Venture capital is back on the rise for space technology – especially for defense and national security contractors. Apeis the latest to benefit, raising $95 million in a Series B round to ramp production of its satellite bus production. On this episode of Manifest Space, Apex CEO Ian Cinnamon sits down with Morgan Brennan to discuss the company’s Series B capital raise, the competitive landscape, and the long-term vision for Apex.

As the space economy has skyrocketed, so too has coverage. Payload secured funding in 2021 and has grown into a space media hub, newsletters, podcasts, research and events. As it expands into other areas of coverage such as nuclear energy, co-founder Mo Islam joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the big trends tracking for space, how payload is opening up opportunities beyond the final frontier.

As SpaceX’s Starship continues its development, some companies are preparing for the radical change it will bring to the space economy. Astrolab, a startup focused on building lunar rovers, was founded by former SpaceX employee Jaret Matthews to meet that need. The company was recently selected by NASA to design lunar terrain vehicles with the hopes of making the rovers Artemis astronauts will use to drive around the moon as soon as 2030. Morgan Brennan sits down with Astrolab CEO Jaret...

Verizon is the latest telecom giant to partner with AST SpaceMobile, a small cap satellite operator. Founder & CEO Abel Avellan joins Morgan Brennan to break down the deal’s details, the company’s satellite constellation and future work with government contractors.

As agriculture becomes increasingly connected and autonomous, space is helping to enable the surge in services. CNH Industrial is the latest to level up its satellite communications, partnering with Intelsat to bring satellite communications to precision farming in rural areas. CEO Scott Wine joins Morgan Brennan to dig into the collaboration, what space can bring to farming and the global agricultural downturn.

Just two years after its founding, startup Vast is one of several startups aiming to put the first commercial space station into orbit. The startup is developing Haven 1, aiming to launch it next year. CEO Max Haot joins Morgan Brennan from the 2024 Space Symposium to discuss his company’s ambitious plans, creating gravity in space, and its partnership with SpaceX.

Could microgravity be used to print human organs? Redwire announced this week it had successfully bio-printed the first live human heart tissue sample. CEO Peter Cannito joins Morgan Brennan from Space Symposium in Colorado Springs ahead of the announcement to discuss the technology.

After nearly a decade, Boeing’s Starliner is about to embark on its first-ever crewed flight. The CFT is scheduled to lift off as soon as tonight. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the milestone, the role of commercial space in the space agency’s outlook, and more.

From leadership upheaval to a lunar launch on deck – 2024 is poised to be a breakout year for space startup Firefly Aerospace. CEO Bill Weber joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the slew of projects at the end-to-end space transportation company from this year’s Space Symposium.

SES is acquiring rival satellite operator Intelsat for $3.1 billion, in a deal that brings together two major communications satellite operators in a market facing increased competition. SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the deal, the competitive landscape and where he sees the future of satellite communications.

As mega-constellations proliferate, satellite communications is skyrocketing-- and so is the need to regulate them. In response, the FCC launched its Space Bureau one year ago this month. Since the reorganization, it's taken on space junk, emergency satellite cell service, issuing licenses for lunar landers, and more. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the agency's operations and how she views its role in the new space economy.

As geopolitical tensions have soared this week, the role of space as a warfighting domain becomes ever-more critical. A key topic at the Space Symposium, Boeing’s Space Intelligence & Weapon System Vice President and General Manager Kay Sears sits down with Morgan Brennan to discuss space exploration and rising demand for national security in the final frontier.

While space billionaires have a slew of visions for the future of humanity, few are literally reaching for the stars literally. Kam Ghaffarian, the co-founder of Axiom Space, Intuitive Machines and more, joins Morgan Brennan from the Space Symposium to discuss the trillion-dollar opportunity in the space economy, nuclear reactors and more.

Aerospace has grown 88% over the past two decades – more than any other emerging industry in metro Denver and Boulder in that period. With 191 aerospace companies in the region, Voyager Space stands out as a rapidly growing multinational space conglomerate. Founder and CEO Dylan Taylor joins Morgan Brennan to discuss how and why the aerospace industry is thriving in Denver and how one entrepreneur is channeling the economic boom to build the Berkshire Hathaway of space. Tune into “Cities of...

Sierra Space, a private space tech company valued at $5.3 billion has been thirty years in the making. Now, it’s unveiling a line of buses—the main bodies of satellites—to sell to others. CEO Tom Vice joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the product launch, its Dream Chaser spaceplane’s maiden voyage, and plans to go public.

What if AI could make weather forecasts more accurate? Spire Global has been tracking the accuracy of AI-driven weather prediction models using its own satellite data. Now partnering with Nvidia, CEO Peter Platzer joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the collaboration, the massive market for weather forecasting, and the 12 year old company’s path to profitability.

Fortuna Investments, which rose to fame with early bets on lithium, is now setting its sights on another frontier market. Founder & partner Justus Parmar joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the opportunities in the space space, why now is the time to invest, and his bullish case for Jeff Bezo’s Blue Origin.

Trimble, a leader in geospatial technology and player in the Internet of Things (IOT), is reaping the benefits of its initial bet on GPS 46 years ago. Trading at multi-year highs, the company is building on the momentum that stems from building hardware & software for construction, agriculture, transportation, and more. CEO Rob Painter joins Morgan Brennan to discuss Trimble’s portfolio and the role of space in software applications.

In another milestone for SpaceX, Elon Musk’s space venture blasted off this morning and traveled to space. The most powerful rocket ever reached orbital velocity and carried out a number of ambitious tests. Space Capital Managing Partner and early SpaceX investor Chad Anderson joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the mission and future moves for the company.

Interlune is emerging from stealth, closing an $18 million seed funding round, led by Reddit co-founder Alex Ohanian’s firm 776. Founded by two former Blue Origin executives, the startup aims to harvest natural resources from space and sell to commercial and government customers. CEO Rob Meyerson joins Morgan Brennan to lay out the company’s strategy and building out the in-space industry.

As the number of spacecraft has skyrocketed, so has the risk of collision. Morpheus Space, a space mobility startup, is looking to change the model around maneuvering satellites. CEO Daniel Bock joins Morgan Brennan to break down the one-stop satellite services shop—and building a subscription model to do so.

Terran Orbital, a small satellite maker which went public in a SPAC deal in early 2022, received an unsolicited takeover offer from supplier and investor Lockheed Martin last Friday. The defense prime already owns 28% of the company and now wants to buy the company in a deal valued just under $600 million—significantly below the market valuation when the company first went public at $1.8 billion. Terran Orbital quickly adopted a poison pill – or shareholder rights plan- as the company hopes...

Lunar services company Intuitive Machines made history as the first company to successfully land a private spacecraft on the moon. After a wild ride involving a nailbiter of a slightly titled, but soft landing—the spacecraft Odysseus went to sleep as lunar night sets in and is bound to freeze key components. Co-founder & CEO Steve Altemus joins Morgan Brennan to discuss the technical challenges, the sponsorship opportunities which have arisen post-landing, and whether or not Odie can...

As commercial space makes its mark on the moon, spacecrafts’ power sources are coming under scrutiny. Solar powered spacecraft freeze upon sunset—but the problem may become obsolete in several years as more nuclear-powered alternatives come to market. Zeno Power co-founder & CEO Tyler Bernstein joins CNBC’s Morgan Brennan to discuss repurposing nuclear waste for fuel, the role of nuclear power in space and growing its client base from government agencies to the commercial sphere.

As launch costs have dropped and orbital activity rises, the government is taking on more responsibility to keep pace. The NOAA, the Commerce Department’s arm to oversee commercial remote sensing, has expanded dramatically since taking over non-military space tracking from the Department of Defense. NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce Director Richard DalBello joins Morgan Brennan to discuss regulatory action, monitoring the private sector and the office’s growing impact as legislation seeks to...