The DownLink Podcast

Citing China’s possible mission to send Taikonauts around the moon, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told AIAA's ASCEND conference attendees that the launch cadence to the moon must increase. Laura Winter speaks with Clay Mowry, CEO of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and immediate past president of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF).

Space-based solar power promises clean, dependable energy beamed from orbit to Earth — but does the business case close? That debate starts here. Laura Winter speaks with George Pullen, Chief Space Economist, Milky Way Economy; Martin Soltau, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Space Solar; and Richard Winslade, Chief Financial Officer, Space Solar.

Russian satellites recently maneuvered to within three meters of each other in low Earth orbit — a stark reminder that space is a warfighting domain and that the race to build resilient satellite constellations has never been more urgent. Lockheed Martin subsidiary Terran Orbital is building the satellite buses for the Space Development Agency's missile-tracking architecture — one tranche at a time. Laura Winter speaks with Peter Krauss, President and Chief Executive Officer, Terran Orbital.

The White House has nominated Lieutenant General Doug Schiess to become the third U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations. This nomination comes at a critical juncture, as allies race to develop sovereign space capabilities to reduce — or altogether avoid — dependence on the United States and its commercial service providers. Laura Winter speaks with Pacôme Révillon, CEO of Novaspace.

The Trump Administration is asking Congress to more than double the Space Force budget — but with billions flowing to classified programs and a missile defense shield still under development, the real question is whether this is a strategy or a very expensive bet. Laura Winter speaks with Todd Harrison, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, and much respected NASA and Defense Department budget diviner; and Sam Wilson, Director, Strategy and Program Support, Center for Space Policy and Strategy, at The Aerospace Corporation.

The U.S. Space Force revealed what it thinks could be the threats, where those threats are located, and what it will need by 2040. The revelations will not only serve the service branch, but should guide C-suites, entrepreneurs, investors, and technologists for years to come. Laura Winter speaks with Joel Mozer, the first Chief Scientist of the U.S. Space Force; and Peter Garretson, Senior Fellow in Defense Studies at the American Foreign Policy Council and author of three books on space power, the latest of which is "Space Shock: 18 Threats That Will Define Space Power."

Space Money: Lunar Excitement And SpaceX’s “Crazy Pants” Valuation

Artemis II is on its way to the Moon — the first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years. Private credit is flashing warning signs, and SpaceX just filed for the largest IPO in history. The numbers, as one guest puts it, are "crazy pants." Laura Winter speaks with The DownLink regulars Chris Quilty, founder of Quilty Space; and George Pullen, Partner and Chief Economist at MilkyWayEconomy.

At SatShow 2026 many government and business leaders admired the “incredibly dynamic” changes and the new challenges in the marketplace and investing. But what do they need to do to compete and thrive in it? Laura Winter speaks with Frank Backes, President, Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Space-ISAC), former CEO, Capella Space, just recent President, IonQ Quantum Infrastructure.

It’s “Advocacy Season” on Capitol Hill. The 30th “March Storm” — organized by the Alliance for Space Development — seeks better terms for space start-ups and venture capital investors ahead of the SPaceX IPO. Laura Winter speaks with Peter Garretson, a Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, who is also the author of three books, the latest of which is “Space Shock: 18 Threats That Will Define Space Power”; and Aaron Oesterle, Policy Director at the Space Frontier Foundation.

Three years after the U.S. Space Force established the West Scholars program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), the Pentagon is killing this highly tailored and unique space-minded Senior Professional Military Education fellowship, along with other graduate-level opportunities at 21 other universities and think tanks. Laura Winter speaks with Joel Mozer, the first United States Space Force Director of Science, Technology and Research; and Lamont Colucci, Director of Concordia University’s National Security and Space Center, and the United States Space Force’s inaugural Director of Doctrine Development.