Even Rogers spent a decade as an Air Force weapons officer watching China and Russia build space weapons while the U.S. had "nothing in our arsenal." So he left the military to solve the problem himself.

Now, as co-founder and CEO of True Anomaly, he's building the first exclusively defense-focused space superiority company, developing autonomous spacecraft, sensors, and software designed specifically for military engagements in orbit. With $418 million raised and a growing team, Rogers is racing to field capabilities the Space Force desperately needs.

Today on TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan sat down with Rogers to explore the emerging business of space defense and why the U.S. is playing catch-up.

Listen to the full episode to hear about:

How the space industry has shifted away from a service domain as threats in space evolve, and what other countries are already deploying.

The biggest bottleneck slowing down space defense development.

How True Anomaly's "Jackal" spacecraft is designed to evolve from surveillance to multi-role missions.

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