Sirotin Intelligence Briefing: October 12-18, 2025: Pentagon Money Eclipses NASA as Earth's Magnetic Shield Cracks, Space Force Awards $4B While JPL Cuts 550, Russia Attacks UK Satellites Weekly, and Defense Budgets Reshape the Future of Space

This week's Sirotin Intelligence analysis exposes the brutal reorganization of American space priorities: JPL hemorrhages 550 employees—11% of its workforce—in the third mass layoff as NASA science withers while Space Force awards Viasat up to $4 billion for protected military communications and SpaceX deploys 21 Lockheed satellites for Indo-Pacific Command's secure mesh network. The pivot is complete: dual-use technology attracts $28 billion as defense dollars eclipse commercial markets, the Army formally prioritizes counterspace operations for the first time, and Space Force's new $1.2 billion working capital fund bypasses congressional gridlock to purchase commercial services at will. Meanwhile Earth's magnetic field betrays us—the South Atlantic Anomaly has expanded by half the size of continental Europe in a decade, exposing satellites to radiation that causes malfunctions and blackouts as ESA's data reveals accelerating weakening. Geopolitics intrudes: European defense officials warn multi-domain warfare now shapes space as Russia targets UK satellites weekly, prompting NATO Article 5 concerns and continental "space shield" planning. Commercial ambitions persist amid restructuring: Axiom Space installs its third CEO in months, iRocket repurposes missiles for reusable launchers promising 24-hour turnaround, and SpaceX wins approval to double Vandenberg launches to 100 annually while clearing 120 from Cape Canaveral. But the message is clear: Space Futures Command dies in bureaucratic limbo, Isaacman resurfaces for NASA Administrator vetting after political exile, and contractors like RGNext lay off 505 after losing Space Force contracts worth billions. The future of space runs through defense budgets, not discovery—and this week our own Angelica Sirotin takes the stage as a VIP MC at Rick Tumlinson's New Worlds Conference in Austin, Texas for enterprise updates on companies that will be there. Regular interviews to resume after.

🛡️ Defense Highlights

• SpaceX Deploys 21 Lockheed Martin Satellites for Military Transport Layer: SpaceX launched 21 Lockheed-built satellites as part of the U.S. Space Development Agency’s Transport Layer, creating a secure, mesh communications network in low Earth orbit to enhance military connectivity and rapid data-sharing, with Indo-Pacific Command as the first operational user. The larger constellation aims for global real-time situational awareness, with over 150 satellites planned.​
• Viasat Wins U.S. Space Force SATCOM Contract: Viasat has been selected as one of five prime contractors for the Space Force’s Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global (PTS-G) program, tasked with designing secure, dual-band communications satellites to bolster U.S. military resilience and performance. The program is a strategic pillar for ensuring robust global satellite communications against emerging threats and has a potential value of up to $4 billion.​​
• SpaceX Deploys 21 Lockheed Martin Satellites for Military Transport Layer: SpaceX launched 21 Lockheed-built satellites as part of the U.S. Space Development Agency’s Transport Layer, creating a secure, mesh communications network in low Earth orbit to enhance military connectivity and rapid data-sharing, with Indo-Pacific Command as the first operational user. The larger constellation aims for global real-time situational awareness, with over 150 satellites planned.​
• Viasat Wins U.S. Space Force SATCOM Contract: Viasat has been selected as one of five prime contractors for the Space Force’s Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global (PTS-G) program, tasked with designing secure, dual-band communications satellites to bolster U.S. military resilience and performance. The program is a strategic pillar for ensuring robust global satellite communications against emerging threats and has a potential value of up to $4 billion.​​
• Dual-Use Tech Named ‘Sweet Spot’ for Defense Investment: Investments into dual-use technology—capable of serving both civilian and military needs—are rapidly eclipsing pure defense or commercial categories, with more than $28 billion funneled into U.S. defense tech startups in 2025. Programs like DIU, NATO’s €1B Innovation Fund, and European initiatives highlight global interest in startups specializing in AI, autonomy, and advanced communications with defense crossover, reshaping conventional procurement.​
• Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command Expands Homeland Role: The U.S. Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command now oversees a far broader remit, including organizational control over all air and missile defense for the homeland, not just midcourse intercepts under NORTHCOM. The restructuring brings air-defense commands under one authority ahead of a new Western Hemisphere Command, reflecting rising concern about layered threats, drones, and a comprehensive “Golden Dome” strategy.​
• European Officials: Multi-Domain Warfare Now Shaping Space: Senior European defense leaders warn that kinetic, cyber, and information warfare is already converging in the space domain. Military operations must now anticipate cyber intrusions by both state and non-state actors, with offensive/defensive cyber strategies central to maintaining operational advantage beyond Earth’s surface, and cyber attacks on suppliers flagged as key vulnerabilities.​
• RGNext to Lay Off Over 500 After Losing Space Force Contract: RGNext, a major space operations contractor, will lay off 505 employees at its Space Coast sites after Amentum secured a $4 billion contract for range operations. The layoffs, affecting both Florida and California sites, have prompted WARN Act scrutiny over whether proper notification was given and illustrate the volatility of large government contract transitions.​
• Army Prioritizes Counterspace Capabilities in 2027 Budget: For the first time, the Army has formally included counterspace operations as a top mission priority in its five-year budget plan, with a senior official stating that new resources will target both the offensive and defensive disruption of adversary satellites. This shift, embedded in the Army’s 2024 Space Vision, elevates navigation warfare, counter-surveillance, and space interdiction across the joint force.​
• Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command Expands Homeland Defense Mandate: The Army’s SMDC has officially broadened its role to include all homeland air and missile defense responsibilities under NORTHCOM, consolidating command ahead of a coming Western Hemisphere Command reorganization. This structural change reflects intensifying concern over multi-layered missile threats and the operational integration of space-based assets for continental defense.​

🌐 Policy, Geopolitical & Legal Developments

• Isaacman Back in Contention for NASA Administrator: Private astronaut and Shift4 founder Jared Isaacman is again being vetted for NASA Administrator by President Trump after his nomination was previously withdrawn in May due to perceived political ties. This renewed consideration follows his resignation from Shift4 and public association with SpaceX; his nomination would underscore the administration’s commitment to commercial partnerships at NASA.​
• JPL Lays Off 550 Amid Realignment: NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced the layoff of 550 employees—about 11% of its workforce—in the third major round of cuts in two years. The restructuring, part of a lab-wide realignment to concentrate on technical capabilities and fiscal discipline, is distinct from any ongoing government shutdown but arrives amid budget uncertainty and recent disaster recovery for the region.​
• Space Policy Week (Oct 12-18) Driven by Budget, Regulation, and Major Launches: Policy events this week include ongoing Executive Orders focused on commercial launch regulation, Congressional scrutiny of appropriations, and major launches like ULA’s Vulcan Centaur for the Space Force. The dynamic environment is marked by a regulatory push in commercial space activities and shifting attention to appropriations in a divided Senate.
• Space Futures Command Concept in Limbo: The highly anticipated Space Futures Command—originally conceived as the Space Force’s “war-gaming and foresight” organization—faces cancellation, with no concrete plans or funding moving forward under current Pentagon leadership. The project’s uncertain status highlights strategic challenges in forecasting future space threats and building resilient architectures in a fast-changing geopolitical landscape.​
• Air Force and Space Force Members Receive Paychecks Amid Shutdown–Civilians Left Out: Despite an ongoing federal appropriations lapse, military personnel received their mid-month pay after President Trump used executive authority to direct available funds, while civilian DoD employees remain unpaid. The interim solution maintains troop morale but leaves long-term payroll continuity in question as the shutdown endures.

🛰️ Technology & Commercial Developments

• iRocket Repurposes Missiles for Reusable Launcher: iRocket is pursuing reusable launch technology by adapting solid rocket motors and legacy missile components into its new Shockwave vehicle, aiming for rapid reusability with a 24-hour turnaround between launches. Proprietary methane/LOX engines and a focus on solid motor tech are positioned to offer affordable and sustainable access to LEO, as well as new options for national security missions.​
• SpaceX Approved to Double Falcon Launches from Vandenberg: The U.S. Air Force has cleared SpaceX to ramp up Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base to 100 per year, introducing new landing zones and infrastructure at SLC-6. This expansion will sharply increase launch cadence and support both government and commercial deployment, including SpaceX’s growing manifest and satellite megaconstellations.​
• Earth’s Magnetic Field Weak Spot Expanding, Causing Satellite Risk: ESA’s Swarm satellites have revealed that the South Atlantic Anomaly—a weak region in Earth’s magnetic field—has grown by half the size of continental Europe over the last decade. The field’s weakening exposes satellites to increased radiation risks, leading to malfunctions and blackouts, and necessitating new design strategies for future space missions. The anomaly has grown more pronounced since 2020, with data also showing polar drift of the magnetic north pole toward Siberia and shifting field strengths over other continents.​
• German Launch Startup HyImpulse Raises €45M: HyImpulse Technologies secured €45 million in new capital, combining €15M in private Series A investments and €30M in public funds. This injection boosts the company's push to commercialize its orbital SL1 rocket, aiming to make European launch more flexible and sovereign.​
• Axiom Space Installs New CEO from NASA and Nuclear Sector: Axiom Space’s CEO post changed hands again, with Dr. Jonathan Cirtain, an experienced NASA and BWXT executive, appointed to guide its private space station and spacesuit ventures. The leadership shift follows internal transitions and comes as the company pursues new commercial flights and hardware development for NASA, including modules planned for launch in 2027.​
• China Prepares Year-End Launch Surge: China is set to conduct a flurry of missions to close out 2025, including asteroid exploration with Tianwen-2, multiple Long March flights, and new international collaborations like the SMILE project with ESA. The missions reflect China’s deepening BRI space alliances and heightened focus on lunar and deep-space exploration.​
• Space Armor Emerges as New Satellite Shielding: Atomic-6, a Georgia-based company, has developed “Space Armor”—a novel fiber-resin composite shield intended to protect satellites and astronauts from micrometeoroids and debris. Testing indicates higher strength and lighter weight compared to traditional Whipple shielding, with potential adoption for both government and commercial satellites.​
• Earth’s Magnetic Field Weak Spot Expanding, Causing Satellite Risk: ESA’s Swarm satellites have revealed that the South Atlantic Anomaly—a weak region in Earth’s magnetic field—has grown by half the size of continental Europe over the last decade. The field’s weakening exposes satellites to increased radiation risks, leading to malfunctions and blackouts, and necessitating new design strategies for future space missions. The anomaly has grown more pronounced since 2020, with data also showing polar drift of the magnetic north pole toward Siberia and shifting field strengths over other continents.​
• German Launch Startup HyImpulse Raises €45M: HyImpulse Technologies secured €45 million in new capital, combining €15M in private Series A investments and €30M in public funds. This injection boosts the company's push to commercialize its orbital SL1 rocket, aiming to make European launch more flexible and sovereign.​
• Axiom Space Installs New CEO from NASA and Nuclear Sector: Axiom Space’s CEO post changed hands again, with Dr. Jonathan Cirtain, an experienced NASA and BWXT executive, appointed to guide its private space station and spacesuit ventures. The leadership shift follows internal transitions and comes as the company pursues new commercial flights and hardware development for NASA, including modules planned for launch in 2027.​
• China Prepares Year-End Launch Surge: China is set to conduct a flurry of missions to close out 2025, including asteroid exploration with Tianwen-2, multiple Long March flights, and new international collaborations like the SMILE project with ESA. The missions reflect China’s deepening BRI space alliances and heightened focus on lunar and deep-space exploration.​
• Space Armor Emerges as New Satellite Shielding: Atomic-6, a Georgia-based company, has developed “Space Armor”—a novel fiber-resin composite shield intended to protect satellites and astronauts from micrometeoroids and debris. Testing indicates higher strength and lighter weight compared to traditional Whipple shielding, with potential adoption for both government and commercial satellites.
• Blue Origin Cape Canaveral Facility to Boost Space Force Launch Cadence: The U.S. Space Force and Blue Origin have entered a $78 million public-private partnership to build a new Payload Processing Facility at Cape Canaveral, projected to increase processing capacity for as many as 16 more missions annually—including 7-8 for national security. The facility, operational by 2028, will integrate, test, and fuel satellites for multiple launch providers, alleviating a key launch bottleneck amid a rapid rise in U.S. launch rates.​
• SpaceX Cleared to Double Launches from Vandenberg: SpaceX received approval from the U.S. Air Force to increase the annual launch limit from Vandenberg Space Force Base to 100 per year, including up to five permitted Falcon Heavy launches. This expansion includes construction of a new integration hangar at SLC-6 and follows earlier FAA approval to increase launches from Cape Canaveral to 120 per year. The move strengthens SpaceX’s position as the dominant U.S. launch provider for both defense and commercial sectors.​

💭 A Word From Christophe Bosquillon

SecWar dropped an X-Bomb: "Pentagon access is a privilege, not a right. So, here is DeptofWar press credentialing FOR DUMMIES: Press no longer roams free; Press must wear visible badge; Credentialed press no longer permitted to solicit criminal acts; DONE. Pentagon now has same rules as every U.S military installation."

Mainstream media rejected these Pentagon new press rules. The Pentagon Press Association issued a statement supported by members and by the White House and State Department Correspondents' Associations joint declaration. They argue the new deal appears "designed to stifle a free press and potentially expose us to prosecution for simply doing our jobs." Axios provided an overview of the blanket rejection on the basis of the First Amendment and "The Public Has The Right to Know" etc. On Fox, WaPo insisted that the raison d'être for journalists hunting their inside story is, to develop over decades a web of informants, insiders who will make it from Lieutenant to Colonel and General. Fair enough, except we're talking national security here. 

Network 1976: "I’m as mad as Hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!” Infotainment era with room for investigative journalism and critical thinking from Deep Throat to the Iran-Contra Affair. Decades later, media devolved from fairly informative to agenda-driven propaganda and partisan narrative warfare. Culminating in pathological presidential syndrome, hyperventilating about a call to China, whining because SecWar addressed the top brass. 

Aristocratic media echo chambers gaslight a skeptically intelligent audience, fed-up with jesters-loaded TV idiocracy. With every cringe mention of  "senior administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter," and no red lines against rogue leaks, someone somewhere will lose their security clearance. The chattering class manipulates leaks to distract from cogent analysis, such as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ’s informal influence exceeding his formal authority and competing with SecWar. 

Trust in mainstream media is at an all time low: useless media irrelevant to narrative control, biased, misleading among the layercake of expert podcasters, pervasive think-tanks, peer-to-peer networks, professional working groups, and a commercial sector instrumental for defence. Raison d'État filters will continue to apply, secrets a few must keep, secrets kept from many. Because "Loose Lips Sink Ships." SecWar acted decisively on national interest and security concerns. Future media to be embedded in the Department of War might learn wartime rules. Let that sink in. 

Have a great space week ahead!

🎙️ This Week: LIVE New Worlds Conference Coverage + Our Upcoming Guests

This week, Angelica Sirotin joins Rick Tumlinson’s New Worlds Conference in Austin, Texas from October 23rd to 25th as a VIP speaker MC, and will be hosting “enterprise updates” on stage, as well as live spontaneous interviews, during the course of the conference. While weekly interviews take a brief pause for on-site coverage, be sure to stay tuned for the next round that will reveal the real engineering hurdles and strategic choices shaping space’s next frontier!

🎤 Interviews Coming Soon...

Dr. Andrew Motes: Former SDI Chief Engineer on Why Space-to-Space Combat Defines the Next World War

Three decades of directed energy weapons development taught Andrew Motes one lesson: complexity kills deployment. From Reagan's SDI to the Airborne Laser, he watched billions spent on programs that never deployed—not because the physics failed, but because operational reality defeated engineering ambition. Chemical lasers turned out to be "bombs with wings." Solid-state systems couldn't overcome atmospheric turbulence. Now Motes watches new proposals for space-based defense and wonders if anyone remembers the lessons. He wrote the textbook on high-power fiber lasers that became the Bible for global weapon development. He created simulation software the State Department classifies as critical weapons technology. And he's certain the next World War will start in space—with threats that don't require exotic technology, just basic physics and determination.

Dr. Mark Woods: Mars Rover Autonomy Pioneer on Why Rovers Stop Dead When Trouble Starts

Here's what nobody tells you about Mars rovers: when something goes wrong, they don't troubleshoot. They don't improvise. They stop. And nothing happens. Picture a $2.5 billion machine, 140 million miles from Earth, frozen in place because it encountered an anomaly it wasn't programmed to handle. Mark Woods has spent two decades building intelligent machines for places humans can't easily reach. He taught neural networks to count degraded cash in Scottish ATMs during the AI winter of the 1990s. He built the symbolic AI systems that help ESA's ExoMars rover make decisions 20 light-minutes from the nearest human operator. Now he watches Silicon Valley rediscover architectural patterns that robotics engineers solved in the early 2000s, repackaged with buzzwords like "neuro-symbolic AI" as if combining reactive and deliberative intelligence is a novel insight.

Martin Soltau: Space Solar Co-CEO on £30/MWh Orbital Energy and China's Critical Mineral Dominance

The UK has the highest energy costs in the developed world—four times what Americans pay. They've been de-industrializing for years, testing to destruction the theory that wind and solar are cheap. Martin Soltau spent decades in aerospace working on tactical reconnaissance and guided weapons before a friend asked for help with a business case for space-based solar power. What he found changed everything: reusable launch had brought costs down massively, the technology was mature, and critically, the energy transition lacked real solutions. So Soltau took the idea to the UK government. They commissioned an independent study. The results: space-based solar power could be the cheapest form of energy, deployable within net zero timeframes. Now Soltau is advocating at ministerial level while building systems that could power civilization from orbit—before China uses orbital energy infrastructure for the same soft power leverage they've achieved with Belt and Road.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for the release of these interviews! 

📚 Essential Intel from Our Archives

Missed a beat? These groundbreaking conversations are must-reads:

"We're Sitting on $100 Trillion and Want to Pay $400 Billion to Throw It Away" 

Steven Curtis reveals why nuclear "waste" contains 97% of its original energy worth $100 trillion, how the NRC charges $300/hour to say no to reactors that can't melt down because they're already melted, and why one governor with two minutes of courage could solve our energy crisis.

"We're Playing by 1987 Rules in a 2025 Game" 

Former White House space chief Sean Wilson exposes how export controls from 1987 are killing U.S. competitiveness, why China bundles "practically free" satellites with predatory loans, and how satellites "don't have mothers" fundamentally changes space escalation dynamics.

"Modern War Isn't About Territory—It's About Narrative Control" 

Major General Vladyslav Klochkov, former Chief of Moral-Psychological Support for Ukraine's Armed Forces, reveals how information warfare determines victory before armies meet, and why the battle for minds matters more than the battle for land.

"We're Traveling with Biological Machinery That Can Melt in Space" 

Dr. Ekaterina Kostioukhina, extreme environments physician, explains why human hibernation may be essential for Mars missions, how ground squirrels avoid muscle atrophy during torpor, and why patents on hibernating fish could revolutionize interplanetary travel.

"The Universe Isn't a Machine—It's an Information Processing System" 

Theoretical physicist Davide Cadelano presents his Codex Alpha framework where spacetime emerges from quantum information networks, unifying relativity and quantum mechanics through a radical new understanding that treats the universe as a vast computational system rather than mechanical clockwork.

"How Nation-States Could Blind U.S. Intelligence Without Firing a Shot" 

Robi Sen reveals how "kindergarten children could take over" most satellite networks, why adversarial ML can make satellites gradually shift their perception of reality, and how the convergence of biological, RF, and space warfare creates nightmares current defense frameworks can't even conceptualize.

"We Can Hit Our Target in Space and Return for Rapid Reuse" 

Dr. Robert Statica on building hypersonic aircraft, space-based defense systems, and the race to sub-100 kg space access—revealing how reusable hypersonic platforms could revolutionize both space access and global strike capabilities.

"They Don't Call for Their Parents. They Say 'Long Live the Great Leader'" 

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) In-Bum Chun exposes North Korea's transformation into a cyber superpower, why cognitive warfare is the real threat, and the chilling reality of a society where dying children praise their dictator instead of calling for their mothers.

"Space Wars Are Over in 24 Hours—Most People Don't Even Know They're Happening" 

Space warfare doctrine pioneer Paul Szymanski reveals mathematical proof that the U.S. lost its first space war to Russia in 2014, exposing how temporal pattern analysis unmasks satellite attacks hidden behind "solar flare" cover stories and why hypervelocity weapons from orbit could render the U.S. Navy obsolete overnight.

"The Grid Is Already a Living System—We Just Don't Recognize It"

Power systems veteran Mike Swearingen explains why treating the power grid as a living, autonomous system isn't science fiction—it's an engineering reality we refuse to acknowledge, and how space-domain tactics can secure the grid of tomorrow.

"The Hidden Power Struggle Reshaping China: Xi Jinping's Dramatic Fall From Grace"

An investigation into China's internal power dynamics reveals how Xi Jinping's grip on power is weakening amid economic turmoil, military purges, and rising opposition within the Communist Party.

"I Patented a Space Airlock That Uses 6,000 Times Less Air"

NASA veteran Marc Cohen reveals his revolutionary Suitport design and four decades of challenging engineering orthodoxy, advocating for space habitats that prioritize human experience over forcing astronauts to adapt to machines.

"I Created a Language That Lets AI Think in 128 Dimensions"

Former corporate sales executive Chris McGinty reveals how his McGinty Equation unifies quantum mechanics with relativity through fractal geometry, creating Hyperfluid AI and revolutionary space-folding technologies now being adopted by NATO defense strategists.

"I'm on a Crusade to Expand the Domain of Life"

Space pioneer Rick Tumlinson reveals how he created the NewSpace movement, his work with Dr. Gerard K. O'Neill, and his 40-year mission to expand humanity beyond Earth through commercial space ventures.

"Space Law Is The First Domain Where Nations Agreed On Rules Before Having Practice" 

Military JAG-turned-attorney Trevor Hehn explains how Cold War-era space treaties meet modern commercial ventures, highlighting the challenges of re utilization, dual-use technologies, and regulatory navigation for companies expanding beyond Earth's atmosphere.

"The Unprotected Power Grid Will Be Our Civilization's Death Warrant If We Don't Act"

Doug Ellsworth, Co-Director of the Secure the Grid Coalition, warns about America's vulnerability to electromagnetic pulse attacks and advocates for urgent power grid protection to prevent catastrophic infrastructure collapse.

"When AI Designs Components, They Sometimes Defy Textbook Engineering"

Space Force Lt. Colonel Thomas Nix reveals how 3D printing and AI are creating revolutionary spacecraft designs, with parts that are stronger and lighter than what human engineers could develop using traditional methods.

"The Gaps in Our Lunar Knowledge Are Enormous"

Extraterrestrial Mining Company Chief Scientist Dr. Ruby Patterson describes the urgent need for more lunar geological data before making commercial decisions, while offering a balanced view on helium-3 mining and advocating for inclusive international cooperation in cislunar space.

"We're Building the Railroads of the Space Gold Rush"

Space Phoenix Systems CEO Andrew Parlock positions his company as "FedEx for space," creating an infrastructure that helps businesses launch and return payloads from orbit with minimal friction.

"Our Nuclear Shield Was Killed For Political, Not Technological Reasons"

Reagan's SDI Director Ambassador Henry Cooper argues that effective missile defense technology developed during the Reagan-Bush years was abandoned for political reasons when the Clinton administration "took the stars out of Star Wars."

"Every Country Has a Border with Space"

UK Space Agency CEO Dr. Paul Bate is developing Britain's space industry through initiatives like spaceports in Scotland's Shetland Islands to establish the UK as Europe's premier satellite launch destination.

"We're Treating Satellites Like They're Still In The 1990s" 

Niha Agarwalla, Director of Commercial Space, explains why traditional satellites are obsolete and how resilient constellations will transform space economics.

"When People See Space Guardians in Uniform, They Ask If They're Real" 

Colonel Bill Woolf, 25-year space defense veteran, reveals his mission to build public support for the newest military branch defending America's orbital assets.

"One Kilogram of Helium-3 Is Worth $50 Million" 

Jeffrey Max, Magna Petra CEO, explains how lunar re extraction could revolutionize Earth's energy production and fuel humanity's expansion across the solar system.

"I'm Building a Rocket Engine That Could Reach Alpha Centauri" 

Michael Paluszek, Princeton Satellite Systems President, reveals how fusion propulsion could reduce travel times throughout our solar system and enable humanity's first interstellar missions.

"Space Has a Scottish Accent"

Chris Newlands, CEO of Space Aye, discusses how his company's satellite technology is revolutionizing wildlife conservation and helping to combat illegal fishing and poaching.

"I Learned From the Last Generation of Manhattan Project Veterans”

Patrick McClure, former Kilopower Project Lead at Los Alamos National Laboratory, explains how small nuclear reactors could power future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

"We're Being Attacked Every Day" 

Christopher Stone, Former Pentagon Space Advisor, warns about America's vulnerabilities in orbit and explains why China's "attack to deter" doctrine makes space conflict more likely than many realize.

"I Helped SpaceX Secure Their First Commercial Contracts" 

Serial entrepreneur Robert Feierbach discusses building billion-dollar space ventures across four continents and developing North America's newest spaceport.

"We Can Fly 8,000 Miles In 2 Hours" 

Jess Sponable, Ex-DARPA PM & President of NFA, explains how rocket-powered aircraft will revolutionize global travel through simplified hypersonic technology.​​ 

"This Could Be Our Biggest Economy"

Kevin O'Connell, Former Space Commerce Director, reveals how space is transforming from a government domain to a $1.8 trillion market.

​​"How Do You Win a War in Space?" 

Ram Riojas, Ex-Nuclear Commander and Space Defense Expert, explains why the next war will start in space and how nations are preparing their defenses.

"First Day on the Job, Hubble Was Broken" 

Mike Kaplan, James Webb Space Telescope Pioneer, reveals how early setbacks with Hubble shaped NASA's approach to complex space missions and discusses the commercial revolution transforming space exploration.

The Future of Human Space Habitation 

Jules Ross reveals how her journey from artist to space visionary is reshaping human adaptation to space through Earth's first artificial gravity station.

Space Law's New Frontier 

Attorney Michael J. Listner unpacks the complex legal challenges facing modern space activities. From re rights to orbital debris management

Making Oceans Transparent From Space

Navy Legend Guy Thomas, inventor of S-AIS, shares how his invention transformed global maritime surveillance and security.