Best AstroForge Podcasts (2025)

1
Don't Look Up 38:36

Play Pause

1h ago38:36

38:36

We're doing something a little different for this week's Roid Rage episode. Matt (CEO) and Chap (Chief of Mining) tackle some comments and questions across our socials.

1
We’re Not Vibing 1,000 Models 56:15

7d ago56:15

56:15

When you’re building spacecraft, the difference between a pass and a failure can come down to how you built your FEM. In this episode, Structures Engineer Holly walks us through how we simulate Vestri’s structure before it ever hits the shaker table. From modal margins to mass tradeoffs, modular models to the limits of simulation—this is how CAD ge…

1
Just Screws 52:13

16d ago52:13

52:13

Spacecraft don’t fail because of one big thing; they fail because of 100 small ones. This one’s about the small stuff: fasteners, helicoils, backshells, and epoxy. The spacecraft parts no one talks about until they fail. This week, Ashton helps us break down how minor hardware choices impact everything from integration, to thermal control.…

1
Bang-Bang To An Asteroid 46:34

21d ago46:34

46:34

This week on Roid Rage, we dive into the brutal, thankless math of orbital mechanics with James, one of AstroForge’s Flight Dynamics Engineers. James walks us through how we get our spacecraft from a rideshare drop-off orbit to a fast-moving metal rock millions of kilometers away— without crashing into the moon or missing the asteroid entirely. We …

1
Signal Not Found 49:32

29d ago49:32

49:32

In this episode, Demyan (Senior Mission Ops Engineer) walks us through how AstroForge approaches ground communications, from pass scheduling and real-time visibility to handling missed links and operational drift. We break down what went wrong during Odin’s mission, how we're currently rebuilding our tools for Vestri, and why deep space comms is so…

1
Hold The Link 51:43

1M ago51:43

51:43

Spacecraft comms aren’t guaranteed—and we design with that in mind. In this episode, Ashton, our Head of Space Systems, breaks down how we handle communications in deep space, what Vestri learned from Odin, and how we’re building spacecraft that stay operational even when the link goes dark. From RF architecture to pass planning to system-level aut…

1
Survive The Drop 1:00:04

1M ago1:00:04

1:00:04

In this episode, we sit down with Ashton, Head of Space Systems, and Chris, Head of Avionics at AstroForge, to break down how we handle power under constraint. Specifically, the differences in our approach for Vestri vs. Odin. It’s not just about generation—it’s about enforcing priorities, managing faults, and surviving without human input. We cove…

1
Vibe Check 36:58

2M ago36:58

36:58

In this week's episode, we get into what vibration testing actually does for a spacecraft, and what happens when it reveals problems you didn’t plan for. Structures Engineer Wesley joins us to break down how Odin performed on the shaker, what failed, and how those lessons shaped our approach for our upcoming mission, Vestri. From fixture design to …

1
The Baseplate Is On A Diet 48:46

2M ago48:46

48:46

In this episode, we break down what mass budgets actually mean in the context of building flight hardware. Mechanical Engineer Eric joins us to talk about baseplate iterations, machining mistakes, margin shrinkage, and why even with careful design—everything ends up overweight. This one’s for anyone who thinks spreadsheets survive contact with the …

1
Speculation Doesn't Ship 53:14

2M ago53:14

53:14

In this episode, we dig into what the space economy actually looks like today—versus how it’s been pitched. AstroForge Chief Business Officer Krystle Caponio joins Chap, Matt, and Robyn to talk about outdated incentive structures, what makes a sustainable space business, and why asteroid mining is built around Earth customers—not off-world speculat…

1
Oh Shit Mode 42:59

2M ago42:59

42:59

This episode breaks down how spacecraft autonomy is structured through mission modes: predefined system states that control how a vehicle behaves, recovers from faults, and configures its subsystems. Chap (CoS), Robyn (COO), and Matt (CEO) cover how and when transitions happen, what “Oh Shit Mode” actually is, and how AstroForge designs and tests m…

1
Where The Electrons Go 52:38

3M ago52:38

52:38

In Episode 18 of Roid Rage, Chap (CoS) and Matt (CEO) chat with Chris, Head of Avionics at AstroForge, about how we design the systems that keep a spacecraft alive. From power distribution and flight computers to deep space thermal challenges and build vs. buy decisions, this episode breaks down what makes avionics one of the most complex parts of …

1
Silence ≠ Golden 45:08

3M ago45:08

45:08

In Episode 17 of Roid Rage, Chap (CoS), Matt (CEO), and Robyn (COO) chat with Colin, Principal Engineer here at AstroForge, about deep space communications. Colin explains what makes talking to a spacecraft millions of kilometers away difficult - power, small antennas, and weak signals - and how link budgets, coding, and ground stations make it pos…

1
Landing Is The Start 38:50

3M ago38:50

38:50

Landing on an asteroid is nothing like landing on the Moon or Mars. In this episode, Matt (CEO), Robyn (COO), and Armand (Head of GNC + Flight Software) break down how we design for surface contact when there’s no GPS, no atmosphere, and almost no room for error. From autonomous targeting to sub-meter-per-second velocity control, we unpack what it …

1
Hans-on Reliability (ft. Hans Köenigsmann, former VP at SpaceX) 56:22

3M ago56:22

56:22

Before anything launches into space, someone has to make sure it won't implode onto itself. This week, we sit down with reliability legend Hans Köenigsmann - one of the earliest SpaceX hires and former VP of Reliability - to talk about what it really means to build dependable systems for space. From launch failure postmortems to risk-taking with ri…

1
Our Type? M-Types (ft. Dr. Cristina Thomas) 42:06

4M ago42:06

42:06

This week on Roid Rage, we’re digging deep into asteroids (figuratively): what they are, how to tell them apart, and why it’s a lot messier than the textbook diagrams suggest. Asteroid expert Dr. Cristina Thomas joins us to unpack the murky definition of M-types, how we even begin identifying asteroid targets, and what mining one could really look …

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Through The Looking Scope (ft. Al Conrad, Large Binocular Telescope Observatory) 40:58

4M ago40:58

40:58

This week on Roid Rage, we’re talking asteroids. Specifically, how do we see 'em? Our guest Al Conrad has decades of experience working with some of the most powerful observatories on Earth, and shares stories from behind the lens: what makes the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory (LBTO) so unique, how astronomers actually use these tools to tra…

1
Spec And Ye Shall Find 44:48

4M ago44:48

44:48

What does success look like when you’re building a deep space mission on a startup budget? In this week's episode of Roid Rage, Chap (CoS), Robyn (COO), and Matt (CEO) break down how AstroForge approaches mission requirements — and why our version differs from the traditional playbook. 'Why Starting A Rocket Engine Is So Hard' by Everday Astronaut:…

1
Within the Envelope 48:55

4M ago48:55

48:55

This week on Roid Rage, we’re joined by Demyan, Senior Mission Operations Engineer at AstroForge, to dig into the messy reality of planning and designing missions - in particular, deep space asteroid mining missions. Chap (CoS), Matt (CEO), and Demyan unpack how real-world constraints shape every decision, what tradeoffs actually matter, and where …

1
The Art of Breaking Your Own Plans 44:37

5M ago44:37

44:37

In this episode of Roid Rage, we’re digging into how we build — and deliberately break — our Concept of Operations (ConOps) at AstroForge. Chap (CoS) is joined by Robyn (COO) and Matt (CEO) for a candid look at what actually goes into operational planning for a deep space mining mission.By AstroForge

1
This Hardware Will Survive 46:26

5M ago46:26

46:26

This week, Chap (CoS) and Matt (CEO) sit down with Ashton, Head of Space Systems at AstroForge, to chat about the iterative process of qualifying hardware for deep space. From design to testing, Ashton shares his experiences leading the team through the building process of Odin - and what lessons he hopes to apply to Vestri.…

1
Code That Can't Crash (Literally) 40:04

5M ago40:04

40:04

In this episode of Roid Rage, we’re joined by Nathan and Kieran, two of the brains behind the code that powers our spacecraft. We dive into the world of flight software — the critical systems that keep our missions alive and on track. From booting up in space to surviving the harshest conditions, we talk through what it really takes to write code t…

1
A Lawyer Has Entered The Chat 42:16

5M ago42:16

42:16

In this week's Roid Rage episode, we chat with AstroForge’s new Chief Business Officer (CBO), Krystle Caponio, to hear about what ultimately led her to asteroid mining. With 15+ years of experience as an aerospace exec, Krystle shares her journey in building value for the space industry through her wear-all-hats approach.…

1
Making Spacecraft is Like Making a Pizza... 40:36

6M ago40:36

40:36

In today's episode of Roid Rage, Chap (CoS) sits down with Matt (CEO), Robyn (COO), and Josh (Head of Finance) to break down the differences between ERP, QRP, MES, and QMS - the key systems that make building spacecraft possible. We explore how these essential manufacturing and business systems work together, from managing ingredients and recipes t…

1
Dude, Where's My Spacecraft? 45:49

6M ago45:49

45:49

In this episode of Roid Rage, Chap and Robyn sit down with Armand, Head of GNC at AstroForge, to break down one of the most critical—and misunderstood—systems in spaceflight: Guidance, Navigation, and Control. Armand explains how GNC keeps spacecraft on track from launch to deep space, and how it ties into everything from propulsion to autonomy. We…

1
Safe Enough to Try 51:22

6M ago51:22

51:22

In this episode of Roid Rage, Chap (CoS) sits down with Matt (CEO) and Robyn (COO) to break down how we use the design spiral to develop and refine our solar panel technology. We discuss the unique constraints that make our design different, the key trade-offs we’ve faced, and the lessons learned from rigorous testing. Plus, we dive into listener q…

1
Hello, Vestri 47:53

6M ago47:53

47:53

In this episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on Mission 3 and how the lessons learned from Odin are shaping the design of our next-generation spacecraft, Vestri. We’ll break down Mission and Spacecraft Level Requirements, dive into how we’re engineering critical subsystems, and unpack the early decisions that will define the success of this miss…

1
Odin't: A Complete Debrief of Our Deep Space Mission 46:45

6M ago46:45

46:45

In Episode 2, we break down the mission to Odin—what worked, what failed, and what we learned. CEO Matt Gialich and COO Robyn Ringuette pull no punches, revealing the brutal realities of deep-space exploration, the risks no one talks about, and why failure is just another step toward history. Buckle up—this is transparency like you’ve never heard i…

1
How to Build (and Launch) a Spacecraft to Deep Space in 10 months 46:08

7M ago46:08

46:08

In our first episode, Matt, Robyn and Chap talk about all the risks AstroForge took in building a spacecraft in 10 months and why exactly they took them.By AstroForge

1
Alexander Campbell of Rose.AI | Understanding Markets and Self Through Data 1:10:57

2+ y ago1:10:57

1:10:57

This week's Unlimited Partner is Alexander Campbell of Rose.AI a "cloud data platform designed to help users find, engage, visualize and share data". Alex got his start at Lehman Brothers just before they collapsed. He learned a lot during that time about what not to do, and having a longer term data set to backtest trades. He then moved Bridgewate…

1
Semil Shah GP Haystack Ventures | How One of the Best Seed-Stage Investors Operates as a GP (Figma, HashiCorp, DoorDash, Instacart) 58:01

2+ y ago58:01

58:01

This week's Unlimited Partner is Semil Shah the GP for Haystack Ventures, one of the best performing seed-stage funds around. see: DoorDash, Instacart, Figma, Opendoor, HashiCorp, Carta, People.ai among others. Semil gives great insight into how he is as a leader, investor, parent. He's calm, structured, thoughtful and measured in his responses. Al…

1
Zenbusiness Co-Founders Rafael Lopez and JC Glancy on Persevering to Build a Platform for Day One Entrepreneurs 25:39

3y ago25:39

25:39

This week's Unlimited Partners are Rafael Lopez and JC Glancy of Zenbusiness, a platform that helps SMB users automate their business needs. They've been known to be a LegalZoom killer. Today's episode is a bit of a pivot from us at Unlimited Partners. We recorded a 2 hour long convo and cut out the fluff to bring you a 25 min excerp, narrated by T…

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Divergent Capital | Lucy Wang & Katie Shea, What's It Like To Be a Pre-Seed Machine Learning Venture Capitalist? 1:08:52

3y ago1:08:52

1:08:52

This week's Unlimited Partners are Lucy Wang and Katie Shea of Divergent Capital. They are both Co-Founders and General Partners. Divergent is a "first check investor backing teams taking deeply technical and scientific innovations to market with unique insights on business models and GTM beyond just enterprise and SaaS." Topics Include: Lucy's bac…

1
Matt Gialich (Co Founder/CEO of AstroForge) & Joe Wilson (Founder of Undeterred Capital) | Day One Partners on a Mission That Could Change Everything 1:43:40

3y ago1:43:40

1:43:40

This week's Unlimited Partners are Matt Gialich and Joe Wilson, Co-Founder at AstroForge and MP at Undeterred Capital respectively. Matt had been working on a submarine project and decided to pivot to freaking astro mining! How cool is that? Joe and Undeterred stepped into become the first investors on the cap table. This is an amazing conversation…

1
Ben Dahl, Co Founder of Unspam and Managing Director of Signal Peak | Cloudflare and the People Who Made the Internet a Better Place 1:31:22

3y ago1:31:22

1:31:22

This week's Unlimited Partner is Ben Dahl , an early-stage investor based in Salt Lake City. He is a Managing Director at Signal Peak Ventures, a $500M fund which specializes in relatively underserved geographies around the United States. He was also the Co-Founder at Unspam, which was the predecessor company that led to Cloudflare. He held a board…

1
Heather Loomis Tighe, Family Office Strategist & Advisor (BlackRock, JP Morgan); Lessons from One of the World's Best 1:07:45

3y ago1:07:45

1:07:45

This week's Unlimited Partner is Heather Loomis Tighe a Venture Capital Advisor and Partner and Strategic Advisor to Family Offices. She has made quite the name for herself in the fixed income world over the past 20 years. From Blackrock (Head of West coast institutional family offices), JP Morgan Chase (fixed income manager overseeing a portfolio …

1
Episode 25! What We've Learned -- with Brent Beshore, Amanda Groves, Tripp Jones and Kyle Harrison 29:59

3y ago29:59

29:59

This is the episode where we go back and hear some gems from some of our favorite guests so far. Kind of like when your favorite tv show of the 90s put out a recap of best-ofs and passed it off as a new episode. We've had an incredible amount of soundbites and we welcome you to go back and listen to our growing catalog of guests. Here's a brief com…

1
Paul Santos, Founder of Wavemaker Partners (Singapore) | Investing into Southeast Asia & Going Further Together, Than Faster Alone 1:25:05

3y ago1:25:05

1:25:05

Today's Unlimited Partner is Paul Santos Founder and Managing Partner at Wavemaker Partners, a VC fund based in Singapore. He's built one of the best performing VC funds by finding a great niche in SE Asia. Wavemaker is based in Singapore. His leadership skills and wisdom are very apparent while listening to this discussion, it's no wonder his repu…

1
Jenny Bloom, Former CFO at MailChimp & Zapier | Tegus Talks w/ Akash Khanolkar (Octane), Jenny Bloom, Thomas McGannon 56:57

3y ago56:57

56:57

Today is a first for UP. We share our favorite use case for Tegus - connecting our partners with industry legends! We sit down with Jenny Bloom (former CFO of MailChimp and Zapier) and Akash Khanolkar (Co-Founder of Octane). We get a great deep dive into how MailChimp and Zapier became successful. We get into how Jenny was able to lead and make piv…

1
David Rosenthal, Acquired / Kindergarten Ventures | Why They Invested in Vanta, an Automated Compliance Company 1:55:32

3y ago1:55:32

1:55:32

Today is a special episode of UP with our first returning guest David Rosenthal from the Acquired Podcast (Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal)! David also started a venture fund called Kindergarten Ventures with his friend (from kindergarten) Nat Manning (Kettle). Thomas and David discuss their investment in Vanta, an automated compliance company whic…

1
Jake Beebe CEO AllRec Awards | What Actually is Good Company Culture? 55:50

3y ago55:50

55:50

Today's Unlimited Partner is Jake Beebe, CEO of AllRec Awards, a manufacturing provider of letterman jackets and Scholastic awards and apparel based in Waco, TX servicing the southern United States. Topics include: Morgan Housel The Psychology of Money Key quotes from Jake's grandfather "People don't decide their futures, they decide their habits, …

1
Steve Ressler, Co-Founder The Brydon Group | What Is It Like to Operate an ETA (Search) Fund? 1:12:19

3y ago1:12:19

1:12:19

Today's Unlimited Partner is Steve Ressler, Co-Founder of The Brydon Group, an ETA fund focused on "partnering with outstanding entrepreneurs to acquire small businesses. We invest in significant stakes in traditional searches and through our Brydon Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR) program. We bring our experience and expertise from CEO roles, larg…

1
Kyle Harrison, GP at Contrary | Cinematographer Turned Investor, Time as a Resource, Ramp, Pave and Investing in Talent 1:33:36

3y ago1:33:36

1:33:36

Today's Unlimited Partner is Kyle Harrison, General Partner at Contrary, a venture fund that "identifies and invests in the world’s top talent. Backed by iconic founders from Tesla, Airbnb, Facebook, and more" in early stage rounds. Kyle joined to lead their Breakout Fund. He's also a writer with his blog Investing 101 2.0 where he tackles investin…

1
Jake Hoffberg of Equifund | How a Jazz Musician Got into Publishing; Private Equity Crowdfunding in the Digital Age 54:10

3y ago54:10

54:10

Today's Unlimited Partner is Jake Hoffberg the Publisher for Equifund, which helps "retail investors diversify their portfolio, increase passive income, and grow their net worth using private market investments. Companies can use Equifund’s technology to raise money under multiple US exemptions: Reg D, Reg A+, Reg CF and Reg S." After learning that…

1
Katelin Holloway, Co-Founder of 776 | From Pixar to Reddit to Investor, Building Teams that Change the World 54:22

3y ago54:22

54:22

Today's Unlimited Partner is Katelin Holloway Co-Founder of Seven Seven Six, a venture capital firm with Alexis Ohanian."Founded by builders, built with software, in order to be the very best at supporting founders that are changing the world". Katelin has dedicated her career to building teams and advancing the HR function at some of the internet’…

1
Nick Moran, Founder of New Stack Ventures / The Full Ratchet Podcast | Make Your Mark, Earn Your Freedom and Build Something to Last 54:49

3y ago54:49

54:49

"Investing in Outsiders", From Danaher to New Stack Ventures to The Full Ratchet Podcast, Nick Moran Joins Us Today's Unlimited Partner is Nick Moran from New Stack Ventures and The Full Ratchet Podcast. New Stack was founded in 2015 with a mission to invest in the Outsiders. Nick launched the first VC podcast, one of the first AngelList Syndicates…

1
Jason Corsello, Acadian Ventures | Endurance and Building the Future of Work From Anywhere, 51:44

3y ago51:44

51:44

Today's Unlimited Partner is Jason Corsello from Acadian Ventures. Jason is the Founder & CEO for The Acadian Company and General Partner for Acadian Ventures, an early stage venture fund. Previously, Corsello was Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development for Cornerstone OnDemand [NASDAQ: CSOD]. Corsello joined Cornerstone in 2011…

1
Tony Perez, Founder of Peregrine Capital Group | Investing in Government Modernization Through Dual-Use Technology Companies 51:35

3y ago51:35

51:35

Today's Unlimited Partner is Tony Perez from Peregrine Capital Group. He's been in the United States Air Force for 16 years, and has started projects like Spark for AFWERX which helps tie together many moving parts of the AF. He's a proven leader with experience leading cross-functional teams in dynamic and complex environments. Able to bridge an o…

1
Joanna Shevelenko and Kelly Graziadei, f7 Founders | From Facebook to Seed Investing, Execution Is Everything 49:12

3y ago49:12

49:12

Today's Unlimited Partners are Joanna Lee Shevelenko and Kelly Graziadei from f7 Ventures. f7 Ventures is comprised of 7 female operators and leaders with over 20 years of experience in the fastest growing technology companies in Silicon Valley. During their tenures at Facebook, Google, Yahoo and beyond, they managed and developed thousands of peop…

1
Tom Shea, Adgile Media Group | Selling Trust First 59:45

3y ago59:45

59:45

Today's Unlimited Partner is Tom Shea, Co-Founder & COO of Adgile Media Group. Adgile boasts itself as the leading data-driven truck-side media company. Tom is a detail-oriented tech wiz with experience as a full stack developer and operations manager. He graduated from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Tom holds a degree in Fin…