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PODCAST

Valley of Depth

Payload | Ignition | Tectonic

Valley of Depth is a podcast about the technologies that matter — and the people building them. Brought to you by Arkaea Media, the team behind Payload (space), Ignition (nuclear energy), and Tectonic (defense tech), this show goes beyond headlines and hype. We talk to founders, investors, government officials, and military leaders shaping the future of national security and deep tech. From breakthrough science to strategic policy, we dive into the high-stakes decisions behind the world’s hardest

business investing

All Episodes

00:51:23

Crew and Cargo Transport, with Hélène Huby (The...

Valley of Depth ·

2023/11/14

Since stints at Airbus and ArianeGroup, Hélène Huby has shifted her focus to developing the Nyx spacecraft, Europe’s first privately funded cargo and crew capsule - a significant step for ESA’s future in the global space race. As of now, Europe does not have its own operational cargo or crew capsule and has relied on the capabilities of the US and Russia.Huby has already made significant progress securing the largest Series A financing for a European space startup - a €40.5 million round in February

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01:21:13

Evolution of Terran R, with Tim Ellis (Relativity Space)

Valley of Depth ·

2023/11/07

Relativity Space CEO Tim Ellis knows what went wrong during Terran 1’s first flight—and he shared with Payload why he is confident the same thing won’t happen to the startup’s Terran R rocket.What’s next: After the March flight, Relativity announced that it was scrapping Terran 1 development to focus solely on its larger Terran R vehicle.Ellis emphasized that this shift is not merely about scaling size, but also better aligning with market demands ($1.8B Terran R pipeline) and the broader vision of

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00:52:11

The Road to Flight 2, with Dan Piemont (ABL Space)

Valley of Depth ·

2023/10/31

ABL Space is heading back to the pad after a power failure prevented its maiden launch attempt from reaching orbit last January. The company, known for its innovative approach to ground infrastructure by containerizing its launch system, aims to launch its RS1 rocket by the year's end.This week's Pathfinder podcast features Dan Piemont, the cofounder, President, and CFO of the LA-based launch startup. Mo and Dan delve into the lessons learned from the company's initial launch attempt and the

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00:53:37

Today's Industry Trends, with Caleb Henry (Quilty Space)

Valley of Depth ·

2023/10/24

Back in the Pathfinder hot seat is Caleb Henry, Director of Research at Quilty Space. We were privileged to have Caleb join us over a year ago on one of the initial Pathfinder episodes, where he shed light on industry consolidation and the T-Mobile partnership with SpaceX. Today, he rejoins us to delve into a variety of pertinent topics, including: SpaceX vs everyone elseRemote sensing business modelsLEO vs GEO broadband operatorsCapacity shortages across operatorsEffective telecom regulation And

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00:52:58

The Venture Studio, with Leon Alkalai (Mandala Space...

Valley of Depth ·

2023/10/19

Today’s Pathfinder episode features Leon Alkalai, former Technical Fellow of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and now the founder of Mandala Space Ventures. Having spent 32 years at JPL, we dive into his leadership roles for the GRAIL mission in 2007, which mapped the Moon's gravitational field and the Insight Lander in 2012, a first of its kind mission aimed at exploring Mars' deep interior. Leon now runs Mandala, a combination of space venture studio meets venture fund. In addition to all

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00:53:11

Into a Riot, with Will Coffield (Riot Ventures)

Valley of Depth ·

2023/10/10

Today’s Pathfinder episode features Will Coffield, cofounder and General Partner of Riot Ventures. Riot has a proclivity for investing in early-stage companies with transformative tech ideologies dedicated to revolutionizing traditional industries. Today’s conversation also features the space and space-adjacent companies that Riot has invested in including True Anomaly, Integrate, and Azimuth.In addition to Riot’s origin story, Mo and Will discuss:Mapping real customer demandLiquidity within deep

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00:52:09

End-to-End Space Transportation, with Bill Weber...

Valley of Depth ·

2023/10/03

Today’s Pathfinder episode brings in Bill Weber, CEO of Firefly Aerospace, hot on the heels of the U.S. Space Force’s VICTUS NOX mission success. Bill shares insights on the prep work that propelled the mission, with a nod to his past life helming a public company. The discussion offers a glimpse into the meticulous planning and execution required in modern space missions. In addition, Mo and Bill chat: Firefly's next-generation launch vehicleWorking with Northrop GrummanSupply/demand dynamics of

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00:54:25

Management Masterclass, with Chris Celtruda (ATL...

Valley of Depth ·

2023/09/26

Today’s Pathfinder episode features Chris Celtruda, CEO of Valence Surface Technologies and Operating Executive at ATL Partners. With over 30 years of leadership experience, Chris offers a masterclass on scaling aerospace & defense businesses and implementing successful management styles.In addition, Mo and Chris chat: Chris' experience building multiple A&D businessesATL Partners’ new focus on spaceThe current investment landscapeRaising capital in today's marketAnd much more…This episode is

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00:50:06

Program Logistics, with John Conafay (Integrate)

Valley of Depth ·

2023/09/19

There’s a growing demand for streamlined communication and collaboration tools in the space industry. Integrate Space, based in Seattle, is tackling this challenge head-on. Co-founded by John Conafay, a veteran with ties to the USAF, ABL, Spaceflight, and Astranis, the startup aims to modernize program management, offering digital solutions to track development schedules, coordinate missions, and improve vendor collaboration. John believes that a platform like Integrate needs to be part of every

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00:50:54

Space Biotech, with Mark Kugel (Yuri)

Valley of Depth ·

2023/09/12

Space's unique environment holds vast potential for biotech advancements, Mark Kugel, co-CEO and cofounder of German space biotech company Yuri, told Payload. Why space? In this week’s Pathfinder podcast, Mark says that space changes biological systems in commercially valuable ways:– Complex Cell Development: Enhanced growth results in superior organoids, optimizing drug testing and tissue engineering.– Crystal Quality and Size: Space improves the formation of protein crystals, bolstering drug

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00:57:20

Next Gen Space Infrastructure, with Clay Mowry (Voyager)

Valley of Depth ·

2023/09/05

The clock is ticking on Voyager’s aspirations in LEO.In 2021, the Denver-based space exploration company announced its goal to launch a commercial space station by 2028, three years ahead of the ISS retirement. Clay Mowry, the chief revenue officer of Voyager Space and one of the driving forces behind that vision, joins Pathfinder this week to dive into the company’s plans to build infrastructure in Earth orbit. The LEO significance: With the ISS bowing out, LEO-based ventures like Voyager’s Starlab

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00:54:09

The Future of Astra, with Chris Kemp (Astra)

Valley of Depth ·

2023/08/29

This week’s Pathfinder podcast features Chris Kemp, the founder and CEO of Astra, the publicly-traded launch company based out of Alameda, CA that went public via SPAC in the summer 2021. Since then, Astra's valuation has seen a dramatic decline, plummeting from a peak of approximately $4B to a mere $67M today. Chris paints a vivid picture of two contrasting narratives. On one hand, there's a satellite propulsion business, acquired through the purchase of startup Apollo Fusion, with a 278-engine

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00:58:01

Empowering Humanity, with Anousheh Ansari (XPRIZE)

Valley of Depth ·

2023/08/22

This week’s Pathfinder podcast features the CEO of the XPRIZE Foundation, Anousheh Ansari – our first guest who’s actually been to space (it’s shocking to us too that it’s taken this long). After immigrating to the United States from Iran as a teenager, she co-founded Telecom Technologies, a telecommunication company that integrated voice and data. In 2006, she became the first first-privately funded female and Iranian-American to travel to space and the International Space Station.Catch up: The $10

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00:51:45

Space Policy Trends, with Jacqueline Feldscher (Payload)

Valley of Depth ·

2023/08/15

What do a baseball enthusiast, a craft beer podcast host, and a space journalist have in common? A role at Payload! Today's Pathfinder podcast features a very special guest: Payload’s very own Managing Editor, Jacqueline Feldscher. Fresh out of college, Jacqueline aspired to become a sports reporter, but D.C. soon drew her into the worlds of policy, national security, and, fortuitously for us, space. After stints at renowned media organizations such as Politico and Defense One, she felt the

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00:50:02

Nuclear Power in Space, with Tyler Bernstein (Zeno...

Valley of Depth ·

2023/08/09

Nuclear technology is having its moment, according to Zeno Power cofounder and CEO Tyler Bernstein.NASA has used radioisotope tech since the 1960s, but the systems have historically been too expensive and heavy to be widely used. Zeno Power, which develops radioisotope power systems (RPS) that are lighter, more efficient, and more cost-effective than legacy systems, is trying to change that.How it works? Zeno Power's RPS works by converting the heat from decaying radioisotopes into electricity. Its

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00:50:23

A Chief Scientist's Take, with Dr. Ellen Stofan (The...

Valley of Depth ·

2023/08/01

This week’s Pathfinder podcast features Dr. Ellen Stofan, the Under Secretary of Science and Research at the Smithsonian. She oversees its science research centers and the National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of Natural History and the National Zoo.Dr. Ellen Stofan is an American geologist and former NASA scientist who specialized in the geology of Venus, Mars, and Saturn's moon Titan. Ellen has held several key positions at NASA, including Chief Scientist from 2013 to 2016. During her

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01:04:25

DNA of Space Companies, with Anton Brevde (IBX Inc.)

Valley of Depth ·

2023/07/25

What does a space station, a lunar lander, a nuclear reactor, and a fleet of cislunar space vehicles have in common? They’re all part of serial space entrepreneur Kam Ghaffarian’s holding company IBX.IBX consists of:Axiom Space, which provides private flights to the ISS and is also developing a commercial space station.Intuitive Machines, which is developing autonomous lunar landing systems.X-Energy, an engineering company working on nuclear reactors and fuel design.Quantum Space, which provides

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00:55:42

Systems Engineering for Space, with Steve Massey...

Valley of Depth ·

2023/07/18

Picture a world where you can complete your 6-month engineering project in just 6 weeks by removing typical bottlenecks in your workflows. That’s what cofounder and CEO of Prewitt Ridge Steve Massey believes his company can help both government and commercial stakeholders of the space industry achieve.Enter Prewitt Ridge: Prewitt Ridge is a software company that helps engineers manage engineering requirements in complex projects. The company's software, Verve, captures and manages engineering

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00:54:22

Mining Asteroids, with Matt Gialich (AstroForge)

Valley of Depth ·

2023/07/11

Today’s Pathfinder episode features AstroForge cofounder and CEO Matt Gialich. The CA-based startup is developing technology to mine asteroids for platinum group metals. The company plans to use an uncrewed spacecraft to extract and refine the metals directly on the asteroid before returning to Earth with a sellable metal.Why platinum? The platinum group metals have unique physical and chemical properties that make them critical to everything from catalytic converters to electronics. According to

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00:57:43

From SpaceX to Phantom, with Jim Cantrell (Phantom...

Valley of Depth ·

2023/06/27

Today’s Pathfinder episode features Phantom Space cofounder and CEO Jim Cantrell. The Tucson-based space transportation company is focused on the mass production of rockets. Jim began his career at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab and the French Space Agency (CNES), working on Mars exploration technologies and a joint French-Soviet Mars program. He was a founding member of SpaceX, serving as its first VP of business development. He later co-founded Moon Express, a company focused on commercial lunar

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152 results

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