Best PRC Media Podcasts (2025)

1
Space Competition: Amid US Budget Woes, China Pushes Expansion 32:03

2d ago32:03

32:03

While the White House and Congress wrangle over NASA’s budget and the fate of the Space Launch System, China is unwavering in laying the foundation for its expansion into the space domain, including on the moon. Laura Winter speaks with Josh Carslon, author of the book, “Spacepower Ascendant: Space Development Theory and a New Space Strategy”.…

1
Space Money: Defense Budget, Markets, and Champagne 37:21

11d ago37:21

37:21

With Wall Street indices at new highs, plus a roughly $40B FY2026 budget for the U.S. Space Force, and the tens of billions the Trump Administration wants to spend on the missile defense program "Golden Dome," is it time to pop the champagne? Laura Winter speaks with The DownLink Podcast regulars Chris Quilty, founder of Quilty Space; and George Pu…

1
Space Power: Space Force ‘26 Budget: “ A One-Time Sugar High” 32:32

18d ago32:32

32:32

The Trump Administration’s 2026 budget for the U.S. Space Force, counting the Big Beautiful Bill’s funding, comes to about $40 billion dollars. Does this unorthodox, difficult to follow, bifurcated legislative process make this bump “ a one-time sugar high?” Laura Winter speaks with Todd Harrison, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, and m…

1
Space Power: Commercial Satellite Imagery For Intelligence & Operations Is At Risk 43:02

25d ago43:02

43:02

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, said that in preparation for Operation Midnight Hammer, two Defense Threat Reduction Agency analysts studied activities at the Fordo Uranium Enrichment Plant for 15 years by pouring over imagery. That was satellite imagery, which is now at risk of being cut according to the White House’s FY…

1
Space Competition: Down Under Companies, Leaders Target US Space & Defense Market 41:07

1M ago41:07

41:07

As Australia’s former Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for additions to the 2021 AUKUS Agreement that would strengthen the security pact in the space domain, Australian space companies began a tour of the United States to find partners and investors. Laura Winter speaks with Steven Marshall, South Australia’s former Premier, now President of th…

1
Space Power: The Problem With The Trump-Musk RUD That Wasn’t 35:52

1M ago35:52

35:52

Elon Musk regrets “some” of his recent posts about U.S. President Donald Trump. Phew! But their relationship’s rapid unscheduled disassembly, or RUD, reveals how vulnerable civil and national security missions, even the “Golden Dome” program, are to the dramatic vagaries of this relationship. Laura Winter speaks with Todd Harrison, Senior Fellow, A…

1
Space Competition: Lawsuits, Loans, Proxies And Pirates 49:47

2M ago49:47

49:47

The Trump-Musk “bromance” break-up is clearly visible on the world stage and worrying many about just how far and how deep the fallout will be for space and defense. What’s not-so-visible, are the aggressive tactics and techniques - lawsuits, loans, proxies and pirates - that fall-below the threshold of “acts of war”. That’s “gray warfare” in the s…

1
Space Money: A Fighting Irishman Walks Into A Boardroom With The PRC 1:04:34

2M ago1:04:34

1:04:34

This week’s episode details what happened when the CEO of a European-US space company bought into a shareholder fight involving two Chinese government-backed entities, that are deeply involved with the Thousand Sails mega-constellation - China’s answer to Starlink. This is a deep dive into lawfare in the space domain, a growing costly concern for t…

1
Space Money: IonQ & Capella CEOs on the $318m Deal, Plans & Vision 42:43

2M ago42:43

42:43

The $318 million IonQ purchase deal to acquire Capella Space is bringing together two worlds in a high-stakes bid to radically change satellite-to-satellite and satellite-to-ground communications and computing at the edge. At least that's what the CEOs are saying. Are they right? Also, up top in this episode is a space threats update. Laura Winter …

1
Space Tech: A Soft Touchdown Closes Varda’s Business Case 33:47

2M ago33:47

33:47

This week planet Earth is seeing two re-entries of man-made objects: first the uncontrolled, possibly life-threatening, Soviet-era Kosmos 482; and second, the W-3 - an example of the very controlled, defense and in some cases possibly life-extending, business case that is Varda Space Industries. Laura Winter speaks with Delian Asparouhov, Varda Spa…

1
Space Money: Pullen’s Analysis - Don’t Freak. “Take A Deep Breath.” 38:01

3M ago38:01

38:01

Is there really sunshine in the Space Sector? April was a rough month for businesses, consumers, and public equities traders, all tenderized by the blows of uncertain trade policies. The DownLlink Podcast’s regular guest and space economist says the Space Sector is different and should be fine. Is he right? Laura Winter speaks with George Pullen, P…

1
Space Power: Look Beyond “The Tips Of Your Skis” 38:32

3M ago38:32

38:32

Want to think beyond 2045? There’s a process for that called Strategic Foresight. According to a new U.S. Space Force Report, the newest service branch needs to employ it. Laura Winter speaks with two of the report’s leading authors, Joel Mozer, who is best known for being the first United States Space Force Director of Science, Technology and Rese…

1
Space Power: Space Force Is Using Fighting Words! 32:21

3M ago32:21

32:21

This week the U.S. Space Force let a linguistic genie out of the bottle. The newest service branch published a 22-page guide for planners called “Space Warfighting”, that ditches soft elocution and takes up words like “destroy”, “terrestrial strike”, and “counterattack”. What does this mean for culture; training and education; research, development…

1
Space Tech: Don’t Forget The Ground! 29:56

3M ago29:56

29:56

While the 40th Space Symposium’s theme was “Building Partnerships to Secure our Future”, everyone in Colorado Springs, Colorado was talking about building President Trump’s Next Generation Missile Defense Shield, a.k.a.: “Golden Dome For America.” This week’s guest cautions us that you cannot have a space-based missile defense shield without the gr…

1
Space Money: Trump’s Wild “Liberation Day” Ride Has Arrived! 38:22

4M ago38:22

38:22

The second quarter has opened with U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs, causing Wall Street to suffer its worst days in years. The U.S.-based space economy does not have immunity from the Trump Administration’s trade policies or the markets. Laura Winter speaks with The DownLink regulars Chris Quilty, founder of Quilty S…

1
Space Competition: European Commission Urges EU To Spend Big On Defense And Space 38:06

4M ago38:06

38:06

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is proposing to leverage €800 billion to rebuild Europe’s defense industrial base, and seed new defense capability development, including space capabilities. In the justification paper, even the words “space warfare” were used. To understand what this all means for space and defense in Europe, Laur…

1
Space Power: Size Matters - A Star Wars Physicist's Take On Golden Dome 35:20

4M ago35:20

35:20

It doesn’t take much mass, just a fleck of paint, to punch a hole into a satellite or an intercontinental ballistic missile. This week’s guest thinks the technology for an AI-controlled space-based kill vehicle, that is also small and lean enough to make room for the fuel needed for speed, is close at hand if the Department of Defense wishes to sei…

1
Space Tech: U.S. Uncertainty Creates Opportunity For Europe’s Space Sector 39:25

4M ago39:25

39:25

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. Laura Winter speaks with Declan Ganley, CEO Rivada; Ed Tate, CTO, VIrtus Solis; Martin Solta…

1
Space Money: Tariffs and Scarcity Equal Economic Shock 46:41

5M ago46:41

46:41

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 …

1
Space Competition: Indo-Pacific Unclear on What To Make of Trump’s Space and Security Policies 40:26

5M ago40:26

40:26

In the next seven days there will be two attempts by commercial space companies to land on the moon, tariffs slapped on goods from Canada, Mexico, and China, and U.S. President Donald Trump will deliver a speech to a joint session of congress. While Europe reels over the Oval Office incident with the Ukraine's head of state, what’s the view from th…

1
Space Power: Egg Prices Vs. Trump's Iron Dome 52:40

5M ago52:40

52:40

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 res…

1
Space Tech: What Tech Is Required To Make Trump’s “Iron Dome” Work In 685 Days? 42:54

5M ago42:54

42:54

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 a…

1
Space Money: Trump’s Tariffs Squeeze Supply of Minerals Critical To Space Systems 44:04

6M ago44:04

44:04

This week, while goods from Canada and Mexico received a month-long reprieve from a 25% tariff, 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 bus…

1
Space Power: Trump’s New “Star Wars” Executive Order 49:01

6M ago49:01

49:01

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 expensiv…

1
Space Tech: What The First Space Force Chief Scientist Says Must Change Pt1 29:08

6M ago29:08

29:08

While the flurry of executive orders coming from the newly installed Trump Administration is unsettling folks near and abroad, the first U.S. 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 servin…

1
Space Power: Trump 2.0, the 119th Congress, And The First 100 Days 39:20

6M ago39:20

39:20

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 bud…

1
Space Money: Great Expectations For Trump Administration 2.0 39:27

6M ago39:27

39:27

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. As the incoming president established the U.S. Space Force five years ago, the belief is he could double that service branch’s budget to solidify his legacy and infuse cash into the U…

1
Space Competition: China Launches Broadband Competitor Network To SpaceX’s Starlink 36:38

7M ago36:38

36:38

Space Competition: China Launches Broadband Competitor Network To SpaceX’s StarlinkAiming to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink, China just launched the first tranche of its broadband Gouwang constellation, and the Department of Defense this week submitted its annual report on the P.R.C.’s military and security developments to Congress. To understand w…

1
Space Power: Chief Master Sergeant John Bentivegna - Becoming Space Warfighter-Minded 37:30

7M ago37:30

37:30

U.S. Space Force Guardians are days away from celebrating their service branch’s fifth birthday. How far have they come in “cultivating the warfighter” in the past 12 months and what are the priorities for the next year? Laura Winter speaks with Chief Master Sergeant - Space Force John Bentivegna at the Space Force Association's Space Power Confere…

1
Space Money: The Game Of Space-Based Risk In a Time Of Market Fragility 35:26

8M ago35:26

35:26

Space Money: The Game Of Space-Based Risk In a Time Of Market Fragility -The space insurance market is fragile, with claims, totalling billions of dollars, outpacing premium revenues. Yet, insurance companies are expanding their coverage and others are getting into this game of space-based risk. Laura Winter speaks with the four-decade space insura…

1
Space Competition: Trump’s South Korean Space Opportunity 33:33

8M ago33:33

33:33

Space Competition: Trump’s South Korean Space OpportunityThis week China, Russia, and North Korea deepened their military bonds in exercises and meetings, presenting the incoming Trump 2.0 Administration with an illustration of how security in East Asia has become more fragile in the four years since Donald Trump was in the White House. Trump’s “Am…

1
Space Competition: How Space Allies and Adversaries Read “America First” and a Mars-shot 39:26

8M ago39:26

39:26

Space Competition: Great Power Strategy, “America First”, and The Mars-shotThis week U.S. President-elect Donald Trump continued to shape his incoming government, naming cabinet nominees, including two authors of the controversial governance plan “Project 2025”, and enlisting adherents to the “America First” political philosophy. To understand how …

1
Space Power: Trump 2.0 May Attempt Human Mars Landing, Establish Department of the Space Force 49:19

8M ago49:19

49:19

Space Power: Trump 2.0 May Attempt Human Mars Landing, Establish Department of the Space Force Space policymakers from President-elect Donald Trump’s first administration debated what may be in store for the civil and defense space sectors, including sending humans to Mars instead of the moon, and establishing a Department of the Space Force. Laura…

1
Space Power: President-Elect Trump Expected To Supercharge U.S. Space Ambitions 50:41

9M ago50:41

50:41

Space Power: President-Elect Trump Expected To Supercharge U.S. Space AmbitionsThis week President Donald Trump, with the help of billionaire SpaceX founder Elon Musk, became the 47th President-Elect of the United States, for a second non-consecutive term. Space power advocates believe Trump, with the added influence of Musk by his side, will speed…

1
Space Money: Report - DoD At Risk of Losing New Commercial Space Suppliers And Capabilities 36:49

9M ago36:49

36:49

Space Money: Report - DoD At Risk of Losing New Commercial Space Suppliers And CapabilitiesThe Department of Commerce has just released some interesting economic indicators that lean positive, and there are expectations that the Federal Reserve Board will again lower interest rates. Despite this good news, it may be some time before new venture cap…

1
Space Competition: Threats and Trends A Year After October 7th 42:04

9M ago42:04

42:04

Space Competition: Threats and Trends A Year After October 7thIn the year since Hamas launched its brutal attack in Israel, tactics, techniques, and procedures, as well as technologies, and security alliances have evolved in the space domain of operations. Laura winter speaks with Namrata Goswami, an independent scholar on space policy and great po…

1
Space Power: A National Guardsman’s View On Why A Pentagon Plan Is A “Lose-Lose Proposal” 34:29

9M ago34:29

34:29

Space Power: A National Guardsman’s View On Why A Pentagon Plan Is A “Lose-Lose Proposal”Last week Air Force Gen. Steven Nordhaus assumed responsibility as the 30th Chief of the National Guard Bureau, inheriting a politically thorny issue: a piece of legislation that, if passed into law, would transfer Air National Guard space units into the Space …

1
Space Tech: Talking To The Far Side of the Moon 42:06

9M ago42:06

42:06

Space Tech: Talking To The Far Side of the MoonOn the Moon China’s ahead in the race to stake claims for lunar resources by the not-so-simple fact that it can communicate with its equipment on the far side, near the south pole. This week’s episode is about how ispace’s Mission 3 could change the state of the race and establish the very communicatio…

1
Space Money: Q3 Take - “Money Doesn’t Care” 46:40

10M ago46:40

46:40

Space Money: Q3 Take - “Money Doesn’t Care”The Fed lending rate reduction was nice, but is it enough pressure on investors to empty their money market accounts and invest in space companies, even if it’s answering a defense-related demand signal? Laura Winter speaks with The DownLink regulars, Chris Quilty, Founder of Quilty Space; and George Pulle…

1
Space Competition: How To Better De-Risk Adversarial Threats To Space Systems’ Value 35:21

10M ago35:21

35:21

Space Competition: How To Better De-Risk Adversarial Threats To Space Systems’ ValueThis episode was recorded before a live audience at the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center’s Value of Space Summit, convened in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The discussion focuses on threat trends, the lack of insurance cover for certain types of attacks; …

1
Space Power: Space Force CSO - “What We Were Is Not What We Must Become” 30:56

10M ago30:56

30:56

Space Policy: Space Force CSO - “What We Were Is Not What We Must Become”The U.S. Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman announced on Tuesday that the Space Force has started to take over recruitment and training of uniformed and civilian Guardians, from “Mother Air Force”, to create a separate “space-minded” force to meet the nation’s requ…

1
Space Tech: Is It A Bird? A Plane? Actually... It’s A Drone 35:47

10M ago35:47

35:47

Space Tech: Is It A Bird? A Plane? Actually It’s A DroneSpace Force acquisitions officials have said for years that they want tactically-responsive commercial-off-the-shelf solutions that can be easily configured for military uses. The founders of BlackStar Orbital Technologies say their drone, a satellite-space plane hybrid, will answer the call, …

1
Space Money: Starliner, A 737 Max Felony, and a New Boeing CEO 40:43

11M ago40:43

40:43

Space Money: Starliner, A 737 Max Felony, and a New Boeing CEO With Boeing’s Starliner human-rated capsule safely on the ground, the Crew Flight Test mission has ended, but with incidents and without its crew, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. Boeing, a major supplier of space vehicles and services to NASA and the U.S. Space Force, is at a crossroad…

1
Space Competition: Geo-Strategic Questions Over NASA’s Plan to Destroy the ISS 45:51

11M ago45:51

45:51

Space Competition: Geo-Strategic Questions Over NASA’s Plan to Destroy the ISSThis is part 2 of a deep dive into NASA’s plan to destroy the 420-metric-tonne International Space Station by de-orbiting. This episode is about the geo-strategic consequences and risks associated with de-orbiting and alternative ideas for the space station after 2030. Pa…

1
Space Power: War-Gamers Say We’re “Behind the Eight Ball” 38:31

11M ago38:31

38:31

Space Power: War-Gamers Say We’re “Behind the Eight Ball”What should the new U.S. vice president and the National Space Council do if China achieved a Sputnik-like moment? According to this week’s guests, we’re “Behind the Eight Ball”, which is the title of their first report on a series of recent wargames that included former NASA and Department o…

1
Space Tech: Defense Looking At Modular Upgrades For Greater SDA 36:01

12M ago36:01

36:01

Space Tech: Defense Looking At Modular Upgrades For Greater SDASpace Command wants “enhanced battlespace awareness”, a clearer picture of what’s going on on orbit. This episode is about how a new set of modular technologies can provide satellite operators with “upgrades” and the opportunity to participate in the space domain awareness ecosystem, to…

1
Space Money: Silicon Valley - “The DoD Has Not Brought The Dough” 28:14

12M ago28:14

28:14

Space Money: Silicon Valley - “The DoD Has Not Brought The Dough”While it may not be surprising that space companies lead the Silicon Valley Defense Group's NATSEC100, there is an imbalance between the amount of capital venture capitalists are putting in and and the value of defense awards. Laura Winter speaks with James Cross, SVDG’s co-Founder an…

1
Space Power: SmallSats - Time To Plan, Procure, And Execute 40:34

12M ago40:34

40:34

Space Power: SmallSats - Time To Plan, Procure, And ExecuteAlmost seven years after U.S. Air Force General John Hyten said, “I will not support buying big satellites that make juicy targets”, theSpace Development Agency has seemingly cracked the code on procuring and deploying small satellites, or smallsats, quickly with the desired effects. Nevert…

1
Space Technology: Holes Bubble Up In NASA’s Narrative On Plan To De-Orbit The Space Station 55:24

1y ago55:24

55:24

Space Technology: Holes Bubble Up In NASA’s Narrative On Plan To De-Orbit The Space Station NASA claims the commercial space sector provided no “feasible proposals” from “discussions” or “viable interest” in response to a Request for Information (RFI) on how to reuse, repurpose, or recycle part or all of the 420-metric-tonne International Space Sta…

1
Space Power: NATO Summit - Defense Industry! Can You Hear The Demand Signal Now? 44:30

1y ago44:30

44:30

Space Power: NATO Summit - Defense Industry! Can You Hear The Demand Signal Now? Before meeting with heads of state, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told leaders from the Allied defense industrial base that more than two-thirds of the Alliance’s 32 member nations were spending at least 2% of the GDPs on defense. “So there is a good market o…

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