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Invested by Europe
Reflex Aerospace founder Walter Ballheimer: From blueprint to orbit, fast
This was honestly one of the most fascinating interviews I did for this entire series. Walter Ballheimer founded Reflex Aerospace on a bold idea: the biggest problem in the satellite industry isn't getting to space, it's how long it takes. His Berlin-based company builds high-performance satellites in 12 to 18 months, when the rest of the industry needs three to five years. He's genuinely one of the most clear-sighted and original thinkers in the European space sector. Don't miss this episode.
From the shifting balance between commercial and defence demand, to what it took to close the largest Series A in European space tech history, Walter gives a frank and fascinating account of what it means to build a hardware company in the New Space era. He makes the case that satellites are already the invisible backbone of modern life and that as autonomous vehicles, rural connectivity, and defence systems grow more dependent on them, the race to renew them faster will never stop.
He also has encouraging things to say about world peace...
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7. Getting to space: Europe's rocket challenge
15:02||Season 2, Ep. 7Come with us to the factory floor of PLD Space in Spain, where hundreds of engineers and technicians are putting together a rocket in a building that used to make shoes. We look at Europe's plan to launch more of its own rockets in a market now dominated by the US and meet the companies who aim to get that job done.
6. Financing "Europe's space": Robert de Groot of the EIB
14:07||Season 2, Ep. 6The European Investment Bank financed 100 billion euros in new projects last year, and it's putting that financial muscle behind Europe's space industry. Robert de Groot, the vice president of the EU's financing arm responsible for space, explains his aim for an autonomous and resilient EU space sector and how the European Investment Bank is backing it.
5. The New Space Revolution
14:04||Season 2, Ep. 5When Elon Musk founded SpaceX, he set off a chain reaction that reshaped the global space industry. A former SpaceX engineer turned European investor, a rocket founder in a converted shoe factory in Spain, a banker at the European Investment Bank and the Inspector-General of the European Space Agency explain how Europe is responding.
4. Rocket science is the easy part: PLD Space founder Raúl Verdú on financing a European space company
31:48||Season 2, Ep. 4Raul Verdú, co-founder of PLD Space in Elche, Spain, tells the story of how two amateur rocket enthusiasts started from scratch in a university cafeteria and spent 15 years building the technology, team, and credibility to develop their Miura 5 rocket. Verdú calls on European governments and agencies to back their own launchers with real contracts. With ambitions to reach 30 launches per year and increase payload capacity from half a tonne to 13 tonnes, Verdú sees PLD Space as the foundation of a new European industry that needs to rediscover the value of skilled technical workers, not just engineers and academics.
3. Euro Space Agency chief Aschbacher: How to close the space investment gap
27:15||Season 2, Ep. 3Dr Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency, explains how Europe's genius for innovation is helping close the gap in space and specifically space investment with the US, and why that's so important for every aspect of daily life, as well as Europe's security and defence.
2. Why space matters so much right now
16:01||Season 2, Ep. 2Europe owns two of the world's most advanced space systems, Galileo and Copernicus, but it spends just 10% of what the US invests in space. Find out why that has to change. Experts from the European Space Agency and the European Commission explain how satellites shape daily life in ways most people never notice. We also look at how Russia's invasion of Ukraine exposed Europe's dependence on foreign rockets, and why closing the investment gap is a strategic imperative.1. Euros in Space: Europe and the New Space Race
01:07||Season 2, Ep. 1Euros in Space is the second season of Invested by Europe, from the European Investment Bank. It explores the people, the companies, and the money behind Europe's space economy. Hear from the rocket builders, satellite makers, investors, and institutions working to secure Europe's place in the new space race. Subscribe so you don’t miss any of our 30 episodes.17. Spain: Four decades in the EU
23:19||Season 1, Ep. 17In 1986, when Spain joined the European Union, it was still emerging from decades of political and economic isolation. Could Spain take its place alongside the great European economies? In this episode, we explore how the European Union helped Spain anchor its democracy, modernise its economy, and build a future its people could believe in. We'll also look at what Spain gave back in return.