Cold Star Project

The New Space Race Is About Resources Not Exploration With Namrata Goswami The Cold Star Project - Season 2, Episode 101 Hosted, Directed, and Produced by Jason Kanigan Space is no longer about exploration. The real shift is happening around resources. Water, energy, and the ability to build and operate beyond Earth. That changes what matters, and who matters. In this episode of The Cold Star Proj...

Is the U.S. Already Losing the Space Nuclear Race? Nuclear reactors may be critical for the future of space exploration. But as the United States debates policy and regulation, China is rapidly advancing plans for nuclear power systems in space. From powering lunar bases to enabling deep space missions, space nuclear power systems could determine which nations lead the next era of space developmen...

Science Fiction's Secret Power: How Stories Built the Modern World The Cold Star Project - Season 2, Episode 99 Hosted, Directed, and Produced by Jason Kanigan What if science fiction didn’t just predict the future — but helped create it? In this conversation, we explore how post-World War II science fiction shaped how societies think about nuclear war, AI, surveillance, and autonomous weapons...

Why the Space Force Needs a 'Tony Stark Acquisition Model'The Pentagon takes years to build what China develops in months. But what if the problem isn't the technology: it's the system itself? Colonel Eric Felt (ret.) spent his career inside the machine—leading the Air Force Research Lab Space Vehicles Directorate and shaping Space Force acquisition at the Pentagon. Now he's br...

What Can We Learn from INTERWAR Tanks to Build the Perfect Space Vehicle? Nicholas Moran (The Chieftain) returns to Cold Star Project for an in-depth analysis of interwar tank doctrine development and its applications to modern space defense. Episode Focus: How seven major nations approached mechanized warfare challenges between 1918-1939, examining their strategic constraints, doctrinal solutions...

Space Force: 4 Things YOU Need to KNOW About the Future of Warfare - Interview with Joel Mozer In this revealing interview with Dr. Joel Mozer, retired Chief Scientist of the US Air Force and Space Force, discover insights reshaping America's Space Force and warfighting strategies. Based on a three-year study, Dr. Mozer reveals why space has hit a critical "tipping point", transformi...

NASA's BIGGEST Moon Challenges for University Students - Interview with Paul van SusanteHow do we generate power on the Moon — and keep it running through the harsh 14-day lunar night? In this episode of the Cold Star Project, Dr. Paul van Susante of Michigan Tech shares what it really takes to make lunar infrastructure a reality. From lunar robotics to the NASA Watts on the Moon Challenge, Dr. va...

WWII Innovation Machine: Freedom's Forge and the Arsenal of Democracy - Interview with Bill Conley How did America transform from a peacetime economy to the "arsenal of democracy" before entering WWII? In this compelling interview, Dr. Bill Conley—former Director of Electronic Warfare at DARPA and current CTO at Mercury Systems—delves into the insights from Freedom's Forge by Arthur Herman. The bo...

"Supercharging the DEFENSE Innovation Game for an Unrivaled Advantage!" with guest Mike Brown The Cold Star Project - Season 4, Episode 20 Hosted, Directed, and Produced by Jason Kanigan War On the Rocks article: https://warontherocks.com/2023/09/revisiting-the-hedge-strategy-with-renewed-urgency/ Fast Follower Strategy paper: https://coldstarproject.com/fastfollower This video contains...

"Meet the MASTERMINDS Behind 2025's Most Epic Space Piracy Book!" With guests Marc Feldman and Hugh Taylor The Cold Star Project - Season 3, Episode 23 Hosted, Directed, and Produced by Jason Kanigan The Book: Space Piracy: Preparing for a Criminal Crisis in Orbit published by John Wiley & Sons, 2025 https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Space+Pir... Get the book on Amazon (non-affiliate l...

Past Defense Innovation Unit Director, visiting Scholar at Stanford, former large tech company CEO, and current venture capitalist Mike Brown is this interview guest on the Cold Star Project. Host Jason Kanigan asks Mike about the role of commercial technology in Great Power competition. We discuss: what "commercial technology" is (not just silicon chips) the organizing principle of comm...

US Navy Commander and defense contractor Tim Anderson returns to the Cold Star Project to give an update on what he's seen in the space industry over the past six months. This interview has a different format than usual. Host Jason Kanigan and Tim have a relaxed conversation about talent acquisition and collaboration, quantum computing, AI for space, launch systems, and a lot more. The big tak...

"Recovering aerospace engineer" Rand Simberg is on the Cold Star Project to discuss three space industry issues. With host Jason Kanigan, Rand elaborates on: Overvaluing "safety first" in the space industry, and his book, Safe Is Not An Option Building codes for orbital, cislunar, and BEO facilities (which do not exist yet The uniqueness and benefits of equatorial LEO. USEFUL L...

Paul Rulkens is frequently hired by organizations looking to install or improve their high performance culture. Examples are KPMG, Nestle, Uber, Siemens, and Mercedes Benz. But what does this mean in practical terms? What are these leaders bringing Paul Rulkens in to do? Jason Kanigan of the Cold Star Project continues the conversation with Paul about what it takes to have a high performance cultu...

ZC Institute founder Greg Hodgin is the guest this time on the Cold Star Project. Dr. Hodgin is assembling a tech development consortium comprised of space industry labs and researchers. How has he done it? Where does the funding come from? Host Jason Kanigan asks Dr. Hodgin: How did you get into the space industry? What is your long term vision and how did you arrive at it? Can you share strategi...

Michelle Hanlon, PhD, is a well-known space lawyer. With Jason Kanigan, host of the Cold Star Project, she discusses initiatives in space law that have happened over the past couple of years. We address these questions: What in your opinion are the major updates in space law in the past several years? How do they impact the industry? (Artemis Accords, Lux/UAE, Space Resource Utilization topics) Yo...

Fellow copywriter John Caprani joins Jason Kanigan on the Cold Star Project. Their topic: Methods by which the social media content you post can be an advertisement for your skills. When does this work? When does it not? John and Jason dig into the answers. Questions covered include: Who is this for? Why is using content as an advertisement for your skills important? Where does it lead? What does...

Robert Twiggs and Matt Craft, through Twiggs Space Labs, have run pilot Space and STEM / STEAM training programs for kids through the state of Virginia. Bob Twiggs is known as the "Father of the CubSat" for his co-development of the CubeSat standard. As they expand to serve the rest of the United States, Bob and Matt appear on the Cold Star Project to share their practices and vision. Ho...

Sales Performance Team founder Nicholas Loise returns to the Cold Star Project. He was President of Glazer Kennedy Inner Circle - GKIC/Magnetic Marketing, involved with GKIC 8 years; Owner of a Direct Response Agency and Outsourced Sales Leader Company; Adjunct Professor of Marketing, North Park University; MBA from North Park; VP Sales & Marketing Provena Mercy Medical Center 9 yrs, a $156 Mi...

Jacob Meyer, PhD, is VP of Technology at ATSP Innovations. He has experience with SBIRs and the struggles of creating commercial products from them. Host Jason Kanigan of the Cold Star Project discusses these challenges with Dr. Meyer. USEFUL LINKS: ATSP Innovations website: https://www.atspinnovations.com/ OpEx Society: https://www.opexsociety.org America's Future Series: https://www.americas...

Dr. Paul van Susante of Michigan Technological University, a past guest (link below), returns to the Cold Star Project. We're discussing his participation in a number of investigative projects and NASA challenges related to powering our first projects on the Moon. Host Jason Kanigan asks Paul about the: LuSTR grant NASA Watts on the Moon centennial challenge phase I, where they won the $100k g...

Did you know there are people with a specific skill set who can jumpstart your business? Copywriters like Jon Reyes and Jason Kanigan have the knowledge and experience to grow your business fast. Jon Reyes has been a copywriter for many years and worked for some of the top personal development names. With fellow copywriter and Cold Star Project host Jason Kanigan, Jon discusses: * working with the...

Bill Conley was a DARPA Program Manager, then the US Department of Defense's expert on electronic warfare for four years, and is now Chief Technology Officer at Mercury Systems. Our topic is a comparison of the 19th Century's Concert of Europe vs Modern Day's communication and methods of deterrence. Cold Star Project host Jason Kanigan asks Bill Conley: What is effective communication,...

President and CEO of Orbital Assembly Rhonda Stevenson is our guest this time on the Cold Star Project. With host Jason Kanigan she discusses the challenges of building a truly commercial space company. We cover the capabilities of Orbital Asembly, as well as Rhonda's personal efforts to build consortiums and attract customers to the space industry.   USEFUL LINKS:   Orbital Assembly web...

Just because you CAN create a product doesn't mean you SHOULD. What Scaling Problems Can You Find In SBIR/STTR Product Commercialization? While small batches may work in the lab, commercializing will require large quantities and unexpected issues from supply chain through chemical reactions may change. The results from these issues may well prove the venture impossible to complete under current co...