Space Minds

The new wave of industry coming for the LEO frontier

Space Minds

Show Notes

In this episode of the SpaceNews Space Minds podcast, host David Ariosto talks with Jonathan Cirtain, CEO and President of Axiom Space. They discuss the challenges — and wonders — of launching a career in an evolving space industry; a key financial sign that the space economy is maturing; and how a commercial presence in low Earth orbit can prepare humanity to explore farther into space. About Space Minds Space Minds is a new audio and video podcast from SpaceNews that focuses on the inspiring leaders, technologies and exciting opportunities in space. This weekly podcast features compelling interviews with scientists, founders and experts who love to talk about space, covers the news that has enthusiasts daydreaming, and engages with listeners. Join David Ariosto, Mike Gruss and journalists from the SpaceNews team for new episodes every Thursday. Space Minds Podcast ⁠https://spacenews.com/space-minds-podcast/⁠ Sign up for a SpaceNews newsletter ⁠https://spacenews.com/newsletters/

More from Space Minds

Oct 15, 2026

In this episode, SpaceNews’ Mike Gruss talks with NASA’s Shatel Bhakta, the principal systems engineer for Moon Base, about what’s needed between now and 2028 and the incremental steps to the future.👉 See more episodes in the Space Minds playlist About Space MindsSpace Minds is a new audio and video podcast from SpaceNews that focuses on the inspiring leaders, technologies and exciting opportunities in space.This weekly podcast features compelling interviews with scientists, founders and experts who love to talk about space, covers the news that has enthusiasts daydreaming, and engages with listeners. Join Mike Gruss and journalists from the SpaceNews team for new episodes every Thursday.Space Minds Podcast⁠https://spacenews.com/space-minds-podcastSign up for a SpaceNews newsletter⁠https://spacenews.com/newsletters/⁠

Oct 8, 2026

In this episode, a panel of industry experts discuss what’s needed to build a moon base. During a live event at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, leaders Astrolab, Firefly Space and APL share what a lunar future could look like and what has to happen in the next couple of years to make it a reality.

Oct 1, 2026

In this episode, SpaceNews’ Mike Gruss speaks with Ken Stoler, the space business development lead for Arrow. They discuss how spacecraft designers and operators have changed their attitudes toward risk, how the move toward massive megaconstellations has started to impact purchasing behavior in the space supply chain and the challenges and constraints of adding more AI-enabling computing power to spacecraft.

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In this episode, SpaceNews’ Mike Gruss and Novaspace CEO Pacôme Révillon look at what to expect from the space industry in the next year by playing a game of true or false.

Sep 17, 2026

In this episode of the podcast, SpaceNews’ Mike Gruss interviews Josef Aschbacher, the director-general of the European Space Agency, at the World Space Business Week conference in Paris. They discuss Europe’s growing push for stronger sovereignty in space and other domains. Aschbacher also shares his views on where Europe is leading in space, where he feels it needs to catch up and what he hopes to get out of Europe’s new investments in space.

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