Space Business Podcast

spacebusiness
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Mar 27, 2026 • 46min

#165 | Launch Services | Robert Sproles, Exolaunch

Exolaunch is a company that is an integral part of the space ecoystem. They sit in the middle between people wanting to launch satellites and the launch/rocket companies. They have already helped get many hundreds of satellites to space. CEO Robert Sproles is our guest this week. Enjoy! 🕰️ Timestamps:  0:00 Podcast Intro 01:06 Episode start 01:28 Exolaunch Elevator Pitch 03:14 Why Robert Joined Exolaunch 05:12 Hardware and Transporter Missions 07:36 End to End Mission Support for Customers 11:01 Compliance incl. ITAR 12:33 Multi Launcher Strategy 13:50 Choosing the Right Rocket 15:42 Tracking New Launchers 16:58 What Customers Value Most 17:52 Exolaunch's Value to Launch Providers 19:35 Shaping Mission Design 21:43 Launch Capacity Outlook 23:23 Sovereignty Considerations 24:38 Preparing for Starship 26:16 Launcher Agnostic Hardware 28:14 Responsive Launch 29:49 Reliability and Smooth Deployment 33:04 Satellite Design Trends 36:00 AI and Space Data Centers 37:05 Biology Payloads and Return Cargo 39:13 Shared Launch Matchmaking 40:44 Beyond LEO Missions 42:09 Ten Year Vision 43:43 Sci-Fi    🔗 Exolaunch 🏠Website :  https://www.exolaunch.com/   🔗 Follow us: 🏠Website : https://www.e2mc.space/ 🤝🏻LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/space-business-podcast/ 🌐Socials: https://linktr.ee/spacebusinesspodcast     🔗 Follow Raphael: ◇  Twitter/X - https://x.com/RaphaelE2MC 🔷LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaelroettgen 🌐Instagram - https://instagram.com/raphael_space/   To Learn more about Space & the Space Economy: "To Infinity" – Raphael’s Revised Introduction to the Space Economy This book provides an insightful look into the space economy, its current trends, and future opportunities. 📚 https://a.co/d/6jIQ2LO  edX/EPFL's Space Economy MOOC This course offers a detailed understanding of the New Space Economy, covering key concepts and market developments. 🎓 https://www.edx.org/course/new-space- Space Founder Newsletter A new newsletter with opportunities for space startup founders. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/JCUq92vERtxsuYnF8 Space Business Newsletter 📬 https://spacebusiness.substack.com/
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Feb 14, 2026 • 42min

#164 | Earth Return | Ryohei Kobayashi, Elevation Space

Elevation Space is a Japanese startup working on downmass – bringing things back from space to Earth – leveraging Japan’s strong heritage in reentry and recovery technologies. CEO and co-founder Ryohei Kobayashi in our guest. Enjoy!   🕰️ Timestamps:  0:00 Podcast Intro 01:35 Elevator Pitch 03:49 Origin Story 09:11 Product & Missions 17:22 Payload Strategy 18:53 Customers & Use Cases 25:05 Post-ISS Future 28:45 Milestones 32:42 Long-Term Vision 37:24 Closing: Japan Space Ecosystem + Sci‑Fi Favorites   🔗 Elevation Space 🏠Website :  https://elevation-space.com/en   🔗 Follow us: 🏠Website : https://www.e2mc.space/ 🤝🏻LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/space-business-podcast/ 🌐Socials: https://linktr.ee/spacebusinesspodcast     🔗 Follow Raphael: ◇  Twitter/X - https://x.com/RaphaelE2MC 🔷LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaelroettgen 🌐Instagram - https://instagram.com/raphael_space/   To Learn more about Space & the Space Economy: "To Infinity" – Raphael’s Revised Introduction to the Space Economy This book provides an insightful look into the space economy, its current trends, and future opportunities. 📚 https://a.co/d/6jIQ2LO  edX/EPFL's Space Economy MOOC This course offers a detailed understanding of the New Space Economy, covering key concepts and market developments. 🎓 https://www.edx.org/course/new-space- Space Founder Newsletter A new newsletter with opportunities for space startup founders. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/JCUq92vERtxsuYnF8 Space Business Newsletter 📬 https://spacebusiness.substack.com/
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11 snips
Feb 4, 2026 • 43min

#163 | Spaceports | Ketil Olsen, Andøya Space

Ketil Olsen, CEO of Andøya Space and former Vice Admiral, leads Norway’s long-standing northern launch site. He talks about Andøya’s 1962 roots, the move from sounding rockets to orbital launches, upgrades for bigger rockets, customer deals like Isar Aerospace, regulatory and insurance hurdles, technology safeguards with the U.S., and plans to expand pads and build a local space ecosystem.
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12 snips
Jan 15, 2026 • 46min

#162 | A New LEO Broadband Constellation | Rafel Jordá Siquier, Open Cosmos

Rafel Jordá Siquier, co-founder and CEO of Open Cosmos, a European space scale-up that builds and operates satellites. He reveals securing priority Ka‑band spectrum to pursue a new LEO broadband constellation. Short takes cover Open Cosmos’s turnkey manufacturing and operations, the Open Constellation model, onboard AI and EO–communications synergy, and plans for B2G/B2B secure broadband and rapid disaster response.
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Jan 12, 2026 • 43min

#161 | The Dell of Satellites | Ian Cinnamon, Apex Space

Apex Space is a Los Angeles based satellite bus manufacturer. They want to productize satellite buses and build them at scale for government and commercial customers. Our guest is co-founder and CEO Ian Cinnamon. Enjoy! 🕰️ Timestamps:  0:00 Podcast Intro 01:00 Welcome & Elevator Pitch 03:06 Origin Story 10:33 Challenges in Satellite Manufacturing 14:18 Vertical Integration and Supply Chain 19:23 Global Competition 22:03 Apex Space's Product Line 23:06 Introduction to Robust Satellite Platforms 27:53 Business Model 30:38 Markets 34:15 More on Manufacturing 36:25 Current Status & Future Plans 40:39 Favorite Sci-Fi   🔗 Apex Space 🏠Website :  https://www.apexspace.com/   🔗 Follow us: 🏠Website : https://www.e2mc.space/ 🤝🏻LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/space-business-podcast/ 🌐Socials: https://linktr.ee/spacebusinesspodcast     🔗 Follow Raphael: ◇  Twitter/X - https://x.com/RaphaelE2MC 🔷LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaelroettgen 🌐Instagram - https://instagram.com/raphael_space/   To Learn more about Space & the Space Economy: "To Infinity" – Raphael’s Revised Introduction to the Space Economy This book provides an insightful look into the space economy, its current trends, and future opportunities. 📚 https://a.co/d/6jIQ2LO  edX/EPFL's Space Economy MOOC This course offers a detailed understanding of the New Space Economy, covering key concepts and market developments. 🎓 https://www.edx.org/course/new-space- Space Founder Newsletter A new newsletter with opportunities for space startup founders. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/JCUq92vERtxsuYnF8 Space Business Newsletter 📬 https://spacebusiness.substack.com/
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Jan 6, 2026 • 21min

#160 | 2026 in Space Preview | Raphael Roettgen, E2MC

Get ready for a thrilling ride through the future of space in 2026! Discover what launches and rockets are on the horizon, including innovative new entrants. Lunar missions are heating up with Artemis II and commercial landers. Human spaceflight activities are expected to flourish as new commercial stations emerge. Dive into the booming satellite communication sector with Starlink and Amazon Kuiper. Plus, learn about groundbreaking space science missions and significant U.S. government priorities. The future of space looks bright and full of potential!
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Dec 22, 2025 • 1h 7min

#159 | SpaceX IPO | Aaron Burnett, Mach33

There has been a lot of recent talk about a potential SpaceX IPO. I sit down with Aaron Burnett, co-founder and CEO of Mach33, to discuss. Mach33 and Ark Invest collaborate on an open-sourced SpaceX financial model. Enjoy! 🕰️ Timestamps:  0:00 Podcast Intro 01:25 Episode Overview: SpaceX IPO and Business Model 03:07 Aaron Burnett 04:54 Understanding SpaceX's Businesses 09:31 Launch Business 17:51 Starlink 36:30 Margins, Cashflows and Valuation 43:54 Potential Future Business Lines 51:42 Mars and Long-Term Value 56:25 Potential Tail Risks 1:01:30 When to Sell?   🔗 SpaceX model by Ark Invest & Mach33: https://github.com/ARKInvest/ARK-Invest-Mach-33-SpaceX-Valuation-Model 🔗 Mach33 website: https://www.33fg.com/   🔗 Follow us: 🏠Website : https://www.e2mc.space/ 🤝🏻LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/space-business-podcast/ 🌐Socials: https://linktr.ee/spacebusinesspodcast     🔗 Follow Raphael: ◇  Twitter/X - https://x.com/RaphaelE2MC 🔷LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaelroettgen 🌐Instagram - https://instagram.com/raphael_space/   To Learn more about Space & the Space Economy: "To Infinity" – Raphael’s Revised Introduction to the Space Economy This book provides an insightful look into the space economy, its current trends, and future opportunities. 📚 https://a.co/d/6jIQ2LO  edX/EPFL's Space Economy MOOC This course offers a detailed understanding of the New Space Economy, covering key concepts and market developments. 🎓 https://www.edx.org/course/new-space- Space Founder Newsletter A new newsletter with opportunities for space startup founders. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/JCUq92vERtxsuYnF8 Space Business Newsletter 📬 https://spacebusiness.substack.com/
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Dec 16, 2025 • 48min

#158 | Optical Comms As-a-Service | Jordan Vannitsen, Odysseus Space

Space lasers again! Odysseus Space from Luxembourg focuses on providing optical communications solutions between Space and Earth as a service. If you seem to notice that is not the first episode on optical communications, you’re right – I think this will be a potentially very big theme going forward. Our guest this week is Odysseus’ CEO & Co-Founder Jordan Vannitsen. Enjoy! 🕰️ Timestamps:  0:00 Podcast Intro 01:14 Elevator Pitch 02:44 Optical Communications 07:02 Business Model 13:09 Interoperability and Integration 15:17 Space-to-Ground Communication Architectures 18:41 Security and Geopolitical Considerations 22:18 Future of Optical and RF Coexistence 24:10 Challenges in Optical and Radio Communication 26:44 Satellite Requirements 32:05 Marketing and Business Development 34:05 Commercial Operations and Ground Stations 38:57 Future Plans 40:20 Luxembourg's Space Ecosystem 42:35 Origin Story 44:59 Closing: What else in Space? & Favorite Science-Fiction   🔗 Odysseus Space 🏠Website :  https://www.odysseus.space/home   🔗 Follow us: 🏠Website : https://www.e2mc.space/ 🤝🏻LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/space-business-podcast/ 🌐Socials: https://linktr.ee/spacebusinesspodcast     🔗 Follow Raphael: ◇  Twitter/X - https://x.com/RaphaelE2MC 🔷LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaelroettgen 🌐Instagram - https://instagram.com/raphael_space/   To Learn more about Space & the Space Economy: "To Infinity" – Raphael’s Revised Introduction to the Space Economy This book provides an insightful look into the space economy, its current trends, and future opportunities. 📚 https://a.co/d/6jIQ2LO  edX/EPFL's Space Economy MOOC This course offers a detailed understanding of the New Space Economy, covering key concepts and market developments. 🎓 https://www.edx.org/course/new-space- Space Founder Newsletter A new newsletter with opportunities for space startup founders. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/JCUq92vERtxsuYnF8 Space Business Newsletter 📬 https://spacebusiness.substack.com/
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Dec 8, 2025 • 42min

#157 | Keeping Satellites Stable | Alessandro Stabile, Magma Space

Magma Space is a U.S. startup with advanced technology to help keep satellites stable / jitter-free, which is more important to satellite communications and remote sensing than you may realize. We have Magma's CEO & Co-Founder Alessandro Stabile as our guest to help explain. 🕰️ Timestamps:  0:00 Podcast Intro 02:02 Elevator Pitch 04:31 Markets & Customers 10:11 Origin Story 15:50 Technology 21:46 Superconducting Materials in Space 22:35 Magnetic Levitation and Shielding 23:55 Testing and TRL Levels 24:35 Future Applications and Challenges 27:27 Scaling Production 28:22 Magnets 30:08 Vision for the Future of Space Technology 35:39 Orbital Edge Accelerator experience 37:42 DC Space Ecosystem 39:31 Science Fiction   🔗 Magma Space 🏠Website :  https://www.magma-space.com/   🔗 Follow us: 🏠Website : https://www.e2mc.space/ 🤝🏻LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/space-business-podcast/ 🌐Socials: https://linktr.ee/spacebusinesspodcast     🔗 Follow Raphael: ◇  Twitter/X - https://x.com/RaphaelE2MC 🔷LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaelroettgen 🌐Instagram - https://instagram.com/raphael_space/   To Learn more about Space & the Space Economy: "To Infinity" – Raphael’s Revised Introduction to the Space Economy This book provides an insightful look into the space economy, its current trends, and future opportunities. 📚 https://a.co/d/6jIQ2LO  edX/EPFL's Space Economy MOOC This course offers a detailed understanding of the New Space Economy, covering key concepts and market developments. 🎓 https://www.edx.org/course/new-space- Space Founder Newsletter A new newsletter with opportunities for space startup founders. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/JCUq92vERtxsuYnF8 Space Business Newsletter 📬 https://spacebusiness.substack.com/
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10 snips
Nov 28, 2025 • 54min

#156 | Hyperspectral Earth Intelligence | Awais Ahmed, Pixxel

In this chat, Awais Ahmed, Co-founder and CEO of Pixxel, a pioneering planetary intelligence company, dives into the world of hyperspectral imaging. He discusses how this technology can revolutionize sectors like agriculture and mining by detecting soil nutrients and early disease signs. Awais contrasts hyperspectral with multispectral imaging and shares insights on Pixxel's innovative satellite designs. He also reflects on the ambitious growth of India’s private space sector. Plus, he reveals his favorite sci-fi books that inspire his journey!

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