SpaceBase Podcast
SpaceBase is a social enterprise who's mission is to democratize access to space through education, entrepreneurship and community building starting in New Zealand. This podcast is dedicated to creating the journey from space enthusiast to space entrepreneurs through insightful interviews with aerospace specialists, investors, and entrepreneurs sharing their experience and knowledge of the space industry, and their personal journeys.To support the podcast, please consider becoming a patron.Since its incorporation in 2017, SpaceBase has collaborated with economic development agencies, local and national governments, and advocacy groups, startups, investors, educators to deliver over 300 educational presentations, briefings, and workshops, national space and aerospace competitions, as well as helping birth space communities and organizations locally and globally. SpaceBase also assists in technical due diligence, consulting projects for investors, industry stakeholders, and space startups. SpaceBase created a platform for the NZ Aerospace Directory and has co-founded the Global Space Enablers Network (GSEN), a decentralised alliance of organizations focused on enabling the space enabler worldwide.
SpaceBase Podcast
Building New Zealand's Satellite Capability while Addressing the Space Debris Problem: An Interview with Ben Taylor
An interview with Dr. Ben Taylor, a seasoned scientist, engineer, and project manager with over 15 years of experience delivering full-lifecycle space missions across the UK, Europe, and now Aotearoa New Zealand.
Ben is currently a Senior Research Fellow at Te Pūnaha Ātea – Space Institute at the University of Auckland, and Co-Founder of Frond Space Systems, a startup offering compact and reliable end-of-life and deployable satellite systems.
Previously, Ben held leadership roles at the Surrey Space Centre and University College London, where he helped design, build, test, and operate CubeSats like ALSat-Nano, InflateSail, and RemoveDebris — missions that pushed the boundaries of small satellite technology and active debris removal. He’s also contributed to radiation detection research and calibration for the Galileo program, and has delivered presentations at major international space conferences.
Ben holds a PhD in Space Science from the University of Surrey, is a certified project management professional, and has been interviewed by major media outlets on cutting-edge space topics.
Hosts: SpaceBase Founder Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom
Resources
Auckland Programme for Space Systems - University of Auckland
University Nanosat Program - US Air Force