TerraWatch Space Podcast

This episode is about China. We usually get news about the space industry in China in bits and pieces - from when they are launching to what kind of satellites they are launching as well as their overall space policy.

In order to get a comprehensive overview of the Chinese space ecosystem, I decided to invite Blaine Curcio to my podcast. Blaine aka #ChinaSpaceGuy is the founder of Orbital Gateway Consulting and a Senior Affliate Consultant at Euroconsult (also check out his podcast/newsletter on space in China)

As his alias suggests, Blaine is the go-to-person in the industry for news about space in China. It was great to chat with him and get an idea of how the space industry works in China.

This episode is about India. Not many people both within and outside the space industry know a lot about the Indian ecosystem. So, I decided to invite Narayan Prasad to get an overview of space in India.

Narayan is currently the COO of satsearch, a startup based in the Netherlands. In the last few years, Narayan has become the go-to-person to speak about the Indian space ecosystem. He has worked closely with ISRO and the Indian government, advised Indian space startups as well as been a core point of contact, really, for the space industry in India.

Today, I am speaking to Joe Morrison (again - he was my guest on the first episode of this podcast). We decided to record this conversation spontaneously after hearing about the SPAC exit announcements in Earth observation - specifically the ones of Satellogic and Planet that happened back to back.

If you are not familiar about the Earth observation market, you can check out Episode 1 of this podcast. We had a lot of fun chatting about all things EO, and I hope you will too.

Today I am speaking with John Holst, who is an independent analyst in the space industry. John conducted space operations for in the United States Air Force and space segment testing for the Missile Defense Agency. He has performed research and worked for the Space Foundation and Quilty Analytics, and continues to work on publications in the space industry.

John also writes an interesting blog on the state of the space industry and the path towards commercialisation.

Today I am speaking with Shelli Brunswick, the Chief Operating Officer of the Space Foundation. Shelli is also a coach, mentor, advisor and is part of a number of important organisations such as UNOOSA Space4Women, Women Tech Network and Women in Aerospace.

In this episode, Shelli and I talk about diversity (or the lack thereof) in the space industry, in terms of gender, nationality, ethnicity and educational background. We also discuss the actions we can take to bring more underrepresented groups into the space industry in order to make space truly accessible for all.

Today, I am speaking with Simon Drake, an entrepreneur and investor in the space industry. Simon is the Founding Partner of Space Ventures Investors, focusing on early-stage startups. He is also the CEO of Space Commodities Exchange and Lunar Resources Registry, two organisations focused on the lunar economy.

Simon and I talk about the lunar exploration market, the commercial case for going to the Moon and the importance of involving the mining industry in extracting resources on the Moon. We also discuss the feasibility of asteroid mining as well as the arguments for investing in the lunar economy.

Today, I am speaking with Raphael Roettgen. Raphael is an investor and venture capitalist whose firm E2MC Ventures invests in space businesses. Raphael is also the co-CEO of Space Acquisition Corp I, a SPAC focused on the space industry. He is also a lecturer, writer and podcaster with over twenty years of experience in global financial markets at investment banks and hedge funds.

In this episode, we talk about investing in the space industry, the differences between investing in space versus other deep tech domains as well as prospects for the future of the space economy. Raphael and I share the same passion for demystifying space tech and so, we also discussed space outreach and ideas for making space tech accessible for all.

Today, I am speaking with Guillermo Söhnlein. Guillermo has over 20 years of experience in technology innovation, "NewSpace" ventures, and early-stage investments. From co-founding technology companies in Silicon Valley to launching the Space Angels Network, from organising ocean exploration expeditions to advising emerging space ventures, he has had quite a fascinating career. Currently, Guillermo is part of the advisory team at New Vista Acquisition Corporation, a SPAC focused on the aerospace and defence sector.

In this episode, Guillermo and I discuss a number of subjects including the evolution of investing in space companies in the last 15 years, the similarities with the internet era, and of course, SPACs. Guillermo also gives his perspectives on exploring the oceans as well as why we should also be looking at Venus for human settlement.

Today, I am speaking with Luigi Scatteia, who is a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers or PwC, within its Space Practice.

Luigi and I discuss how space policy is set up in Europe with institutions like the European Space Agency and the European Commission. We then move on to discussing the Earth Observation market, the Copernicus Programme and its applications for the European Green Deal. We also talk about how to improve the uptake of Earth Observation data and the role of professional services firms such as PwC in bringing satellite data to different sectors.

Today, I am speaking with Doug Mohney. Doug has been working in and writing about IT & satellite industries for over 20 years. His real-world experience including stints at two start-ups, a commercial internet service provider that went public in 1997 for $150 million and a satellite internet broadband company that didn't. We discuss all things satellite communication, particularly satellite broadband, the promise of connecting with the world by SpaceX, Amazon and a couple of other companies and whether they will. I also get Doug's perspectives on the similarities between the start of the internet era in the late 90s and the NewSpace era today.