Rethinking Space Infrastructure for a Contested Orbit | The Pair Program Ep105

What if satellites didn’t have to be disposable? In this episode, we are joined by Brian Taylor, Founder & CEO at Lux Aeterna, and Dr. Michael Nayak, CTO of XPRIZE, to explore the future of reusable satellite platforms. They discuss how satellites can be launched, recovered, refurbished, and redeployed, and what this could mean for the future of space operations.

Key topics include:

• The shift from disposable to reusable satellites.
• How satellite recovery and refurbishment work.
• The potential of fleet-based satellite operations.
• The role of XPRIZE and competition in driving innovation.
• What reusable satellites could mean for national security.

About Brian Taylor: Brian is the Founder and CEO of Lux Aeterna, a space infrastructure company developing reusable satellite platforms designed to launch, re-enter, and redeploy on demand. Before founding Lux Aeterna, he led advanced mechanical engineering programs at SpaceX, Amazon’s Project Kuiper, and Loft Orbital. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University and an M.S. from Georgia Tech.

Dr. Michael Nayak: Michael is the Chief Technology Officer of XPRIZE, as well as an advisor to venture capital funds and technology startups. He is a scientist, engineer, pilot, entrepreneur, science-fiction author, and futurist. Before joining XPRIZE, he was a Program Manager at DARPA, where he created and directed a portfolio of nearly two dozen programs with a combined value of over $700 million.

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