SpaceBase Podcast

An interview with Peter Kristof on spotlighting the space ecosystem in Hungary.

Peter is a multiple award-winning space professional, innovation expert, exited startup founder, corporate executive, and strategic consultant in digitalization, venture capital, as well as technology and economic development. He is a sought-after speaker at domestic and international conferences on these topics.

Serving as the chief innovation officer for DATelite, noted as a qualified Earth Observation solution provider, he realizes flagship projects aimed at digitalization, the creation of innovation ecosystems, and the development of the space and defense sectors, alongside colleagues with...

An interview with Amarit or "Aim" Charoenphan.  Aim is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and ecosystem builder with a deep impact on the startup and innovation landscapes across Asia-Pacific. As President of the New Zealand-Thai Chamber of Commerce and Managing Partner of Aim Ventures, he has backed over 40 investments, while also playing a key role in Thailand’s tech scene as a Partner at Unfold Ventures. His expertise spans from venture funding to community-driven acceleration, having served as ASEAN Director of Impact Collective and a Venture Partner at Mandalay Venture Partners, focusing on sustainable farm-to-fork innovations. In recent years, Aim has...

This is the start of our alternating series focused on the Global Space Enablers Network, and interviews with space enablers around the world to leverage their insights, experiences, and knowledge on the needs, challenges, and opportunities, for budding or growing space enablers worldwide. These interviews have been conducted by SpaceBase co-founders - Eric Dahlstrom and myself.

An interview with Antonio Stark.  Antonio is a space strategy expert on policy, satellites, security, sustainability, and the cislunar economy. Antonio is currently the Global Alliance Lead for iSpace, Japan’s premiere lunar space company. Among his multiple affiliations, he is als...

An interview with Dr. Lisa Brown, a Hepatobiliary Surgeon and Aerospace Medicine Researcher at the New Zealand Space Health Research Center.  

Lisa’s background is in Surgery.  And In addition to surgical training, Lisa completed training and research in Aerospace Medicine, including as the Aerospace Medicine Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, an internship at the European Space Agency, and the University of Texas Medical Branch Principles of Aerospace Medicine Short Course with NASA. She is on the organising committee of Women in Space Aotearoa New Zealand and Lead of the New Zealand Space Health Research Netw...

An interview with Cairo Akehurst, a year 12 student at Cashmere High in Christchurch, New Zealand.  And he is also already a serial entrepreneur having founded Convergence Aerospace and most recently Cattle Credit. His team was a finalist to the Space for Planet Earth Challenge 2023-24, High School level.  He won the Emerging Technology Award as part of the Otautahi Christchurch Smart Cities Challenge 2024.  He was also an elected participant in the validator programme at the University of Christchurch Center for Entrepreneurship. And just recently, he was short listed as one of three finalist for the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) New...

This is a special episode on the Global Space Enablers Network and the start of an alternating theme to feature space enablers globally working to catalyze, develop, and grow their own space sector and industry in different parts of the world. The aim is to share lessons learned, best practices, and resource opportunities specially for nascent and emerging regions and countries.  

 In this episode co-founders of SpaceBase Limited discuss the motivations, goals, and activities this newly formed alliance of ecosystem builders around the world.

Joining the host is SpaceBase co-founder Eric Dahlstrom.  Eric has...

An interview with Emma Renowden, Aerospace Cluster Lead at Otautahi Christchurch. Emma is an experienced strategic partnerships manager who is passionate about the role of innovation and technology in addressing some of the world's most significant challenges. In her role at ChristchurchNZ, Emma is responsible for developing an ambitious city strategy for the Aerospace sector, with the goal of harnessing the economic opportunities it presents. 

She holds degrees in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Canterbury. Emma is also a Committee Board Member of the Aerospace New Zealand, the national industry body promoting Aerospace i...

An interview with with James Brice, Lead Systems Engineer for New Glenn, Blue Origin’s prime launch system for Moon missions.  Jim has over three decades experience working with aerospace companies like Boeing and Orbital Science and leading engineering projects from space planes to rocket systems like the X34, Antares rocket, and the launch abort system for Orion.

Jim holds an Industrial Engineering degree from University of Central Florida and a Masters in Systems Engineering from George Washington University. He was instrumental in the formation of the NASA Space Academy. He is an alumni and former Deputy Dir...

An interview with Gary Martin, one of SpaceBase’s Advisors.  Gary retired from NASA after 32 years supporting space science missions, advanced technology development, technology transfer and human spaceflight. In 2022, he became NASA’s first Space Architect leading the team that developed the Vision for Space Exploration in 2004. 

He also served as Program Director for the International Space University for multiple years, a member of the Academic Council multiple times, and continue to Chair Team Projects for ISU programs.

In 2017 he became the Senior Advisor to the Luxembourg Ministry of Economics and was instrumental in the es...

An interview  with Max Daniels, CEO and Co-Founder of Astrix Astronautics, a startup company focusing on inflatable, rigidized deployment for spacecraft.

Max has a BS degree from the University of Auckland and was part of the Auckland Program for Space Systems at University of Auckland. In 2019,  his team won the New Ventures Category at the $100k Velocity Challenge.

Resources
Auckland Programme for Space Systems (APSS),
$100k Velocity Challenge, Auckland based startup competition
Callaghan Innovations, NZ Government innovation arm
Outset Ventures, home of deep tech in Auckland

Hosted by: Emeline Pa...

An interview with Caleb McIvor, Founding Director of PrintGig and CEO/CTO of Epsilum Design.  PrintGig is a cutting-edge 3D printing company that specializes in high-temperature polymers for the high-tech and deep-tech sectors - including the space industry in New Zealand; the only one of its kind in the southern hemisphere.

 Caleb is an entrepreneur and inventor set on improving lives and solving complex problems. Caleb specializes in embedded systems design and additive manufacturing with a broad range of skills across the stem fields.

With a Bachelor of Creative Technologies also minoring in Japanese from Au...

 An interview with Stu Potter, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Stardust Me, an Innovative small payload solutions and space memorial service provider.  It is the first Māori space-tech company in the world. 

Stu has over 20+ years of senior management and business experience in Māori business, financial services, health, education, research and development. 

His strengths are in Māori education, business, strategy, and leadership development, executive coaching, developing high performance teams, strategic human resource and change management, and innovation. Stu is also a published children’s book author of the Fish Story which incorporates te reo Mā...

An interview with Sam Leske, Sam Leske, Director at Milky-Way.Kiwi, a social enterprise whose goal is to inspire people to think about our collective future and how they can actively contribute through quality science education with an added cosmic perspective. Sam has a long career in Aoteroa’s Defence Force, first as a Royal New Zealand Air Force pilot, to Head of the Operational Intelligence and Head of Strategic Intelligence at NZ Defence Force.  He also worked for the Ministry of Primary Industries as Director of Intelligence Coordination and Plans and Director of Biosecurity Support Services. He was the...

An iinterview with Gill Dal Din, Global Activation Executive focusing on Business Development and Growth for Space Trailblazers.  

 Gill is a superconnector who connects people and resources that catalyze change in high growth businesses.  She was instrumental in getting the aerospace ecosystem up and running in Christchurch from the early years.

 Gill has a Bachelors degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Otago. Her professional journey range from health, franchise ownership, events promotion, aerospace, and championing new ecosystems such as the space industry. She has worked for ChristchurchNZ and the Canterbury Development Corporation, as w...

An Interview with Erica Lloyd, Chief Revenue Officer at Zenno Astronautics, a New Zealand startup company revolutionizing space movement through the untapped energy of super magnets.

Eric Lloyd who has a broad and varied career here in New Zealand and across Asia Pacific and the USA in Broadcasting, Technology, Banking and innovation businesses.

Erica is a seasoned executive who started life running her own cutting edge tech services company in film and the television sector. She has worked on both sides of the camera as an on-air business journalist for Television New Zealand and Mediaworks...

An interview with Betina Pavri, Senior Principal Engineer at the Paiahu-Robinson Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington. Betina is supporting the development of high-temperature superconducting magnet technologies for space applications.

 Prior to moving to New Zealand, Betina has had a long and illustrious career at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory where she worked on many pioneering planetary missions including the Magellan mission to Venus, the Mars reconnaissance orbiter, the asteroid Dawn mission, and aspects of the Curiosity Mars rover mission as a spacecraft integration and operations engineer and manager. 

Bettina holds a BA and BS degrees in...

An interview with Peter Sefont, Technical Director for Zenith Tecnica, a contract manufacturer specialising in Titanium 3D Printing using Electron Beam Melting (EBM) technology.  Zenith Tecnica produces a myriad of additively manufactured parts for industries around the world; including large structural hardware for spacecraft and satellites.

Peter graduated from the University of Auckland with a Bachelors of Engineering – Mechatronics degree and has also worked for Fisher and Paykel Healthcare prior to joining the Zenith Tecnica team.

Recently, Zenith Tecnica manufactured space components for NASA's highly anticipated Psyche asteroid mission.

Resources
Zenith Tecnica

An interview with Khaki Rodway, Spaceplane Sales and Operations Director for Dawn Aerospace USA. Khaki has an extensive New Space business development and marketing experience working for launch companies like XCorp and Masten, to delivering payload to the International Space Station like Nanoracks, and  on orbit truster manufacturing like Bradford Space. Khaki is also the co-founder of NYC Space, An open community for the development of private companies commercializing space.  

A graduate of Colombia University, she holds a Masters in Historic Preservation, and a Bachelors in Womens Studies, English Literature, and Journalism from Rutgers University.

In...

An interview with Kurt Janssen, CEO of Orbica based in New Zealand, Australia and Germany.

Kurt is a geographer and geospatialist by trade, with a passion for emerging technology and data. Kurt has a BSc with Honors in Geography from the University of Canterbury and was the 2016 NZSEA Young Professional of the Year. He worked for central government such as the Ministry of Health and Ministry of the Environment as a Geographic Information Systems (or GIS) Advisor. He also worked for private companies in New Zealand and the United States such as ESRI, Abley and Orbviz. In 2017...

Mark is an Edmund Hillary Fellow from the US.  He launched Quidnet Ventures, a new fund to support early-stage NZ companies. Mark has spent over 30+ years in the technology and innovation sector, with experience in semiconductor manufacturing, open systems hardware. software development, big data, software as a service, and Internet of Things. 

Previously he held both CEO and CTO roles at companies like SkywriterRX, Neustar, Symantec, and Airmedia. He ran IBM’s innovation lab in Japan and was Managing Director of Vista Labs (Vista Equity Partners), helping their portfolio companies innovate more effectively. He began his career as a...

An interview with Chris Jackson, Head of Space Operations and Ground Segment at the Te Pūnaha Ātea - Auckland Space Institute based in the University of Auckland. He is overseeing the design and set up of the Institute’s Mission Operation Centre and Ground Station. He is also developing the operations support and building the capability of the centre to support large scale satellites and developing the business for national and international missions like MethaneSAT.

 Chris has a long and illustrious career working for Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) in the UK as Chief Engineer and Archi...

An interview with Dr. Scott Madry, Research Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.  He is also the founder and President of Informatics International, Inc., a global geospatial services company. He is a professor emeritus at the International Space University and has served as faculty in over 30 ISU programs around the world. 

 Scott has a Ph.D. in Anthropology and is a three time Fullbright Scholar. He specializes in space remote sensing, GIS, GPS, and regional, environment and cultural applications. He has consulted for a variety of Fortune 500 corporations, governments, and...

An interview with Alexandar Majstorovic,  co-founder and CEO of OutThere Astronautics, a student-led startup based in Auckland focusing on development of optical, intersatellite communications for cubesats.  

Alex is working on a Medical degree and has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. His unorthodox background has led him to founding a startup that has won multiple awards including the latest Velocity Challenge for best innovation.  Today we’ll talk to him about his startup OutThere Astronautics, how to start a space company in New Zealand, and  what drives him to the space industry and beyond.

Resources
OutT...

An interview with Mekdim Tesfaye, founder and CEO of Oasis Orbital Systems, an aerospace startup based in Christchurch focusing on development of an innovative orbital live streaming platform. He is also a marketing specialist for Aerospace New Zealand.

Mekdim has a Bachelors of Commerce from the University of Canterbury, and a level 3 Certificate in Astronautical and Aeronautical Engineering from the Air New Zealand Aviation Institute.

Today we’ll talk to him about his journey into the space industry through combining his aeronautical and business experience, as well as his vision for virtual space tourism through Oa...

An interview with Jess Covich, founder  and CEO of Engineering Dreams, an aerospace consultancy based in Auckland focusing on providing professional services with top tier resources to the space industry.  Jess has  more than 15 years experience in senior level technology consulting and business development roles in New Zealand. 

In this interview, we talk to her about her business and sales experience being critical elements for pivoting into the space industry, and why she thinks it’s the industry to be involved in today.

Resources
Engineering Dreams
Space Base NZ Space Directory
Directory of spa...

An interview with Nelson Smith, co-founder of Aquila, a tech company based in Auckland focused on wireless energy infrastructure for terrestrial and space applications.  Nelson did his bachelor’s degree in Engineering in Mechatronics and Product Development at the University of Auckland and Massey University.  He has worked as a Guidance,Navigation and Control Engineer for Rocketlab and has been involved in multiple engineering, software, and automated projects in the past decade. 

In this interview we learn from Nelson how developing a portfolio of engineering projects, coupled with some startup smarts can accelerate your career in the space...

An interview with the host, Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom.

Emeline is Co-Founder and CEO of SpaceBase based in New Zealand.  Emeline is also part of the Ceres Robotics team and a Co-Founder of International Space Consultants.  She is an Institute of Space Commerce Fellow, an Edmund Hillary Fellow, and is a member of the Associate Editorial Board for the New Space Journal.

 Emeline has BS and MS degrees in Physics and Earth and Space Science.  She is an alumni of the International Space University.  She has worked for space startups including Space Adventures, Odyssey Moon, Moon Express and O...

An interview with Christian Thaler-Wolski,  a startup advisor, business developer, and angel investor focused on Spacetech. Previously, Christian worked in venture capital in Europe. Prior to his investor role he had a five-year career in technical product sales and key account management at ORACLE, a global leader in enterprise software. 

Christian is a native of Germany and graduated from the International Space University’s Souther Hemisphere Space Studies program in 2020. He has degrees in Economics and also a graduated with an MBA degree at INSEAD, Fontainebleau, in 2006. 

Christian moved to Adelaide in 2019 and subsepquently co-founded the I...

An interview with Dr. Yvette Perrott, Senior Lecturer at the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences at University of Victoria Wellington.  Yvette has degrees in BA, BSc and BSc( with Hons)majoring in Physics, Italian and Spanish. She completed her PhD in the Cavendish Astrophysics Group in 2013 on a Rutherford PhD Scholarship and was awarded a Trinity College Junior Research Fellowship in the same year. She was also awarded a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship in 2017. Her area of research is on galaxy clusters as cosmological probes for the origins of the universe.

In this interview we will learn a...

An interview with Rahul Rughani,  systems engineer for Arkisys, a company building an autonomous research outpost in low Earth orbit.  Rahul has a Bachelor’s of Engineering degree in Mechanical engineering from McGill University, with a concentration in Aeronautics. He also holds both PhD and Master of Science degrees in Astronautical engineering from the University of Southern California. His specialization is on orbital optimization techniques for spacecraft swarms. The focus of his research is to enable in-orbit manufacturing, satellite aggregation, and close-quarters robotic inspection of spacecraft, using swarms of small and medium sized satellites in Earth orbit. He has work...

An interview with Daniel Mackisack. Founder of Celestial Commons - a network devoted to improving public interest and representation in space - ensuring that the journey and the benefits of development are shared by all.  Daniel is a kiwi presently living in Berlin.  A writer, researcher, diplomat, and serial founder, He holds a Bachelors degree in Political Science, and a Masters in Anthropology and Sociology.  
In this interview we will learn how Daniel 's passion for science fiction and his experience building social movements and development projects has led to his current activities and projects in the space sec...

An interview with Randy Pollock, Chief Scientist and Engineer for Space at the Robertson Research Institute at Victoria University,Wellington,  where he is working to adapt high temperature superconductor technologies for space applications.  Prior to moving to New Zealand, he was an Instrument Manager and Systems Engineer for NASA Jet Propulsion Laborary.  He had worked on numerous payload missions and spacecraft for NASA for over two decades including EMIT, CloudSat, and SHERLOC for the Mars Perseverance rover.   

Resources:

von Karman Lecture Series - aims to bring the excitement of JPL’s missions, instruments and other technol...

An interview with Dr. Sarita Dara, an Aerospace physician and a space medicine and human factors consultant and occupational medicine physician for Humane Factors Exponential Limited.  She currently also works as a Senior Medical Officer with Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand.

Her training, qualifications and experience span Aviation and Space Medicine, Occupational Medicine, Public Health Medicine and Human Factors Engineering. She graduated with a Master of Space Sciences from the International Space University, in Strasbourg, France and has an MD in Aerospace Medicine and a PhD in Human Factors Engineering from the school of Mechanical and A...

An interview with Hugh Reynolds, Co-Founder and Technical Director of Fabrum, a world leader in cryogenic systems.  Their cryocoolers, composite storage tanks and liquid gas generation systems are used in wide range of applications that include industrial cryogenics, animal husbandry, lightweight space applications, copper & superconducting electric motors, and hydrogen fuel systems.  These have vast space related applications.

In the past Hugh has worked in metal processing industries and composites manufacturing. He holds a B.E. in Mechanical engineering from the University of Canterbury. 

 In this interview, we are going to learn about Hugh's career co-founding Fabr...

An interview with Udit Shah, Chief aerospace engineer for Ceres Robotics, a company building landers, rovers and tools to enable affordable surface operations on the Moon, Mars, and beyond.  Udit has a MS in Aeronautical and Space Engineering from Virginia Tech, and a Bachelors of Technology in Aeronautics and Space from UPE in India .  In the past, he has also worked for different lunar space startup companies such as Team Indus  and Orbit Beyond. 

In this interview, we are going to explore how Udit’s career choices had given him the  incredible opportunity to work on pioneering startup...

An interview with Jennifer Blackburne, a mechanical engineer on the propulsion team at Dawn Aerospace working on rocket propulsion and engine testing.  She has a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of South Dakota in the US, followed by joint degrees in turbomachinery and aeromechanics from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece.  She has worked on jet packs to wind turbines, and the automotive  and aero industries in Germany and New Zealand.

In this interview, we are going to explore how Jennifer’s experiences  led her to a dream...

An interview with  Prof Guglielmo Aglietti or known mostly as Prof G. who heads the Auckland Space Institute – Tepunaha Atea at the University of Auckland.  Prof G was the Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair in Space Engineering, and the Center Director for Surrey Space Center in the UK. He worked on a range of topics from space missions design and delivery, to hardware development,  downstream applications, and educational & knowledge transfer activities.

His technical background is in aerospace structures and mechanisms.  He holds a Bachelors and PhD degrees in Aerospace Engineering.

His work  ranges from academi...

An interview with Priyanka Dhopade, Lecturer at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University of Auckland. Priyanka's research expertise is in aerospace thermodynamics and fluid mechanics.  Previously she held a senior research position at the Oxford Thermofluids Institute based at University of Oxford. where she developed computational models for cooling systems in modern jet engines.

Priyanka has a bachelors in Aerospace Engineering from Toronto Canada, and a Masters and Phd from University NSW in Canberra, Australia.

In this interview, we learn about Priyanka’s career journey transitioning from jet propulsion engineer to space industry specialist foc...

An interview with Jamal Olatunji.  Jamal is a Research Engineer at the Robinson Research Institute at Victoria University of Wellington.  He has degrees in Chemical Engineering, chemistry and nanotechnology from Massey University. He is developing mathematical models of superconducting magnets and machines, and researching applications of high-temperature superconductivity to develop plasma rockets for  interstellar space.

 In this interview, we learn about Jamal's journey from working in the agritech industry as a mathematical modeler to  working on cutting edge projects on novel electric propulsion systems for space transportation.

Resources:
Robinson Research Institute
Wellington Univentures
E...