For most of human history, space has been a place we visited. The next chapter may be about building there.

For decades, space was the domain of governments, astronauts, and science fiction. Today, falling launch costs, reusable rockets, and a new generation of ambitious founders are turning orbit into something else entirely: a place to build. The question is no longer whether humanity can construct large-scale infrastructure in space, but what we should build first—and why.

In this episode of TechSurge, host Sriram Vishwanath speaks with Dr. Ariel Ekblaw, Founder and CEO of Aurelia Institute, Research Affiliate at MIT’s Space Exploration Initiative, and founder of Rendezvous Robotics. Ariel has spent her career exploring one of the most fundamental challenges of the emerging space economy: how to build structures in orbit that are far larger than anything that can fit inside a rocket.

Ariel explains the origins of TESSERAE, her pioneering work on autonomous self-assembling space architecture, and how ideas borrowed from biology, swarm intelligence, and modular construction could unlock a future of massive solar arrays, communications infrastructure, orbital laboratories, and eventually human habitats in space.

The conversation explores the rapidly emerging market for in-orbit infrastructure, including AI data centers in space, space-based solar power, and the technologies needed to support a permanent industrial presence beyond Earth. Ariel breaks down the engineering realities behind these ideas—why cooling data centers in space is harder than most people assume, how autonomous assembly could solve the scale problem, and why the future of orbital infrastructure may look more like a business park than a collection of standalone satellites.

Sriram and Ariel also discuss the broader implications of humanity’s return to space: the economics unlocked by reusable launch systems, the opportunities created by dramatically lower transportation costs, and the second-order innovations that may emerge from building an industrial ecosystem in orbit. Along the way, they examine space debris, stewardship of the orbital commons, artificial gravity, and what it will take to make long-term human habitation in space viable.

At the heart of the discussion is Ariel’s belief that space is not an escape from Earth’s problems, but a tool for solving them. Whether through advanced manufacturing, new energy systems, biotechnology research, or entirely new industries, she argues that the next era of space exploration should be focused on improving life here at home.

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Links:

Ariel Ekblaw on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/arielekblaw
Aurelia Institute:https://www.aureliainstitute.org
Rendezvous Robotics:https://www.rdvrobotics.com
MIT Space Exploration Initiative:https://www.media.mit.edu/groups/space-exploration/overview/

How Aurelia is Designing Self-Assembling Space Stations: https://www.fastcompany.com/91242689/how-the-aurelia-institute-is-designing-a-self-assembling-space-station
Overview Energy (Space-Based Solar Power): https://www.overviewenergy.com
StarCatcher Industries (Space-to-Space Power Transmission): https://www.starcatcherindustries.com
Impulse Space (Orbital Transportation): https://www.impulsespace.com

References Mentioned During the Discussion

Earthrise - The Apollo 8 Photograph: https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/apollo-8-earthrise/
Carl Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot”: https://www.planetary.org/worlds/pale-blue-dot
Buckminster Fuller Institute: https://www.bfi.org

Watch Ariel’s Talks & Interviews

Aurelia Institute YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AureliaInstitute
Ariel’s TED Talk: https://youtu.be/IHrGK3Mu5K4?si=QwGHq1BEoB-QMUjk
Space Business Podcast - Self-Assembling Space Habitats with Ariel Ekblaw: https://spacebusiness.podbean.com/e/137-self-assembling-space-habitats-ariel-ekblaw-founder-ceo-aurelia-institute/

Further Reading

NASA’s Artemis Program: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis
International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station
Aurelia Institute’s Vision for Humanity’s Future in Space: https://www.aureliainstitute.org
MIT News: Supporting Mission-Driven Space Innovation: https://news.mit.edu/2025/supporting-mission-driven-space-innovation-aurelia-institute-0710

Timestamps:

[00:00] Highlights

[00:34] Welcome to the Episode

[02:33] The New Space Race Begins

[04:10] Meet Dr. Ariel Ekblaw

[06:30] Why We Explore Space?

[12:53] How She Discovered Self-Assembly at MIT

[17:10] How TESSERAE Tiles Build Themselves

[20:14] How the Tiles Coordinate Like a Swarm

[24:47] Repairing and Reconfiguring Structures in Orbit

[28:32] Why the Space Industry Is Exploding Now

[34:25] The Case for AI Data Centers in Space

[45:21] How Much Compute Will Move to Space?

[48:40] Why This Space Era Is Different

[52:24] The Growing Problem of Space Debris

[55:14] Building the Next SpaceX

[57:27] What Could Go Wrong in Space?

[59:33 ] How Many Hours of Gravity Do Humans Need?

[01:00:38] Why We Should Build in Low Earth Orbit First

[01:05:09] Should We Really Colonize Mars?

[01:11:27] Could You Commute to Space for Work?

[01:13:50] Who Makes the Rules in Space?

[01:22:30] What's Overhyped and Underhyped in Space

[01:26:57]What's the Real Story in Space?

In-Orbit Manufacturing, AI Data Centers, and the New Space Economy with MIT’s Ariel Ekblaw

TechSurge: Deep Tech Podcast

In-Orbit Manufacturing, AI Data Centers, and the New Space Economy with MIT’s Ariel Ekblaw