This episode dives into how AstroForge designs electronics to survive deep space conditions: from solar flares and cosmic radiation to electrostatic discharge and internal arcing. Chris, our Head of Avionics, walks through shielding strategies, component selection, failure modes, and what differentiates spacecraft design from terrestrial electronics.
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59:44
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59:44
So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance
On this episode of Roid Rage, Principal Flight Science Engineer Loic joins the pod to break down how we use Monte Carlo simulations to navigate deep space - starting with how we avoid hitting the Moon. Loic walks us through how probabilistic modeling, error bounding, and trajectory optimization keep DeepSpace‑2 on target. This episode covers everything from solar pressure to thrust vector error, and why simulating failure is core to mission design.
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53:05
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53:05
You Want It to Burn This Way
What does it take to point a spacecraft with only one thruster? In this episode, we dive into the engineering behind DeepSpace‑2’s gimbal system: a mechanical interface that enables directional control for our electric propulsion. GNC Engineer Emerson and Flight Software Engineer Kieran walk us through how they built the software, math, and lookup tables needed to command the gimbal, and why the complexity goes far deeper than just “move this motor.”
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45:21
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45:21
Can We Sue Them First?
We brought on Krystle, Chief Business Officer (and space lawyer), to break down what the law actually says. From the 2015 U.S. Space Act to the Outer Space Treaty, Chap (Chief of Mining), Matt (CEO), and Krystle unpack the legal foundation of our business model, how enforcement really works in deep space, and what it means to be a first mover in an uncharted regulatory landscape.
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35:54
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35:54
One Board, Two Brains
In this episode, Matt sits down with Nathan (Flight Software) and Ethan (Avionics) to walk through the architecture, tradeoffs, and bring-up of the DeepSpace-2 flight computer. From why we split responsibilities across two processors to how we’re automating interface validation and handling memory redundancy in deep space, this week's episode is a deep dive into the logic behind the bus.
A podcast by AstroForge on all things related to deep space mining - specifically, asteroid mining. We discuss, explore, and banter about the intricacies of space science and exploration. Hosted by Matt (CEO), Robyn (COO), and Chap (CoS). Buckle in, you're in for a ride.
New Zealand