Origin Stories Space Podcast

Today we’re speaking with Leon Alkalai, CEO of Mandala Space Ventures. After some incredible industry experience, including 32 years as a tech fellow at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lap working on some fascinating lunar robotic exploration projects, Leon has re-entered the world of space as an entrepreneur, investor, and mentor. His latest endeavour, Mandala Space Ventures, is a venture studio dedicated to creating and investing in New Space companies, enabling founders to launch new pathways to space for the benefit of humanity. With such extensive experience across the industry, Leon has some really palpable advice for people from all backgrounds looking to enter the space sector.

This week we’re joined by Eric Ingram, founder and CEO of SCOUT. SCOUT was founded in 2019 with a mission to enable a new era of space safety and transparency. Their in-space products and services allow spacecraft to safely manoeuvre through space, as it becomes increasingly crowded, while avoiding potential threats. Eric is also a passionate ambassador of diversity and inclusion, and the ways different perspectives, backgrounds and experiences can take space organisations to the next level. We speak to Eric about the importance of disability inclusion in the growth of the space sector.

Today we're joined by serial entrepreneur and CEO of Aquarian Space, Kelly Larson. After growing up on her parent's farm in rural Iowa, Kelly actually started out her career as a yoga teacher. From here, a very surprising turn of events led her to where she is today - CEO of the world's first high data rate internet service provider for the solar system. Kelly is passionate about inspiring other women to join STEM industries and is widely known for her innovative approaches to business. She’s got some really valuable and unique insight that we’re excited to share with you.

CEO and Co-Founder of Xona Space Systems, Brian Manning talks to us of his early days of engineering at SpaceX to founding Xona - one of the most accurate and secure real-time PNT services on the planet. Committed to exploring the evolution of GPS to support the rapidly growing modern technologies of autonomous vehicles, aerial mobility and augmented reality, Brian explains Xona's role in connecting space to earth for the betterment of humanity.

Our guest this week on Origin Stories is Patrick Shannon, engineer, entrepreneur, self-professed sci-fi nerd, and the founder and CEO of TrustPoint. Established in 2020, this incredible startup is commercialising GPS, developing an alternative global navigation satellite system. As a lifelong lover of space with a childhood dream of becoming an engineer, Patrick shares some great advice for anybody looking to break their way into the space sector.

Sassie Duggleby joins us on the podcast this week. Sassie is the co-founder and CEO of Venus Aerospace, an incredible startup bringing Earth-based transportation up to speed with space travel. They're enabling the future of hypersonic transportation, building an engine that enables one-hour global transport. Aside from being a strong female leader in the sector, Sassie is a passionate advocate of empowering women in STEM and works as a mentor to inspire change in the industry. We touch on some really tangible advice for anyone in STEM fields struggling with self-belief and confidence.

Today we’re joined by visionary space architect, Arch. Michal Ziso, Founder & CEO of ZISO Innovation + Architecture Lab. After falling in love with diversity, buildings and architecture in New York aged 12, she went on to join the Israeli intelligence corps at 18 where she began learning about space, satellites and communication. These two passions were the catalysts for an incredible career as a space architect, which we’re very excited to be diving into today.

Today we're speaking with Greg Delory, CEO and co-founder of Heliospace. After following his childhood passion for space, he's worked on some incredible projects — including several NASA lunar and Mars missions. Today, he's head of an incredible aerospace company using real space experience to achieve the New Space vision.

Our guest this week is artist, author, veteran NASA astronaut and aquanaut, engineer, and former International Space Station resident, Nicole Stott. She's a passionate female leader in the sector, as well as a strong advocate of inspiring more women to enter STEM fields. Nicole's lifelong passion for space and flight, alongside a natural flare for creativity, led her into a career that will blow your mind.

As the first academic in his family, Daniel Seidel's story as a lifelong lover of space and science fiction is truly inspiring. Today he's the co-founder of LiveEO, the leading solution provider for AI-powered satellite-based infrastructure monitoring. With goals to build a large international space data business by 2025 and to launch his own space hardware into orbit by 2030, he's is an incredible spokesperson for budding space entrepreneurs.‍