Astro Ben Podcast

In Episode 47, Ben chats to space industry legend and Chief Revenue Officer at Voyager Space - Clay Mowry. Clay has previously held leadership positions at Blue Origin and Arianespace. In this episode, they discuss the significance of Artemis, the privatisation of the space industry, how he got offered a job at Blue Origin and what he hopes to achieve as incoming President at the International Ast...

Anastasia Prosina is a Space Architect, Founder & CEO at Stella r Amenities, a space architecture company with the mission of uplifting space tourist experience and astronaut wellbeing and performance, for a smooth transition to the multi-planetary future.‍ Before founding her practice, Anastasia worked with MIT Media Lab, NASA, Mars Society, and multiple private aerospace companies. As a thought...

In Episode 45, Ben chats to Scott Kelly, former military fighter pilot and test pilot, engineer, astronaut, and retired U.S. Navy captain. A veteran of four space flights, Scott commanded the International Space Station (ISS) on three expeditions and was a member of the yearlong mission to the ISS. In October 2015, he set the record for the total accumulated number of days spent in space, the sing...

In Episode 44, Ben chats to Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Space Perspective, Jane Poynter. Setting a new bar in out-of-this-world thrilling experiences, as soon as late 2024 Space Perspective plans to take Space Explorers to space inside Spaceship Neptune's pressurised capsule propelled by a high-performance SpaceBalloon; without using rocket fuel or high G forces. Space Explorers see the world anew th...

In Episode 43, Ben chats to CEO and Co-Founder of Arkisys Dave Barnhart. Arkisys build Space based platforms and vessels that will be able to be re-docked and re-used again and again, enabling low cost orbital services for new innovations, inventions, communications, and creative assemblies in Space.  They talk about how their vessels will be able to service any satellite within 90 days, the probl...

Christopher E. Mason is a professor of Genomics, Physiology, and Biophysics at  Weill Cornell Medicine and specialises in research on the long term effects of space flight on the human body! He is also the author of the thought provoking book, "The next 500 years: engineering life to reach new worlds". In this episode, Ben and Chris discuss Chris's role as principal investigator for the NASA Twins...

Bill Nye (otherwise known as "Bill Nye the Science Guy") is an American  mechanical engineer ,  science communicator , and  television presenter . He is best known as the host of the hit shows  Bill Nye the Science Guy  and the Netflix show  Bill Nye Saves the World . Bill is also the  CEO  of  The Planetary Society and his new series,  The End is Nye , premieres August 25, 2022 on  Peacock . In t...

Professor Sara Seager is an astrophysicist and a Professor of Physics, Professor of Planetary Science, and a Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she holds the Class of 1941 Professor Chair.  She has been a pioneer in the vast and unknown world of exoplanets, planets that orbit stars other than the sun. Her ground-breaking research ranges fro...

Braided was created to solve a seemingly unsolvable problem - how can astronauts on future deep space missions communicate effectively with Earth, despite the distance induced latency?   With the creation of Braided Communications, Rob Brougham has been able to blend his experience in technology and communications with his passion for healthcare and astrophysics. In this episode Rob try's (not for...

Bianca Cefalo is the Co-founder & CEO of Space DOTS, and Director of International Business Development at Carbice Corp. In this episode, Ben and Bianca discuss what is Space DOTS mission, the humbling lessons on space entrepreneurship, the challenges of being a female space CEO and what can you launch on something the same size as your iPhone! 00:00 Intro to Bianca & Space DOTS 00:41 May 4th be w...

Sophia Gad-Nasr is a PhD candidate in cosmology and astro particle physics at the University of California in Irvine. Her work focuses on figuring out how the Universe came to be what it is today, primarily via studying dark matter and galaxy evolution. Sophia is also an avid science communicator who loves to share mind-blowing facts about the mysteries of the Universe with the world. In this epis...

From a Communications Specialist at an oil and gas company to founding her own creative agency Réaliste (with sub-brand Re.gravity), Ksenia has always had a real passion for personal branding.   She's worked with organisations as UNOOSA, SpaceWatch. Global, SPACEBIT, and SGAC and has recently launched her own space-related personal branding course that helps people navigate through the jungles of...

Space Marketing is at the heart of Izzy's career. She combined both of her passions of marketing and space into one expertise. With an extensive marketing background and three marketing degrees, she turns the lens of marketing onto the space industry.    In this episode, Ben and Izzy discuss her first book "Space Marketing", the first book in a series of space marketing books. This guide is useful...

Scott "Kidd" Poteet is a retired United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel who served 20 years in various roles that include Commander of the 64th Aggressor Squadron, USAF Thunderbird #4 Demonstration Pilot, USAF Weapons School Graduate, Operational Test & Evaluation Pilot, and Flight Examiner.   In this episode, Ben chats with Scott about the newly announced Polaris program and how he feels abou...

The mission of Janet and Janet's Planet is to encourage young people to stand in their awesomeness and inspire future generations to use their innate intelligence and creativity to create a better future in Space.   In this episode, Ben has his own "Janet's Planet" experience and learns about Janet's strategies to connect with kids, the importance of science communication, and what it would mean t...

In episode 32 Ben chats to Dr Paul Bate, the CEO of the UK Space Agency who leads a team of more than 250 people, who provide technical advice on the UK government's space strategy, and guide the UK space sector to deliver the government's vision. They discuss the National Space Strategy, the UK's future launch capabilities and the importance of championing space and it's benefits in our every day...

Pulsar Fusion strives to be the preeminent force in the European nuclear fusion technology sector, by leveraging scientific advances into commercial innovations across aerospace and energy. The wider societal shifts towards renewable energy and deep space exploration favour the application of nuclear fusion.   Pulsar Fusion intends to capitalise upon these changes by building the infrastructure an...

Jeff Foust is a senior staff writer for SpaceNews, joining the publication in 2014. He covers civil and commercial space topics, ranging from NASA programs to developments in the entrepreneurial NewSpace field. He has more than a decade of experience writing about space policy, commercial space, and related topics. In 2003, he started The Space Review, a weekly publication of longform articles and...

Dr . Shawna Pandya is a Canadian physician, scientist-astronaut candidate program graduate with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS) and  Project PoSSUM , aquanaut, speaker, martial artist, advanced diver, skydiver, pilot-in-training, VP Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies and Fellow of the Explorers' Club . She is also Director of the IIAS/PoSSUM Space Medicine...

Astralytical is a space consulting firm focusing on space science, space industry, and space policy analysis. Their specialty is high-quality big-picture outlook and multidisciplinary space trends in the aerospace sector, particularly the emerging space economy.   In this episode, Ben chats to Laura (the founder of Astralytical) about her career, how she has carved out a niche for herself, overcom...

John Bicknell is a national security thought leader and passionate analytics visionary. He has written extensively on national security matters related to information warfare, critical infrastructure defense, and space situational awareness. John leads software and business development efforts for More Cowbell Unlimited .   More Cowbell Unlimited uses patented process technologies to predict near-...

Mo Islam is the co-founder and CEO of Payload, a space media company that covers the business and politics of space. Prior to Payload, Mo Islam was a senior member of Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan's institutional asset platform, where he raised over $250 million in strategic capital for growth-stage technology companies. Payload has received a seed round of $650,000, primarily from Winklevoss Capi...

Dr. Chris Boshuizen is an Australian scientist, explorer, entrepreneur, investor, educator, musician and astronaut. Currently a Partner at DCVC, a deep tech investment company in San Francisco where he focuses on funding cutting edge space companies. Boshuizen completed his PhD in physics at The University of Sydney before accepting a position at the NASA Ames Research Center in California. After...

Eric Berger is a senior space editor at Ars Technica, covering all things astronomy, private spaceflight, and the politics of NASA. He is the author of the bestselling book Liftoff about the rise of SpaceX. Eric Berger has a degree in astronomy from the University of Texas and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. In this episode, Ben here's more about SpaceX and why Eri...

Dr Beth Healey is an Emergency Medicine doctor who has worked for several years in the NHS and oversea's. As part of medical and logistical support teams she has worked in a number of extreme and remote environments including Svalbard, Siberia, Greenland and the North Pole. As research MD for the European Space Agency she overwintered in Antarctica at spaceflight analogue 'Concordia', otherwise kn...