Eye of the Dragon

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Lucas Medal, Founder & CEO of Blue Ocean Materials, to discuss engineering plastics supply chains. The company is developing software-integrated distribution facilities to supply engineering and high-performance plastics to American manufacturers. Its approach combines digital ordering, inventory management, cutting, and fulfillment to reduce procurement delays and improve material availability for aerospace, medical, and semiconductor applications.

00:00 – Introduction to Blue Ocean Materials and the domestic plastics supply chain

02:20 – Procurement delays, limited inventory, and manual ordering processes

04:32 – Commodity, engineering, and high-performance plastics and their applications

08:39 – Founder background and lessons...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Thomas Pawlak III, Founder & CEO, and Alexander Taleb, Co-Founder & CTO of LESATH International, to discuss launch. LESATH is developing Scorpius 1, a partially reusable, methane–oxygen launch vehicle targeting 1,500–1,700 kilograms to low Earth orbit, depending on altitude and inclination. The discussion covers return-to-launch-site recovery, propulsion development, and the company’s approach to providing dedicated orbital delivery with shorter wait times.

00:00 – Introduction to LESATH International and its target satellite market

04:19 – Company origins and the case for a dedicated launcher between existing vehicle classes

09:11 – Launch availability, growing satellite demand, and the foun...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Randa Milliron, CEO & Co-founder of Interorbital Systems, to discuss containerized orbital launch. Interorbital is developing Neptune 100, a three-stage launch vehicle designed to deliver 100 kilograms to low Earth orbit for under $1 million using storable liquid propellants and a containerized launch system. Milliron discusses the company’s development history, satellite-kit business, planned orbital demonstrations, and approach to reducing launch infrastructure and manufacturing costs.

00:00 – Introduction to Interorbital Systems, its low-cost launch goals, and storable liquid propellants

03:50 – Company origins, early engine development, and the emergence of commercial spaceflight

08:59 – Neptune 100’s payload an...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Suyash Singh, Founder & CEO of GalaxEye, to discuss multi-sensor Earth observation. GalaxEye combines optical and synthetic aperture radar sensors on a single satellite, capturing simultaneous imagery to support data fusion. Its approach aims to deliver more readily interpretable imagery despite clouds and darkness, addressing reliability and usability barriers to commercial adoption.

00:00 – Introduction to GalaxEye and its combined optical and radar imaging approach

02:27 – Wildfire damage assessment and the founding insight behind GalaxEye

07:30 – Simultaneous image capture and the limitations of fusing data from separate satellites

09:39 – Commercial adoption...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Vivek Raghunathan, Co-Founder, CEO, and CTO of Xscape Photonics, to discuss optical interconnects for AI. Xscape is developing multicolor laser technology to increase communication bandwidth between GPUs, addressing data movement bottlenecks in memory-intensive AI workloads. The conversation covers silicon photonics, data center power constraints, and the manufacturing economics required for hyperscale deployment.

00:00 – Introduction to Xscape Photonics and AI hardware efficiency

04:36 – GPU memory access, escape bandwidth, and communication bottlenecks

07:16 – Using multicolor lasers to increase bandwidth between GPUs

08:07 – Raghunathan’s background: MIT, Intel, and commercializing silicon photonics<...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with A.C. Charania, Managing Director for Global Operations and former NASA Chief Technologist, to discuss global space and defense investment.

Drawing on his experience at NASA, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and across the international space industry, Charania examines how rising defense budgets, commercial space development, and industrial rearmament are reshaping the global technology landscape. The discussion explores emerging opportunities across Europe and Asia, the convergence of space, defense, nuclear power, and robotics, and the role of private capital in building the infrastructure of the future.

00:00 – Introduction to A.C...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Salar al Khafaji, Founder & CEO of Monumental, to discuss autonomous construction robotics. Monumental is developing vertically integrated robotic systems for construction, beginning with automated bricklaying and expanding toward automation of the building shell. The company combines compact autonomous robots, computer vision, AI, and site-mapping software to address labor constraints, construction costs, and the complexity of building in unstructured environments.

00:00 – Introduction and Monumental’s vision for autonomous construction

02:14 – Mapping construction sites and coordinating multiple robots

04:09 – Salar’s founder journey, Palantir experience, and move into hard tech

07:01 –...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Jacob Stedman, CEO of Blykalla, to discuss advanced nuclear reactors and scalable power. Blykalla is developing compact, lead-cooled small modular reactors designed for factory production and deployment by truck. The conversation covers the technology’s roots in Soviet submarine reactors, Blykalla’s corrosion-resistant materials, passive safety, nuclear fuel supply, data-center demand, and the path toward commercial deployment.

00:00 – Introduction to Blykalla and its lead-cooled small modular reactor

03:49 – Nuclear’s resurgence in Europe and the U.S. regulatory environment

07:22 – Blykalla’s origins and the history of lead-cooled submarine reactors

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Eric Bartsch, Co-Founder & CEO of VerdeGo Aero, to discuss hybrid-electric aviation. VerdeGo develops hybrid-electric powerplants that combine conventional engines with electric motors, generators, batteries, and proprietary controls to improve aircraft performance and efficiency. The conversation explores applications in military drones, cargo aviation, regional transportation, and next-generation aircraft architectures.

00:00 – Introduction and hybrid-electric propulsion overview

02:12 – How hybrid aircraft differ from hybrid cars

04:29 – Bartsch’s background and the origins of VerdeGo Aero

06:04 – Electric motors, distributed propulsion, and new aircraft architectures

09:06 – Military drones as the first major hybrid...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Johannes Galatsanos, Co-founder & CEO of Diffraqtion, to discuss quantum cameras and space domain awareness. Diffraqtion is developing cameras that process the shape of light before conventional digital imaging, enabling resolution beyond the traditional diffraction limit while performing photonic computation at the sensor. The company is initially targeting space domain awareness, with potential applications across ISR, autonomous systems, debris tracking, and astronomy.

00:00 – Introduction to Diffraqtion and quantum cameras

04:53 – Resolution beyond the diffraction limit and imaging from low Earth orbit

07:44 – Johannes Galatsanos’ background in AI and the origins of Diffr...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Wesley Grove, CEO of Benchmark Space Systems, to discuss in-space propulsion and mobility. Benchmark develops chemical, electric, and hybrid propulsion solutions for spacecraft, with applications spanning precision maneuvering, reentry, cislunar missions, and national security. They discuss the growing demand for high-thrust mobility, flight heritage, refueling, and the autonomous spacecraft infrastructure needed as orbital activity scales.

00:00 – Introduction and Benchmark Space Systems overview02:03 – Chemical, electric, and hybrid propulsion systems

04:23 – Why satellites need propulsion and orbital mobility

07:10 – How chemical propulsion works in space

09:13 – Growing propulsion demand, congestion, and deorbi...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Max Arshavsky, Founder & CEO of Zenno Astronautics, to discuss superconducting space infrastructure. Zeeno is developing superconducting electromagnetic systems for spacecraft, beginning with high-powered magnetic attitude control and expanding toward docking, formation flight, mass drivers, radiation shielding, and other space-native infrastructure.

00:00 – Introduction and Zeeno’s vision for electromagnetic infrastructure in space02:14 – Arshavsky’s background, New Zealand origins, and the founding of Zenno05:16 – Supertorque and superconducting magnetic attitude control08:12 – Controllable electromagnets and fuel-free spacecraft operations11:08 – In-space testing, flight heritage, and commercial validation12:25 – Initial markets in MEO and replacing conventional attitude-control systems15:30 – Mass, reliability, power...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Bryan Mazor, Co-Founder & CTO of Source Energy, to discuss industrializing solar power for space. Source is developing lower-cost, rapidly manufacturable solar arrays for spacecraft, applying lessons from SpaceX and terrestrial solar manufacturing to increase the availability of power in orbit. The conversation covers Source’s manufacturing strategy, space-rated solar technology, scaling toward megawatt production, and the company’s longer-term vision of becoming an energy provider for space.

00:00 – Introduction to Source Energy and the scarcity of power in space

04:43 – Bryan’s background at SpaceX and work on Starlink and Crew Drago...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Jakub Lajmon, Co-Founder & CEO of Groundcom, to discuss scalable ground-station infrastructure. Groundcom manufactures and operates globally distributed ground stations designed to give satellite operators more frequent access to spacecraft and faster delivery of orbital data. The company combines its own antenna hardware with cloud-based network orchestration and also supplies dedicated ground-station infrastructure to customers building their own networks.

00:00 – Introduction and Groundcom’s role in satellite connectivity

02:33 – Jakub’s software background and path into the space industry

05:16 – How satellite operators plan and secure ground-station access

09:01 – Ground-stati...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Misha Rudominski, Co-Founder & CEO of HIMERA, to discuss resilient battlefield communications. HIMERA develops tactical radios, repeaters, and embedded communication systems designed to maintain voice and data links in contested electronic-warfare environments. The company has built its systems through continuous deployment and iteration with Ukrainian defense forces, with applications spanning soldiers, UAVs, UGVs, sensors, and distributed battlefield networks.

00:00 – Introduction and HIMERA’s approach to resilient battlefield communications

04:08 – Founding HIMERA during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine

06:08 – Tactical radios, autonomous repeaters, and battlefield network architecture

10:19 – How modern warfare is divergi...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Grant Jordan, Founder & CEO of SkySafe, to discuss drone tracking and airspace awareness. SkySafe builds persistent sensor networks across cities to detect, identify, and track drone activity for government, public safety, critical infrastructure, and commercial customers. Its platform combines RF sensing and networked data to distinguish authorized activity from potential threats and provide a foundational awareness layer for increasingly crowded airspace.

00:00 – Introduction and overview of SkySafe’s drone tracking and airspace awareness platform

02:39 – Drone threats beyond explosives, including surveillance and prison smuggling

07:44 – Detecting, identifying, and responding to unaut...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Troy Morris, Co-Founder & CEO of KMI Space, to discuss orbital logistics and satellite servicing. KMI is developing spacecraft and robotic capture systems designed to grapple, relocate, service, and remove objects in orbit. Its REACH end effector uses biomimetic tentacles and adhesion technology that the company demonstrated aboard the International Space Station through 172 capture cycles.

00:00 – Introduction to KMI Space and the “tow trucks for space” concept02:47 – Biomimicry, gecko adhesion, and the REACH robotic capture system04:54 – Demonstrating autonomous capture technology aboard the International Space Station06:51 – Moving beyond debris removal toward satellite servicing and orbital...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Ben Schafer, Co-Founder & CEO of Rarefied Technologies, to discuss photophoretic flight in the mesosphere. Rarefied is developing ultralight structures that absorb light and convert it into heat, creating thrust through interactions with gas molecules in the rarefied upper atmosphere. The company is targeting the largely inaccessible 50–100 kilometer altitude range for applications including atmospheric sensing, space weather data, communications, and defense.

00:00 – Introduction and Rarefied Technologies overview01:30 – Photophoretic propulsion and the physics behind light-driven flight03:00 – Founder background, Harvard research, and the company’s spinout05:31 – Customers, data-as-a-service, and potential commercialization models06:54 – R&D milestones, te...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Alessandro Stabile, Founder & CEO of Magma Space, to discuss precision satellite control. Magma Space is developing magnetically levitated reaction wheels and an integrated satellite control system designed to reduce microvibrations, improve pointing stability, and increase spacecraft reliability. The technology targets applications including high-resolution imaging, laser communications, in-space manufacturing, and autonomous spacecraft operations.

00:00 – Magma Space overview and magnetically levitated reaction wheels

02:32 – How reaction wheels control spacecraft and create microvibrations

04:04 – Alessandro Stabile’s background and the origins of Magma Space

06:00 – High-resolution imaging, in-space manufacturing, and initial markets

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Laura Moreno Patricio, CEO of EarthPulse, to discuss making Earth observation data usable at scale. EarthPulse combines multi-source satellite data, AI models, and client data into modular solutions that integrate into existing workflows for utilities, insurers, infrastructure operators, and governments. The company aims to turn fragmented Earth observation data into actionable risk, resilience, and compliance information without requiring in-house imagery expertise.

00:00 – Introduction and EarthPulse’s approach to making Earth observation data usable

03:12 – Customers, risk analysis, and productized alternatives to traditional consulting

06:34 – Laura Moreno Patricio’s background and the fo...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Chris Stott, Founder, Chair & CEO of Lonestar Data Holdings, to discuss data centers in space. Lonestar is developing orbital data centers for secure, sovereign data storage and processing, with four systems already flown in space. The company is focused on protecting data while enabling inference, AI workloads, and geographically distributed access.

00:00 – Introduction and Lonestar’s secure, sovereign data-center model

01:38 – Why data centers in space are emerging as a major market

03:44 – What an orbital data center looks like and how the architecture scales

06:24 – Power, cooling, economics...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Derek Sutherland, Chief Scientific Officer of Realta Fusion, to discuss magnetic mirror fusion. Realta is developing a modular magnetic mirror architecture that confines fusion plasma in a linear geometry using high-temperature superconducting magnets. The discussion covers fusion economics, direct energy conversion, commercialization pathways, and potential applications in space propulsion.

00:00 – Introduction and Realta’s magnetic mirror approach to fusion

02:55 – History of magnetic mirrors, HTS magnets, and the founding of Realta

07:09 – Why fusion may move from research toward commercial power in the 2030s

09:41 – Why fusion development requires l...

Balerion Advisor Doug McAdams sits down with Jim Keravala, CEO of StellarWorld, to discuss lunar cities and off-Earth industrial infrastructure. StellarWorld is developing a commercial framework for lunar cities, transportation, power, mining, manufacturing, and data centers. Its architecture combines terrestrial robotic mining experience with a network of partner companies intended to build scalable infrastructure on the Moon.

00:00 – Introduction and Jim Keravala’s background in spacecraft, launch, and space entrepreneurship03:42 – Why now: AI, industrial growth, and the Moon as the next infrastructure highway09:52 – Space settlement philosophy and the challenge of moving from vision to execution11:36 – StellarWorld, Lunar Cities Developmen...

Balerion Senior Associate Aidan Daoussis sits down with Sebastian Aristotelis, Co-founder & Lead Architect of SAGA Space Architects, to explore what it will actually take for humans to live beyond Earth. Sebastian discusses SAGA’s mission-driven approach to space architecture, its deployable and 3D-printed habitats, lessons from living for months in an Arctic analog habitat, and the overlooked challenges of privacy, hygiene, sleep, and human well-being in extreme environments. They also discuss SAGA’s work with ESA, rigid-panel deployable structures, the economics of lunar habitats, and Sebastian’s vision for permanent settlements on the Moon and Mars.

00:00 – Sebastian’s path fro...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Ahmed Nassar, Co-Founder & CEO of AQMAAR, to discuss Egypt’s emerging private space sector. AQMAAR is developing satellite-enabled services in Egypt, beginning with downstream applications such as agricultural remote sensing while building toward future satellite missions. Nassar discusses the technical talent, regulatory constraints, capital requirements, and market-development challenges shaping Egypt’s private space ecosystem.

00:00 – Introduction and AQMAAR’s role in Egypt’s emerging private space sector

01:19 – Nassar’s aerospace background, first startup, and the founding of AQMAAR04:58 – Early satellite component strategy and the challenge of establishing customer trust

07:29 – Wor...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Shishir Bankapur, CEO of Helogen, to discuss manufacturing biomaterials in space. Helogen is developing autonomous orbital manufacturing infrastructure for high-value biomaterials that can benefit from microgravity production. The company is scaling its platform through a series of missions while pursuing applications including orthopedic scaffolds, biopolymers, and other regulated medical materials.

00:00 – Introduction and Helogen’s vision for manufacturing in space

03:23 – Bankapur’s background in chemical engineering, pharma, startups, and company building

06:13 – Origins of Helogen and using microgravity to accelerate biological research

10:03 – Helogen as an orbital industrial i...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis and Venture Partner Aaron Mitchell sit down with Ian Vorbach, Chief Revenue Officer at Portal Space Systems, to discuss solar-thermal propulsion and the future of high-mobility spacecraft. Portal is developing Supernova, a spacecraft built around deployable solar concentrators, a 3D-printed heat-exchanger thruster, ammonia propellant, and thermal energy storage to combine high thrust with high delta-V. The conversation covers the origins of the technology, advances in additive manufacturing, tactically responsive space, rapid movement between LEO, MEO, and GEO, cislunar logistics, potential paths toward nuclear thermal propulsion, and Portal’s transition from ground testing to flight and sc...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Ethan Barajas, Co-founder & CEO, and Jamie Palmer, Co-founder & CTO of Icarus Robotics, to discuss space robotics. Icarus is developing robotic systems designed for manipulation and labor in microgravity, beginning with a fan-propelled, dual-arm robot for use inside crewed spacecraft. The company plans to use teleoperation and on-orbit data collection to build increasingly autonomous capabilities for manufacturing, servicing, logistics, and infrastructure assembly in space.

00:00 – Why space needs robotic labor and the limits of astronaut crew time

01:48 – Founder backgrounds and the origin of Icarus Robotics

06:05 – Microgravity robot design, mobili...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Ben Gringeri, SVP of Finance at Foundation, to discuss humanoid robotics for industry and defense. Foundation is developing heavy-duty humanoid robots for industrial and defense environments, with high-strength actuators, tendon-driven hands, and an IP67-rated platform. The discussion covers manufacturing labor, defense logistics, AI, scaling, and potential future deployment in space.

00:00 – Introduction and Foundation’s industrial and defense focus

04:37 – Foundation’s origin story and the case for the humanoid form factor

07:22 – Industrial applications, strength, dexterity, and 23-degree-of-freedom hands

10:01 – Tendon-driven hand architecture and biomimetic design

11:52 –...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Eduardo Torrealba, Co-founder & CEO of Lumafield, to discuss AI-powered industrial CT. Lumafield combines 3D X-ray imaging, software, and artificial intelligence to inspect manufactured products and identify internal defects without destructive testing. Its systems are designed to give engineers better quality data across product development and production while enabling tighter feedback loops for increasingly automated factories.

00:00 – Introduction and overview of Lumafield’s industrial CT and manufacturing intelligence platform

02:22 – Torrealba’s mechanical engineering background and the origins of Lumafield

05:21 – Traditional inspection methods, destructive testing, and the value of seeing ins...

Balerion Principal Emerson Garnett sits down with Solange Massa, Founder & CEO of Ecoatoms, to discuss automated payloads for in-space manufacturing. Ecoatoms develops standardized payload infrastructure, onboard computers, and automated chemical and biological systems for microgravity experiments and manufacturing. Its architecture is designed to reduce integration time and support reusable payload platforms across capsules, commercial space stations, and future lunar and Martian operations.

00:00 – Solange Massa’s background and the founding of Ecoatoms02:15 – First NASA program and chemical coating payloads in microgravity03:13 – How Ecoatoms payloads differ from traditional satellites04:22 – Edge computing, sensor integration, and autonomous experimentation06:11 – ECOS habitats and customers fo...

Balerion Principal Emerson Garnett sits down with Cailabs Co-Founder & CEO Jean-François Morizur to discuss optical communications and ground infrastructure. Cailabs develops optical ground stations using its multi-plane light conversion technology to mitigate atmospheric turbulence and enable high-bandwidth laser communications between satellites and Earth. Jean-François discusses the company’s origins, growing demand for optical communications across defense and Earth observation, scaling production of its TILBA ground stations, transportable systems, interoperability, and the role optical communications could play alongside traditional RF infrastructure.

00:00 – Origins of Cailabs and multi-plane light conversionJean-François describes how technology developed during his PhD led to...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Venkat Pillay, Founder & CEO of LatConnect60, to discuss Earth observation, AI, and Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR). LatConnect60 combines downstream AI analytics with its planned Source Earth Observation Constellation, focused on high-resolution shortwave infrared imagery. The company is targeting applications across agriculture, emissions monitoring, defense, natural disasters, and other markets where SWIR can fill gaps in existing satellite data.

00:00 – Introduction and overview of LatConnect60’s evolution from downstream AI to its own satellite constellation

02:37 – Why advances in AI and Earth observation are converging now

05:21 – Comparing multispectral, radar, and infrared...

Balerion Principal Emerson Garnett sits down with Halen Mattison, Co-Founder & CEO of General Galactic, to discuss water-powered orbital logistics. General Galactic is developing the Genesis water-based multimode propulsion system and the Selden spacecraft to provide high-delta-V orbital mobility without toxic propellants. Its roadmap extends from commercial orbit raising and defense logistics to refueling networks supplied by lunar and Martian resources.

Timestamped Overview

00:00 – Introduction, Mattison’s SpaceX background, and the energy challenge in space

02:48 – General Galactic’s vision for in-space logistics and energy infrastructure

04:19 – Genesis water-based multimode propulsion and alternatives to hydrazine

07:14...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Aaron Mitchell, Venture Partner at Balerion Space Ventures, to discuss his path from engineering to venture. Aaron traces his career from propulsion engineering at NASA through early roles at Momentus and Impulse Space, where he led product management. The conversation examines startup execution, technical diligence, space communications and power, advanced propulsion, and the next generation of aerospace founders.

Timestamped Overview

00:00 – Introduction and Aaron’s transition from engineering to venture capital

03:10 – Product management, engineering leadership, and the pace of startup execution

05:22 – Evaluating an early-stage company as both...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Daniel Pérez Grande, CEO & Co-Founder of IENAI Space, to discuss small-satellite mobility. IENAI Space is developing modular electrospray thrusters for small spacecraft, alongside software for mission design and propulsion-system selection. Its integrated approach extends from preflight analysis through automated orbital maneuvering, with the goal of reducing propellant mass and simplifying satellite operations.

Timestamped Overview

00:00 – Introduction and IENAI Space’s end-to-end mobility model

02:46 – Founder backgrounds and the propulsion gap for small satellites

06:05 – Athena’s modular electrospray architecture

07:41 – Athena Pico, Nano, and Micro product speci...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Brett Hill, Founder & CEO of Praetorian Aeronautics, to discuss autonomous counter-drone defense. The company is developing Arrow and Dagger autonomous interceptors, supported by AI-enabled battle-management software, to counter aerial and maritime autonomous threats. Its systems are designed to provide scalable, longer-range defense against saturation attacks that can overwhelm electronic warfare, guns, directed-energy weapons, and conventional missiles.

Timestamped Overview

00:00 – Introduction and Praetorian’s counter-autonomy mission

04:07 – Arrow and Dagger interceptor architecture, range, and manufacturing

06:29 – Demand across Ukraine, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific

10:28 – Electronic warfare, d...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Tom Barton, Co-Founder & CEO of Antaris, to discuss software-defined satellite systems. Antaris provides a software- and AI-based platform for designing, simulating, manufacturing, and operating satellite constellations. Its full-mission virtualization tools model spacecraft, ground infrastructure, software, and mission operations before deployment.

Timestamped Overview

00:00 – Introduction and overview of the Antaris platform01:14 – Barton’s background in open-source software, cloud infrastructure, and Planet Labs

04:02 – Founding Antaris to bring software abstraction and interoperability to space systems

05:01 – Platform capabilities spanning design, simulation, command and control, and flight software

07:03 – Limitations...

Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Matt Gialich, Co-Founder & CEO of AstroForge, to discuss commercial asteroid mining. AstroForge is developing compact deep-space spacecraft designed to reach metal-rich near-Earth asteroids, extract platinum-group metals, and return refined material to Earth. The company seeks to make asteroid mining economically viable through rideshare launches, autonomous operations, and lower-cost commercial mission architectures.

Timestamped Overview

00:00 – AstroForge’s mission and the economics of mining near-Earth asteroids

02:22 – Gialich’s background in defense engineering, Virgin Orbit, Bird, and deep-space mission development

05:48 – The history of asteroid mining and why lower launch cos...