EVONA‘s Origin Stories Space Podcast

Today, our guest is Susan Kilrain, someone who has not just pushed boundaries, but also defied gravity in the process. Starting her journey with a private pilot's license at age 17, Susan has navigated an incredible career path. Despite being denied a place in the Air Force because they’d fulfilled their annual quota of woman, Susan turned this setback into setups for greater achievements. She went on to become a distinguished American aerospace engineer, a United States Navy officer, and a NASA astronaut. Susan’s record as the youngest person to pilot a space shuttle, being only one of three women, still stands today. She has over 3,000 hours flight time under her belt, and was the recipient of the Defense Superior Service Medal. Yet, her impact isn't confined to her achievements in air and space. Susan is also a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, and a firm believer in the importance of education, encouragement and removing barriers for the next generation of the space industry,

Today’s guest is self-professed accidental space cadet, Heather Leser. Heather’s early career started in healthcare, but she navigated her business and management skills through retail, non-profit, and even marketing, until she landed a role as executive assistant to the CEO of Eta Space. It was here that she discovered her love for space, climbing the ranks to her current role as Chief Administrative Officer. Heather's unplanned voyage into space has shaped her calling, and she now cherishes her position in the industry. Aside from Eta Space, she also supports Laura Forczyk, a space consultant and career coach, utilizing her honed HR and administrative skills. As a people-loving individual, Heather embodies the range of skills needed in the space sector. Join us as we explore her journey from an accidental space cadet to a crucial industry player.

We’ve got a very special guest on the podcast this week – we’re sitting down with Melissa Quinn, the newly announced general manager of Seradata. Born and bred in the heartland of rural Canada, Melissa was immersed in the world of aerospace from a young age. From her small-town roots, her love for global aerospace markets and economics propelled her across the world to the prestigious London School of Economics. There, she earned a master’s degree in economics, laying the foundation for an extraordinary career. As an accomplished strategic leader with over 13 years in aerospace, Melissa is dedicated to shaping the industry with a vision that's both ambitious and purposeful. She's a strong influence in the push for the sustainable use of space for good, we well as passionate advocate of inspiring the next generation to embrace STEAM careers. Melissa’s story is one of passion and perseverance - stay tuned as we delve into her incredible career journey and her vision for the future of the industry.

Fresh out of college and looking for work, Steve Nixon picked up the phone book and called the US Secretary of Defence. Flash forwards a few redirected calls, he landed his first job as an aircraft program budget analyst at the Pentagon. Seven years on, took a role at Congress for the US House Committee on Appropriations, where he became immersed in the world of space. All thanks to that initial phone call, Steve went on to be named one of the top 10 most influential people in space. He later became the founder of IARPA, President of the SmallSat Alliance, CEO of specialized security company Koandah, a technology strategy consultant, and board member and advisor for multiple companies. In this episode, we explore the incredible details of Steve’s space career journey, as well as the power of curiosity, people and storytelling in the space industry.

In today's episode, we’re joined by Laura Forczyk, a renowned space consultant and career coach with nearly 20 years' industry experience. As the founder and executive director of Astralytical, Laura has made it her mission to help businesses, governments, non-profits, and professionals worldwide thrive in the fast-paced and fascinating space sector. With a lifelong passion for space and a background in astrophysics and planetary science, Laura has successfully transitioned her broad range of skills into her unique niche today. In this episode, we'll discuss Laura's journey into the industry, the invaluable lessons she's learned along the way, as well as the diverse and exciting roles available in the space industry to anyone with a dream.

Today on the podcast we’re joined by one of EVONA’s very own strategic advisors, Jeff Crusey. As an experienced deep tech venture capitalist, Jeff specialises in solving significant real-world problems in the realms of space, defence, climate, energy, cybersecurity, AR, VR, advanced computing, and beyond. Jeff is the founder and general partner of Farpoint, an early-stage deep tech venture capital firm, focussed on global security and resilience. Before Farpoint, Jeff was the investment director at Seraphim Capital where he worked on 20+ investment rounds for space tech startups. Seraphim partnered with AWS to create the AWS Space Accelerator, a four-week program providing resources to space startups worldwide. In this episode, we discuss Jeff's career journey and the lessons he learned along the way.

In today's podcast episode, we're joined by special guest Andrew Aldrin, son of Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Although he didn't initially plan a career in the space industry, Andrew ultimately found his way there and made significant contributions to the field. He currently serves as Program Coordinator for the innovative Masters of Space Operations program at the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, preparing students and mid-career professionals for successful careers in space. Andrew also passionately leads the Aldrin Family Foundation as President, a charitable organization focused on inspiring future generations to pursue careers in space and STEM fields. Join us as we explore Andrew Aldrin's journey.

Today on the podcast we’re joined by Michael Cassandra, co-founder and chief culture office of RocketStar. Based in New York, RocketStar are rethinking space travel from the inside out, starting by improving the engines that power us to the stars. With a strong focus on reusability, reliability, and minimising cost, their revolutionary Aerospike engines combine efficiency and power, providing between 25-35% more thrust over conventional rocket engines, without using extra fuel to do so. Mike is passionate about cultivating a company culture that brings people with a genuine passion for space exploration together. We discuss the importance of inclusion in a company’s mission to build a strong and diverse team, as well as the many non-technical roles the space sector has to offer.

This week on the podcast we’re joined by Sam Peterson, director of spacecraft operations at Firefly Aerospace, and former Swedish Space Corporation business development director. With a military background, Sam’s extensive industry experience has taken him on an incredible journey through the space sector – he’s been involved in some unbelievable projects that we will discuss later in more detail. In this episode, we dive into Sam’s unique space origin story, and the path that lead him to Firefly, an end-to-end space transportation company. By designing, manufacturing, and operating reliable launch and spacecraft vehicles, firefly are committed to enabling sustainable, affordable and convenient access to space for small payloads.

We’re switching things up on the podcast this week with our first ever double guest spot. Today, we’re joined by Christina Korp, Astronaut Wrangler, space advisor, producer, and the Director of Space for a Better World. Alongside Christina, we're speaking with Nicole Stott, astronaut, aquanaut, engineer, artist, and the director of the Space for Art Foundation. Not only is this our first double guest spot, but we’re approaching this episode from a brand new perspective. It’s an EVONA Origin Stories diversity and inclusion special.

Today on the podcast we’re joined by Ryan McDevitt, co-founder and CEO of Benchmark Space Systems. Ryan’s dream of working in the space sector was set in motion in his early childhood, with his first ever drawings being of spacecraft and astronauts. From here, he followed his passion through education before founding Benchmark, an innovative space start-up who are reimagining systems for a new class of spacecraft. They’re combining mission heritage, best-in-class propulsion products with advanced control products and services, delivering bundled in-space mobility solutions with significant cost and capability benefits.

Today we’re speaking with Leon Alkalai, CEO of Mandala Space Ventures. After some incredible industry experience, including 32 years as a tech fellow at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lap working on some fascinating lunar robotic exploration projects, Leon has re-entered the world of space as an entrepreneur, investor, and mentor. His latest endeavour, Mandala Space Ventures, is a venture studio dedicated to creating and investing in New Space companies, enabling founders to launch new pathways to space for the benefit of humanity. With such extensive experience across the industry, Leon has some really palpable advice for people from all backgrounds looking to enter the space sector.

On today’s episode we’re joined by Heather Bulk, CEO of the SAS Family of Companies. These companies are providing cutting-edge tactical engineering and advanced manufacturing services for aerospace organisations. Known for her impeccable business strategies, Heather is a strong female leader in the space sector – not only is she CEO of multiple companies, but she’s also the co-founder of the Who Dreams Wins Foundation. This amazing organisation promotes STEM education, providing scholarships and tools to young people with big dreams of working in STEM fields.

This week we’re joined by Eric Ingram, founder and CEO of SCOUT. SCOUT was founded in 2019 with a mission to enable a new era of space safety and transparency. Their in-space products and services allow spacecraft to safely manoeuvre through space, as it becomes increasingly crowded, while avoiding potential threats. Eric is also a passionate ambassador of diversity and inclusion, and the ways different perspectives, backgrounds and experiences can take space organisations to the next level. We speak to Eric about the importance of disability inclusion in the growth of the space sector.

Our guest today on the podcast is Lucy Hoag, co-founder and CEO of Violet Labs. Violet Labs are bringing data from all software tools into one place, using cloud-based software integration to ease the entire development lifecycle of complex hardware engineering, from cradle to grave. This platform is enabling huge companies to build spacecraft, launch vehicles, autonomous aircraft, drones and even self-driving cars. On top of being a female leader in the sector, Lucy is passionate about inclusivity and products that add value to various underrepresented groups in tech.

Today we're joined by serial entrepreneur and CEO of Aquarian Space, Kelly Larson. After growing up on her parent's farm in rural Iowa, Kelly actually started out her career as a yoga teacher. From here, a very surprising turn of events led her to where she is today - CEO of the world's first high data rate internet service provider for the solar system. Kelly is passionate about inspiring other women to join STEM industries and is widely known for her innovative approaches to business. She’s got some really valuable and unique insight that we’re excited to share with you.

This week we're joined by one of 2022's Top Women in Aerospace and Aviation, Martina Dimoska. Martina is making huge waves across the sector, all while studying at the International Space University. She recently became the first ever female Macedonian Analog Astronaut, and was the local lead for NASA’s 2022 International Space Apps Challenge. In this episode, we discuss how Martina is using her position in the industry to both inspire and enable people from underrepresented countries to pursue a career in space.

CEO and Co-Founder of Xona Space Systems, Brian Manning talks to us of his early days of engineering at SpaceX to founding Xona - one of the most accurate and secure real-time PNT services on the planet. Committed to exploring the evolution of GPS to support the rapidly growing modern technologies of autonomous vehicles, aerial mobility and augmented reality, Brian explains Xona's role in connecting space to earth for the betterment of humanity.

Our guest this week on Origin Stories is Patrick Shannon, engineer, entrepreneur, self-professed sci-fi nerd, and the founder and CEO of TrustPoint. Established in 2020, this incredible startup is commercialising GPS, developing an alternative global navigation satellite system. As a lifelong lover of space with a childhood dream of becoming an engineer, Patrick shares some great advice for anybody looking to break their way into the space sector.

Sassie Duggleby joins us on the podcast this week. Sassie is the co-founder and CEO of Venus Aerospace, an incredible startup bringing Earth-based transportation up to speed with space travel. They're enabling the future of hypersonic transportation, building an engine that enables one-hour global transport. Aside from being a strong female leader in the sector, Sassie is a passionate advocate of empowering women in STEM and works as a mentor to inspire change in the industry. We touch on some really tangible advice for anyone in STEM fields struggling with self-belief and confidence.