Manifest Space with Morgan Brennan

SPACs, or Special Purpose Acquisition Companies, are back – with aerospace & defense tech startups embracing the moment. Merlin, a startup focused on deploying AI into cockpits, is the latest to do so. The company announced a reverse merge with a SPAC led by Inflection Point Asset Management, valuing the company at $800 million pre-money and raise hundred of millions of dollars in proceeds. CEO Matt George joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the prospects of going public.

Armada is a startup focused on movable data center systems in AI computing in remote locations. It all started with a close collaboration with SpaceX, using the Starlink broadband network for connectivity. Co-founder & CEO Dan Wright joins Morgan Brennan to discuss edge computing, partnerships with energy producers and the AI arms race.

Impulse Space is expanding further into space. The in-space services startup has two space tugs in low earth orbit, but an upgraded spacecraft capable of going to geosynchronous orbit will launch this fall. Founder & CEO Tom Mueller was a founding member of SpaceX where his work on propulsion led the way for reusable rocket engines. He joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the new frontier, the startup’s $300M Series C funding round, and the potential for an IPO.

The IPO market heads to space today as Firefly Aerospace, a small & medium launch rocket maker, debuts on the Nasdaq. In what’s expected to be 2025’s biggest American space tech listing, the company is looking to list between $41 and $43 apiece for a $6.3 billion valuation. CEO Jason Kim joins Morgan Brennan ahead of trading to discuss the IPO, the company’s pathway to profitability, and how lunar missions play a role.

Apple's had its biggest revenue growth since December 2021—but it also has a space play in its back pocket. Apple owns a 20% stake in Globalstar, the satellite company that gives iPhones their space-based emergency service communications. Globalstar CEO Paul Jacobs joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the promise of satellite communications, physical AI and the fight for spectrum.

ULA is preparing for its next Vulcan launch in what will be the first official national security mission for the new rocket. A joint venture between Boeing & Lockheed Martin, ULA will conduct several launches for the government and then turn back to its commercial customer Amazon in the fall. ULA CEO joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the latest launch forecast for the company, Amazon Kuiper, and the need for national security in space.

Planets Labs CEO Will Marshall joins Manifest Space to discuss the company’s rapid growth, fueled by deals across the globe as the changing geopolitical landscape means countries are looking for real-time data from satellites to respond to natural disasters, security threats and more. Planet Labs stock is up more than 100% in the last three months and Marshall talks about the demand for his company’s product.  

Hadrian, a defense manufacturing startup focused on machine parts, has closed a $260 million Series C funding round. Led by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund and Lux Capital, the capital will go towards building a 270,000 square foot factory in Arizona and expanding its California footprint. CEO Chris Power joins to discuss the raise, reviving American manufacturing and where defense tech goes from here.

Varda Space, an in-space manufacturing startup, has just raised $187 million in a Series C round led by Natural Capital and Shrug Capital. Since its inception four years ago, Varda has completed three successful missions, with a fourth in orbit and fifth expected by the end of 2025. Co-founder & CEO Will Bruey joins Morgan Brennan to discuss drug manufacturing in microgravity, hypersonic testing and more.

Axiom Space recently launched its fourth private crew mission to the International Space Station. AX-4-- sponsored by India, Poland and Hungary-- lifted off from Florida in a SpaceX capsule last week and is currently completing a two-week tour on the ISS. It was the first mission under CEO Tejpaul Bhatia, a serial entrepreneur with experience from Google, who took the helm at Axiom Space earlier this year. He joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the mission, alongside the company's development of its own commercial space station and lunar space suits for Prada.

Morgan sits down with Pete Cannito, CEO of Redwire, and Kirk Konert, Managing Partner at, AE Industrial -- one of the few aerospace private equity firms out there--to discuss Redwire’s game-changing acquisition of Edge Autonomy and how it transforms the company. The conversation explores how drones, AI, and autonomous systems are reshaping modern warfare, the growing investment in defense tech, and the role of space in global deterrence strategies. Cannito and Konert share insights on navigating this dynamic landscape and seizing a trillion-dollar market opportunity. 

Voyager Technologies, a commercial space and defense technology startup, has gone public. Skyrocketing more than 80% in its first day trading at the New York Stock Exchange, it reflects a milestone for the broader space. Co-founder & CEO Dylan Taylor joins Morgan Brennan from the stock exchange to talk about the new frontier for the company and space economy: Wall Street. 

CNBC’s Morgan Brennan sits down with Applied Intuition Co-founder and CEO Qasar Younis to discuss the company’s work to bring AI to more civilian and military vehicles, and the important of American innovation in the space as global competition heats up.

Zeno Power, a nuclear battery startup, has just raised $50 million in a Series B funding round to bring its nuclear battery to market. The startup has secured more than $60 million in contracts from the Pentagon and NASA to develop these batteries for maritime and space applications. Co-founder & CEO Tyler Bernstein joins Morgan Brennan to discuss delivering nuclear energy to remote locations

Trimble is one of the biggest software companies in the S&P 500 you’ve never heard of. Getting its start 50 years ago with what would become GPS, the company is now implementing AI to manage over a trillion dollars’ worth of construction, freight & more contract work. Following the Nasdaq’s Space Capital Conference, Trimble CEO Rob Painter joins Morgan Brennan to discuss how his company is harnessing technology from space to drive innovation and productivity on earth.

Once the stuff of science fiction, moon mining is getting government backing. Seattle-based startup Interlune—a previous guest of the podcast— came out of stealth last year. Its mission: to harvest resources from the moon. Now, they’re ready to announce their first customers. The Department of Energy has purchased three liters of lunar-extracted helium-3 for a delivery by 2029. A nuclear energy byproduct, Helium-3 is useful for cryogenics, medical equipment and fusion power—but its scarcity comes with a hefty price tag at $20 million per kilogram. Interlune CEO Rob Meyerosn joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the massive opportunity in moon min...

True Anomaly has just raised $260 million in a Series C funding round. The company, which develops spacecraft that can maneuver each other in orbit, will use the capital to ramp up production and support future missions. Co-founder & CEO Even Rogers joins Morgan Brennan to discuss securing and defending space.

April has been one of the stock market’s most tumultuous months ever. While defense and aerospace haven’t been entirely immune—as government spending on initiatives like space security rises, those boasting government contracts have proven to be safe havens for investors. Andrew Chanin, the co-founder & CEO of ProcureAM, is one of the minds behind the first-ever ETF fully dedicated to space stocks. He joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the investing landscape, the space economy, and where he sees opportunity in the volatility.

As Amazon looks to launch its first Kuiper satellite mission, space infrastructure’s role in enhancing global connectivity is coming to fruition. Skylo, a company that links cell phones to communication satellites, is also making moves—recently collaborated with Charter and Comcast to provide satellite connectivity for emergency messaging services. CEO Parth Trivedi joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the expanding space-based communications market, competition with companies like Starlink and AST SpaceMobile, and the company’s outlook.

After an eight day spaceflight turned into a 286-day space odyssey, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are back on Earth. The “stranded” NASA astronauts flew home in a SpaceX Dragon capsule, instead of the Boeing Starliner which carried them to the I.S.S. last June. Williams and Wilmore join Morgan Brennan to discuss the return to Earth, Boeing Starliner and the future of human spaceflight.

The U.S. Space Force has tapped Rocket Lab and startup Stoke Space to join the National Security Space Launch program as part of NSSL’s Phase 3 Lane 1 category. For Rocket Lab, it represents a big opportunity for its new Neutron rocket, a medium-lift vehicle under development. Founder & CEO Peter Beck joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the new award, the timeline for Neutron, and Rocket Lab’s company outlook.

Apex Space, a satellite manufacturing startup is celebrating on year of its satellite on orbit this month. Founded in 2022, the startup’s goal is to ease the production process of off-the-shelf satellite buses that help customers shift risk and money from making spacecraft to focusing on the missions they want to conduct. A member of Anduril Technologies’ “Super Friends” establishing a new American industrial base, the company secured as $46 million U.S. Space Force contract last month. CEO Ian Cinnamon joins Morgan Brennan to celebrate the milestone, challenges within the spacecraft supply chain, and how Trump 2.0 will tackle space policy.<

Planet Labs marked its first quarter of profitability by adjusted EBITDA. The satellite imagery and earth observation data company saw its backlog surge in the fiscal fourth quarter by 115%. Co-founder, Chair & CEO Will Marshall joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the quarter and why he sees the company as being at an inflection point.

Investors continue to be excited by defense and national security tech. The latest case: Epirus, a weapons maker that specializes in electronic warfare that disrupts drones. CEO Andy Lowery joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the company's recent $250 million funding round and plans to scale production and the need for rapid innovation in defense.

Firefly Aerospace has made history with its commercial lunar lander Blue Ghost making a soft landing over the weekend—the second private operation to ever do so, and the first to do it without complications. The mission involved five payloads collected valuable data. CEO Jason Kim joins Morgan Brennan to discuss Blue Ghost’s successful soft landing, the company’s upcoming plans to launch its Alpha rocket and potentially launching lunar missions to Mars.

Lane Bess is a long-time tech entrepreneur and investor – and an astronaut, having flown with Blue Origin twice. The former Palo Alto Networks CEO recently flew on the company’s 10th human spaceflight for a suborbital flight. He sat down with CNBC’s Morgan Brennan to discuss the mission, space tourism, and the future of AI in the space business.

Autonomous shipbuilder Saronic is raising $600 million in a Series C funding round that—within a year— quadruples its valuation to $4 billion. CEO Dino Mavrookas joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the challenges and delays in miliary shipbuilding, the company’s $600 million Series C funding round, and making vessels that don’t require humans.

Forterra is in the business of autonomous vehicles…but not for the everyday driver. The startup has developed self-driving capabilities for defense and industrial customers, now announcing a production contract with the U.S. Marines to make Oshkosh’s Rogue Fire vehicles autonomous. CEO Josh Araujo and Chief Growth Officer Scott Sanders join Morgan Brennan to discuss its partnerships with defense contractors, taking soldiers and Marines out of harms way, and how the company’s technology can be used beyond the battlefield.

Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of Robinhood, has set his sights on a new moonshot: space-based solar power. His new venture, Aetherflux, looks to hone solar power through a constellation of satellites—where each payload will transmit power to ground stations via infrared lasers. He joins Morgan Brennan to discuss his transition from financial technology to space, his vision for the technology, and what it could mean for surging energy demand on earth.

Globalstar, which provides the space-based emergency services for Apple’s iPhones, is tapping MDA Space to build satellites for its next-gen communication satellites. MDA CEO Mike Greenley joins Morgan Brennan to talk the new contract, the future of connectivity, and how the Canadian company is navigating the possibility of tariffs.

Intuitive Machines made history in 2024 with the first successful private lunar lander mission. Now, the company aims to do it again with its Athena spacecraft next month, carrying a collection of payloads. Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the mission, the business model and the company’s long-term vision.

Public-private partnership Earth Fire Alliance includes Google, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, The Minderoo Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund—and Muon Space. Fire Alliance Executive Director Brian Collins & Muon Space CEO Jonny Dyer join Morgan Brennan to discuss using space technology and AI to detect small fires before they become large and devastating, helping incident commanders make better-informed decisions about resource allocation. 

Redwire is expanding into the defense market with its acquisition of aerial drone maker Edge Autonomy. Redwire previously won a Pentagon contract  to build what is essentially an orbital drone...and that inspired a strategy to create a one-stop shop for "platform coverage" from the surface of the earth to the surface of the moon and beyond. Redwire CEO Peter Cannito joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the big bet on drones and what he expects from this next “Golden Age” of space. 

Hermeus is developing hypersonic aircraft – five times the speed of sound and across the Atlantic Ocean in roughly 90 minutes. The startup officially inaugurated its new facility in Florida with a series of successful engine tests, wrapping 2024 by ground testing its first aircraft. Now, the startup is nearing the Quarterhorse engine’s first flight. Co-founder & CEO AJ Piplica alongside Chief Revenue Officer Zach Shore join Morgan Brennan from the Reagan National Defense Forum to discuss the promise of hypersonic flight and the path to making it mainstream.

A decade in the making, standing at 32-stories tall and packing more than twice the thrust of SpaceX’s Falcon 9, Blue Origin’s heavy lift rocket will be launching uncrewed from Florida’s space coast with a launch window opening at 1 ET. The mission is ambitious: New Glenn will fly another company creation - a prototype of the blue ring space tug - to orbit and designed to be partially reusable. On the eve of the launch, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp talks to Morgan Brennan about what’s at stake, how he sees Competition evolving with market dominating rival Sp...

2025 is kicking off with a series of lunar missions. As soon as next week, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost will launch for a 60 day voyage that will eventually take the lunar lander to the moon. Firefly Aerospace CEO Jason Kim joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the milestone moon mission, what he expects the $2 billion startup to accomplish this year, and what the incoming Trump administration could mean for space exploration 

Shield AI has had a big year: the $2.8 billion startup’s AI technology was used to autonomously fly F16 fighter jets, rescue Israeli hostages, and detect Russian missile systems in Ukraine. Brandon Tseng, the company’s co-founder & president says a military transformation is occurring, and that international forces are moving faster than the U.S. in adopting new technologies. Tseng joined Morgan Brennan last month from the Reagan Nation Defense Forum to discuss the future of warfare, a new collaboration with Palantir, and what he’d like to see from the incoming Trump administration.

Earlier this week, SpaceX launched its third rocket in a 24-hour span to launch for SES, a communications satellite operator. The mission, launching the Luxembourg-based company’s O3B mPOWER satellites, will carry upgrades to address power issues experienced on earlier additions to the constellation. As the rocket awaited liftoff, SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh joined Morgan Brennan to discuss the future of broadband, competing with SpaceX’s Starlink, and the latest on the company’s $3 billion acquisition of U.S. based Intelsat.

Defense tech has gone mainstream with a growing number of entrepreneurs and investors working in the incoming Trump administration. Katherine Boyle, a general partner at a16z, was dubbed an early investor to this trend, co-founding the VC firm’s American Dynamism practice in January 2020. Boyle joins Morgan Brennan from the Reagan Defense Forum to discuss Trump 2.0, the technologies she’s most excited about right now, and the outlook for her investment thesis.

United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing, blasted into 2025 with the launch of its long-awaited Vulcan Centaur rocket earlier this year. With a long history of launching national security missions, the company is now moving into commercial markets with the help of Vulcan and contracts with the likes of Amazon. ULA CEO Tory Bruno joins Morgan Brennan from the Reagan National Defense Forum to discuss the evolving launch market, what Trump 2.0 will mean for commercial space, and what the future of Boeing’s commercial space will mean for the company.