Space Minds

In this episode, SpaceNews editor Mike Gruss talks with Mina Mitry, CEO of Kepler Communications. They discuss Kepler’s groundbreaking optical communications test — the first ever to connect an aircraft and a spacecraft via laser link. Mitry explains why this milestone matters for defense, border monitoring, and the future of real-time data transfer. The conversation also explores Kepler’s role in...

In this episode, SpaceNews editor Mike Gruss talks with Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency. They discuss Europe’s case for greater investment in space, the growing role of defense and security in ESA’s agenda, and the ambitious budget negotiations ahead of November’s ministerial conference. From dual-use technologies to new launch competition and commercial partnership...

Space Minds host Mike Gruss is joined by SpaceNews senior writer Jeff Foust to break down the surprising appointment of Sean Duffy as NASA’s Acting Administrator. From his unexpected dual role as Secretary of Transportation to his growing influence on the Artemis program, nuclear power on the Moon, and NASA’s embattled budget, Duffy has quickly become a central—if unconventional—figure in U.S. spa...

In this week’s episode of Space Minds, host David Ariosto speaks with Riley Duren, CEO of Carbon Mapper and veteran of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Duren discusses how his nonprofit is harnessing cutting-edge satellite technology to track methane and carbon dioxide emissions—the “super pollutants” driving climate change. He explains Carbon Mapper’s mission to make greenhouse gas data visible...

Space Minds host David Ariosto speaks with Will Bruey, CEO and co-founder of Varda Space Industries. Varda is pushing the boundaries of drug development by leveraging microgravity to create new formulations not possible on Earth, bringing them back through its own reentry vehicles. In our conversation, Bruey explains why the economics of launch and manufacturing have finally made this business via...

Space Minds speaks with Al Tadros of Redwire, to explore the future of space infrastructure. From the growing role of private investment in orbit to breakthroughs in bioprinting and pharmaceuticals in microgravity, Tadros explains why this is one of the most exciting times in the history of space. He also discusses the balance between civil, commercial, and national security missions, and how comp...

This week SpaceNews is at the SmallSat Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. In this episode of Space Minds, host Mike Gruss speaks with Gabe Zimmerman, Director, In-Space at Ursa Major. The conversation revolves around the small satellite industry’s evolving priorities, from balancing cost and reliability to overcoming persistent supply chain challenges. Zimmerman highlights the growing emphasis on...

This week SpaceNews is at the SmallSat Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. In this episode of Space Minds, host Mike Gruss speaks with Todd Master, Chief Operating Officer of Umbra, about the evolving small satellite market, supply chain challenges, and the company’s expansion from SAR data services into satellite components. Master discusses shifting investment trends in the space industry, the i...

This week SpaceNews is at the SmallSat Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. In this episode of Space Minds, host Mike Gruss speaks with Tom Walkinshaw, founder and CEO of Alba Orbital, a Scotland-based manufacturer specializing in pocket-sized satellites known as PocketQubes. Their discussion covers the growth of the small satellite sector, trends in satellite miniaturization, challenges of launch...

This week SpaceNews is at the SmallSat Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. In this episode of Space Minds, host Mike Gruss speaks with Professor Sir Martin Sweeting, Executive Chairman of Surrey Satellite Technology Limited and a professor at the Surrey Space Institute of the University of Surrey. They discuss the growth of the small satellite industry from its first meeting in 1987 of just a few...

In this episode of Space Minds, host Jeff Foust moderates the panel "Evolution of Multi-Mission Orbital Vehicles" recorded live on July 24 at the AIAA Ascend conference. The Panelists include:- Colonel Owen Stephens, Director of Contracting, Space Rapid Capabilities Office, U.S. Space Force- Seth Lacy, Senior Scientist for Space Mobility and Precision Maneuver, AFRL, U.S. Space Force- Michael Cree...

n this week’s episode of Space Minds, host Mike Gruss speaks with SpaceNews Senior Staff Writer and Business Intelligence Manager Jason Rainbow about the white paper, Understanding the SpaceX-Era Economy, released from our new product brand SpaceNews Intelligence. The conversation kicks off with a deep dive into SpaceX’s overwhelming dominance in the launch market and explores how the company’s re...

In this bonus edition of Space Minds, host David Ariosto moderates the panel "Mission to Market: The Evolution of CLPS" at the AIAA Ascend conference. The panelists include: - Tim Crain, Chief Technology Officer, Intuitive Machines- Tyler Mundt, Executive Vice President, Engineering, ispace US- Thierry Klein, President, Bell Labs Solutions Research, Nokia Bell Labs.

In this bonus edition of Space Minds, host David Ariosto speaks with Robyn Gatens, NASA's Director for the International Space Station, live at the AIAA Ascend conference in Las Vegas on the status of the International Space Station, its planned decommissioning by 2030 and the expected follow-on commercial space stations.

In this week’s special episode of Space Minds coming to you a day early, host Mike Gruss speaks with Heather Pringle, CEO of the Space Foundation on the just released Space Report 2025 Q2 edition and the top three takeaways including the news that the global space economy hit a new record in 2024.They discuss the remarkable 7.8% annual growth rate, the rise of commercial space, and how key develop...

In this week’s episode of Space Minds, host Mike Gruss is joined by Matthew Weinzierl, Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Research at Harvard Business School, and Brendan Rosseau, Strategy Manager, New Glenn at Blue Origin, for a deep dive into the forces reshaping the global space economy as outlined in their book Space to Grow. Drawing from their new book Space to Gr...

In this week’s episode of Space Minds, award-winning science fiction author and physicist David Brin joins host David Ariosto for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of space, science, and humanity. From self-replicating probes and quantum sensing to moving Earth’s orbit and the true role of science fiction, Brin offers bold ideas grounded in decades of speculative thought and hard science....

In this week’s episode of Space Minds David Ariosto sits down Nathalie Cabrol, Director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute who explains why the Red Planet may hold answers about extraterrestrial life as well as our own origins. Our conversation explores the potential for life on Mars, the implications of exoplanet discoveries, and how AI is transforming our understanding of habitabilit...

In this week’s episode of Space Minds David Ariosto sits down with Chris Stott, Chair and CEO of Lonestar Data Holdings who explains how lunar storage could be humanity's best defense against a digital catastrophe. The discussions delves into the company’s efforts to establish data infrastructure beyond Earth, including the deployment of early-stage hardware and software in lunar orbit. Our conver...

In this week's episode of Space Minds, we explore how microgravity accelerates aging—and guest Dr. Nadia Maroouf shares her insights on the phenomenon and what she’s doing to help protect astronauts. Dr. Maroouf is a clinical scientist and analog astronaut. From simulating life on Mars at the Mars Desert Research Station to exploring healthcare technologies for astronauts, Dr. Maroouf shares h...

In this week's episode of Space Minds Retired Space Force Lt. Gen. John Shaw explains what it was like building a new military branch, the risks of commercial integration and the race to protect U.S. satellites in orbit. General Shaw shares some of the history on the formation of the Space Force and its cultural shift away from the Air Force, to the growing influence of commercial players like Spa...

In this week's episode of Space Minds Ashley Johnson, President and CFO of Planet, explains the company's ambitious goal to make global change visible, accessible and actionable. From imaging every point on the planet daily to leveraging AI and hyperspectral data, Ashley unpacks Planet’s mission to make global change visible, accessible, and actionable. She dives into the company's unique ability...

This is a bonus edition of Space Minds by SpaceNews. This week we’re at the US Geospatial Intelligence Foundation GEOINT Symposium in St. Louis where we’ll post episodes Monday through Wednesday. Our guest today is Devin Brande, Director, Commercial Operations, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. He sits down with Chief Content and Strategy Officer Mike Gruss to break down the latest news and...

This is a bonus edition of Space Minds by SpaceNews. This week we’re at the US Geospatial Intelligence Foundation GEOINT Symposium in St. Louis where we’ll post episodes Monday through Wednesday. Our guest today is Keith Masback, Principal Consultant of Plum Run, LLC. He sits down with Chief Content and Strategy Officer Mike Gruss to break down the latest news and insights from the event.

This is a bonus edition of Space Minds by SpaceNews. This week we’re at the US Geospatial Intelligence Foundation GEOINT Symposium in St. Louis where we’ll post episodes Monday through Wednesday. Our guest today is Robert Cardillo, president of the Cardillo Group. He sits down with Chief Content and Strategy Officer Mike Gruss to break down the latest news and insights from the event.