Yesterday I had Dave Masten, the CTO of Sagittarius Logistics, on the podcast for the first time. It was a fascinating conversation about the future of the space race and the progress of the US. We talked about the fleet logistics that are required for orbital data centers, the supply chain issues for the aerospace ecosystem, and the SpaceX IPO. We also talked about the long term future for space operations, including asteroid mining and colonies on the Moon and Mars. If you’re even a little bit interested in space, you will enjoy this one. You can find Dave on Twitter, and you can look into their operations on the Sagittarius Logistics website.

Podcast Summary

* The fleet logistics that will be required for orbital data centers, and why it will require six to twelve launches, every single day, for three to five years.

* The upcoming SpaceX IPO, and why you shouldn’t bet against Elon Musk.

* Why the US is the leader in the space race, and how China and Russia stack up.

* The supply chain issues that impact the aerospace ecosystem, and

* Why LNG is the preferred propellant for most launches today.

* The importance of bringing down launch costs, and why solar is the preferred orbital power source.

* The long-term future of asteroid mining and the logistical challenges of building colonies on the Moon and on Mars.

* Why he thinks certain heavy industrial operations will eventually be moved into orbit.

* The potential for political interference with the American development of space operations.

* How AI has accelerated development of different pieces of the aerospace ecosystem, and how AI might change things in coming years.

* Book Recommendation: Red State Mars by Travis Corcoran.

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