Tune in to our captivating podcast series, featuring enlightening conversations and in-depth explorations of the space industry’s latest issues with experts and aficionados.
Pathfinder is Payload’s flagship podcast covering the booming business and pressing policy matters of space. We sit down weekly with the top shot-callers in space to keep you informed, entertained, and up-to date on the top news and trends beyond Earth. In this ~1 hour, talk show-style podcast, Pathfinder host Mo Islam interviews astronauts, administrators, founders, CEOs, military minds, policymakers, and more.
EPISODE SUMMARY There’s no better time to be at a private equity firm investing in the space industry. At least that’s what Kirk Konert from AE Industrial Partners (AEI) believes. PE activity in aerospace and defense reached a record high in 2022 and early indications point to another breakout year in 2023. Several compounding factors, […]
EPISODE SUMMARY A single Starship launching three times per week would be capable of delivering more mass to orbit in a single year than humanity has launched to date. In a post-Starship world, will mass and design constraints change for the space industry? Brothers Karan and Neel Kunjur believe it will.With their startup K2 Space, […]
EPISODE SUMMARY On today’s show, Payload CEO and newly minted podcast host Mo Islam chats with Ian Cinnamon, CEO and co-founder of Apex Space, a developer of satellite buses. Today’s episode is brought to you by SpiderOak Mission Systems. EPISODE NOTES Ian Cinnamon is the CEO and Co-founder of Apex Space, a startup manufacturing satellite […]
EPISODE SUMMARY This episode is a syndication of the “Beyond LEO” panel that Ryan moderated at MIT Sloan’s New Space Age Conference in Cambridge last week. Our panelists were execs and engineers from Honeybee Robotics, Draper Laboratory, Lunar Outpost, and Lunar Station; and our conversation focused on what comes next on, near, and around the […]
EPISODE SUMMARY This episode was recorded live during South by Southwest at the SkyFi Summit, with leaders from SkyFi, Albedo, Umbra, and Firehawk Aerospace. Pathfinder #0039 is brought to you by Kepler Communications, a company bringing the internet to space—find out more here. EPISODE NOTES Today, we’re bringing you a live podcast from South by […]
EPISODE SUMMARY We’re joined today by Joe Laurienti, CEO of Ursa Major, a Colorado upstart building high-performing rocket engines for space launch and hypersonics vehicles. Joe shares a space scoop with us about a new deal that Ursa has struck with a secretive, thought-to-be-dead rocket developer; and also gives us the full rundown on Ursa […]
EPISODE SUMMARY We welcome on Joel Spark, cofounder and chief satellite architect at Spire. The “space-to-cloud” data and analytics provider flys a proprietary constellation of 100+ nanosatellites to collect and analyze data from Earth. Today’s episode is brought to you by Kepler Communications, a company bringing the internet to space. EPISODE NOTES In today’s episode, […]
EPISODE SUMMARY Today, the Pathfinder podcast brings on its first married cofounder duo. Seyka and Brian Mejeur run AdAstra, an executive and technical headhunting firm for NewSpace and Clean Tech startups. Pathfinder #0036 is brought to you by Kepler Communications, a company bringing the internet to space. EPISODE NOTES Today, the Pathfinder podcast brings on […]
EPISODE SUMMARY On Pathfinder #0035, brought to you by Kepler Communications, Chuck joins Ryan for a conversation on reconnaissance, security, and the growing cyber threat in space. Chuck is the executive chairman of SpiderOak, a startup focused on shoring up the digital defenses of satellites, space networks, and the ground segment. EPISODE NOTES When he […]
Today’s episode takes us from geodesic dome habitats and space cathedrals to self-assembling orbital structures and creating a real-life Starfleet Academy. Our guest, Ariel Ekblaw, has been thinking about these topics for a long time, and she leads a number of initiatives focused on preparing us to become a thriving space-faring species. Pathfinder #0034 is […]
EPISODE SUMMARY Today we sit down with AJ Piplica, cofounder and CEO of Hermeus Corporation. He dials in straight from the belly of the beast, aka Hermeus’s Atlanta HQ and factory, where the team aims to make hypersonic air travel a reality before the decade is out. Pathfinder #0033 is brought to you by Altek […]
EPISODE SUMMARY Today, Pathfinder turns the complexity up a notch by simultaneously welcoming two speakers onto the show. Matt Weinzierl and Brendan Rosseau research, write, and develop coursework at the intersection of space and economics. They teach MBA students at a business school just outside of Boston (why yes, we are indeed referring to Harvard […]
