Podcast Summary: T-Minus Space Daily – “Building Resilient Space at Speed”

Date: August 30, 2025
Host: Maria Varmazes (N2K Networks)
Guest: Tim Grief, Founder and President, National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL)

Overview

This episode explores how the U.S. government—especially through organizations like NSTXL—is overhauling its acquisition processes to keep pace with rapid technological innovation in space. Key themes include the need for agility and competitiveness in federal space procurement, challenges facing tech innovators (“the valley of death”), and the unique role of OTA consortia in building resilience and spurring the next wave of U.S. space superiority.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NSTXL Origins and Mission (02:44–05:20)

• Background: Tim Grief introduces himself and the origin story of NSTXL, outlining his work at the intersection of business, policy, and technology before founding NSTXL in 2014.
• Impact: NSTXL has managed over $9 billion in technology prototypes, expanding from energy to microelectronics (e.g., DoD's implementation of CHIPS and Science Act) and space via the Space Enterprise Consortium.
• Mission: NSTXL’s vision is to "revolutionize the way that government innovates," upending century-old procurement models to align with today’s exponentially faster commercial tech cycles.

“If future me went back in time and told past me that I’d be focused on government acquisition 10 years from now, I probably would have punched myself in the face a number of times until I went on a different track. But… the work is challenging, it’s never boring.”
— Tim Grief (04:57)

2. The Need for Speed: Accelerating Government Innovation (05:38–09:52)

• Challenge: Government acquisition operates on outdated timelines, often resulting in delivering obsolete technology—“by the time [the government] actually get[s] it into the field, [it’s] outdated.”
• Competition: The U.S. is no longer just competing with other nation-states but also with corporate giants like Google and Meta for talent and cutting-edge tech.
• Facilitation Role: NSTXL sees itself as a “point guard,” facilitating opportunities for government to operate at the speed and via the terms expected in the commercial sector.

“Part of doing that is to be able to innovate at the speed of business… If we can do that, …the government [will] be far more competitive in the marketplace, particularly for new space technology.”
— Tim Grief (07:03)

3. Procurement Bottlenecks & the Power of OTAs (09:52–15:50)

• Traditional Barriers: The FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulations) governs most government buying—ensuring transparency, but resulting in a web of rules and cumbersome delays (stacked “rules upon rules”).
• Other Transaction Authority (OTAs): Explains the origin, historical necessity, and renewed relevance of OTAs in bypassing slow legacy procurement.
  • Created in 1958 during the original space race for mission-critical speed and flexibility.
  • Expanded in the 1990s; externally managed OTAs now proliferate, including NSTXL’s management of the Space Enterprise Consortium for the U.S. Space Force.
• Results: Traditional FAR contracts take 12–24 months; OTA consortia like NSTXL can execute in 60–90 days while increasing competition and reducing costs.

“When you sit back and look at [the acquisition system], it’s like, well, no wonder it doesn’t work—because we kind of just tweaked and changed and none of it, it doesn’t sound like a symphony. It’s just a bunch of instruments playing their own tune.”
— Tim Grief (10:45)

“We can do the same thing [as FAR] in 60 to 90 days, including an open competition… We average three to five times the number of qualified submissions through our platform…”
— Tim Grief (14:40)

4. Making Government a Better Business Partner (16:54–19:57)

• Lower Barriers for Tech Innovators:
  • New companies can visit nstxl.org for opportunities.
  • NSTXL’s model contracts directly with companies, handling government interface tasks (like invoicing, security clearance).
• Ecosystem Expansion: Focus on onboarding “non-traditional” contractors—often small businesses yet to work with the federal government—by lowering the learning curve and hidden costs.
• Strategic Importance: U.S. space competitiveness is critical as rival powers (China, Russia, India) escalate their space ambitions; public-private partnership with commercial terms is imperative to maintain the technological edge.

5. Dual-Use Tech: Opportunities and Complexity (19:57–24:29)

• Balancing Acts: Operating in both commercial and government sectors brings complexity but also unique opportunities (e.g., stable government funding for “commons” problems).
• Benefits to Innovators:
  • The government offers non-dilutive capital (doesn’t take your equity or IP).
  • U.S. policy respects IP, unlike other nation-states; government usually seeks only “government purpose rights.”
  • Dual-use solutions allow commercial tech to scale while supporting government needs.
• Challenge Areas: Government sets unique, “hard” problem sets not found in the commercial market—creating potential new commercial applications in the process.

“The one thing that the United States still does better than anyone else is innovate. But we have to provide the incentives and the ability to really embrace that innovation and become a market player.”
— Tim Grief (21:44)

6. Call to Action for Innovators (24:29–27:09)

• Encouragement: Tim urges innovators to engage with government—“they need your technologies.”
• Modernization: Contracting is less painful than even 5–10 years ago; platforms like NSTXL are making it more accessible and beneficial than ever to participate.
• Policy Context: Recent federal actions, including an April 6 executive order, recommend OTAs as a primary procurement method for DoD, signaling a rising tide of opportunities for startups and non-traditional contractors.

“If you haven’t considered doing business with the federal government before, it’s something that you should really look into because it’s different now than it was even five to ten years ago… They can be a tremendously impactful and positive partner if you can get in the right paradigm.”
— Tim Grief (25:43)

Notable Quotes

• On innovation cycles:
  “The pace of innovation is so much faster now, exponentially so, that oftentimes you get these situations where the technology that the government has attempted to acquire... is outdated by the time they actually get it into the field.”
  — Tim Grief (05:49)

• On public-private partnership:
  “The way our contracting vehicles work is that companies actually contract us, not the federal government, and we just flow the terms... They get to use our back end system. So we're doing the invoicing… some of these things that are really complex.”
  — Tim Grief (17:46)

• On U.S. edge:
  “There’s this next sort of domain of commerce. But also potential conflict is going to be in space. And it’s imperative that we maintain our technological edge.”
  — Tim Grief (19:18)

• On government as an innovator’s customer:
  “[If] you have a really good idea, the government can produce… non-dilutive capital to help you reach that next tier. And… if you are a problem solver… you want interesting problem sets. The federal government’s where you’re going to find them.”
  — Tim Grief (22:38)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• NSTXL Origins and Mission: 02:44–05:20
• Need for Speed in Govt Innovation: 05:38–09:52
• FAR vs. OTAs / Acq Process: 09:52–15:50
• Making Govt Business-Friendly: 16:54–19:57
• Dual-Use Opportunities & Complexity: 19:57–24:29
• Final Appeal & Look Ahead: 24:29–27:09

Memorable Moments

• Tim Grief’s candid humor about his unexpected career journey in acquisition (04:57)
• The stark contrast of government vs. commercial procurement timescales (14:40)
• Maria’s observation on how smaller innovators depend on but risk stagnation through government contracts (09:05)
• The call to innovators not to be deterred by horror stories—“It’s different now” (25:43)

Conclusion

This episode offers a fast-paced, inside look at how the U.S. is re-tooling its space acquisition systems for the era of great power competition and exponential tech change. NSTXL’s model makes public-private collaboration faster, more competitive, and more accessible. The future of resilient U.S. space capability, the hosts argue, depends on breaking down barriers to participation and on leveraging the full breadth of American innovation.

For more, visit nstxl.org and space.n2k.com.