Hey there, dear Readers and Listeners,
I am pressed for time, but want to give you an idea of why I pursued the interviews that I have in this week’s episode, which is coming to you from the SatShow’25 conference, held here in Washington, D.C.
SatShow is an important and well-attended annual event, bringing commercial space leaders from around the globe together for two-week’s worth of networking rammed into four days. It can be intense. It’s also a little like a reunion.
While many in attendance wore genuine smiles, there was also a nervousness. Some of the major U.S. space companies that would normally be interested in un-scripted thought leadership interviews, instead relied on press releases to officially communicate. Many U.S.-based folks remarked that they were being careful about what they say in what they feel is uncertain times.
The Europeans, agreed that there is uncertainty both politically and economically, but that this environment is presenting them with an opportunity likely not seen since the end of WWII. U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade wars, his not-so-secret animosity towards NATO, and his “frenemy” relationship with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelinskyy, have caused some of the leading European nations to consider just what it would take to defend the continent against Russian aggression without the United States.
In Brussels, the European Union is finalizing a new policy that will “launch a massive project to build up its defense industry aimed at deterring Russia and supporting Ukraine,” according to Politico. On Tuesday, March 18, Germany’s Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz won approval from the Bundestag to raise the nation’s debt level to fund defense projects and infrastructure.
Many Europeans I met at SatShow’25 believe that the European space sector will benefit greatly from this push to build-up Europe’s defenses. They are expecting trade wars and a desire for sovereign capabilities will limit defense contract winners to European-based companies.
What’s in this episode
This episode comes to you from SatShow’25 in Washington, D.C., where European space companies say the uncertainty of the Trump Administration’s economic and security policies are creating a golden opportunity for their businesses and technology development.
Who’s in this episode
Declan Ganley - CEO, Rivada
Ed Tate - CTO, VIrtus Solis
Martin Soltau - co-Founder and co-CEO, Space Solar
Reading
“Can NASA remain nonpartisan when basic spaceflight truths are shredded?” - Eric Berger, Ars Technica, March 18, 2025.
“NRO, MDA pulled out of annual DC Satellite conference due to travel restrictions” - Theresa Hitchens, Breaking Defense, March 13, 2025
“Pentagon is closely monitoring Russia and China test military capabilities in space” - Zachary Cohen and Oren Liebermann, CNN, March 16, 2025
“Defiance on the battlefield: Modern parallels to the Siege of Bastogne” - U.S. Space Force Col. Bree Fram, Advocate, March 10 2025
“Trump’s Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum Go Into Effect, Inciting Global Retaliation” - Ana Swanson and Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, March 12, 2025
“Whipsawed by Trump’s tariffs, the US public is getting a lot more nervous about the economy” - Josh Boak And Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press, March 14, 2025
“Germany’s military is struggling as Trump tests NATO, report shows” - Chris Lunday, Politico, March 11, 2025
Have a great rest of you week!
Ad Astra,
Laura
