This is the first episode in a month-long series looking at various, sometimes neglected, aspects of the state of the space industrial base. This week in Washington, D.C. much of the focus has been on military readiness, sustainment, the state of the military industrial base, and whether the U.S. is ready to meet today’s requirements and those five, 10, 15 years in the future. What has not garnered due attention is how the U.S. financial system together with a reliance on venture capital can make or break the space companies that are developing the very technology the military says it needs to deter aggression or fight when the time comes. Laura Winter speaks with George Pullen, MilkyWay Economy’s Chief Economist; and with Jess Harrington, a Consultant at McKinsey & Company, who focuses on the intersection of the commercial space sector and the federal government.
