The Journal of Space Commerce Podcast

On this edition of Ex Terra Extra, Mike Turner and Tom Patton discuss what the effects of the current U.S. economic situation might have on Space Commerce, including the current deficit, inflation, interest rates and D.O.G.E. Then, we take a deep dive into where some opportunities may lie, and why the Karman Space and Defense IOP is a big deal for Spac… This is a public episode. If you'd like to d...

On this edition of Ex Terra Extra, Mike Turner and Tom Patton delve deeper into the hazy path back to the Moon under the Artemis program in the era of President Trump and government spending cuts spearheaded by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.exter...

Over the past five years, the Space Force has made significant advancements in defense network connectivity and joint space operations to strengthen the U.S. space domain presence. As the department continues to digitize in 2025, it must be able to address significant data challenges and rapidly increasing cyber threats to fortify defense communication systems and maintain a competitive advantage...

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, we wrap up our look at the most viewed and downloaded episodes of the podcast, as well as give you a glimpse into what might be coming your way on The Journal of Space Commerce in 2025. This week, we revisit our conversation with Rob Long, CEO of Space Florida, Shey Sabripour explains software-defined satellites, and Merek Chertkow, founder and CEO of The R...

The next two weeks on The Ex Terra Podcast, we’re going to take a look back at some of the most viewed episodes from the past year. It’s been an exciting year in Space Commerce, and we’ve chatted with some very innovative companies that are doing some very interesting things across all verticals in the industry. On this first part in the two-part series, we revisit Space Domain Awareness from a co...

Space agencies and companies are turning to AI agents to help space operators navigate a crowded space ecosystem – with the goal of unlocking orbital autonomy. "Potentially some of the satellites that are hidden within those constellations could have nefarious motives." Dylan Kesler, Slingshot Aerospace AI agents will be paramount to enable spacecrafts to operate independently and alleviate pressu...

Getting into space is loud. There’s no way around it, the controlled explosion that propels a spacecraft into orbit generates a LOT of noise. Anyone who has ever watched a launch in person knows how true that is. "We're essentially recreating the very harsh noise and vibration environment created by sound during rocket launch." Bradley Hope, MSI-DFAT But sound can have a very detrimental effect on...

If you've got a few years in your wake, you probably remember when the phrase "via satellite" was indicative of the highest level of communications technology. But these days, chances are if you're communicating, somewhere along the line there is a satellite involved. "A phased array is a technology that's been around for a long, long time." Shey Sabripour, CesiumAstro On this edition of The Ex Te...

Space Domain Awareness, the comprehensive understanding of the space environment, is crucial for ensuring the safety and sustainability of space operations. On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Philip Hover-Smoot, who was named CEO of Scout Space in January of this year. "If you really think hard about what the future of space needs, understanding what's there, where it's...

The relationship between regulators and space companies has become a point of tension, with some industry leaders arguing that regulation stifles innovation, and regulators insisting that their efforts are necessary to protect the public. Recently, clashes between SpaceX and the FAA have underscored the challenges of regulating a rapidly evolving sector . The balance between necessity and burden o...

The 27th edition of the Novaspace "Satellites to be Built and Launched” report forecasts that an average of over 3,700 satellites will be launched annually between 2024 and 2033 – equivalent to 10 satellites per day. "From a digital services perspective, we've intentionally structured tracks to be able to scale with the number of objects that are going to be growing in space.” Christine Joseph, Of...

It has been said that going to space is like a camping trip. You have to take everything you need, and if you forget something, getting it can be very challenging. In the realm of space power, that may not necessarily be true. Solar panels have been generating power in space for decades. But today's solar panel technology will not be sufficient for all of the power needs that will be required for...

One of the companies that is making contributions to space missions ranging from biomedical research aboard the ISS to providing solar arrays for multiple spacecraft is Redwire , based in Jacksonville Florida. "Redwire has a fantastic balance in portfolio of both existing products that have predictable markets ... strong markets ... as well as some optionality in places where we'd like to develop...

Starliner is now set to return to Earth without its crew on Saturday, the latest development in the months-long odyssey of the beleaguered program. On this first edition of a new podcast from Ex Terra Media, Ex Terra Extra takes a deep dive into the history of Boeing and NASA, how we arrived at this stage with the Commercial Crew Program, and how the relationship between Boeing and NASA could be a...

With so much discussion about the eventual retirement of the International Space Station, a lot of attention is being paid to companies developing private space stations … and there are several. A new entrant in that arena is Joules Space Technology, LLC , an aerospace research and development company focused on making space more human-friendly. They specialize in artificial gravity and are develo...

The C-Tech Club is a global community of founders and CEOs of construction technology start-ups. Founded in 2019, it has grown to cover 425 founders in 31 countries, creating a ‘safe space’ for them to collaborate and learn from each other. Now the C-Tech Club is getting involved with the space sector, with a Space Chapter specifically supporting founders focused on design and construction in spac...

One of the issues with satellites is that their power can be limited ... whether by the size and weight of batteries or the efficiency of their solar panels. But what if you could "plug" your satellite into a power source like you were plugging it into a wall outlet in your home or business? "In space, everything is a camping trip. You have to take everything with you, and if you didn't bring it w...

The U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis recently released its most recent statistics concerning the impact of Space Commerce on the country's GDP for the years 2017-2022. The findings show the space economy accounted for $131.8 billion, or 0.5 percent, of total U.S. GDP in 2022. "What we see is, for the first time, this fast growth is being caused by an increase in spending fro...

New Space companies are constantly looking for alternative revenue streams to fund their projects. While many rely on traditional sources of funding, an emerging trend in the sector is Space Sponsorships. "A brand receives the unparalleled product differentiation publicity that comes with associating with a space company, and a space company will receive the crucial financial or technical or globa...

It's pretty well known that there is a lot of debris in space. What if some of that debris could be recycled in space to create new materials which could be used for other purposes? Cislunar Industries is working to create methods to recycle and repurpose metals in space. "Manufacturing processes that don't make debris and that aren't very invasive are really interesting to us." Joe Pawelski, Cisl...

The Aerospace Corporation is an independent, nonprofit corporation operating the only Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) for the space enterprise. They perform objective technical analyses and assessments for a variety of government, civil, and commercial customers. "You're seeing a lot of commercial companies now providing some of the same services you used to see reserved f...

Lonestar Data Holdings is a pioneering company that offers Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) from the Moon. On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Chris Stott, the Founder and CEO of Lonestar Data Holdings. "It's finding the right location that offers you protection under data sovereignty laws, as well as access to your data in a safe and secure manner." Chris Stott In...

Imagine getting critical supplies ... or frankly almost anything ... delivered to nearly any location from space. That is the vision of Inversion Space, a company creating autonomous re-entry vehicles to deliver cargo from space, making space a transportation layer for Earth. "At Inversion, our goal is to be able to make it so that humanity can deliver cargo to anywhere on Earth in under an hour."...

The Radiation Team is a radiation reliability consulting provider specializing in delivering customized, cost-effective radiation solutions for mission-critical space systems. They focus on accurate analysis, speed, efficiency, and necessary and sufficient engineering to mitigate the impacts and risks of ionizing radiation throughout the development lifecycle of space systems. On this edition of T...

One of the more recent innovations in satellite architecture is Software Defined Satellite platforms that are flexible and can be reconfigured even after launch. On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Sethu Saveda Suvanam, founder and CEO of ReOrbit , which is helping define the category. "We can start developing a lot of advanced functionality on top of our software framew...