The DownLink Podcast

The Trump administration’s 25% tariffs and counter trade restrictions have kicked in, slapping small and medium sized space businesses with an economic shock that will be felt through the entire supply chain. There are solutions to lessen the pain from prime contractors and even the federal government if you know where to look. Laura winter speaks with Bailey Reichelt, , Founding Partner, Aegis Space Law, and Member of the Board of Directors, Association of Commercial Space Professionals; Megan M., Associate Director, Defense and Security, Guidehouse, and co-chair of the Space ISAC Supply Chain Working Group; and Brian Joyal, CEO, Veridiam, Inc., a U.S.-based manufacturer providing critical components and assemblies to space sector prime contractors. #tariffs #investing #technology

Space Competition: Indo-Pacific Unclear on What To Make of Trump’s Space and Security Policies Following the successful landing of one U.S.-built lunar lander, with another destined to land this week, on Tuesday the Trump Administration is poised to slap tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, and China, and the president will deliver a speech to a joint session of congress. What’s the view from the Indo-Pacific of Trump’s policies? Laura Winter speaks with Namrata Goswami, an independent scholar on space policy and great power politics and co-author of the book “Scramble for the Skies: The Great Power Competition to Control the Resources of Outer Space”; and Malcolm Davis, a Senior Policy Analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute focusing on space policy, security, strategy, and capability development. #Tariffs #Future #China #Podcast

Space Power: Egg Prices Vs. Trump's Iron Dome Mass firings or the threat of them hang over national space-related agencies and are expected to expand to the Department of Defense, while a report outlining just how to develop and deploy President Donald Trump’s mostly space-based missile shield is being drafted. Critical questions about policy, funding, and who in the DoD will ultimately be responsible for this grand program remain unanswered. Laura Winter speaks with Douglas Loverro, President, Loverro Consulting, LLC, former NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense for Space Policy; and Todd Harrison, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, and much respected NASA and Defense Department budget diviner. #future #technology #irondome #policy

Space Tech: What Tech Is Required To Make Trump’s “Iron Dome” Work In 685 Days? The Department of Defense has less than six weeks to submit a plan for how it will build and launch the “Iron Dome for America”, President Donald Trump’s concept of a mostly space-based missile defense shield. The DOD is reaching out to industry for ideas, but what should the technology priorities be? Laura Winter speaks with roger lenard, a NASA and DOD consultant, and a Strategic Defense Initiative veteran, who led the classified Timber Wind Nuclear Rocket program, and the Lightweight Exoatmospheric Projectile (LEAP) program; and Peter Garretson, a Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, and co-Author of the book “The Next Space Race: A Blueprint for American Primacy”. #innovation #technology #future #IronDome #Defense

Space Money: Trump’s Tariffs Squeeze Supply of Minerals Critical To Space Systems This week, while goods from Canada and Mexico received a month-long reprieve from a 25% tariff (except, as of today, Aluminum), Chinese goods have been slapped with an additional 10% import duty, or tax. Because the policy contains no carve-outs for the minerals or rare earths critical to space systems, space companies may need to brace for a serious bite on their budgets and business plans. Laura Winter speaks with Bryan Zetlen, Launch and Payloads Operations Manager, Virtus Solis Technologies, Lecturer, and Engineer with deep experience at NASA, the Federal Communications Commission, Boeing, and Rand; and Bailey Reichelt, Founding Partner, Aegis Space Law, and Member of the Board of Directors, Association of Commercial Space Professionals. #markets #startups #innovation #aluminum #steel https://lnkd.in/gxBi_Jei

Space Power: Trump’s New “Star Wars” Executive Order This week President Donald Trump issued an executive order called “The Iron Dome For America”, which calls for a space-based missile shield. This order is expected to have huge ramifications for arms control in space, technology development, and the U.S. Space Force, should the U.S. Congress fund what would be a technically challenging and expensive program. Laura Winter speaks with Joel Mozer, who retired from a decades-long career in government service after serving as the first United States Space Force Director of Science, Technology and Research; and Peter Garretson, a Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, and co-Author of the book “The Next Space Race: A Blueprint for American Primacy”, but after a special Space Threat update from Hector Falcon, Watch Center Director, Space ISAC (Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center). #innovation #technology #future #Trump #venturecapital

Space Tech: What The First Space Force Chief Scientist Says Must Change Pt1 While the flurry of executive orders coming from the newly installed #Trump Administration is unsettling folks near and abroad, the first United States Space Force Chief Scientist wants us to focus on what is #strategic: Avoiding technology surprise. Laura Winter speaks with Joel Mozer, who retired from a decades-long career in government service after serving as the first United States Space Force Director of Science, Technology and Research.

Space Power: Trump 2.0, the 119th Congress, And The First 100 Days Transmission: 2025-02 President-elect Donald Trump has just named as his Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink, who has a deep background in space and defense. What will he need to succeed from the incoming administration and Congress? Laura Winter speaks with Todd Harrison, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, and much respected NASA and Defense Department budget diviner; and @Sarah Mineiro, Founder & CEO, Tanagra Enterprises, Senior Associate, Aerospace Security Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and self-described “Hill Rat”. #Trump #Meink #SpaceForce

Did You Know... The DownLink Podcast Has A Newsletter? It's got a sweet new look! It publishes just once a week delivering expert guests and their takes on Space, the Space Business, and Defense... Not just what's over the horizon... But what's happening above it!

The First Episode of 2025 Has Dropped! Space Money: Great Expectations For Trump Administration 2.0 Almost all national economic signals are looking good as the nation prepares for a presidential transition to a more “space-minded” administration under Donald #Trump. It was the incoming president who established the U.S. #SpaceForce five years ago. Some insiders expect that he could double that service branch’s budget to solidify his legacy and infuse cash into the U.S.-based space economy. For this discussion Laura Winter speaks with two DownLink Podcast regulars, Chris Quilty, Founder, Quilty Space; and George Pullen, Partner and Chief Economist at MilkyWayEconomy.