Space & Defense: Frontier Tech, Capital, and Deployment

Commercial space is expanding beyond satellites. Launch costs have dropped 10x in a decade. New applications are emerging: satellite communications, Earth observation, space-based manufacturing, orbital infrastructure, and deep-space missions.

What's commercially viable now versus 5 years out? Where is capital flowing—launch, satellite constellations, ground infrastructure, or applications? How do startups compete with established aerospace companies? What does it take to scale from prototype to deployed systems in space?

Defense innovation is accelerating, driven by geopolitical pressure and new threats. Dual-use technologies—developed for commercial markets but applicable to defense—are changing procurement models and shortening development cycles.

What technologies matter most: autonomy, AI, communications, sensors, materials? How do defense contractors and governments work with startups? Does commercial-to-defense actually work at scale, or does it break down in procurement and regulation?

How do investors assess defense tech—longer timelines, government customers, export restrictions? What's the path from prototype to program of record?

Space investors, commercial space companies, satellite operators, launch providers, defense contractors, dual-use startups, government buyers share what's working, where bottlenecks exist, what's deployable, what's overhyped, and where the real opportunities are.

5-6 questions that challenge assumptions.Our goal: spark investment, partnerships, and deployment—not just discussion.