "The Race for Space Superiority." This report explores the critical role of innovation and investment in maintaining national security and driving economic growth. Download now.

In the newest episode of the Space Capital Podcast, the team at Space Capital, including our former intern Tycho Bogdanowitsch, discusses the significant impact of SpaceX's Starship on the space economy, emphasizing its unprecedented capabilities and the challenges it presents. The conversation highlights how Starship's ability to launch massive payloads could revolutionize space exploration and infrastructure, while also posing regulatory, technical, and market challenges that need to be addressed. The episode underscores the importance of forward-thinking strategies and innovation in harnessing the full potential of this groundbreaking technology. Show Notes Check out and download The Next Giant Leap to learn more! Buy The Space Economy wherever you buy books to learn more! With over 150 LPs, portfolio CEOs, and industry leaders in attendance, the 2024 Space Capital Summit tackled important topics like the role of AI in leveraging geospatial data and the coming impact of SpaceX's Starship. Here are links to replay the public Summit panels. Unlock the future of space technology with "The Race for Space Superiority." This report explores the critical role of innovation and investment in maintaining national security and driving economic growth. Download now.

Welcome to the newest episode of the Space Capital Podcast, where we will review the Q2 2024 Space IQ review, our quarterly analysis of startup activity and investment trends in the space economy. Space Capital Partners, Chad Anderson and Justus Kilian are going to walk through the results published in our Q2 2024 Space Investment Quarterly, explore current market dynamics, and deep dive into specific themes with industry leaders in Satellite communications and Geospatial intelligence. Show Notes Download the Q1 2024 Space Investment Quarterly Watch the Space IQ playlist on YouTube With over 150 LPs, portfolio CEOs, and industry leaders in attendance, the 2024 Space Capital Summit tackled important topics like the role of AI in leveraging geospatial data and the coming impact of SpaceX's Starship. Here are links to replay the public Summit panels. Unlock the future of space technology with "The Race for Space Superiority." This report explores the critical role of innovation and investment in maintaining national security and driving economic growth. Download now!  Read More  

Welcome to the newest episode of the Space Capital Podcast, where we will review the Q1 2024 Space IQ review, our quarterly analysis of startup activity and investment trends in the space economy. Managing Partners, Chad Anderson and Justus Kilian are going to walk through the results published in our Q1 2024 Space Investment Quarterly, explore current market dynamics, and deep dive into specific themes with industry leaders in Satellite communications and Geospatial intelligence. Show Notes Download the Q1 2024 Space Investment Quarterly Watch the Space IQ playlist on YouTube

In the newest episode of the second season of the Space Capital Podcast and this is the Q4 2023 Space IQ review, our quarterly analysis of startup activity and investment trends in the space economy. Managing Partners, Chad Anderson and Justus Kilian are going to walk through the results published in our Q4 2023 Space Investment Quarterly, explore current market dynamics, and deep dive into specific themes with industry leaders in Satellite communications and Geospatial intelligence. Show Notes Download the Q4 2023 Space Investment Quarterly Watch the Space IQ playlist on YouTube Buy The Space Economy wherever you buy books

In the newest episode of the second season of the Space Capital Podcast and we're speaking with Sean Gorman, co-founder and CEO of Zephr, a company that is developing a novel network-based approach to augmenting GPS to focus on improving the accuracy and resiliency of GPS/GNSS for mobile phones and wearables. Learn more about the past, present and future of GPS and its impact on the world in today's podcast. Company website: https://www.zephr.xyz/ Hear from Zephr Founder Sean Gorman: GPS: the technology we all use that is never good enough Learn more about how GPS data became the foundation of the trillion-dollar industry that spawned Uber, Yelp and Snap in the Space Capital GPS Playbook

In the newest episode of the second season of the Space Capital Podcast and this is the Q3 2023 Space IQ review, our quarterly analysis of startup activity and investment trends in the space economy. We are going to walk through the results published in our Q3 2023 Space Investment Quarterly, explore current market dynamics, and deep dive into specific themes with industry leaders in Satellite communications and Geospatial intelligence. Show Notes Download the Q3 2023 Space Investment Quarterly Watch the Space IQ playlist on YouTube Buy The Space Economy wherever you buy books  

In this seventeenth episode of the second season of the Space Capital Podcast and we're speaking with Stephane Germain, he's the co-founder and CEO of GHGSat. Stephane. Space Capital first invested in GHGSat back in 2018, and was featured on the podcast in 2020. Since then, GHGSat launched several new satellites and products, and has firmly established the company as the global leader in greenhouse gas emissions monitoring. Learn more about how GHGSat is leading the way in monitoring greenhouse emissions in today's podcast. Company website: https://www.ghgsat.com/en/  Check out our first interview with GHGSat: Climate Sats GHGSat completes Series C1 funding GHGSat orders four more greenhouse gas monitoring cubesats from Spire  

This is the Space Capital podcast and today we'll discuss the Q2 2023 Space IQ, our quarterly review of startup activity and investment trends in the space economy. We will walk through the results published in our Q2 2023 Space Investment Quarterly, explore current market dynamics, and deep dive into specific themes in the space economy. Download the Q2 2023 Space Investment Quarterly Watch the Space IQ playlist on YouTube Buy The Space Economy wherever you buy books  

In the 15th episode of the Space Capital podcast, our guest host Justilian, partner at Space Capital is speaking with Brian & Seyka Mejeur, co-founders of AdAstra, a company specializing in talent advisory for space and clean tech startups. Learn more about the importance of talent in this podcast and with the additional links below. Company website: https://adastra.us/  Space Talent Spotlight: Brian Mejeur   

In the 14th episode of the Space Capital podcast, we are speaking with Alon Grinspoon, founder and CEO of echo3D, a 3D asset management platform helping developers manage and stream 3D AR/VR content. We invested in echo3D in the fall of 2021, and the company's backed by a great syndicate of investors, including Convoy Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, Verizon, 5G Lab, and others. Learn more about the future of AI and its impact on the world in today's podcast. Company website: https://www.echo3d.com/ Learn how to quickly create real-time cloud-connected 3D/AR/VR apps in a few simple steps. https://youtu.be/yw8RN6E7bjE Introducing Apple Vision Pro https://youtu.be/TX9qSaGXFyg Register for echo3D's free tier to create and build 3D content that could be live in 15 minutes or less.  

In the 13th episode of the Space Capital Podcast, we'll discuss some of the key trends and big ideas that we believe are driving growth in the space economy and how we're thinking about them. Chad Anderson, Tom Ingersoll, and Justus Kilian, Space Capital Managing Partners will examine how global economic headwinds are impacting the category. Which industries are most affected and which are best positioned to weather the storm?

In this 12th episode of the second season of the Space Capital Podcast, we're breaking from our standard format to discuss the launch of our new book - The Space Economy: Capitalize on the Greatest Business Opportunity of Our Lifetime from Space Capital Managing Partner, Chad Anderson. The new Space Age has already begun, but there is still time for you to get in early. In The Space Economy: Capitalize on the Greatest Business Opportunity of Our Lifetime, accomplished venture capitalist and Space Capital founder Chad Anderson offers investors, entrepreneurs, and aspiring professionals powerful tools and information for understanding how space-based technologies have, and will continue to, transform enterprise, government, and consumer markets for decades to come. Learn more about The Space Economy: www.thespaceeconomy.com Order from Amazon Order from Barnes & Noble

This is the Space Capital podcast and this is the Q4 2022 Space IQ review, our quarterly analysis of startup activity and investment trends in the space economy. We are going to walk through the results published in our Q4 2022 Space Investment Quarterly, explore current market dynamics, and deep dive into specific themes with industry leaders in Satellite communications and Geospatial intelligence. Download the Q4 2022 Space Investment Quarterly Download The GEOINT Playbook Watch the Space IQ playlist on YouTube Check out Space Talent and sign up for the Space Talent Jobs Board

In this 10th episode of the second season of the Space Capital Podcast, we're discussing the geospatial market, which is expected to grow from $63 to 148 billion over the next five years. Joining Chad Anderson, is his fellow Managing Partner at Space Capital, Justus Kilian to discuss the massive opportunity of the geospatial market, that's growing quickly and has proven to be recession proof through the markets of the last year. In the GEOINT Playbook we walk through the Space Capital thesis, which analyzes geospatial intelligence (GEOINT). This framework helps us connect the dots from the origin and constraints of the geospatial stack to the larger role that space based technology plays in an ecosystem that intersects with the modern tech industry and serves customers across a wide variety of markets. Download the Q4 2022 Space Investment Quarterly The GEOINT Playbook ‍

This is the Space Capital podcast and today we're introducing Space IQ, our quarterly review of startup activity and investment trends in the space economy. We are going to walk through the results published in our Q3 2022 Space Investment Quarterly, explore current market dynamics, and deep dive into specific themes with industry leaders in Satellite communications and Geospatial intelligence.   SkyWatch is enabling a new era in geospatial intelligence by providing developers with the tools they need to efficiently and cost-effectively integrate Earth observation (EO) data into their applications and workflows. The company provides a modern API through which external users can access various types of EO data in high volumes and at fast throughput speeds. The company has two product lines: EarthCache, the simplest way to integrate EO data into any application, and TerraStream, an automated data distribution platform for satellite operators. K4 Mobility's mission is to build and operate a secure digital platform to harness the power of the internet for maritime, with an inspiring, clear, and convenient technology path for cutting-edge performance now and in the future. Download the Q3 2022 Space Investment Quarterly Watch the Space IQ playlist on YouTube SkyWatch website: https://www.skywatch.com/  Microsoft reveals Azure Space Partner Community, SpaceNews SkyWatch Joins Esri Partner Network; Closed Beta ArcGIS Integration, Geospatial World SkyWatch raises $17.2 million in Series B funding round, SpaceNews K4 Mobility website: https://www.k4mobility.com/ 

In this eighth episode of the second season of the Space Capital Podcast, we're speaking with James Slifierz, founder and CEO of SkyWatch, a company that is enabling a new era in geospatial intelligence by providing developers the tools they need to efficiently and cost-effectively integrate Earth observation (EO) data into their applications and workflows. SkyWatch provides a modern API through which external users can access various types of EO data in high volumes and at fast throughput speeds. The company has two product lines: EarthCache, the simplest way to integrate EO data into any application, and TerraStream, an automated data distribution platform for satellite operators.

In this seventh episode of the second season of the Space Capital Podcast, we're speaking with Lucy Hoag, Co-Founder and CEO of Violet Labs, a company building a cloud-based software integration for complex hardware engineering.  Violet Labs is building cloud-based software integration for complex hardware engineering. We integrate data from software tools used across the engineering lifecycle into a powerful centralized platform, enabling an engineering source-of-truth, bidirectional data update, sophisticated workflow automation, and more. Our team is founded by engineers with experience building spacecraft, launch vehicles, eVTOLs, drones and self-driving cars for companies like SpaceX, Google, DARPA, Lyft and Amazon.

Trailer for The Space Capital podcast hosted by Chad Anderson

In this sixth episode of the second season of The Space Capital Podcast, we're speaking with Jonny Dyer, founder and CEO of Muon Space, about how he's built a truly one-of-a-kind team to tackle one of the greatest opportunities of our lifetime. Muon Space is developing a data-centric platform with a multitude of scientific-grade sensors at global scale. The company sets out to become the turnkey mission provider with the technology, tools and expertise needed to efficiently define, implement and scale diverse remote sensing missions using common, modular software and hardware pieces.

In this fifth episode of the second season of The Space Capital Podcast, we're speaking with Justin Cyrus, co-founder and CEO of Lunar Outpost, a robotics company w/ products serving extreme environments on the lunar surface as well as terrestrial industries including mining. Lunar Outpost has two contracted rides to the Moon (both first in human history to their respective locations) and has sold thousands of sensor products on Earth.

In this fourth episode of the second season of The Space Capital Podcast, we're speaking with Michael Small, co-founder and CEO of K4 Mobility, a digital technology and Internet services provider for off-grid communications. Space Capital invested in K4 earlier this year based on the quality and experience of the team, and we are incredibly excited about what they're building.

In this third episode of the second season of The Space Capital Podcast, we're speaking with Sid Jha, founder and CEO of Arbol, a parametric insurance marketplace for farms and businesses exposed to weather risk; and he's also Founding Partner of dClimate, the world's first transparent, decentralized marketplace where climate data, forecasts, and models are standardized, monetized, and distributed – we're going to talk about both of those today.

In this second episode of the second season of The Space Capital Podcast, we're speaking with Allan Cannon, founder and CEO of R3 IoT, a Scotland-based company, which combines satellite and cell technology to deliver mission-critical communication services to several different industries. R3 IoT combines cutting edge satellite communications technology with the best of IoT to offer unique end-to-end data services to the 90% of the planet that lacks traditional communications infrastructure.

In this episode of The Space Capital Podcast, we're speaking with Nathan Kundtz, founder and CEO of Rendered.ai, about the company's upcoming launch and how it will further advance their competitive lead to overcome costs and challenges in acquiring and using real-world data for training machine learning and artificial intelligence systems. Rendered.ai has developed the Platform as a Service for Creating Synthetic Data, a Common Application Framework to enable the production of physics-based synthetic datasets for AI training and validation.

In this episode, we're talking about the role talent plays in successful startups. For decades companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft have been competing for top talent and the rise of venture backed startups around the world have driven the competition to an all out battle for great hires. Why? Simply put, the talent within an organization turns dreams into reality. The best founders quickly learn the pathway to success is surrounding themselves with great talent. The battle for top talent now extends beyond just tech and touches every major industry looking to innovate.

GHGSat's vision is to become the global reference for remote sensing of greenhouse gas (GHG) and air quality gas emissions from industrial sites, using satellites. Their satellite is the first in the world capable of measuring air emissions from targeted industrial facilities. This information will help operators understand their own emissions and will stimulate the formation of markets for low-carbon solutions. In this episode, we talk to Stephane Germain, CEO of GHGSat, about the company's upcoming launch and how it will further advance their competitive lead.

GPS is a space-based technology that has generated trillions of dollars in economic value and some of the largest venture outcomes in history. “The GPS Playbook”, a new report by Space Capital and Silicon Valley Bank, demonstrates the potential for Space-based Communications and Geospatial Intelligence markets to generate over $1 trillion in equity value over the next decade. In this episode, we speak to Ann Kim, Managing Director and Sector Head of Frontier Technology at SVB, the bank of the world's most innovative companies and their investors. 

Michael Sheetz started at CNBC covering breaking news and then joined the markets team, writing about Wall Street and stocks. During that time, CNBC gave him room to report on the space industry and realized there was a huge audience for it. Investors of all kinds, from the mom and pop retail investors to the largest investors on Wall Street, were all interested in exploring opportunities in the space market. At the same time, Space Capital began releasing reports which quantified the amount of investment coming into the industry. Hundreds of new companies were entering the market and challenging incumbents, which made for a constant stream of news flow. In this episode, we talk to Michael Sheetz, Space Reporter at CNBC, about the business case for space.

Quantum computing is advancing rapidly and this is creating a problem for secure communications that rely on the supposed mathematical complexity of asymmetric encryption keys. Although these keys are secure against computational hacks today, most are easily cracked with quantum computers. China is leading the world in creating its own impenetrable quantum secure network and looks to extend that lead by outspending the US in quantum research by 13-1 over the next three years. With offices in Singapore and Colorado, SpeQtral are the only company outside of China that has demonstrated a quantum light source on-orbit. In this episode, we speak to Chune Yang Lum, CEO of SpeQtral, a Quantum Security company developing “the security layer for the quantum internet”.   China has developed the world's first mobile quantum satellite station SpeQtral named a Game-Changing Startup 2020 by CB Insights Quantum Supremacy | Vice Quantum Technology 2020 Trends: Immediate Security Threats And Opportunities

When the number in the corner of our smartphone screens changed from 3G to 4G, few of us even noticed. The same when LTE appeared as an alternative to 4G. However, tech futurists say that fifth-generation networks will support a plethora of internet-connected sensors, vehicles, appliances, and other devices that will perform functions not yet unimagined. And satellites will play an important role in these next generation networks. In this episode, we talk to Kieran Arnold, Director of Ubiquitous Connectivity at the Satellite Applications Catapult in the UK, and General Manager at the Westcott 5G Step-Out Centre. Westcott 5G Step-Out Centre Satellite Applications Catapult CES 2020: The long-promised ‘Year of 5G' arrives with more promises and little 5G Why the 5G Rollout Will Fall Short of Expectations Senators Urge $1 Billion Plan to Loosen China's Grip on 5G

Space-based technologies are the building blocks of innovation and enable our global economy. Early infrastructure investments in GPS by the government were leveraged by distribution pioneers Trimble, Magellan, and Garmin, who not only made the signal more useful/accessible by military troops, but also for commercial purposes. The importance of this space-based signal cannot be understated and is now ubiquitous in our everyday lives through applications like Google Maps, Lyft/Uber, and Pokemon GO, which have accounted for some of the largest venture outcomes in history. In this episode, we talk to Greg Milner, author of Pinpoint: How GPS is Changing Technology, Culture, and Our Minds. Pinpoint: How GPS is Changing Technology, Culture, and Our Minds U.S. Department of Commerce: GPS Economic Study Presentation Rethinking GPS: Engineering Next-Gen Location at Uber Google introduces Google Maps API The World's First Space War

The legacy of satellite imagery dates back to the '60s, but widespread access is just becoming a reality. The ubiquitous use of GPS has become engrained in everyday life, and satellite imagery is on the precipice of a similar boom. In this episode, we talk to James Slifierz, CEO of Skywatch. Skywatch makes satellite data more accessible by providing the digital infrastructure and advanced processing algorithms to integrate into any application within minutes. Skywatch's Website   Remembering the First Earth Observations (NASA) Astronaut Chris Hadfield reveals the unlikely and unexpectedly interconnected systems that allow life on our planet to breathe (One Strange Rock)AWS Ground Station (Amazon)First video game SpaceWar! (MIT)

Tractors have been using autonomous driving for decades, but the AgTech sector is relatively new. With water becoming a scarce resource and fertilizer waste growing, precision agriculture is paving the way toward a more sustainable farm. In this episode, we talk to Anastasia Volkova, CEO of FluroSat. FluroSat uses an analytics platform that leverages satellite imagery, agronomic models, weather, and IoT data, to provide key insights to agronomists.   FluroSat's Website FluroSat Scores $3.2m Seed Funding Co-Led by Microsoft's M12 (AgFunder News) AgTech: 100+ Tech Companies Changing the Farm (CB Insights) John Deere Autonomous 8370R Row Crop Tractor Hands-On at CES 2018 (Engadget)

In the space, government, and science communities, Lori Garver is a household name. She served as the second-in-command at NASA during the Obama administration, where she was a key proponent of the commercial space industry. She is a co-founder of the prestigious Brooke Owens Fellowship for women in aerospace and is also the CEO of Earthrise Alliance, a new non-profit organization which is joining the fight against climate change.   SpaceX could save NASA and the future of space exploration (The Hill) A new aerospace industry fellowship for women aims to address the field's gender inequality (Quartz) Brooke Owens Fellowship Earthrise Alliance aims to turn data from space into a resource for climate action (Yahoo!) Earthrise Alliance

With the number of satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) projected to swell to up to 15,000 in the next five years, space situational awareness and debris mitigation have become a much-discussed topic in the last year. In this episode, we talk to Dan Ceperly, CEO of LeoLabs, whose mission is to ensure safe commercial operations in LEO. The Space Angels and Space Capital-funded company was founded to provide a practical, cost-effective solution to debris tracking, management, and mitigation starting now, before the problem escalates. US start-up LeoLabs maps out plan to make dollars from space junk •  SRI International • platform.leolabs.space • Space Policy Directive-3, National Space Traffic Management Policy •  RemoveDEBRIS harpoon and net capture

Andy Aldrin is a true child of the Apollo era. Son of Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, his career has spanned nearly every aspect of the space economy from big defense contractors, to entrepreneurial space, and academia. Currently an Associate Professor at the Florida Institute of Technology, Aldrin has recently launched the Center for Space Entrepreneurship, a program developed in partnership between FIT and the International Space University. He has built a modern curriculum and assembled a group of world-class professors and business people across all space industries to show graduate students what it takes to start and run a successful business in the Entrepreneurial Space Age.

Anousheh Ansari has many firsts to her name—the first female private space explorer, the first Iranian in space, the first blogger from space. She is also responsible for helping to open up the Entrepreneurial Space Age through her work as the title sponsor of the Ansari XPrize. We spoke with Anousheh on how she made a childhood dream reality, the profound impact space travel has had on her life, and what the future has in store for this life-long explorer.

Jane Poynter is nothing if not fascinating. A former Biospherian and co-founder of Paragon Space Development Corporation, she is currently the co-founder and CEO World View, which is pioneering a new frontier at the edge of space and leading the way in the emerging stratospheric economy. Stratollites are high-altitude balloons that serve a variety of mission functions and a broad range of critical commercial needs and applications. Poynter discusses the benefits of stratollites compared with traditional launch vehicles, how her team came together and where World View is headed next.

What rules exist to govern and grant property rights in space? What are you allowed to do and not do? And how are things changing as more new entrants join the space economy? To answer these questions, we spoke with Richard Garriott, a private astronaut and famed video game developer. He is also the Vice Chairman of Space Adventures, a trustee of the XPRIZE Foundation, a Fellow of the Explorers Club, and an advisor for our venture fund, Space Capital. But Richard's credentials are not the reason we've invited him to the podcast—Richard is the first person to credibly claim ownership of extraterrestrial territory.

Investors often think space entrepreneurs like Elon Musk have achieved success all on their own. But government has played a major role in the development, growth, and revenue of companies like SpaceX. This episode's guest, Eric Stallmer, President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, explains how the entire commercial space economy is built on a foundation of 60+ years of technology developed by governments. Episode 6 addresses the question: What is NASA's role in the future entrepreneurial space?

Every year Space Angels ​host​s​ an Expedition, where a limited group of 20 of our most active investor members come together for an inside, first-hand look at the nascent private space industry. In prior years we've traveled to space industry hotbeds like San Francisco, Seattle, and Southern California, where members have enjoyed unique access to some of the most prominent entrepreneurial space ventures. Joining us on this year's Expedition was author, journalist, British television personality, and Space Angels contributor, Sarah Cruddas, who's joins us on this episode to give us an inside listen to Expedition 17 Houston.

With a number of new plans emerging to take humans to the moon and Mars, the question of affordable transportation remains. Our guest today, Chris Lewicki—CEO of Planetary Resources, has a solution. The asteroid-mining company ​plans to drastically reduce the cost of deep space missions by ​refueling launch vehicles ​in space ​with ​water extracted from asteroids.​ ​Their technology enables rockets bound for Mars, and other destinations, ​to ​carry five times more cargo than what's possible today​, without simply building larger vehicles. In this episode we're discussing asteroid mining, how it works, the market opportunity, and who's going to pay for this water.

By the 2020's, near the planned end of the life of the International Space Station, NASA's intention is to transition Low Earth Orbit from a domain that is primarily government-led to one that is primarily led by the private sector. The future is commercial and in this episode we welcome Jeff Manber to the show, who is CEO of NanoRacks, the world's leading supplier of commercial space station services. We'll be discussing commercial space stations and how they'll help actualize a future where millions of people live and work in space. 

While we went to the moon a handful of times in the Apollo era of the 1960-70's, commercial space ventures like Astrobotic are taking us back to the moon by developing an economically viable transportation service, which will enable a sustained human presence. In this episode, we interview John Thornton, CEO of Astrobotic and one of the most influential leaders in the entrepreneurial space sector. He's currently planning the world's first commercial mission to the moon in 2019.