This Week in Space #189: Privatizing Orbit

Date: December 12, 2025
Host: Rod Pyle
Co-host: Tarek Malik
Guest: Jeffrey Manber (Voyager Space)

Episode Overview

This episode explores the ongoing privatization of orbital space infrastructure, focusing on how commercial players are rapidly reshaping the economics and capabilities of low Earth orbit. The highlight is a conversation with Jeffrey Manber, one of commercial space's pioneering "space buccaneers," tracing the commercial roots from early US-Soviet deals through his leadership at Nanoracks and now Voyager Space's Star Lab. Timely news topics—SpaceX’s planned IPO and NASA’s communication loss with the Maven Mars orbiter—frame a discussion of the radical shifts in access and ambition defining this new era.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. SpaceX Plans IPO: The Next Phase for Commercial Space?

Timestamps: 05:21–10:03, 73:50–75:16

• Major News: SpaceX reportedly plans to go public in 2026, potentially at a $1.5 trillion valuation, aiming to raise ~$30B (07:11).
• Debate over motives: Both hosts question why Elon Musk would cede some control to shareholders given his history of bold, unconventional moves.
• Investor dynamics: Tarek argues that “the type of high powered investor in SpaceX is going to be someone that is in it for the long haul” (08:01).
• Transparency and pressure: As a publicly held company, SpaceX would face “pressure to get Starship flying quicker... and your records are now available for the public to review” (09:40).

Notable Quote:

“You’re risking our money.” — Rod Pyle, on the tension between shareholder interests and Musk’s ambitious plans (05:54)

2. NASA Loses Contact with MAVEN Mars Orbiter

Timestamps: 10:03–12:22

• Maven, a critical data relay for Mars surface missions, stopped communicating while behind Mars.
• Impact: Reduces bandwidth for rover operations, as MAVEN's high orbit allowed long windows for data transfer.
• The hosts stress MAVEN’s crucial role in studying Mars’ atmosphere and climate history; efforts are ongoing to reestablish contact.

Memorable Exchange:

Rod Pyle: “Do you think it was aliens?”
Tarek Malik: "I hope it was aliens! Wouldn’t that be great?” (12:22)

3. A Pioneering Commercial Space Career: Jeffrey Manber’s Journey

Timestamps: 23:26–33:08

• Origins: Manber recounts beginning as a space journalist in the 1980s, covering the “era of commercial space” as declared in the Reagan era (27:10–30:21).
• Implementation focus: “It’s all about implementation... I don’t talk as much now... because it’s all about implementation.” (25:06)
• First US-Soviet commercial deals: He brokered groundbreaking contracts with Soviet and, later, Russian agencies, even enabling limited US-Chinese ISS collaboration.
• Entrepreneurship lessons: “No, you don’t want to have a career like mine,” Manber quips to students, citing the risks and serendipity of his path (25:05).
• Motivation: Frustration with NASA’s “government controlled monopoly” and lack of private-sector vitality spurred his push for commercialization (31:08–32:59).

Notable Quote:

“If you wanted to work for the capitalists in space, you worked for the Russians. If you wanted to work for the socialists, you worked for NASA.” — Jeffrey Manber (43:31)

4. The Rise and Fall of MirCorp & Privatizing the Space Station

Timestamps: 49:26–55:46

• MirCorp saga: Manber’s MirCorp venture leased the Russian space station Mir to create the world’s first private orbital platform, securing $179M in signed deals before US/Russian space politics and the dot-com crash doomed it.
• Milestone: “We launched a two person crew, the world’s first commercial crew to space... for 70-something days.” (53:39)
• Commercialization had tangible proof points—first commercial astronauts, media, advertising, and pharmaceutical research.
• Legacy: This “showed that an entrepreneurial company could make commercial revenue from an orbiting platform.”

5. Founding Nanoracks & The New Commercial Ecosystem

Timestamps: 55:46–59:41

• Nanoracks leveraged private funding and streamlined access to the ISS, enabling broader international and educational engagement in microgravity research.
• Manber learned from Russian partners how to make stations “sustainable” and to plan for varied scenarios decades ahead.
• Notable accomplishment: Gained NASA’s highest non-astronaut honor for bringing commercial thinking from Russia to the US program.

“I took a lot of what I learned with the Russians on how you handle payloads, how you get things through the system, how you market, what you promise, what you don’t promise…” (56:44–57:04)

6. Voyager Space & Star Lab: The Next Generation of Private Stations

Timestamps: 62:26–73:32

• Star Lab Vision: A single-launch, seven-story, fully commercial station with global partners: Airbus (Europe), Mitsubishi (Japan), MDA (Canada).
• Largest single module ever, launched on SpaceX Starship; will offer capabilities on par with ISS, avoiding inefficient orbits and costs.
• Business model: Commercial partnerships, not just vendor relationships, echoing ISS international collaboration.
• Technical details: Not inflatable—solid metal construction prioritizes proven reliability; designed for fewer spacewalks and maximum automation.
• Competitive landscape: “For me, Vast is not a space station … It is not a space station. … I want our replacement, and we must have our replacement … to counter the Chinese and [preserve] America’s soft leadership.” — Manber (67:23–68:39)

7. Reflections—Legacy and the Future

Timestamps: 75:19–78:52

• Manber points to the normalization of commercial space as a revolution: “We won. We did win. … space is just another place to do business.”
• Urged to write a memoir: “For me, it has to make a point ... It’s almost counterproductive to do a memoir at this point. ... We all set out to make America where space is just another place to do business, that it’s almost counterproductive to do a memoir at this point.”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On bridging international divides:

“I worked for the free market capitalists in the ‘90s … and early 2000s. … We privatized the Mir … first commercial astronauts, we did the first commercials.” — Jeffrey Manber (43:31, 45:16)

• ISBNs and accolades:

“When they called me and told me [about the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal], I said, ‘Does that mean I won?’” (59:53)

• On Star Lab’s ethos:

“We wanted to duplicate the International Space Station partnership only commercially now.” — Manber (63:39)

• On the future of the industry:

“Voyager is a space station company … sustainable. The Wall Street is supporting us, the research community supporting us, and the international community supporting us.” (72:28)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp (MM:SS) | |-----------------------------------------------|-------------------| | Opening Banter / Show Start | 02:22 | | SpaceX IPO Discussion | 05:21–10:03, 73:50–75:16 | | NASA Loses Maven | 10:03–12:22 | | Jeffrey Manber Interview Begins | 23:26 | | Manber’s Journalism & Early Commercial Push | 27:01–33:08 | | Commercialization with Russia | 40:16–46:39 | | The MirCorp Story | 49:26–55:46 | | Nanoracks & Nanoracks’ International Impact | 55:46–59:41 | | Star Lab and Voyager Space Vision | 62:26–73:32 | | Reflections on Commercial Space ‘Victory’ | 75:19–78:52 | | Light Humour and Episode Wrap-Up | 80:00 onward |

Tone & Style

Conversational, occasionally irreverent, and rich with firsthand anecdotes from decades in the commercial space trenches, the episode balances nostalgia, technical detail, and optimism for the future. Manber’s frankness (“No, you don’t want to have a career like mine,” 25:05), Pyle’s wry humor, and Malik’s journalist curiosity keep the exchange lively and accessible to both industry insiders and space enthusiasts.

Additional Resources & References

• Books by Jeffrey Manber:
  • Selling Peace: Inside the Soviet Conspiracy That Transformed the U.S. Space Program
  • Lincoln’s Wrath
• Current Projects: Voyager Space

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