#110 Payload – Building a Media Brand to Cover the Business and Policy of Space | Mo Islam, Co-Founder

About Payload

“Very simply, we are living in the next space race, and it's going to have huge implications for the way we build technology, the way we spend dollars in military.” – Mo Islam

Mo Islam is the co-founder of Payload Space, which is building a media empire dedicated to covering the business and policy of space, as in outer space. We discovered Payload and immediately subscribed to their daily newsletter after it was recommended by Delian Asparouhov, co-founder of Varda Space Industries, in episode 71. We asked Delian what newsletters and websites he used to stay on top of everything going on in space, and he had only one answer: Payload Space.

In this episode, we go deep on why we're at an inflection point when it comes to space and how that was unlocked, at least in the U.S., largely by SpaceX, which has brought down the price to get a unit of mass up to low Earth orbit by order of magnitude. We cover the outsized role the military and defense departments play as customers for space companies, ranging from Earth imaging to satellite manufacturing startups. We talk about the space companies that Mo thinks are the most underrated, as well as how Payload is building a media empire, starting with what Mo calls The Modern Homepage, which is their daily newsletter. We discuss how Payload crafted a compelling voice and editorial style in an old school and relatively stodgy industry, making space cool to read and learn about.

For more, explore the transcript of this episode.

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Chapters

This episode is our definitive guide to building a media brand to cover the business and policy of space. In it we cover:

00:00:00 – Introduction
00:02:36 – How Payload focuses on the business and policy of space
00:10:54 – How Elon Musk has changed the space race
00:15:17 – Aerospace and defense go hand in hand
00:18:11 – Earth imaging illuminates the atrocities of war
00:19:36 – We are living in the next space race
00:22:52 – SPACs and space
00:28:57 – How we’ll move from government to commercial spending in space
00:33:11 – Reusable second stages and lowering the costs of space exploration
00:36:59 – What scaling Starlink could mean for space travel
00:39:40 – Launching a media brand and the importance of voice
00:43:32 – Making Payload the most important voice in the space discussion
00:51:49 – Learning from feedback and embracing boredom

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Pocket Casts, Player FM, Podcast Addict, iHeartRadio, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch the interview on YouTube here.

Big Takeaways

Whether we realize it or not, we are currently living in the next space race, as we compete with eastern countries to excel in the space industry and prove that democracy can help create progress and innovation.
Elon Musk has completely changed the way companies approach risk, encouraging iteration and more bravery in companies, including in the space industry. Partly because of this, the space industry is poised to grow exponentially.
The creation of reusable second stages for rockets is one of the most exciting advances in space technology, as it can drastically reduce the cost of space travel, opening up the field for more companies to build and innovate.

Our Favorite Quotes

Here are a few ideas we'll be thinking about weeks and months from now:

“I'm going to say in 30 years, if you want to go to the moon, you will be able to go to the moon. It might cost a lot, but I think you will be able to go to the moon.”
“Embrace boring. Sometimes there are parts of building a business that are just not exciting, and they're not sexy. You just don't want to do it, but it's okay. Not every single part of company building is like, "Oh, you just won this great contract or you just closed this big customer and let's celebrate." Most of it is actually not that.”
“I think if you really look forward for the next 10 years, I think that what you're going to see is that those generational defining companies are going to be within space, and they're going to be within climate tech, and they're going to be within biotech.”
“The government has always been and will for the foreseeable future be the biggest buyer of space services and aerospace and defense services. That's going to continue to drive and shape innovation in the space.”
“I think one of the biggest issues of the industry is that a lot of civilians don't understand the power of space tech—and that's one of the things that we are trying to solve, helping folks understand this industry is actually phenomenally important to what we do every day.”

5 Ways to Dive Deeper

Want to dive deeper? Here the best content we've curated on this subject:

Delian Asparouhov of Varda Space Industries on Problem Solving with Space Manufacturing | Outlier Academy: Our interview with Delian Asparahouv covers space manufacturing and exciting changes in the space industry. (62 Min)
The Best Books About the Apollo Program and Landing on the Moon | Smithsonian Magazine : Mo Islam maintains that there is much to be learned from the Apollo era of space exploration. Check out these recommended books to learn more. (15 Min)
Payload’s Stories Page: In addition to its newsletter, Payload regularly shares news and explainers on space business and policy here. (5 Min)
Building the Berkshire Hathaway of Outer Space with Dylan Taylor of Voyager Space Holdings | Outlier Academy: Check out our interview with Dylan Taylor, where we discuss investing in space technology and how anyone can become involved in space industry and exploration. (83 Min)
A future worth getting excited about | TED: Watch this conversation with Elon Musk to learn more about Starship and SpaceX’s other new innovations. (67 Min)