Ethan Barajas, Co-Founder and CEO of Icarus Robotics, shares how an internship at NASA transformed his career ambitions and inspired him to tackle one of space's biggest challenges: labour. Rather than sending more astronauts to perform repetitive maintenance tasks, Ethan is building robotic systems capable of operating autonomously in orbit, unlocking the future of commercial space infrastructure. From securing customer validation before writing a single line of code to preparing for a NASA deployment, he explains how listening to customers has shaped every stage of Icarus Robotics' journey.

The conversation also explores the entrepreneurial mindset required to build a deep-tech company, why commercial space is entering a new era of infrastructure investment, and how robotics will become the workforce that enables humanity's expansion beyond Earth. Ethan shares lessons on resilience, purpose, leadership and why solving meaningful problems, not chasing technology for technology's sake, is what ultimately drives lasting innovation. 

The Techne Connect Podcast 🎧

Thank you for listening to Techne Connect! This podcast takes you inside the companies and conversations shaping the future of engineering.

From space and defence to robotics, AI, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and next-generation mobility, each episode features the founders, engineers and technology leaders building tomorrow's world.

Through candid discussions on innovation, leadership, product development and career journeys, the podcast uncovers the ideas, challenges and breakthroughs driving the world's fastest-moving industries. Whether you're an engineer, founder, investor or simply fascinated by emerging technology.

Techne Connect offers a front-row seat to the people creating what's next.

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