Ep. 15. Deep Space: Where Engineering Meets Economics

In this episode, hosts DeWayne Allen (P&L) and Rob Wesley (technical) pull back the curtain on the real business of deep space. We connect market momentum—massive IPOs, fresh capital, and Big Prime partnerships—to the engineering breakthroughs that make multiyear missions and off-world industry possible. We cover the four core technical hurdles (radiation, propulsion, life support, ISRU), the bonus frontier of autonomy & laser comms, and the strategic playbook for investors eyeing lunar infrastructure, Mars logistics, and future resource markets. We leave you with crisp business takeaways: why the Moon is the proving ground, where the value pools form, and which players are poised to define the next economy beyond Earth.

Key Takeaways:

01:37 – Newsreel: Firefly IPO, Axiom raise, U.S. leads private capital

03:26 – Main Segment Kickoff: Who’s funding it, who’s building it

03:44 – Macroeconomics: Market size, growth, VC flows, unicorns & primes

05:42 – Follow the Money: SpaceX, Firefly (Northrop tie-ins), Rocket Lab & more

07:18 – Prime & Tier-1 Roll Call: L3Harris, Boeing, Northrop/Orbital, etc.

08:22 – The Four Technical Pillars (setup)

08:36 – Pillar 1: Radiation protection (storm shelters, materials, future magnetic shields)

11:07 – Pillar 2: Propulsion beyond chemical (DRACO/NTP, electric, early fusion)

13:53 – Pillar 3: Life support & habitability (ECLSS, recycling, artificial gravity; dual-use on Earth)

16:52 – Pillar 4: ISRU (lunar ice, regolith printing, MOXIE oxygen on Mars)

19:47 – Bonus Frontier: Comms & autonomy (DSN/DSOC lasers, AI for real-time ops)

22:18 – Business Takeaways: Moon as stepping stone; who owns the depots owns the market

23:19 – Personal Updates & Wrap

Resources:

Space Foundation Announces $570B Space Economy in 2023, Driven by Steady Private and Public Sector Growth

Space economy | World Economic Forum

Space industry trends: PwC The Space Economy in Figures | OECD

Connect with us:

DeWayne Allen on LinkedIn

Robert Wesley on LinkedIn

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Produced by NOVA