#68 Shey Sabripour, CesiumAstro

My guest is Shey Sabripour, the founder and CEO of CesiumAstro, a prominent late stage startup in the satellite communications area. Specifically, they design and build phased array communications systems, actually not only for satellites but also for aerial platforms like drones. You may now wonder what phased array is, but don’t worry, Shey explains it in the episode. In any event, it’s important tech, as also evidenced by the fact that CesiumAstro managed to raise a US$60 million Series B round a couple of months ago.

 

Opportunities to learn more about space business:

• Check out the new edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy
• I am also designing a new live-taught course. Join the mailing list to get updates and early access: https://jfx8zhjodpz.typeform.com/to/t0VSuhVD
• Raphael's introductory book on the space economy recently came out in its Portuguese translation: https://www.amazon.com/Para-Cima-Economia-Espacial-Portuguese-ebook/dp/B09X5WV3WC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ROKTHNSCZCRI

The Space Business Podcast is sponsored by NanoAvionics.

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CesiumAstro job board: https://www.cesiumastro.com/careers

Timestamps

0:00 Intro

2:30 Elevator pitch

3:05 Phased array payloads

5:37 LEO constellations

8:46 CesiumAstro's origins

14:16 Becoming a satellite integrator

16:06 Customers

19:23 Supply chain issues and space heritage

23:29 Future products

24:49 In-space communications

29:00 Future of satellite communications

30:54 Medium/long term vision for CesiumAstro

32:27 Funding and hiring

36:30 What else is interesting in space

38:03 Sci-Fi