This week's Pathfinder features Colin Doughan, CEO of Gravitics, a Seattle-based startup that specializes in the development of modular space infrastructure to support the expansion of stations and orbital platforms. Their primary product is the StarMax module, which can be customized in various sizes to accommodate different launch vehicles and mission requirements.

Colin shares his journey into the aerospace industry and his vision for building real estate platforms in space. With a background that includes nearly 20 years at Lockheed Martin and founding Altius Space Machines (acquired by Voyager), Colin brings a considerable amount of experience in infrastructure development.

We explore:

The approach Gravitics takes in developing scalable station modules
The market potential for free-flying stations and the impact of new launch vehicle capabilities
Operator vs builder model in space stations
Challenges in scaling manufacturing and testing for space environments
The future of artificial gravity and its importance for long-term space habitation

And much more...

• Chapters •

00:00 - Intro & Epsilon ad

02:04 - Colin's background

03:23 - Colin's first business venture

04:02 - Why start a space station business?

05:25 - Evolution of the Gravitics's vision

06:57 - Zero G modules

07:36 - Business model

08:26 - Why not operate modules?

10:04 - How do you perceive the market opportunity for free-flying space stations?

18:19 - Design decisions

22:25 - Turning a competitor into a customer

25:02 - Gravitics's approach vs existing providers

26:14 - Is there enough capital and investors to sustain this market?

30:26 - Countries creating their own launch capabilities

33:24 - StarMax

35:44 - Insourcing vs outsourcing

36:52 - Scaling manufacturing

40:05 - Testing

42:50 - Technical challengers that keep Colin up at night

44:42 - Commercial and government traction

48:34 - Long-term view

50:09 - ETA for Elysium?

50:35 - Who's going to play Colin in the future movie about Gravitics?

• Show notes •

Gravitic’s website — https://www.gravitics.com/

Gravitic’s socials — https://twitter.com/graviticsinc

Colin’s socials — https://twitter.com/colindoughan

Mo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam

Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace

Pathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace

Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes

• About us •

Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 19,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We’re also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world.

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Space Station Foundations, with Colin Doughan (Gravitics)

Valley of Depth