Kevin Cirilli sits down with Mark Dreiling, recently named Legacy Guardian #2, at the Space Force Association’s Space Power Conference — marking six years of the United States Space Force.

In this deeply personal conversation, Dreiling reflects on the early days of military space operations, the creation of the Space Force, and the quiet community of Air Force space operators whose careers shaped the service before it even existed. He explains why recognizing “legacy Guardians” matters — not just as symbolism, but as an acknowledgment that today’s Space Force stands on decades of unseen work.

The episode takes an unexpected and powerful turn as Dreiling shares his own story: a rare illness, a life-saving liver transplant, and the overwhelming response from the military space community — including fellow service members who volunteered to become organ donors. It’s a reminder that the future of space isn’t just about technology and strategy, but about people, resilience, and care for one another.

Kevin and Mark explore how advances in science and medicine — many protected and enabled by space infrastructure — are turning what once felt like science fiction into second chances at life. They also discuss why the Space Force’s culture emphasizes continuity, gratitude, and respect for what came before, even as it builds something entirely new.

This episode is about legacy, survival, and optimism — and why protecting the space domain ultimately means protecting human potential itself.

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Kevin Cirilli sits down with Michael E. Young of Terran Orbital, one of the critical companies helping make NASA’s Artemis mission possible.

At the center of the conversation: a simple but mind-bending idea — you can’t live, work, or explore without GPS. And if humans are going to return to the Moon, build infrastructure there, and eventually go farther into space, we first need navigation, timing, and communications where none exist today.
Michael explains how Terran Orbital helped build CAPSTONE, the first satellite to operate in a unique lunar orbit without GPS support, proving that future astronauts, robots, and lunar bases can safely coordinate, communicate, and move on the Moon. He breaks down — in plain language — why satellites are getting smaller, smarter, and more powerful, and how those advances unlock everything from lunar logistics to deep-space exploration.

The conversation also looks ahead: how space infrastructure can reduce strain on Earth, enable asteroid mining, power data centers in orbit, and open new frontiers for science, medicine, and energy. Along the way, Michael explains why space security matters, how satellites are protected, and why being first on the Moon isn’t just symbolic — it’s about setting the rules for the future.
This episode is a reminder that mastering the Moon is not the end goal — it’s the training ground for humanity’s next great leap.

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Kevin Cirilli sits down with Damon Feltman, newly named incoming CEO of the Space Force Association, at the Space Power Conference in Orlando.

Fresh off his appointment, Feltman pulls back the curtain on what the U.S. Space Force actually does — and why it matters far beyond rockets and satellites. From the handful of 20-somethings quietly running the world’s GPS system, to the way space underpins banking, communications, weather, national defense, and daily life, this conversation reframes space as the invisible infrastructure of modern civilization.

Kevin and Feltman explore how Guardians are trained for immense responsibility, how virtual and augmented reality are reshaping military readiness, and why space has become the next great arena for AI, cloud computing, energy, and economic competition. They also dig into the global stakes: China’s ambitions in space, the battle over norms and governance beyond Earth, and why protecting space is inseparable from protecting the future of liberal democracy.

This episode is a rare inside look at a six-year-old service shaping the next industrial revolution — and a reminder that when we talk about the future, we’re really talking about space.

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