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Fueling Up in Space With Orbit Fab's Dan Faber Dec 22, 2020

Show notes

Space startup Orbit Fab is working to establish gas stations in space. The company announced plans to launch its first operational fuel depot into orbit and secured additional seed funding from Munich Re Ventures.

For CEO Dan Faber, this isn't his first rodeo, as he's built startups before. But with Orbit Fab, he's hoping that by enabling satellite refueling, it will lead to a bustling in-space economy for new industries like space tourism, manufacturing, and mining. He also believes that this is an important step in allowing humans to move beyond Earth.

In this episode, we talk about how he started Orbit Fab, what a gas station in space actually means, and how he envisions a thriving market in space.

SIA's Therese Jones Chats Zed Factor Fellowship Dec 08, 2020

Show notes

Therese Jones is the senior director of policy at the Satellite Industry Association (SIA). She works on issues such as universal access to broadband, as well as more recently, space policy as it pertains to the Biden administration transition.

She's also one of the co-founders of the Zed Factor Fellowship, a fellowship announced in November which aims to provide opportunities for underrepresented aerospace professionals. She had the idea for a while, but finally had the resources and team to make it a reality.

In this episode we talk about her transition from astronomer to space policy specialist, her current work at SIA, and what motivated her to create this new fellowship.

How Astroscale's Carolyn Belle Sees the Future of the Space Economy Nov 10, 2020

Show notes

Carolyn Belle has held a variety of jobs in the space industry, but her vision remains the same: a future that focuses on building space-based infrastructure to enable a dynamic in-space economy. She recently started her current gig, where she's the director of advanced systems at Astroscale US, and works on supporting the move toward a more sustainable future in space.

She's also passionate about diversifying the culture of the space industry. Incorporating women, People of Color (POC), and people of all abilities — including those with hidden disabilities — will only positively benefit our advancement in space.

In this episode, Belle discusses her new role, her sustained vision, as well as the most important question — Star Trek vs. Star Wars?

What Does the 2020 Election Mean for Space Policy? Oct 26, 2020

Show notes

What would a second Trump administration or new Biden administration mean for space policy? In this episode, we talk to Via Satellite Managing Editor Rachel Jewett and SATELLITE Chairman and Via Satellite Executive Editor Jeff Hill and about each candidate's plans for space. What has been said, and what are the pros and cons of each candidate for the space industry?

We discuss Jewett's election preview in Via's October issue, as well as speculate about what the FCC could look like under continuing Ajit Pai leadership, or if potential Biden pick Jessica Rosenworcel chaired the commission. What would a change or continuation in leadership mean for 5G or Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) developments?

While the general public may not go into the voting booth with future space policy in mind, the next president will face decisions that could influence billions of dollars in government investments, countless jobs, public/private partnerships, and a decade worth of research and development. Can space remain a bipartisan issue?

Chatting With Grace Graham: ULA Internship and Twitter Q&A Oct 13, 2020

Show notes

We bring back previous co-host and guest Grace Graham, student at Utah State University. She catches us up on her summer internship with ULA, her firsthand experience with rocket launches, and the secret to Tory Bruno's social media success.

Rolling into a Q&A from Twitter, we talk about Space Force the show, the nitty gritty on the Artemis announcement, why learning to code is essential, and more.

Have questions you want answered on an episode? Email us at editors@viasatellite.com to submit questions, topic ideas, and potential guests.

Internship 101 With Former Matthew Isakowitz Fellow Josh Ingersoll Sep 29, 2020

Show notes

So you're interested in the space industry, but how do you land an internship? As someone who's interned at NASA, GE Aviation, and OneWeb, Josh Ingersoll has some tips and tricks to share.

Ingersoll is currently a graduate space policy student at George Washington University, and also serves as recruitment chair for the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship. The fellowship connects undergrad and graduate students with paid internships in commercial spaceflight and mentorship. It is modeled after the Brooke Owens Fellowship.

In this episode, Ingersoll shares tips and tricks for landing internships, how his experience has shaped his career, and musings about his current studies in mega-constellation space policy.

From Amazon Software to Space-Based Blockchain with Aravind Ravichandran Sep 17, 2020

Show notes

Aravind Ravichandran is a Senior Strategy Consultant at PwC's space practice, and a self-proclaimed Earth Observation data aficionado with a passion for blockchain. He sees EO as just another source of data, available and ready to be unlocked. In addition, blockchain technology can be useful when applied to EO data.

As a former software engineer at Amazon, he comes to the space industry from the software industry. He gives insight into ways our industry can learn from the software side of things, including Agile methodology.

On this episode, Aravind talks about transferable learnings from the software industry, popping the space industry bubble, and use cases for blockchain.

To Mars and Beyond With Chris Bellant of the Mars Initiative Sep 15, 2020

Show notes

Chris Bellant is an operations planner for the International Space Station (by day, but by night, he's the executive director for the Mars Initiative. Through this nonprofit, he's able to help humanity get closer to exploring Mars through both grant programs and its Mars Prize Fund.

Citing a childhood love for Star Trek, Chris Bellant was driven to get a degree in aerospace engineering. Eventually, he was able to work on his passion project — getting humanity further into the cosmos.

In this episode we talk to Bellant about his passion for space exploration, his work at the Mars Initiative, how he landed that gig, and why humans should land on Mars.

The Potential of the African Space Industry With MzansiSat's Victor Stephanopoli Sep 01, 2020

Show notes

Victor Stephanopoli is the COO of MzansiSat, South Africa's first private prospective satellite operator focusing on telecom. The company focuses on the South African market, and aims to deploy Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellites, with the goal providing internet connectivity anywhere inside the country by 2025.

In this episode, Stephanopoli shares his uncommon path to the space industry. He got a degree in film in London, then took a vacation to South Africa and never left. Stephanopoli went to work in the telecom industry, which then led him to working in space. Stephanopoli also talks about the ins and outs of the African market, and his take on GEO vs. LEO.

A PocketQube Startup Story with Alba Orbital's Tom Walkinshaw Aug 18, 2020

Show notes

In this episode we talk to Alba Orbital CEO and Founder Tom Walkinshaw about building a pocketqube startup, applications for tiny 5 cm satellites, making space more accessible, and being named the 39th coolest person in Scotland.

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