The DownLink Podcast

Space venture funding hit a record $3.1 billion in September — but the industry's real problem could be a scarcity of rockets, even if SpaceX’s Starship comes on-line. Laura Winter speaks with Chris Quilty, Founder and CEO of Quilty Space, and Lou Whiteman, Stock Analyst at The Motley Fool.

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“Not just what's over the horizon, but what's happening above it!”

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman knows that breathing efficiently is really the trick that unlocks human deep space travel. He recently paid a visit to Honeywell Aerospace in Arizona and learned more about the company's clever answer that has the potential for 100% air recyclability. Laura Winter speaks with Meghan Pipitone, Lead Engineer for Air Revitalization, Honeywell Aerospace.

Did space just get short-shrift at this week’s summit? Naming China as the No1 threat, U.S. military officials did just confirm the existence of on-orbit weapons and that it will prepare for combat on and around the moon. Or were there other less-sexy agenda items that directly affect the space industrial base? Laura Winter speaks with Dean Cheng, Senior Fellow, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.

Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink reveals that the United States has placed weapons in orbit, and the new Space Force Chief of Space Operations, Gen. Douglas Schiess, lays out his priorities. Laura Winter speaks with Col. Charles Galbreath, USSF (Ret.), Director, Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence; and Col. Jennifer Reeves, USAF (Ret.), Senior Fellow at the same institution.

States are already vying to become the home of the White House's proposed Space Academy, but what critical problem set should it solve? Do we really need it? This episode — Part 2 of this two-part series and following last week's episode on the National Space Transportation Policy — focuses on the "Establishing the United States Space Academy" proclamation.

Laura Winter speaks with retired Space Force Gen. David "DT" Thompson, the first Vice Chief of Space Operations; retired Space Force Lt. Gen. John Shaw, former Deputy Commander of U.S. Space Command; and Joel Mozer, first Chief Scientist of the U.S. Space Force.

Gen. Douglas Schiess just became the Space Force's third Chief of Space Operations, but in the days before the transfer of responsibility, President Donald Trump signed two new pieces of space policy that, if leveraged correctly, could have strategic effects. In this Part 1 episode, three of the nation's most experienced space professionals focus on the National Space Transportation Policy, best known for its goal of 1,000 launches a year by 2030.

Laura Winter speaks with retired Space Force Gen. David "DT" Thompson, the first Vice Chief of Space Operations; retired Space Force Lt. Gen. John Shaw, former Deputy Commander of U.S. Space Command; and Joel Mozer, first Chief Scientist of the U.S. Space Force.

While operating on the brink of a government shutdown has become the not-so-new normal, a fresh take on the Space Force's FY 2027 budget request shows the service branch's plan to normalize real growth through dramatic, yet targeted, programmatic increases. Laura Winter speaks with Sam Wilson, Director of Strategy and National Security, Center for Space Policy and Strategy, The Aerospace Corporation.

Companies rarely know how a military is using their satellites — and that blind spot could quietly turn commercial infrastructure into a legitimate target, putting the civilians and humanitarian workers who depend on that same infrastructure at risk. The International Committee of the Red Cross calls it a "knowledge gap."

Laura Winter speaks with two representatives from the ICRC Regional Delegation for the U.S. and Canada — Jonathan Horowitz, Deputy Head of the Legal Department; and Laura Walker McDonald, Senior Advisor for New Technologies and Conflict.

SpaceX posted its first earnings report as a public company this week, the same week its first share unlock hit the market, more than doubling the float. Elon Musk says revenue will top $1 trillion by 2030, but the plan is murky. Laura Winter speaks with Chris Quilty, Founder and CEO of Quilty Space, George Pullen, Chief Economist at MilkyWayEconomy, and Lou Whiteman, Stock Analyst at The Motley Fool.

China's on the cusp of truly competing with SpaceX with a reusable rocket, while it supplies Iran and Russia and Xi Jinping purges another of the nation's space heroes. Laura Winter speaks with Malcolm Davis, Senior Analyst, Defence Strategy Program, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, and Brendan Mulvaney, Director, China Aerospace Studies Institute, Air University.