Space Café™ Radio brings you our engaging talks, insightful interviews, and unfiltered perspectives in an exciting new format. With this show, you will have the opportunity to hear our team of SpaceWatchers while we are on the road. Each episode will feature a unique topic and personal touch, with content that is both exclusive and informative. We invite you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Don't hesitate to send us your feedback at radio@spacewatch.global and support us if you can - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1911988/supporters/new
Space Cafe Radio - Cyber Threats in Space: Why the Ground Segment Is the Real Target with Roger Patrick
"If someone ever claims they've finished implementing all the cyber, it's nonsense - it's a continually evolving problem." That clear-eyed honesty runs through this entire conversation, recorded live at SmallSat Europe in Amsterdam, where Torsten Kriening sits down with Roger Patrick, Director of Sales and Business Development at TERMA. TERMA sits right at the core of the operational chain - building satellite control and test systems that integrate with manufacturers and operators - which makes Patrick the ideal person to puncture a dangerous assumption: that the satellite is the prize and the ground is just plumbing. As he puts it, the plumbing is exactly what gets you access to the satellite. People talk about jamming and signal spoofing, but the real soft target is the terrestrial infrastructure: polluted software supply chains, abused user access rights, and all the familiar weaknesses of any IT system. A system is only as strong as its weakest link - and that link is usually on the ground. From there, the conversation ranges across the questions that rarely make the slides: how to retrofit secure-by-design, DevSecOps and zero trust into existing systems without breaking them or the budget; what NIS2, Germany's space security strategy and the coming EU Space Act mean for operators built on assumptions regulators may be about to retire; and the unglamorous reality that certification is fragmented across countries and standards. Patrick is candid on scaling security across thousands of satellites - layered architecture, automated key management, and resilience that lets you cut a compromised ground station loose and keep operating - and on why zero trust has moved from recommendation to near-mandate, even if "100% zero trust" remains a utopian ideal. He also tackles AI on both sides of the fight (penetration testing and productivity versus smarter attacks), the post-quantum threat and the NIST algorithms built to withstand it, and why none of this is a military-only problem: every asset in orbit is mission critical and worth protecting. His one ask for Monday morning? Think about security from day one — never as a bolt-on afterthought. Sharp, practical, and refreshingly free of hype. Press play. This Space Cafe Radio is supported by TERMA. Space Café Radio brings you talks, interviews, and reports from the team of SpaceWatchers while out on the road. Each episode has a specific topic, unique content, and a personal touch. Enjoy the show, and let us know your thoughts at radio@spacewatch.global We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Café Radio - Empowering the UAE's Space Future - Insights from Franck Mouriaux
"We're the supermarket of data. If you want a biscuit, you buy the milk - you don't need to be an expert in cows." That's how Franck Mouriaux frames one of the most visual ideas in this conversation, recorded live amid the noise of Eurosatory in Paris, where Torsten Kriening steps into the UAE Pavilion to sit down with the acting CEO of FADA, an EDGE company. Mouriaux is a space engineer whose CV reads like a tour of modern spaceflight - Sentinel-1, Galileo, EarthCARE, OneWeb, and Rocket Lab - before EDGE and the UAE offered him a new challenge: building a sovereign, industrial-scale space company from a near-standing start. In barely two years, FADA has set out to move the UAE from buying components to designing its own systems, and from government-funded activity to a genuine, commercially viable business. As Mouriaux explains, sovereignty doesn't mean doing everything yourself - it means knowing what's critical enough to keep in your own hands, and leveraging a surprisingly rich Emirati ecosystem for the rest. At the heart of the discussion is the SIRB constellation, and FADA's deliberate bet on synthetic aperture radar over the optical everyone else is chasing. Mouriaux makes a compelling case: radar sees day and night, through cloud, anywhere on the globe - and during the difficult months earlier this year, when clouds rendered most optical imagery useless, it was radar the armed forces relied on. He talks candidly about the dual-use civilian and defence applications, the transfer-of-knowledge model behind the first three satellites, partnerships with MetaSensing and ST Engineering, and a first launch targeted for early 2028. But the most forward-looking thread is Zenith - FADA's multi-constellation orchestration system, already live and optimising tasking across some 300 commercial satellites from eight to ten providers, with FADA's own satellites to come. It's the "supermarket" made real: one unified format, whoever the data comes from. Mouriaux closes on the thing you can't buy - people - and FADA's work embedding UAE nationals and running the Space Academy to build the brains long before the hardware. Visionary, pragmatic, and full of momentum. Press play. Space Café Radio brings you talks, interviews, and reports from the team of SpaceWatchers while out on the road. Each episode has a specific topic, unique content, and a personal touch. Enjoy the show, and let us know your thoughts at radio@spacewatch.global We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Café Radio - Understanding NATO's Intelligence Challenges - A Conversation with Major General Paul Lynch
"When allied intelligence sharing fails, it's almost never a collection failure - it's an integration failure." That's the uncomfortable argument Major General Paul Lynch opened the main stage with at GEOINT 2026, and it's the thread Torsten Kriening pulls on in this candid, wide-ranging conversation recorded live in Aurora, Colorado. As Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence at NATO Headquarters for nearly three years - and a Royal Marine with a 30-year career behind him - Lynch has a rare vantage point on how the alliance turns raw collection into decisions at speed. He walks us through the hard-won lessons of Ukraine, where fusing geospatial, open-source and electronic intelligence onto a single platform and linking it directly to effect transformed battlefield effectiveness in months, not years. He explains how NATO is capturing those lessons through JATEC, the first joint NATO–Ukraine centre in Poland, and why the real challenge is never just identifying a lesson, but turning it into capability, doctrine and policy - knowing all the while that the next war won't look like this one. The discussion ranges across the deterrence operations now shaping the alliance - Eastern Sentry, Baltic Sentry, Arctic Sentry - the power and friction of 32-nation consensus, and the growing role of commercial GEOINT as a core part of the enterprise rather than an afterthought. Lynch makes a clear-eyed case for NGA's LUNO model of machine-driven, near-real-time intelligence, and argues that the barrier isn't technology but data and trust: sharing by default, and commercial integration at scale. It closes on something more personal. In his final GEOINT in this role, Lynch reflects on why he calls legacy "a comforting illusion," on the informal trust he calls HANDCON - the relationships that let you make things work when it matters most - and on a borrowed line from Lincoln: "character is the tree, reputation merely its shadow." Honest, human, and genuinely thought-provoking. Press play. Space Café Radio brings you talks, interviews, and reports from the team of SpaceWatchers while out on the road. Each episode has a specific topic, unique content, and a personal touch. Enjoy the show, and let us know your thoughts at radio@spacewatch.global We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Café Radio - Innovation vs. Monopoly: Shaping Germany's Space Future with Major General Michael Traut
What does it take for a nation to treat space not as a scientific hobby, but as a strategic necessity? Live from the 41st Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Torsten Kriening sits down with Major General Michael Traut, Commander of the German Space Command, for a candid conversation about turning vision into execution. This episode moves from strategy to hard numbers: Germany's historic €35 billion (rising to roughly €45 billion) space investment, the new Space Safety and Security Strategy with its 65 named missions, and SATCOM Stage 4 - the largest space programme the Bundeswehr has ever attempted, a multi-orbit constellation of several hundred satellites modelled on the U.S. SDA's "rolling fleets" approach. Traut speaks frankly about the tensions shaping Europe's space moment: speed versus competition, the SPOCK reconnaissance awards and the risk of new monopolies, SIGINT from space, inspector satellites and counter-space capabilities, and how national capability (SATCOM Stage 4) and European cooperation (IRIS²) can reinforce rather than rival each other. With the clock ticking toward 2029, it's a clear-eyed look at how Germany intends to become a partner others can lean on - and why time, not money, is now the scarcest resource. Essential listening for anyone tracking the future of European security in orbit. To read: German Space Safety and Security Strategy Space Café Radio brings you talks, interviews, and reports from the team of SpaceWatchers while out on the road. Each episode has a specific topic, unique content, and a personal touch. Enjoy the show, and let us know your thoughts at radio@spacewatch.global We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Café Radio - Permission to Retire: Denied - How the US Space Force Was Born with Clint Crosier
"It's not about the satellites and rockets - it's about the data." That single line captures a career that has reshaped how the world thinks about space. Live from the Cheyenne Mountain Resort on the eve of the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Torsten Kriening sits down with Major General (Ret.) Clint Crosier for a rare, candid conversation across three transformations. Crosier was the lead architect of the U.S. Space Force - and he takes us behind closed doors: the empty white board, the 30-day deadline from the President, the "antibodies" inside the Pentagon, and the day on Capitol Hill when he first believed it would really happen. He recounts commanding the global GPS constellation through a live, on-orbit operating-system swap for a billion users, and launching national-security payloads from Vandenberg in the tense weeks after 9/11. Then comes transformation number two: building the AWS Aerospace & Satellite business from zero to thousands of customers worldwide, and proving that space is, at its heart, a big-data problem - from a Snowcone on the ISS to edge computing on orbit. The conversation looks ahead to commercial GEOINT, allied integration, the Moon, Mars, and the cloud following customers all the way to the edge of the solar system. And it closes with transformation number three: Crosier's new venture, Delta V Strategies, and an open invitation to build what comes next. A masterclass in leading change in the space domain. Essential listening. Space Café Radio brings you talks, interviews, and reports from the team of SpaceWatchers while out on the road. Each episode has a specific topic, unique content, and a personal touch. Enjoy the show, and let us know your thoughts at radio@spacewatch.global We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Café Radio - "What Washington Doesn't See" - Dr. Michael Gleason on Europe's Geopolitical Space Awakening
"I think the US in general doesn't pay much attention to European space." That's how Dr. Michael Gleason of the Aerospace Corporation opens - and it's exactly the blind spot this conversation sets out to expose. Recorded live on day two of the 41st Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Torsten Kriening sits down with the analyst whose latest paper, " Geopolitical Awakening: The European Union and Space, " made a lot of Europeans uncomfortable - not because he got it wrong, but because an American got it right. It's Gleason's ninth paper on EU space activities across more than twenty years of watching the continent's slow, incremental, and now suddenly accelerating progress. The conversation digs into what mapping Europe's space ecosystem from the outside reveals that insiders often miss. Gleason walks through the political-will framework he first built in 2004 - policy, institutions, senior-leader attention, and money - and explains why, with up to €60 billion on the table in the next EU budget, he believes this time Europe means it. Then comes his one truly original insight: as EU funding flows into ESA, the share could climb past 50%, and that "different color of money" might quietly loosen the geographic-return rule that has held European space together for forty years. From strategic autonomy (and what Washington actually hears when Europeans say it - "not much") to dual-use tensions around Galileo, Copernicus and IRIS², from missile-warning data sharing to the role of NATO, this is a clear-eyed, transatlantic exchange. And it ends on a provocation worth sitting with: the most uncomfortable thing isn't Gleason's conclusions - it's that a European institution didn't write the paper. Strategic autonomy, as Torsten argues, starts with self-understanding. Torsten's Op'ed: #SpaceWatchGL Opinion: Who Understands European Space Better - Washington or Brussels? Space Café Radio brings you talks, interviews, and reports from the team of SpaceWatchers while out on the road. Each episode has a specific topic, unique content, and a personal touch. Enjoy the show, and let us know your thoughts at radio@spacewatch.global We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Café Radio - "Space Is a Team Sport" - Major General Ohl on NATO, Burden Shifting, and the Future of Space Defense
"Space is a team sport." With that single phrase, German Major General Wolfgang Ohl captures the shift that defined Germany's presence at the 41st Space Symposium - and perhaps the decade ahead for European space defense. Recorded live on the final day in Colorado Springs, Torsten Kriening sits down with the Deputy Director of the Armed Forces Department at the German Ministry of Defense for a candid, strategic conversation. Germany arrived this year with a footprint never seen before: its largest-ever cross-ministerial delegation, a whole-of-government booth under the banner of the national space security and defense strategy, and - for the first time in its history - a federal ministry with "space" in its name. But the real story is what sits behind the €35 billion headline figure (€45 billion across civil and defense combined). General Ohl walks us through the language everyone was using in the keynotes - burden sharing, and increasingly, burden shifting - and what it means now that American partners may one day pull critical capabilities from the European theater. ISR, space-based missile defense, resilient constellations: which of these can Europe substitute, and how fast? From Olympic Defender and Combined Space Operations to bringing space assets into NATO's defense planning process, from the framework-nation concept that lets smaller allies plug into German capabilities to the hard questions of interoperability and sharing classified data in an age of AI and spoofing - this is a clear-eyed look at how Europe builds a genuine pillar in space. Not as a slogan, but as a requirement. Honest, forward-looking, and grounded in the realities of the free world's defense. Press play. Space Café Radio brings you talks, interviews, and reports from the team of SpaceWatchers while out on the road. Each episode has a specific topic, unique content, and a personal touch. Enjoy the show, and let us know your thoughts at radio@spacewatch.global We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Cafe Radio - Eyes Wide Open: Marshall Smith on Building the Commercial Space Station
In this episode of Space Cafe Radio , host Torsten Kriening , Publisher of SpaceWatch.Global, sits down with Marshall Smith , CEO of Starlab Space, at the 41st Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. The conversation reconnects a story that began in Bremen back in 2018, when Marshall was wiring together SLS, Orion, and Gateway at NASA, and now finds him on the other side, building the commercial future he once championed from inside the agency. From NASA Insider to Commercial Builder Marshall reflects on his transition from NASA, where he was always "commercial at heart" - pushing the system to go faster, do things differently, and question whether all those requirements were truly necessary. Now leading Starlab, he gets to put those convictions into action. The Time is Now for Commercial LEO "Now's the time to turn over Low Earth Orbit to commercial enterprise." After 54 years of space stations and more than two decades of permanent crewed presence on the ISS, the industry has learned enough. The technology readiness is there. The standards are there. The time has come for commercial enterprise to take over LEO so NASA can focus on the harder things- Moon, Mars, and beyond. Where Starlab Stands Today Marshall reveals concrete progress: Starlab is past Critical Design Review with NASA (completed in December), in manufacturing, building structures, with long-lead items in process. They're roughly five to six years into the typical six-to-ten-year development cycle for a complex space vehicle. Some say they haven't hit the hard part yet, but Marshall responds: "We have the capability, we have the experience. Eyes wide open." The Real Gap Risk The ISS retires around 2030. China's space station is operational today. Marshall is candid about the leaks, the aging equipment, the obsolete components, and the uncertainty about whether extension to 2030 or 2032 will be possible. Starlab's launch target is 2029 - and they intend to be there before the gap opens. Recreating the ISS Partnership - Commercially Starlab is a joint venture with Voyager as majority shareholder, joined by Airbus, Mitsubishi, MDA, Palantir, and Hilton - a multinational structure that recreates the ISS partnership at a commercial and business level. The same companies that built parts of the ISS are now building the commercial successor. Starship as the Launch Plan Marshall explains why he's not worried: Starship has already been to orbit, and Starlab only needs to reach orbit and deploy - no Moon landing required. By the time Starlab launches, Starship will likely be on its seventh version. The Manufacturing Vision Marshall hints at semiconductor manufacturing, biopharma, pill production, fiber optics, and a proprietary concept that could revolutionize the pace of in-orbit manufacturing. He predicts the demand will be so great that companies might want their own dedicated Starlab modules - and that copies could be built in roughly one to two years. The iPhone Moment for Space Stations "In 2007, somebody built a platform called an iPhone. It had a few games, didn't even do FaceTime. Now you can't walk around without your phone. CLDs are platforms. Ten years after operations begin, you're going to see things you would've never imagined - maybe ordering a replacement heart tuned to your DNA, printed in space." On Artemis 2 Having been involved in Artemis 1 and 2 at NASA, Marshall shares his personal joy at the mission's success. For him, it's a signal to the world that humanity is going back to deep space, to the Moon's surface, building Moon bases, going to Mars. The Bigger Mission "It's about becoming a multi-planet species. Maybe one day becoming a multi-stellar species. I know that sounds crazy to some people. That's why I do this. Because I don't want to see us being here locked on this planet a thousand years from now." Marshall draws the parallel to the 1400s - when explorers asked "what if we cross this big body of water?" - and now humans are asking the same question about the void of vacuum. The exploration accelerates. We were built for this. For Listeners Who Think Big This is a conversation about commercial space stations, the urgency of LEO transition, the iPhone-platform future of orbital manufacturing, and what it means to become a multi-planet species. Space Café Radio brings you talks, interviews, and reports from the team of SpaceWatchers while out on the road. Each episode has a specific topic, unique content, and a personal touch. Enjoy the show, and let us know your thoughts at radio@spacewatch.global We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Café Radio - Cell Towers Are Already Dead - They Just Don't Know It Yet with Daniel Faber
In this special edition of Space Cafe Radio , host Torsten Kriening , Publisher of SpaceWatch.Global, sits down with Daniel Faber , former CEO of Orbit Fab, on the sun deck of Daniel's home near Hidden Lake outside Denver, Colorado. After almost a decade of knowing each other, this conversation hits differently. Daniel has just stepped down from Orbit Fab - the company he co-founded eight years ago to make satellites refuelable - and is preparing his next bold move. What unfolds is a wide-ranging conversation that challenges assumptions about the future of space. The Bold Prediction "I predict that every cell phone tower on Earth will become obsolete within 10 years because of direct-to-device. Every cell phone company that is invested in towers is looking at a dead asset with trailing revenues, and they have to figure out what to do with it." This is the prediction that sets the tone for an extraordinary conversation. The Orbit Fab Chapter Closes Daniel reflects on building Orbit Fab from a paradigm nobody believed in to a company where the technology now works and the paradigm has shifted. He shares why stepping aside was the right call, why he's not the right person to take the company to IPO, and what comes next. A Career of Being Right Too Early From asteroid mining ambitions at Deep Space Industries to creating the in-orbit refueling market at Orbit Fab, Daniel has spent 25 years working on what most people thought was impossible. He shares the throughline: getting humans and life off Earth as the most significant step since we crawled out of the ocean. The Three Telecom Models Battle Daniel breaks down the emerging direct-to-device satellite communications landscape: SpaceX/Starlink - Will eat the telco market themselves AST SpaceMobile - The friendlier partnership model with telcos Space42 - The platform-only approach where telcos keep customers, spectrum, AND transponder Why AST SpaceMobile is worth $36 billion with only $10 million in revenue, why SpaceX is valued at $1.75 trillion, and what this means for the half-dozen new mega constellation companies funded in the last 6-9 months. The Massive Markets Coming to Space Global telecoms: $2-3 trillion Power generation: $6-7 trillion (and growing with AI data centers) Manufacturing: $10-15 trillion How much of these markets will move to space? Daniel makes the case that the next 10-20 years will reveal dozens of massive new space markets we haven't even imagined yet. Torsten Pushes Back This isn't a friendly endorsement session. Torsten challenges Daniel on sovereignty concerns, single-person dependencies, spectrum constraints, landing rights, and whether the world really needs 100 mega constellations. The exchange that follows shows why this conversation matters. What's Next for Daniel? Daniel stays coy about his new stealth space company, but reveals he's already meeting with likely co-founders and putting pieces in place. His philosophy: be contrarian AND right. Being contrarian is easy. Being right is the hard part. "In order to be successful, entrepreneurs need to be contrarian. If they're doing something everybody already believes, it's a commodity. There's no margins. Why bother?" The Throughline From Deep Space Industries to Orbit Fab to whatever comes next—Daniel's mission remains constant: build the in-space economy that can support permanent human life beyond Earth. The most significant step since we crawled out of the ocean. For Listeners Who Love Big Ideas This is a conversation about cell tower obsolescence, in-space manufacturing markets, the geopolitics of mega constellations, and the contrarian mindset needed to build something the world doesn't yet know it wants. Space Café Radio brings you talks, interviews, and reports from the team of SpaceWatchers while out on the road. Each episode has a specific topic, unique content, and a personal touch. Enjoy the show, and let us know your thoughts at radio@spacewatch.global We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Café Radio - Commercial EO and Sovereign Space Perspectives with Sean Wiid
In this episode of Space Cafe Radio , host Torsten Kriening , Publisher of SpaceWatch.Global, sits down with Sean Wiid , CEO of UP42, the Berlin-based Earth Observation platform now part of the Neo Space Group. A Unique Vantage Point UP42 sits at a fascinating intersection: a European EO platform headquartered in Berlin, now under Neo Space Group ownership, operating commercially across the world. This positioning gives Sean exceptional perspective on the global EO market in 2026. Episode Highlights The Saudi Acquisition Impact How the ownership change has been positively received globally, plus deployment of a national sovereign version of UP42's platform in Saudi Arabia. European Sovereignty Wave Reading the EO market amid German armed forces investments and emerging sovereignty requirements across Europe. Has Earth Observation Actually Matured? Mature: Constellations, modalities, APIs, optical data applications Still Developing: Pricing models, licensing, commercial SAR and hyperspectral use Customer Empowerment How UP42 enables customers to operate with engineering teams half the size by handling heavy lifting on data acquisition. Sovereignty vs. Monopoly Why diversity creates resilient systems, and how Germany's Spoke 1 and Spoke 2 show sovereign and commercial EO can work together. The Standards Revolution Cloud-optimized GeoTIFFs as primary delivery mechanism STAC metadata format exploding in adoption (UP42 actively contributing) Tasking API standards emerging through industry collaboration Sean's insight: "Standards don't have to come from long, complicated processes. They emerge from people in industry sitting in a room and figuring it out." Special Topics Covered For Journalists: How to access satellite imagery responsibly and why building a reputation for responsible usage matters. Security and Privacy: SOC 2 compliance, order anonymity considerations, and the realities of dual-use data. The Sovereignty Solution: Not replacing one monopoly with three, but creating orchestrated ecosystems built on open standards. Sean's Closing Thought "This is probably the most exciting time in our industry that I've ever seen. I'm extremely proud of how far we've come, particularly as a European, Berlin-based company." Space Café Radio brings you talks, interviews, and reports from the team of SpaceWatchers while out on the road. Each episode has a specific topic, unique content, and a personal touch. Enjoy the show, and let us know your thoughts at radio@spacewatch.global We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Café Radio - TTTech - The Silent Power Behind Space Innovation with Christian Fidi and Sascha Bechthold
Host Yvette Gonzalez , Senior Editor at SpaceWatch.Global, talks with Christian Fidi (General Manager) and Sascha Bechthold (VP Engineering and Product Development) of TTTECH’s aerospace business entity - the Vienna-based company quietly powering modern aerospace's most consequential missions. The Heritage: 🚀 Spinoff of the Technical University Vienna – TU Wien (1998) ✈️ Over 1 billion flight hours in safety-critical aviation applications 🌌 Nervous system of Ariane 6 and every NASA Lunar Gateway module 🏆 Quietly indispensable to global space infrastructure Key Topics: 🔧 TTEthernet: Open-standard protocol enabling fault-tolerant systems across aviation, space, defense, and energy 💰 Investment Philosophy: 70-75% of revenue into product development—one core technology serving multiple industries 🎯 Artemis 2 Reflection: Christian on seeing TTTECH's technology perform flawlessly after years of development 🏗️ Sprint AND Marathon: Balancing rapid satellite deployment with rigorous human spaceflight certification 🇪🇺 Europe's Edge: Why TTTECH is one of the only companies outside the US with this capability Sascha's Perspective: Fresh from Collins Aerospace with 20+ years of aerospace leadership - why he joined TTTECH. The Human Element: "We need something we can feel and believe in." Christian on how Artemis 2 reconnects humanity with purpose after years of global challenges. Sascha's Closing: "When it comes to safe and secure systems, TTTECH is the right partner to keep the environment safe, the people safe, the world safe." Tune in next time, because what happens in space matters on Earth. Space Café Radio brings you talks, interviews, and reports from the team of SpaceWatchers while out on the road. Each episode has a specific topic, unique content, and a personal touch. Enjoy the show, and let us know your thoughts at radio@spacewatch.global We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Café Radio - Crafting the Future of Space - Engineers as Policy Pioneers with Dr Daniel Baker
Host Torsten Kriening , Publisher of SpaceWatch.Global, talks with Dr. Daniel Baker , Director of the Space Policy Center at CU Boulder, recorded hours before Artemis 2's splashdown. Why Colorado? Highest concentration of space activity globally-per capita Massive aerospace industry, military space, and science presence Strong academic foundation Key Topics: 🔧 The Engineer's Blind Spot: Why technical excellence isn't enough - engineers need to understand historical, political, and legal forces 🌐 The Reverse Approach: Starting with science/engineering, then layering policy and law -opposite of most space policy institutes 🌌 Wild West of Commercial Space: Who's thinking responsibly about how space is used? 🌙 Human vs. Robotic Exploration: What's the right balance? This deserves thoughtful examination, not stumbling forward 📡 Protecting the Moon's Far Side: Satellite proliferation threatens quiet radio astronomy ⚖️ The Space Law Gap: "Other than the Outer Space Treaty, there's almost no guiding principles." Time to act before we damage space like we've damaged Earth. Key Insight: "Engineers are so busy learning technical aspects that they don't get a deeper understanding of how this plays in the broader societal sense." The Mission: Train socially responsible engineers and scientists who understand not just HOW to build space systems, but WHY. Space Café Radio brings you talks, interviews, and reports from the team of SpaceWatchers while out on the road. Each episode has a specific topic, unique content, and a personal touch. Enjoy the show, and let us know your thoughts at radio@spacewatch.global We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Café Radio - Oman Signs Artemis Accords and Charts Its Path to Space Sovereignty with Dr. Ali Al Shidhani
Join Torsten Kriening, publisher of SpaceWatch.Global, for this special episode recorded live at the second Middle East Space Conference in Muscat, Oman in January 2026, featuring His Excellency Dr. Ali Al Shidhani, Undersecretary of Communications and IT at Oman's Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology. In a historic moment for the Gulf region, Dr. Al Shidhani reveals the breaking news: Oman has just become the 61st nation to sign the Artemis Accords -announced on the conference's opening day, just 24 hours after the third round of Oman-U.S. Strategic Dialogue where space cooperation was a key agenda item. Discover: How Oman Vision 2040 is transforming the nation from oil economy to knowledge economy, with space as one of eight strategic pillars of the National Digital Economy Program The remarkable growth story: 200% increase in space sector investments, 400 employees, and 150% growth in space companies-all in just three years Why Oman chose to build a rocket launch port "to fly rockets for science rather than other maybe not so peaceful activities" How foreign companies can achieve 100% ownership and fast-track regulatory approval - launching a rocket in just 45 days from permit application The philosophy behind Oman's upcoming space law: enabling innovation while ensuring responsible development Why success for Oman isn't measured against other nations, but against themselves: "How can Oman tomorrow become better than Oman today?" Dr. Al Shidhani articulates a compelling vision where space is not just about satellites and rockets, but about digital sovereignty, youth inspiration, capacity building, and localizing space technology capabilities with Omani talent. From downstream applications to upstream enablement, from regulatory red tape to red carpet treatment - this is the story of how a Gulf nation is carving its distinctive path in the global space ecosystem. We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Café Radio - The Transparent Battlefield: Germany's Space and CID Revolution with Major General Fleischmann
The Transparent Battlefield: Space, AI, and the Future of Military Operations In this episode of Space Café Radio , host Torsten Kriening speaks with Major General Armin Fleischmann , Head of Planning for Cyber and Information Domain (CID) and Digitalization of the Bundeswehr, about how modern warfare is being fundamentally transformed by space, data, and artificial intelligence. At the core of the discussion is a powerful concept: the “transparent battlefield.” Driven by pervasive sensors, satellite-based reconnaissance, and real-time data flows, today’s operational environment leaves little room for concealment. Information has become the decisive factor in military success. As Major General Fleischmann explains, modern operations are no longer conceivable without space-based capabilities, which are essential for both communications and intelligence. The Bundeswehr’s Cyber and Information Domain (CID) services plays a central role in this transformation. Acting as the “nervous system” of the armed forces, CID services integrates cyber, geospatial intelligence, and digitization into a unified operational framework. The goal is to connect all available sensors - across land, air, sea, cyber, and space - into a digital combat cloud, supported by AI to process vast amounts of data and accelerate decision-making. The episode also explores Germany’s growing investment in military space capabilities, including new satellite constellations, commercial partnerships, and the integration of geospatial intelligence systems. These developments are positioning Germany not only as a consumer of allied intelligence, but increasingly as a contributor within NATO frameworks. Interoperability remains a central priority. Drawing on lessons from past missions, such as Afghanistan, the Bundeswehr is working toward “zero-day interoperability” with allies - ensuring that systems can connect and operate seamlessly from the outset of any mission. Finally, the conversation turns to the next generation of talent. Major General Fleischmann highlights the importance of emerging leaders, interdisciplinary networks, and strong connections between industry, academia, and the military. In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, people remain the decisive factor. This episode provides a clear and grounded perspective on how space, AI, and digitalization are reshaping defense - and why the future of security will depend on the ability to integrate information, technology, and human judgment into a coherent whole. This episode of Space Cafe Radio is supported by DGI 2026. We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Café Radio - Transforming the Space Foundation - with Dr. Heather Pringle
From Vision to Action: Why Space Symposium 2026 Matters Now More Than Ever In this forward-looking episode of Space Café Radio , Torsten Kriening speaks with Dr. Heather Pringle Maj Gen, USAF (Ret.), CEO of the Space Foundation, ahead of the 41st Space Symposium in Colorado Springs - a gathering that is no longer just an event, but a global platform for action . After years of alignment, the outlook for 2026: 👉 The space community is moving from vision to execution. Dr. Pringle reflects on her journey as CEO through three lenses - appreciation, clarity, and confidence . Appreciation for the speed and scale of the global space ecosystem. Clarity about the structural barriers - the “stovepipes” between sectors. And confidence that these challenges can be solved - but only together. The Space Symposium itself is evolving with that mindset. It is no longer just a week in April - it is a year-round engine of momentum , where conversations turn into partnerships, and partnerships into tangible outcomes. And 2026 could mark a historic moment. For the first time in the Foundation’s 40+ year history, a human mission to the Moon (Artemis II) may be underway during the Symposium itself - a powerful symbol that space is entering a new era of real-world progress. But beyond the headlines, the deeper story is about connection : •Bridging civil, commercial, military, and international actors •Turning geopolitical tension into collaboration •Building interoperability while strengthening sovereign capabilities •Creating a workforce pipeline that inspires, prepares, and employs the next generation From record-breaking participation and growing international engagement to new initiatives in education, storytelling, and industry insights, the Space Foundation is positioning itself as a trusted convener in a fragmented world . And perhaps the most powerful takeaway? 👉 Progress in space is not driven by technology alone - it is driven by relationships. Because in a time of global uncertainty, one thing stands out: The future of space will be shaped not just by rockets and satellites - but by the people who come together, face to face, to make it happen. Colorado Springs is where those conversations begin. Space Café Radio brings you talks, interviews, and reports from the team of SpaceWatchers while out on the road. Each episode has a specific topic, unique content, and a personal touch. Enjoy the show, and let us know your thoughts at radio@spacewatch.global We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Cafe Radio - Shaping Tomorrow: UAEs Path in the Global Space Sector with H.E. Salem Al Qubaisi
From Vision to Execution: The UAE’s Next Space Chapter In this special episode of Space Cafe Radio , recorded live at the Middle East Space Conference in Oman, Torsten Kriening speaks with His Excellency Salem Al Qubaisi , Director General of the UAE Space Agency , about the remarkable evolution of the UAE as a modern, agile space nation. In just over a decade, the United Arab Emirates has moved from ambition to execution — building not only missions, but a fully integrated ecosystem spanning exploration, Earth observation, AI-driven analytics, and international cooperation. Today, the focus is clear: scale, multiply, and globalize. At the heart of this transformation lies the Emirates 2030 Strategy and a bold KPI: “2X everything.” Double the number of companies. Double research output. Double socioeconomic impact. The result? A 35% increase in space companies, now exceeding 300, alongside growing investments in academia, startups, and advanced technologies. But this is more than numbers. Al Qubaisi outlines a model built on enablement — streamlined licensing, 100% foreign ownership, “Zero Bureaucracy” initiatives, and seamless one-stop-shop processes designed to accelerate innovation without compromising safety or risk management. The message to the world: the UAE is open, fast, and serious. Security, he emphasizes, is a pillar — not through militarization, but through enablement. Defense is viewed as a vital customer of space services, reinforcing the role of Earth observation, ISR capabilities, and resilient infrastructure as foundations of sovereignty and economic growth. Partnership is central. The UAE does not seek isolation or duplication. Instead, it positions itself as a high-quality partner in global supply chains — offering world-class infrastructure, political stability, and access to over 30 comprehensive economic agreements worldwide. The goal is not relocation. It is integration. From the Arab Space Cooperation Group’s satellite initiatives to an upcoming regional space-data hackathon leveraging new Earth observation assets, the UAE continues to translate inspiration into industrial capability. Astronaut achievements and youth engagement are not symbolic — they are strategic multipliers feeding a rapidly expanding innovation ecosystem. Looking ahead five years, Al Qubaisi’s vision is pragmatic and ambitious: achieve the 2X target, attract more international co-production, strengthen midstream and downstream industries, and position the UAE as a trusted, competitive node in the global space economy. This episode of Space Cafe Radio captures a nation that understands momentum — and intends to sustain it. The UAE space story is no longer about proving capability. It is about scaling influence. We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Café Radio - Space, Defense, and Diversity: Insights from Prof. Dr. Rafaela Kraus
"We have to bring people together. If we want a functioning ecosystem, we have to break these silos." On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2026 , this special episode of Space Café Radio brings together host Laura Todd , Senior Advisor and Editor at SpaceWatch.Global, with Prof. Dr. Rafaela Kraus from the University of the Bundeswehr Munich for a thought-provoking conversation about innovation, education, and the future of Europe’s space and defense ecosystems. Prof. Kraus works at the intersection of entrepreneurship, technology transfer, and innovation ecosystems, supporting startups and young innovators in security, defense, and space technologies. In this discussion, she shares insights on why diversity of perspectives - across disciplines, experiences, and backgrounds - is not only a matter of fairness, but a critical capability for building resilient innovation ecosystems . The conversation explores key challenges facing Europe today, including fragmented markets, underdeveloped capital ecosystems for deep-tech startups, and the need to better connect universities, industry, policymakers, and investors. Prof. Kraus emphasizes that innovation rarely happens within isolated sectors - it thrives at the boundaries between disciplines, cultures, and industries . Laura and Rafaela also reflect on the role of education in shaping future talent. Beyond technical expertise, the next generation of engineers and innovators must develop leadership, economic understanding, communication skills, and entrepreneurial thinking to transform breakthrough ideas into real-world capabilities. Another powerful theme of the episode is how space and technology are communicated to society. Too often they are framed as either overly complex or inherently dangerous. Instead, Prof. Kraus suggests presenting space exploration as a long-term human endeavor - comparable to the great cathedral-building projects of past centuries - ambitious, collaborative, and inspiring. Looking ahead, the discussion highlights the importance of breaking down institutional silos, modernizing public-sector structures, and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across academia, startups, and established industry players. For International Women’s Day, Prof. Kraus leaves listeners with an inspiring message: follow your passion, connect across boundaries, and help build the ecosystems that will shape the future of space and technology. Or, as Laura Todd put it: "Go for what you enjoy, your passion, and what you love." We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Café Radio - UAE's Stellar Journey on Space Exploration and Innovation with H.E. Salem Al Marri
From Mars to the Moon: The UAE’s Bold Space Vision In this powerful episode of Space Cafe Radio, recorded live at the Middle East Space Conference 2026 in Muscat, Oman, Torsten Kriening sits down with H.E. Salem Al Marri , Managing Director of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), to reflect on one of the most remarkable space transformations of the past two decades. From its beginnings in Earth observation with DubaiSat-1 to developing fully indigenous satellite systems, MBRSC has evolved into a project-driven powerhouse - focused not on bureaucracy, but on delivery. But the story does not stop in orbit around Earth. 🚀 The UAE’s Hope Mars Mission proved that ambitious deep space exploration is possible - even for a young space nation. 🛰️ The astronaut program has delivered long-duration ISS missions and the first Arab spacewalk. 🌕 As a partner in Artemis program , the UAE is building the Gateway airlock - securing seats to lunar orbit, and aiming ultimately for the Moon’s surface. Salem Al Marri makes one thing clear: these missions are not symbolic milestones. They are capability engines. Every astronaut mission fuels human life sciences research. Every deep space challenge strengthens engineering excellence. Every rover built pushes national talent further. MBRSC’s philosophy is simple yet powerful: Think bigger than what seems possible - and build the talent to match it. From landing a rover on the Moon’s far side to one day placing an Emirati footprint on the lunar surface, the UAE is not chasing headlines - it is building long-term capability. And perhaps the most inspiring moment of the episode? When asked what success looks like, Salem Al Marri answers without hesitation: A human from the UAE standing on the Moon. That is the vision. That is the ambition. And the journey is already underway. Space Café Radio brings you talks, interviews, and reports from the team of SpaceWatchers while out on the road. Each episode has a specific topic, unique content, and a personal touch. Enjoy the show, and let us know your thoughts at radio@spacewatch.global We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Café Radio - Beyond Earth: Space Refueling and National Security with Daniel Faber
Refueling the Future: How Orbit Fab is Building Gas Stations in Space Join host Maria Varmazis from T-Minus Space Daily as she sits down with Daniel Faber , CEO of Orbit Fab , at Commercial Space Week in Orlando, Florida for this special guest production for Space Café Radio. In this fascinating conversation, Daniel reveals how his company is revolutionizing space operations by building the critical infrastructure that will unlock humanity's multi-planetary future - refueling stations in orbit. Discover: How Orbit Fab expanded from a single employee to 25 people in the UK in just three years The shocking moment China refueled a satellite and outmaneuvered US spacecraft by burning six years of fuel in 10 minutes Why military leaders are finally saying "we need this NOW" after years of skepticism The technical challenges of docking spacecraft in a plasma environment with tens of thousands of volts of potential difference How self-driving car technology is being repurposed for autonomous spacecraft docking Daniel's vision for space refineries that could process asteroid materials into rocket fuel Why upgrading satellites in orbit could reduce costs by 90% and increase demand a hundredfold From hydrazine to xenon, from LEO to GEO, Orbit Fab is building the industrial chemical supply chain that will enable satellite servicing, space manufacturing, and eventually - asteroid mining. As Daniel says: "Getting humanity off Earth is going to be the most significant thing that's happened since we crawled out of the ocean. Why would I work on anything else?" Space Café Radio brings you talks, interviews, and reports from the team of SpaceWatchers while out on the road. Each episode has a specific topic, unique content, and a personal touch. Enjoy the show, and let us know your thoughts at radio@spacewatch.global We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
Space Café Radio - Power, Politics, and Strategy in Todays World with Dr. Patrick Keller
Power, Responsibility, and Europe’s Moment of Truth In this episode of Space Cafe Radio , host Torsten Kriening speaks with Dr. Patrick Keller , Deputy Research Director at the German Council on Foreign Relations , about a world order that is no longer theoretical - but brutally real. Dr. Keller dismantles one of Europe’s most comfortable assumptions: that international politics is still governed primarily by rules, institutions, and good intentions. That era, he argues, is fading fast. Power - political, economic, military, and technological - is once again the decisive currency. And Europe, especially Germany, must learn to think and act accordingly. The conversation moves swiftly from abstract geopolitics to concrete consequences. A more transactional United States, shifting signals from Washington, and growing doubts about the long-term credibility of NATO security guarantees force Europe to confront an uncomfortable reality: strategic autonomy is no longer a slogan - it is a necessity. From Greenland’s geopolitical relevance to the erosion of trust in long-standing alliances, Keller outlines a world in which geography, deterrence, and credibility matter again. In this context, space emerges not as a futuristic add-on, but as a core pillar of sovereignty. Investment in space infrastructure, resilience, and security is no longer optional - it is foundational for national and European defense. Perhaps most striking is Keller’s call for clarity. Germany, he argues, must distinguish between what is essential and what is merely comfortable. Defense capability, economic competitiveness, technological leadership, and European cohesion must take precedence over symbolic debates and strategic hesitation. Looking toward 2026, the message is unmistakable: Germany has the weight, the responsibility, and the opportunity to lead - but only if it is willing to act. Leadership, in this new global order, means making hard choices early rather than paying higher prices later. This episode of Space Cafe Radio is not about alarmism. It is about realism. And about Europe finally stepping into a role it can no longer afford to avoid. Space Café Radio brings you talks, interviews, and reports from the team of SpaceWatchers while out on the road. Each episode has a specific topic, unique content, and a personal touch. Enjoy the show, and let us know your thoughts at radio@spacewatch.global We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters Support the show You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast! Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global , subscribe to our newsletters . Follow us on LinkedIn and X !
