1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,520 Speaker 1: The information provided in this program is of a general 2 00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:05,320 Speaker 1: nature and is not intended to be personalized financial advice. 3 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:07,760 Speaker 1: We encourage you to seek appropriate advice from a qualified 4 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 1: professional to suit your individual circumstances. And your documentary takes 5 00:00:11,920 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 1: you inside the minds of misfits who unleashed a commercial 6 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:19,119 Speaker 1: assault on Low Earth orbit. Ashley Vance explains why he 7 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:21,959 Speaker 1: spent years documenting the space race. 8 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 2: All right, I haven't really told this story yet, but. 9 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 3: Five four three two one you've. 10 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 4: Heard about the billionaire space Race. Shit, this isn't that movie. 11 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:02,040 Speaker 1: This HBO original documentary Wild Wild Space follows these slightly 12 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:07,039 Speaker 1: cowboy personalities behind the punishing and once private pursuit to 13 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:11,480 Speaker 1: defy the laws of physics. It focuses on a few characters, 14 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:16,080 Speaker 1: Astra's Chris Kemp, Planet Labs Will Marshall, and Rocket Labs 15 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: Peter Beck. 16 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 5: There's f bombs. 17 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:20,319 Speaker 2: Let's start a company. 18 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:21,319 Speaker 5: Best competition. 19 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 1: I'm going to conclusive billions of dollars at stake, and 20 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: more importantly, the shape of our society. 21 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 4: And whoever controls space may very well control the future 22 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 4: of humanity. 23 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:38,679 Speaker 1: It's impressive innovation, but enough to unseat even the most 24 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:43,959 Speaker 1: optimistic among us. HBO gave me express written consent to 25 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 1: use this trailer. The whole documentary was inspired by Ashley Varance, 26 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 1: who spent years following Rocket Lab and Astra behind the scenes. 27 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: I have a chat to him just after the premiere. 28 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:58,440 Speaker 1: This is a bit different to my typical CEO interviews. 29 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 1: It's just two business jo list on other ends of 30 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 1: the Earth, bonding of their coverage of space companies. 31 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 5: It's good to chat. 32 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:09,080 Speaker 2: It's my pleasure. Thank you for having me on. 33 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:12,360 Speaker 5: And thank you again for letting me watch in early screening. 34 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 1: It was It was so fun to watch early and 35 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:16,640 Speaker 1: I loved it as much as I thought I would. 36 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 1: It was. 37 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 5: It was really a good job. 38 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:22,800 Speaker 2: Oh thank you. Yeah, well, it was lots of effort. 39 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:23,639 Speaker 2: I'm glad to hear that. 40 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:26,920 Speaker 1: When I was kind of my first question, right, I mean, 41 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:28,200 Speaker 1: talk about the effort you spent. 42 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:30,680 Speaker 5: Was it six years writing the book and then filming this. 43 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, I was trying to think. I mean the first 44 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:35,919 Speaker 2: time I ever. Somebody reminded me last night we had 45 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 2: this premiere in New York City. You know, I make 46 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:42,680 Speaker 2: this television show called Hello World for Bloomberg, and it 47 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 2: was actually the very first season of shooting the show. 48 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 2: I went to see Peter back in Rocket Lab in 49 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:51,440 Speaker 2: Auckland in twenty fifteen, and so I had no idea 50 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 2: I was going to do a book or a documentary 51 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 2: at that point. But we do have so some of 52 00:02:56,680 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 2: the I mean, we have some archival footage, but otherwise, 53 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 2: like the early footage that you know I kind of 54 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:04,440 Speaker 2: shot with the camera would have been twenty fifteen. And 55 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 2: then you know, it was around twenty seventeen, twenty eighteen 56 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:11,679 Speaker 2: when I really could feel the momentum picking up and 57 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 2: definitely knew there was a book there and started realizing, 58 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 2: you know, I'd done this biography on Elon Musk and 59 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 2: all these people sort of wanted to be the next 60 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 2: Space Act, the next Elon. So I had really good access. 61 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 2: Everybody wanted me to come by, and I realized I 62 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:29,480 Speaker 2: had such good access that I should start trying to 63 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 2: see if I could sneak cameras in there, because it 64 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:35,080 Speaker 2: was it's like really rare to catch some of these 65 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 2: companies at such an early stage and to be invited, 66 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 2: you know, into the Michigan control and to watch the 67 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 2: launches and all that stuff. And so yeah, so anyway, 68 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 2: it's at least six or seven years incredible. 69 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 1: Well I was going to ask that anyway, I mean, 70 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: why not do this on Elon Musk. Why focus on 71 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 1: the smaller satellite low Earth orbit players when there are 72 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 1: you know, massive multibility it's playing in this game like 73 00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: Elon and formally Bezos two. 74 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, for a whole bunch of reasons. Everyone. I done 75 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 2: the biography on Elon and. 76 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 5: We didn't go down so well. 77 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, we hadn't always had this relationship, so it wasn't 78 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 2: really it wasn't really I had some PTSD and I 79 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 2: really want to spend more time on him. And then 80 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:19,920 Speaker 2: also there's been kind of a few SpaceX. There's quite 81 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:25,040 Speaker 2: a few SpaceX films on Netflix and elsewhere, and and 82 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:28,240 Speaker 2: then you know, it really was It's just what I 83 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 2: got interested in. I mean, I just could feel all 84 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 2: this activity that same story. Like, you know, I'd covered 85 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:37,520 Speaker 2: space quite a bit for a while, and I always 86 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:40,520 Speaker 2: had rocket people reaching out to me, We've built a rocket, 87 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 2: and then you go see it and it's nothing. And 88 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 2: then I started hearing rumors about this guy in New 89 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 2: Zealand and no offense. I was just skeptical. I mean, 90 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:51,720 Speaker 2: it's it's usually something that comes out of like the 91 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:54,919 Speaker 2: United States or Russia, someone with a history of doing 92 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:56,920 Speaker 2: the stuff. And so the first time I went there, 93 00:04:56,960 --> 00:04:59,680 Speaker 2: I had very low expectations, and I was shocked. You know, 94 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 2: there was three rocket bodies on the on the shop floor, 95 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:05,599 Speaker 2: and he clearly knew what he was doing, and everyone 96 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:07,680 Speaker 2: was speaking so highly of them, and so I just 97 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:10,600 Speaker 2: kind of caught the cut the bug, and I thought 98 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 2: it was a really fascinating story. I thought everybody hears 99 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 2: about the billionaires all the time. There was just this 100 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:21,720 Speaker 2: raw sort of underbelly, underdog energy to the people that 101 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:24,320 Speaker 2: I was I was covering, and so I enjoyed all 102 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 2: of that. And then you know, in fairness, like I mean, 103 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:31,719 Speaker 2: this is hindsight speaking, but like I worked out pretty 104 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:33,880 Speaker 2: well as far as like Peter at Rocket Lab is concidered. 105 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:36,240 Speaker 2: I mean, people always talk about Branson and Besis. I 106 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:40,599 Speaker 2: mean Elon, Yes, like SpaceX is dominant, but but Peter's 107 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 2: like the only other game in town. So if you're 108 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:46,120 Speaker 2: if you're doing like a space story of Branson or Bezos, 109 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:48,160 Speaker 2: I think you're probably in bad shape. 110 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 1: Nohing's taken that you were under You had kind of 111 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:55,359 Speaker 1: had underwhelming thoughts on our country initially, I think most people. 112 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:58,359 Speaker 1: Do you even see in the documentary about New Zealand 113 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:04,320 Speaker 1: there's like nothing there and it out by. 114 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:04,640 Speaker 5: The time. 115 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:08,440 Speaker 2: That was specifically about the cargo. 116 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:11,320 Speaker 5: Oh yeah, it's nothing. 117 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:14,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, I if that came off of the entire country, 118 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:16,280 Speaker 2: I feel bad. I was trying to I was trying 119 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:20,039 Speaker 2: to kind of like put Peter's place in the country. 120 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 2: When was the first time I came to New Zealand. 121 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:25,440 Speaker 2: You know, my mom's Australian and I've gone to Australia 122 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,600 Speaker 2: every year of my life for many, many, many years. 123 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:31,600 Speaker 2: We had a huge family there, but I never went 124 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:33,359 Speaker 2: to New Zealand all those times. I would always be 125 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:35,840 Speaker 2: in Sydney just seeing family. And so I really went 126 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:38,039 Speaker 2: to New Zealand for the first time for this project. Yeah, 127 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:41,840 Speaker 2: twenty fifteen would have been my first visit. And then 128 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 2: over the course of doing the book in the film, 129 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:49,680 Speaker 2: I think I went it's got to be like seven times. 130 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:52,880 Speaker 1: I think, Wow, over the course of the filming and 131 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:54,840 Speaker 1: doing the research for the book. That's a long way 132 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:57,880 Speaker 1: to come that many times, youde I did. 133 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:00,080 Speaker 2: I mean one of my favorite trips, you know, A 134 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:01,880 Speaker 2: lot of times I would go see Rocket Lab at 135 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:03,640 Speaker 2: their headquarters and things like that, and then I'm a 136 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 2: tech journalist, I would go see I think I've written 137 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:09,000 Speaker 2: like quite a lot of stories about New Zealand tech 138 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,560 Speaker 2: companies for somebody who's not from the country. But one 139 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 2: when I really was like getting ready to do the book, 140 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:19,920 Speaker 2: I we spent this amazing month with my family. I 141 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,840 Speaker 2: tried to like retrace Peter's you know, childhood more or 142 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 2: lesson so I wanted to see everywhere he'd grown up, 143 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 2: where he'd gone to school. So we went to the 144 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 2: South Island and started at christ Church and just did 145 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:35,640 Speaker 2: this big road trip already around the country and then 146 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:38,160 Speaker 2: went in a little bit to Queenstown and then back 147 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 2: out and all the way around. And so I went 148 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:42,280 Speaker 2: to dun Eden and in Viicargo, all these spots that 149 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 2: have been part of Peter's life, and then and then 150 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:46,880 Speaker 2: obviously Auckland as well, and so yeah, I was really 151 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:50,040 Speaker 2: memorable trip. I mean that was my family was ready 152 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:53,480 Speaker 2: to move there, and we probably we would have been 153 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 2: a good choice to do that, I think so. But 154 00:07:56,200 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 2: it was one of my favorite things of doing this 155 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:01,480 Speaker 2: project was getting to know the country. I love it. 156 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:04,880 Speaker 1: I love that well, you are welcome back anytime, and 157 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 1: on behalf of all of us, thank you for covering 158 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 1: our tech companies. 159 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:11,160 Speaker 5: We kind of push above our weight on that front. 160 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 2: So yeah, really do. And then you know, just what 161 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:17,680 Speaker 2: I've seen in the last few years is crazy. I mean, 162 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:20,720 Speaker 2: I guess you know, in large part thanks to Rocket 163 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 2: Labs success, I'm quite convinced after the United States, New 164 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:28,680 Speaker 2: Zealand has more aerospace startups than any other country, which is, like, 165 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:31,640 Speaker 2: it is pretty remarkable feat you heard it. 166 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:34,840 Speaker 1: Here first, but that is I mean, I think what 167 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:37,400 Speaker 1: is so incredible about this whole documentary. I mean and 168 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 1: your book obviously as well, but the excess that you 169 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:45,719 Speaker 1: got and these companies, I mean, we're both filmed inside them. 170 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:49,160 Speaker 1: There's a lot of commercial sensitivity on those factory floors, right, 171 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:52,760 Speaker 1: like we feel ending there's more you're told that you're 172 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:55,080 Speaker 1: not allowed to film than you are filmed than you 173 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: are allowed to film. 174 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:59,599 Speaker 5: So how did you while you were filming this entire documentary? 175 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:01,880 Speaker 1: How did you navigate that to ensure you got enough 176 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:03,319 Speaker 1: behind the scenes footage? 177 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:06,199 Speaker 2: It was really tricky. And if I go on too large, 178 00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:08,559 Speaker 2: just tell me to shut up. But I mean you're 179 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:10,320 Speaker 2: totally right. I mean, I mean some of this is 180 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:13,640 Speaker 2: like this very serious legal stuff. There's this you know, 181 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 2: United States law it TAR, which is a restriction around 182 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:22,440 Speaker 2: defense related technologies, and they take it very seriously. Even 183 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:26,800 Speaker 2: if you accidentally leak some image, it's deemed important by 184 00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:28,920 Speaker 2: the government. I mean, like the person who took the 185 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:31,560 Speaker 2: images going to jails and you're, you know, possibly are 186 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:34,440 Speaker 2: getting some horrible fine, and so is the company. And 187 00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:39,840 Speaker 2: so Rocket Lab fell under those same restrictions. I was 188 00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:43,959 Speaker 2: lucky companies like rocket you know, some of the companies 189 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:46,439 Speaker 2: in the film are just at different stages of their journey, 190 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:48,720 Speaker 2: and so Rocket Lab was a little bit trickier. You 191 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:53,400 Speaker 2: have to be quite careful about where you put the camera. Astra, 192 00:09:53,559 --> 00:09:56,280 Speaker 2: as people will see in the film, was both like 193 00:09:56,320 --> 00:09:58,600 Speaker 2: at a younger stage and also a bit more freewheeling 194 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:02,880 Speaker 2: about some of these things than the other companies, and 195 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:04,680 Speaker 2: so they let me film everything. I mean, I was 196 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:07,120 Speaker 2: in the Michigan control when the rocket's blown up and 197 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:09,840 Speaker 2: they're trying to tell everyone that it was okay, talking 198 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:14,880 Speaker 2: to their investors and things like that, and so but 199 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:17,439 Speaker 2: that's really what I knew I had something special. Is 200 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:23,240 Speaker 2: because this is every other space story you usually see 201 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:28,160 Speaker 2: unless it's a movie where they can dramatize things. It's 202 00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:32,000 Speaker 2: a very positive story about everything going right and our 203 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:36,400 Speaker 2: best and brightest doing these amazing, courageous things, which is true. 204 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:39,120 Speaker 2: But you know, there's a lot of heartache and drama 205 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:41,680 Speaker 2: and things going wrong on the way to that point, 206 00:10:41,679 --> 00:10:44,040 Speaker 2: which you never get to see because obviously nobody wants 207 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:46,080 Speaker 2: to show their worst moment, and so that was kind 208 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:48,120 Speaker 2: of my quest, was to show what life was really 209 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:52,240 Speaker 2: like at the end. We did have to have a 210 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:56,560 Speaker 2: lawyer look over It's like almost like nothing to do 211 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 2: with the story. It's just did you show this rocket 212 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:03,880 Speaker 2: from this angle where some overseas adversary could blow it 213 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:06,520 Speaker 2: up and figure out how they build their motor And 214 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:08,319 Speaker 2: so you just have a lawyer go over that stuff. 215 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:10,960 Speaker 2: And I made I did make that agreement with the companies. 216 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 2: Obviously nothing to do with content or anything like that. 217 00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:16,080 Speaker 2: But let's all not go to jail because of this picture. 218 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:17,439 Speaker 2: So that's how we solved it. 219 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:19,800 Speaker 5: That would kind of be a bad end, right. 220 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:22,319 Speaker 1: I think One of my favorite moments, and a couple 221 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:27,040 Speaker 1: of them, were following Chris Kemp around and just how 222 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:29,640 Speaker 1: forthcoming he was to you, even kilt playing up for 223 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:33,320 Speaker 1: the cameras right, like eating the lead paint. And one 224 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:35,400 Speaker 1: of my favorite, which was kind of a very quick 225 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:37,400 Speaker 1: moment with him on the phone too, I'm assuming his 226 00:11:37,559 --> 00:11:40,120 Speaker 1: partner and he said something like, baby, this is going 227 00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:42,320 Speaker 1: to make our lives so much easier. It was like 228 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:45,520 Speaker 1: course personal moments, and I found that was quite a 229 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 1: contrast to the light that you saw either Will Marshall 230 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:51,360 Speaker 1: or Peter Beckett. You know, they were very much at 231 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:55,680 Speaker 1: work and wanted to be scientists and engineers. Do you 232 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:58,600 Speaker 1: feel like through the content you were able to capture 233 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:01,079 Speaker 1: and the access that you got from the different characters, 234 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:07,839 Speaker 1: it allowed you to show the entirety of each of them. 235 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:12,600 Speaker 2: Well, you know, again the companies were at different stages. 236 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:16,200 Speaker 2: Halfway through the movie, all these companies went public and 237 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:18,560 Speaker 2: then all the lawyers show up and have their own 238 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:21,640 Speaker 2: thoughts on how you should do these things, which was 239 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:25,040 Speaker 2: the pain if I'm totally honest. You know, Will Marshall, 240 00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:28,200 Speaker 2: who I adore and have spent all these years writing about, 241 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:32,559 Speaker 2: was much more reserved and has a very interesting social life. 242 00:12:32,559 --> 00:12:35,040 Speaker 2: He lives in a communal house in Silicon Valley and 243 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:37,640 Speaker 2: has for many years. They would not let us film, 244 00:12:37,679 --> 00:12:39,720 Speaker 2: their Will would not. The rest of the house said 245 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:42,480 Speaker 2: it was okay, and Will wouldn't. And then you know, Peter, 246 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 2: as long as i've known him, has I think it's 247 00:12:46,679 --> 00:12:50,440 Speaker 2: like part Peter in part maybe some Kiwi sensibilities. There's 248 00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:52,600 Speaker 2: just a bit more reserved. Doesn't want to come off 249 00:12:52,679 --> 00:12:56,200 Speaker 2: as like a show off. And so Peter was great 250 00:12:56,360 --> 00:13:00,160 Speaker 2: and Rocket Lab was fantastic. During Feeling, they just were 251 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:02,800 Speaker 2: again a bit more. You know, he didn't want to 252 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:05,120 Speaker 2: show us like his home life. He is concerned about 253 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:07,040 Speaker 2: his privacy and things like that. Chris had none of 254 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:10,599 Speaker 2: these concerns. So so I think, you you know, I 255 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:13,240 Speaker 2: think it's pretty revelatory about their characters. You can tell 256 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:15,280 Speaker 2: in the way we structured the film that we had 257 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:18,920 Speaker 2: some of this stuff with Chris that you're it wasn't 258 00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:21,480 Speaker 2: just that we weren't getting it from the other people. 259 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:22,960 Speaker 2: It's hard to get that from anyone. I mean, it 260 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:26,080 Speaker 2: was like a once in a lifetime opportunity where this 261 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:31,480 Speaker 2: person was really allowed, really allowed us to see everything 262 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:33,720 Speaker 2: to do with the company and their life and everything 263 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:35,679 Speaker 2: like that. So yet no, I mean, I think you're right, 264 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:37,959 Speaker 2: and we just tried to navigate it the best we could. 265 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:40,400 Speaker 2: I think you get a pretty good feel for Peter, 266 00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:45,320 Speaker 2: and I think there's a reason there's sort of like 267 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:51,720 Speaker 2: less footage of planet in the film. And subsequently after 268 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:53,520 Speaker 2: they saw the film, now I'm getting all these notes 269 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 2: they're like, oh, I wish we'd participated a lot more 270 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:58,760 Speaker 2: than we did and and all that. So I was like, 271 00:13:58,880 --> 00:13:59,600 Speaker 2: I told you, so. 272 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:03,400 Speaker 5: That's amazing. 273 00:14:03,679 --> 00:14:06,240 Speaker 1: I've never written a book ashually. I know you've written many, 274 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:10,600 Speaker 1: and I've read them both, love them both. But I 275 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:13,280 Speaker 1: can imagine that all of the detail that goes into 276 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:18,280 Speaker 1: a book would be a lot more interesting and kind 277 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:20,360 Speaker 1: of gives you the ability that kind of platform to 278 00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:23,000 Speaker 1: put a lot more detail into it and kind of 279 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,320 Speaker 1: explain things and people better. And then I know what 280 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:29,040 Speaker 1: it's like to create videos, and it is sometimes very 281 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:31,560 Speaker 1: hard to create a story arc, a beginning, middle, and 282 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:34,800 Speaker 1: then it looks easy when somebody watches the final product, 283 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:37,400 Speaker 1: but how it is so hard. And I can only 284 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:41,040 Speaker 1: imagine how much vision and detail you actually did walk 285 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:42,840 Speaker 1: away with from these years filming. 286 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:45,520 Speaker 5: So what when you first. 287 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:47,920 Speaker 1: Went into this process of making this documentary, what were 288 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 1: the parts that you were absolute on ensuring that had 289 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 1: to be in there? And what were things that you 290 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:57,040 Speaker 1: wish could have been but just just fit in the 291 00:14:57,080 --> 00:14:57,880 Speaker 1: final story. 292 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:00,480 Speaker 2: All right, I haven't really told this to yeah, but 293 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:04,560 Speaker 2: here's the full I mean, when I set out to 294 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:07,200 Speaker 2: do this, I was like, I'm going to do a 295 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:10,080 Speaker 2: book and a documentary at the same time. I write 296 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 2: a lot of articles and have done these other books 297 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:16,320 Speaker 2: that at the end other people sometimes want to buy 298 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:18,960 Speaker 2: your material and turn it into a documentary. And I'd 299 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 2: been making my own television show, Hello World, and I 300 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:23,840 Speaker 2: was like, you know what, whatever, I'm gonna try to 301 00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:25,600 Speaker 2: do this. It's gonna be hard, but let's see if 302 00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:28,240 Speaker 2: I could make make a film. And I really it 303 00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:30,480 Speaker 2: was not a film at the beginning. I wanted to 304 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:34,240 Speaker 2: make a series, and so I wanted to do this 305 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:37,760 Speaker 2: episodic series. And so really for from like twenty seventeen 306 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:41,160 Speaker 2: to two thousand, so I raised some money from three 307 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:44,600 Speaker 2: wonderful people who helped me get on this journey, and 308 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:46,360 Speaker 2: and so I filmed all over the world. I mean 309 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:51,400 Speaker 2: we filmed. There's a lot of footage from much earlier 310 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:54,000 Speaker 2: days with Rocket Lab and in New Zealand. It's not 311 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:56,720 Speaker 2: in the film. I was in Ukraine, I was in 312 00:15:56,760 --> 00:16:01,440 Speaker 2: French Guiana, I went to India and Russia, and so 313 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:04,840 Speaker 2: I wanted to tell this episodic series where you could 314 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:07,320 Speaker 2: see maybe rocket Lab would be one episode and it 315 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 2: would be sort of like this history of that. I 316 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:12,000 Speaker 2: wanted to do the kind of collapse of the Russian 317 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:15,880 Speaker 2: space program, the European space program flies out of French Cana, 318 00:16:15,960 --> 00:16:18,840 Speaker 2: sort of center it on these sites that are quite 319 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:22,480 Speaker 2: exotic and unusual and tell stories from there. I've bit 320 00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:26,320 Speaker 2: off more than I could chew, is what happened, and 321 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:30,440 Speaker 2: sort of ran out of money at various points during 322 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:33,640 Speaker 2: this exercise, and really it was just too big for me. 323 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:36,080 Speaker 2: And so I'd gathered these hundreds of hours of footage 324 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:41,040 Speaker 2: then brought on this wonderful team Ross Kaufman as the 325 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:44,200 Speaker 2: Academy Award winning director of this film. Jake Callahan was 326 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:46,240 Speaker 2: the producer, and so they saved me. They went through 327 00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:49,840 Speaker 2: all the footage sort of like centered on the stories 328 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:52,440 Speaker 2: that they liked the best and felt that we had 329 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:56,160 Speaker 2: the strongest footage from and then we filmed for another 330 00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:59,240 Speaker 2: couple of years after that to round everything out. So 331 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:01,800 Speaker 2: sorry it's long answer, but it was a very long journey. 332 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:04,879 Speaker 5: Well, I had absolutely no idea that again. 333 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:07,320 Speaker 1: I mean, all I'm thinking, Ashley, is there's so much 334 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:11,360 Speaker 1: vision there still to be used, Like you've got number two, three, four, 335 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:13,840 Speaker 1: five in the day, Surely there's a lot. 336 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:15,960 Speaker 2: I mean. The problem was I didn't know what I 337 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:18,000 Speaker 2: was doing, and I stretched myself too thin, and so 338 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:21,159 Speaker 2: some of these stories went pretty deep. Like we'd Astro 339 00:17:21,320 --> 00:17:23,119 Speaker 2: was right in my backyard. It was easy for me 340 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:26,199 Speaker 2: to go there every week twice a week for a 341 00:17:26,280 --> 00:17:28,840 Speaker 2: long period of time. Things like Ukraine. We got amazing 342 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:32,880 Speaker 2: footage I went to. I was the first Western journalist 343 00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:35,399 Speaker 2: I think probably still the only who ever went into 344 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:38,719 Speaker 2: the old Soviet ICBM factory and dinepro with the camera. 345 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:41,560 Speaker 2: I went to these hid rocket test sites in the 346 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:44,600 Speaker 2: forest with the camera. We just didn't have enough as 347 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:46,720 Speaker 2: the money started running out, it was just I was 348 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:49,320 Speaker 2: getting spread too thin and so so yes, I'm still 349 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:52,119 Speaker 2: kind of like wondering what to do with with that 350 00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:54,640 Speaker 2: footage we filmed with this company, spin Launch that's making 351 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:58,199 Speaker 2: a space catapult, which sounds insane, but they want to 352 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:01,240 Speaker 2: They want to throw rocks to the edge of space 353 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:07,840 Speaker 2: and I yeah, So they built this huge centrifuge and 354 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:11,119 Speaker 2: it spends at this incredible speed and then you you 355 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:12,840 Speaker 2: throw the rocket to the edge of space, so they 356 00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:15,160 Speaker 2: sort of use the centrifuge to get over the gravity 357 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:17,919 Speaker 2: part that requires so much fuel, and then the rocket 358 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:20,040 Speaker 2: just lights up at the very end. But I film 359 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:23,000 Speaker 2: with them when they were like twelve people in a 360 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:25,959 Speaker 2: secret room in Silicon Valley and all this stuff. So anyway, 361 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:28,080 Speaker 2: I'll have to like figure out something to do with 362 00:18:28,119 --> 00:18:30,560 Speaker 2: all this one day. But I just have to have 363 00:18:30,600 --> 00:18:32,320 Speaker 2: to get this one done first. 364 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:35,400 Speaker 1: Can you please at least just make us a promise 365 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:38,159 Speaker 1: that we will see it someday, because that that just 366 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 1: sounds incredible. 367 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:41,159 Speaker 2: No, I fully intend to. And then, you know, some 368 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:42,960 Speaker 2: of this will just be great because you I did 369 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:44,639 Speaker 2: film with a number of subjects, and you kind of 370 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:46,280 Speaker 2: get to see who's made it and who has it, 371 00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:48,760 Speaker 2: and then and then go back and I'll have some 372 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:53,800 Speaker 2: good early days stuff, hopefully on some success stories here. 373 00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:57,560 Speaker 1: But as you know, this industry that we cover moves 374 00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:00,600 Speaker 1: so quickly, and you were covering up the years, how 375 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:03,200 Speaker 1: did you know at the point to stop? I mean, 376 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:05,320 Speaker 1: even as you say they went public at some point, 377 00:19:05,359 --> 00:19:07,119 Speaker 1: it almost felt like that may have been a natural 378 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:07,760 Speaker 1: point to stop. 379 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:10,479 Speaker 5: But you kept filming for years after that. 380 00:19:10,560 --> 00:19:13,000 Speaker 1: How did you know when to kind of title together 381 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:15,520 Speaker 1: and how did you ensure that it was still relevant 382 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:18,080 Speaker 1: when it was released because new things had all the time. 383 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:25,080 Speaker 2: Yeah. No, no would be a strong strong word gids. Yes, yeah, 384 00:19:25,119 --> 00:19:32,840 Speaker 2: you know there were these big moments. I mean, you're 385 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:36,040 Speaker 2: trying to find a like rocket Lab was sort of 386 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:39,879 Speaker 2: no problem because they had reached this level of success 387 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:44,880 Speaker 2: where I felt pretty confident. But once we'd been at 388 00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:46,800 Speaker 2: it for a while, I felt quite confident that they 389 00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:48,399 Speaker 2: were going to be around, they were going to be 390 00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:51,879 Speaker 2: doing interesting things. They were okay. Planet was quite similar 391 00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:54,800 Speaker 2: that they had built this giant constellation of satellites. We're 392 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:56,880 Speaker 2: making money and we're doing okay. Some of these other 393 00:19:56,960 --> 00:19:59,240 Speaker 2: rocket companies, that's you know, I was filming with a 394 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:00,760 Speaker 2: bunch of them, and they you try to find the 395 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:03,480 Speaker 2: best character from the story and then you're kind of 396 00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:06,560 Speaker 2: waiting for some points where you could you could put 397 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:09,000 Speaker 2: a flag in the sand. Astra was problematic, you know, 398 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:11,720 Speaker 2: COVID came along. That's a lot a lot of things. 399 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:15,640 Speaker 2: The original idea was to sort of Astra's whole goal 400 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:18,360 Speaker 2: was to build a rocket faster than anybody ever had 401 00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:20,520 Speaker 2: and launch it, and you know, if that had gone 402 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:23,600 Speaker 2: swimmingly well, then you would have you would have that 403 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:27,040 Speaker 2: moment and maybe that's that's it, You've done it, and 404 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:29,679 Speaker 2: for that for their story. But that didn't happen. It 405 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:32,639 Speaker 2: took many, many years, and and then even after the 406 00:20:32,720 --> 00:20:35,800 Speaker 2: rocket had succeeded, it started to fail. And so you 407 00:20:35,840 --> 00:20:39,760 Speaker 2: have to pick these spots in the Astra. Just this morning, 408 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:43,960 Speaker 2: you know, they'd basically gone bankrupt and now took the 409 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:48,280 Speaker 2: company private, and that just happened today. We kind of 410 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:50,880 Speaker 2: had a sense this was coming, and so it's it's 411 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:54,639 Speaker 2: one of the final notes in the movie. But it 412 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:56,320 Speaker 2: was hard anyway. I don't have a good answer, because 413 00:20:56,359 --> 00:20:57,520 Speaker 2: you just have to you have to pick a moment. 414 00:20:57,560 --> 00:20:59,160 Speaker 2: I mean, the story is not going to end, and 415 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:02,480 Speaker 2: so maybe there will be wilder, wilder space coming. I 416 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:05,480 Speaker 2: don't know. But I felt like we did get to 417 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:09,080 Speaker 2: some spots where you clearly had seen the trajectory of 418 00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:12,879 Speaker 2: rocket Lab and Astra and planets, and there was enough 419 00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:15,000 Speaker 2: to kind of give people a feel for why they're 420 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:16,320 Speaker 2: important and interesting. 421 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:20,240 Speaker 1: Certainly, one of the most interesting parts was the fragility 422 00:21:20,359 --> 00:21:22,680 Speaker 1: of the Astra, you know, trying to sell the idea 423 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:24,680 Speaker 1: with vistas and to even call them off, I things 424 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:27,439 Speaker 1: went wrong. I mean that was such incredible insight. What 425 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:30,320 Speaker 1: did that show you about the fragility of this industry? 426 00:21:30,359 --> 00:21:32,719 Speaker 1: Obviously you would have known about that anyway, have been 427 00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:35,280 Speaker 1: covering it. But is it anything that it showed you 428 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:36,680 Speaker 1: that even surprised you? 429 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:40,200 Speaker 2: Yeah? Absolutely, I mean for people who don't know you, 430 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:43,800 Speaker 2: it's it's like the most as far as like building 431 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:46,040 Speaker 2: a product for a company goes is the most binary 432 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:48,359 Speaker 2: sort of thing the whole world gets to see, like 433 00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:50,520 Speaker 2: did you do a good job or a bad job? 434 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:52,720 Speaker 2: Are you going to survive or not? I mean, either 435 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:55,240 Speaker 2: it gets the space that does what it's supposed to do, 436 00:21:55,359 --> 00:21:58,040 Speaker 2: or usually it blows up. And so it's this is 437 00:21:58,119 --> 00:22:01,920 Speaker 2: not like some movie you're putting out or a product 438 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:04,120 Speaker 2: or a new kind of food, where you have some 439 00:22:04,160 --> 00:22:07,640 Speaker 2: months or years to see if it's if people like it. 440 00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:10,920 Speaker 2: So yes, I mean you know, it's this very visceral, 441 00:22:11,119 --> 00:22:17,879 Speaker 2: brutal business. And so seeing that up close, was it 442 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:18,560 Speaker 2: was dramatic? 443 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:22,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it's is such a good movie. 444 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:25,359 Speaker 2: Yeah, And you usually yeah, you just usually don't get 445 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:29,239 Speaker 2: to see this other other side of it. And so yeah, no, 446 00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:30,960 Speaker 2: I mean, I mean it's one of the parts. I 447 00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:34,359 Speaker 2: like the other part that's crazy is for the entire 448 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:37,399 Speaker 2: history of the space industry as it was, there was 449 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:39,919 Speaker 2: governments doing these things and so to the to the 450 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:42,199 Speaker 2: point that, like you would have a rocket blow up, 451 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:44,480 Speaker 2: it was sort of a blow to your national pride. 452 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:47,560 Speaker 2: But if the government wanted to keep funding the program, 453 00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:50,680 Speaker 2: they were going to keep funding the program, even when 454 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:53,160 Speaker 2: we got to the very earliest days of commercial space. 455 00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:56,760 Speaker 2: Even still today, SpaceX is massive, but they're a private company, 456 00:22:56,800 --> 00:22:59,159 Speaker 2: and they're a private company for a reason, which is 457 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:06,080 Speaker 2: you don't necessarily want the average Joe investor, retail investors 458 00:23:06,119 --> 00:23:09,760 Speaker 2: who don't kind of understand the complexities of this industry 459 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:14,200 Speaker 2: maybe judging you on each launch because when a rocket 460 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:16,359 Speaker 2: blows up, it looks really bad. But there is method 461 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:18,840 Speaker 2: to the madness. I mean, SpaceX has proven out that 462 00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:22,480 Speaker 2: you can blow a lot of these up and learn 463 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:24,840 Speaker 2: from them and just try to move quick, which is 464 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:29,880 Speaker 2: what Astro was hoping to emulate, is you don't treat 465 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:31,840 Speaker 2: this thing so precious, you don't waste all this time 466 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:34,919 Speaker 2: you build it, you learn from it and sort of 467 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:38,320 Speaker 2: get to the end goal faster. That way. All these companies, 468 00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:40,119 Speaker 2: like we mentioned, went public in the middle of this 469 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:42,600 Speaker 2: because they were chasing this free money that was available 470 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:46,399 Speaker 2: during this spack and I just thought it was like 471 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:49,600 Speaker 2: a Faustian bargain, like, yes, you're getting the money, but 472 00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:51,920 Speaker 2: now you have all these retail investors city there, and 473 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:54,280 Speaker 2: every time you launch, your stock price is going up 474 00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:58,119 Speaker 2: and down forty to fifty percent, and so it was 475 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:01,800 Speaker 2: a different watching that. I don't we get into that 476 00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:05,560 Speaker 2: in the film. I just don't know if people who 477 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:08,280 Speaker 2: are not in the space industry will understand what a new, 478 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:10,239 Speaker 2: different era that is. 479 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:13,000 Speaker 1: I do definitely want to talk to you about the 480 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:16,040 Speaker 1: sort of grips of governments that these companies don't operate them, 481 00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:16,760 Speaker 1: because I thought. 482 00:24:16,560 --> 00:24:17,880 Speaker 5: That was really interesting. 483 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:20,960 Speaker 1: But you mentioned SpaceX there, which is very clearly the 484 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:21,680 Speaker 1: dominant player. 485 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:23,359 Speaker 5: I think we all know that. 486 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:26,720 Speaker 1: What do you think from doing the research for years 487 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:29,280 Speaker 1: and getting to know all of these companies and sort 488 00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:31,400 Speaker 1: of the people and leaders behind them. 489 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:33,520 Speaker 5: What do you think it takes to win in the 490 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:34,200 Speaker 5: space race. 491 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:38,160 Speaker 2: It's really fascinating, you know. It's like, why so SpaceX 492 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:42,000 Speaker 2: and Blue Origin started almost the exact same year, and 493 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:45,800 Speaker 2: Jeff Bezos had way more money than Elon did when 494 00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:52,520 Speaker 2: the companies started Jeff Back's Blue Origin. Both companies were 495 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:57,879 Speaker 2: undoubtedly filled with very smart, ambitious people. You know, SpaceX 496 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:01,760 Speaker 2: has launched I think over four hundred rockets, has for 497 00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:05,840 Speaker 2: rocket families, has put is the world's leading satellite manufacturer, 498 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:08,960 Speaker 2: has put people in the space. Blue Origin has never 499 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:12,840 Speaker 2: flown a single satellite into orbit, yet it is here 500 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:15,000 Speaker 2: more than twenty years later, hoping to do it for 501 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:17,639 Speaker 2: the first time, So like, why why does that happen? 502 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:24,479 Speaker 2: I mean, that's very dramatic difference. Rocket Lab started at 503 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:27,880 Speaker 2: almost the same time as a lot of American satellit 504 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:32,399 Speaker 2: A rocket companies, had a little bit less money than 505 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:35,399 Speaker 2: a lot of them had no you know, most of 506 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:40,040 Speaker 2: its employees, because of these itar restrictions, had never worked 507 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:43,280 Speaker 2: on an actual rocket, where some of these other companies 508 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:47,720 Speaker 2: had SpaceX veterans working for them, had had veterans from Boeing, 509 00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:50,440 Speaker 2: Lockeed Martin who had done this before. And Rocket Lab 510 00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:52,919 Speaker 2: beat them all and continues to beat them all. I mean, 511 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:57,240 Speaker 2: it's a fascinating question. The best thing I have come 512 00:25:57,280 --> 00:26:02,880 Speaker 2: to is that I was surprised. I think I underestimated 513 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:06,240 Speaker 2: the effect that CEOs, the very top leadership seems to 514 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:09,720 Speaker 2: have on the culture of the company. In my head, 515 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:12,160 Speaker 2: I always pictured that an organization that got to any 516 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:15,560 Speaker 2: sort of size, the CEO is something of like a cheerleader, 517 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:20,160 Speaker 2: like I don't know, out telling the company story doing 518 00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:25,280 Speaker 2: these things, but there's clearly there's to me now, there's 519 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:30,720 Speaker 2: clearly something there where their character appears to sort of 520 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:33,400 Speaker 2: like ripple down through the company. That's the only other 521 00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:36,080 Speaker 2: way I can explain it. Honestly, rocket Lab is like 522 00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 2: an inexplicable story. If you if you were to place 523 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:42,800 Speaker 2: all ten of these companies that started at a similar 524 00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:45,679 Speaker 2: time and imagine that rocket Lab was the one that 525 00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:48,919 Speaker 2: rose out, nobody really would have taken that bed, I 526 00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:51,760 Speaker 2: think except for Peter Beckett and his friends. 527 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:54,040 Speaker 1: Well, without giving too much away, that's kind of the 528 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:57,399 Speaker 1: point that you conclude the film on that it's Alon Muskin, 529 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:01,080 Speaker 1: Peter Bacon. You say it with a most surprised at 530 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:04,560 Speaker 1: the end, which it's almost like that's not the conclusion 531 00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:06,879 Speaker 1: that you expected to find out when you begin the 532 00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:07,760 Speaker 1: whole proceeds. 533 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:11,920 Speaker 2: I don't think anyone would, and I think I'm you know, 534 00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:14,840 Speaker 2: I mean, I've covered this more than most people have, 535 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:18,639 Speaker 2: and I think definitely the you know, the average person 536 00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:21,119 Speaker 2: does not realize this at all. They usually kind of 537 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:23,120 Speaker 2: like just think it's Elon and then they always think 538 00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:25,119 Speaker 2: it's like they're like, oh, but Jeff Bezos has a 539 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:28,399 Speaker 2: rocket company. They're like, it hasn't flown, you know, rocket, 540 00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:31,800 Speaker 2: They've done some tourists stuff. But but yeah, to me, 541 00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:36,200 Speaker 2: that is it. That's it. It's a brutal business. It's 542 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:39,359 Speaker 2: very hard, there's almost no room for failure. And so 543 00:27:41,359 --> 00:27:45,440 Speaker 2: both those companies now have a huge lead over everybody else. 544 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:48,360 Speaker 2: I think Blue Origin will finally be a competitor because 545 00:27:48,359 --> 00:27:51,439 Speaker 2: they have so much money and now apparently, you know, 546 00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:54,800 Speaker 2: getting close on this big rocket and so so maybe 547 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:58,720 Speaker 2: we'll have three and there are some new rocket startups 548 00:27:58,760 --> 00:28:00,840 Speaker 2: that are coming, so we'll see how this all shakes out. 549 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:03,120 Speaker 2: But but you know, it's a it's a dunting lead. 550 00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:06,240 Speaker 2: We probably do not need a world with like eight 551 00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:09,199 Speaker 2: rocket companies. We probably need a world with two and 552 00:28:09,280 --> 00:28:09,840 Speaker 2: maybe three. 553 00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:14,800 Speaker 1: On governments and organizations, I think NASA was painted in 554 00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:17,840 Speaker 1: quite an interesting light. I can't remember who said it 555 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:19,879 Speaker 1: in the film, but someone says that it's almost like 556 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:23,919 Speaker 1: just a bureaucratic organization that's looking at some of an 557 00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:24,640 Speaker 1: ice cream. 558 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:28,320 Speaker 2: Company, the self licking ice cream. That's how it stays alive. 559 00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:32,080 Speaker 5: Yeah, that was so great. That was such an incredible comment. 560 00:28:32,680 --> 00:28:34,920 Speaker 1: But then it's you also kind of contrast that with 561 00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:37,760 Speaker 1: the only real success which actually breed a lot of 562 00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:41,400 Speaker 1: these ideas and these dreams and these entrepreneurs was this 563 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:45,280 Speaker 1: kind of free wheeling Silicon Valley startup within NASA. 564 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:47,840 Speaker 5: So can you talk me through your approach. 565 00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:49,880 Speaker 1: And perhaps even how careful you kind of had to 566 00:28:49,920 --> 00:28:53,960 Speaker 1: be in or not in the way that you painted NASA. 567 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:58,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I I tried to tell the truth, 568 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:01,800 Speaker 2: and I mean I was careful, but I wasn't trying 569 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:06,640 Speaker 2: to massage the situation. R I think I think NASA. Look, 570 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:10,680 Speaker 2: it's a fantastic organization with this incredible track record in 571 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:14,360 Speaker 2: many many, many, many many many ways. It seemed better days, 572 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:18,720 Speaker 2: and it's still doing things. I just think it has 573 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:22,640 Speaker 2: no business doing, like building rockets. I think it should 574 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:27,320 Speaker 2: be focusing more on much missions that are deep into 575 00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:29,600 Speaker 2: the solar system science that other people are not going 576 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:33,520 Speaker 2: to fund, really use their expertise for that, you know. 577 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:36,200 Speaker 2: To your point, Well, the guy who made the quote 578 00:29:36,280 --> 00:29:39,880 Speaker 2: about the self looking ice cream code. Was this Brigadier 579 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:42,800 Speaker 2: General Pete Warden who ended up in charge of this 580 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:46,200 Speaker 2: Silicon Valley NASA Center, NASA AMES. And you know, he's 581 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:49,760 Speaker 2: a one of a kind. He's an iconoclassed. He's working 582 00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:52,600 Speaker 2: in a bureaucratic organization but hates to be doing that 583 00:29:52,680 --> 00:29:54,400 Speaker 2: and is trying to reshape it. And so he brought 584 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:58,720 Speaker 2: all these young people in and so, yes, those young 585 00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:01,520 Speaker 2: people ended up creating some of these satellite I rocket companies. 586 00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:05,440 Speaker 2: I and NASA helped in that. You know, they had resources. 587 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:08,120 Speaker 2: But you know, this did not happen at other NASA centers. 588 00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:10,840 Speaker 2: This this sort of happened because Pete Warden set it 589 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:14,720 Speaker 2: up for success. And so you know, I don't sit 590 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:17,280 Speaker 2: Pete's left NASA AMES and it's kind of gone back 591 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:22,800 Speaker 2: to its regular scheduled program. And yeah, I think it's 592 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:25,160 Speaker 2: a big question for the United States. It's a strange organization. 593 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:28,040 Speaker 2: It's a great organization. It's it's funding is so tied 594 00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:31,120 Speaker 2: up with the government and the whims of senators who 595 00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:35,000 Speaker 2: have jobs in their states that the you know, there 596 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:38,880 Speaker 2: is no sort of pure motivation to pursue space and 597 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:40,120 Speaker 2: do it cost effectively. 598 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:45,560 Speaker 1: And what your docker really shows is that it necessary anymore, right, 599 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:48,840 Speaker 1: because you know there are these private operaters that are 600 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:54,680 Speaker 1: doing it and don't don't need bureaucrats, and they actually 601 00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:56,920 Speaker 1: now have the government in a way in their hands 602 00:30:56,960 --> 00:30:59,720 Speaker 1: because all of those three companies, Planet Labs, Astra and 603 00:30:59,800 --> 00:31:04,440 Speaker 1: Role Lab all has military contracts. In the doco, you 604 00:31:04,560 --> 00:31:09,160 Speaker 1: call it this grand ragime change. I wonder how and 605 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:13,280 Speaker 1: it kind of leaves you feeling quite uncomfortable, and I 606 00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:17,960 Speaker 1: wonder if that was the aim of kind of how 607 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:20,960 Speaker 1: you wanted the viewer to feel, because I think even 608 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:23,840 Speaker 1: us having to do Algerils, we have to really be optimists. 609 00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:27,160 Speaker 1: But it even makes you know, unseats the most optimistic 610 00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:27,960 Speaker 1: among us. 611 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:28,280 Speaker 5: Really. 612 00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:32,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I still am pretty optimistic about all 613 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:35,880 Speaker 2: this stuff and mostly come at it from that light. 614 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:39,760 Speaker 2: There's things where I have no problem with companies doing this. 615 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:41,960 Speaker 2: I mean, if you look at the cost of a 616 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:45,719 Speaker 2: SpaceX rocket or a Rocket Lab rocket versus what NASA 617 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:48,760 Speaker 2: or the military contractors produced, to me, that is just 618 00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:51,240 Speaker 2: a no brainer. I mean, you know they're full of 619 00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:57,760 Speaker 2: It's just I think it's borderline criminal the way they 620 00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:00,640 Speaker 2: go about the spending on on these things, and I 621 00:32:00,680 --> 00:32:03,920 Speaker 2: think the companies have shown just how just how bad 622 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:05,840 Speaker 2: they are, So that part is fine. You know, this 623 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:10,480 Speaker 2: this next question of like space is this shared good. 624 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:14,280 Speaker 2: Should companies even be like divvying up this real estate 625 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:18,160 Speaker 2: up there putting their satellites in. I think it's obviously inevitable. 626 00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:21,080 Speaker 2: I think they're providing valuable services. I think the governments 627 00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:26,520 Speaker 2: moved very slowly on all this and aren't always the 628 00:32:26,520 --> 00:32:28,880 Speaker 2: best decision makers and so but you know, I mean 629 00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:33,520 Speaker 2: the point of the movie is less to kind of 630 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:36,520 Speaker 2: like judge a lot of this stuff and more to 631 00:32:36,640 --> 00:32:39,600 Speaker 2: like make people very aware that space has become a business. 632 00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:42,000 Speaker 2: I think we still have this misconception of like the 633 00:32:42,040 --> 00:32:46,120 Speaker 2: space race days, that this is fully a nationalized pursuit 634 00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:50,200 Speaker 2: about science and prestige and you know the good of 635 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:55,080 Speaker 2: humankind for exploring the universe and everything. I mean there's 636 00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:57,040 Speaker 2: a bit of that, but like it's a business. And 637 00:32:57,520 --> 00:33:00,440 Speaker 2: that was the point, is that all these moves you've 638 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:02,720 Speaker 2: seen for all these decades are nice and all, but 639 00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:05,120 Speaker 2: it's different now. And so you know what I was 640 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:07,600 Speaker 2: shocked by is that people don't talk about this very 641 00:33:07,680 --> 00:33:13,440 Speaker 2: much because really these decisions are being made by the companies, 642 00:33:13,480 --> 00:33:15,640 Speaker 2: and so far, I actually think it's working out okay, 643 00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:18,280 Speaker 2: But you know, people make mistakes, there's bad actors that 644 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:21,320 Speaker 2: come along, and I don't think the public is really 645 00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:24,040 Speaker 2: aware of what's happening at all or asking any of this. 646 00:33:24,280 --> 00:33:28,360 Speaker 2: And if you look at the historical analogs, things like 647 00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:33,720 Speaker 2: social networking, a lot of that stuff got so far 648 00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:36,760 Speaker 2: before anybody even began wondering if it was a good idea. 649 00:33:37,040 --> 00:33:39,040 Speaker 2: It seemed like this was a topic worth covering. 650 00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:41,440 Speaker 5: You don't think we're too far gone? 651 00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:44,520 Speaker 2: Not really, I mean definitely, you know, I think this 652 00:33:44,600 --> 00:33:46,960 Speaker 2: shift has happened, but I think it was inevitable, and 653 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:52,160 Speaker 2: I think the governments were doing the government space programs 654 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:56,200 Speaker 2: had become so lazy and slow and sad and bureaucratic 655 00:33:56,280 --> 00:34:00,960 Speaker 2: that I think fresh blood was good here. I think 656 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:03,480 Speaker 2: we're I think the ship has sailed. Whether this is 657 00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:06,320 Speaker 2: going to be like a commercial enterprise, yes, Do I 658 00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:10,919 Speaker 2: think it's going to be like filled with horrible things 659 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:14,840 Speaker 2: as a result. Not really. My biggest concern, honestly is Russia. 660 00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:18,239 Speaker 2: I think people don't pay enough attention to this. Russia, 661 00:34:18,680 --> 00:34:22,120 Speaker 2: their space program is so tied up in their national identity. 662 00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:26,840 Speaker 2: It's a very proud nation. Their space program is collapsing. 663 00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:30,480 Speaker 2: SpaceX has undercut them for all the commercial missions. The 664 00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:33,680 Speaker 2: war in Ukraine has cut off a ton of customers. 665 00:34:33,719 --> 00:34:37,359 Speaker 2: Their program is rife with corruption, and so I see 666 00:34:37,360 --> 00:34:40,040 Speaker 2: them as like a wildcard who they have no commercial 667 00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:42,200 Speaker 2: space startups at all, so they're not really going to 668 00:34:42,239 --> 00:34:45,920 Speaker 2: participate in this new era. And so you know what 669 00:34:46,040 --> 00:34:50,200 Speaker 2: happens to something like that, we've already seen. They shot 670 00:34:50,719 --> 00:34:53,799 Speaker 2: one of their own satellites down with a missile from 671 00:34:53,880 --> 00:34:56,279 Speaker 2: the ground, just to let everyone know they can do that. 672 00:34:56,400 --> 00:34:59,160 Speaker 2: So you know that doesn't it's something like that really 673 00:34:59,200 --> 00:35:03,880 Speaker 2: that worries me. Is just like an irrational actor. 674 00:35:05,239 --> 00:35:08,000 Speaker 1: I think that right there is the next Ashley Vanson, 675 00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:12,839 Speaker 1: Ross Kaufman, HBO original on space, and you can call 676 00:35:12,880 --> 00:35:15,480 Speaker 1: it wild and wildest space, and then the next one 677 00:35:15,560 --> 00:35:18,960 Speaker 1: wildest wildest space look for I like that. 678 00:35:19,160 --> 00:35:21,440 Speaker 2: All right? I need you're my agent. I did. 679 00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:26,120 Speaker 5: It happens. 680 00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:28,799 Speaker 1: It was so good to chat to you, and you know, 681 00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:30,720 Speaker 1: it's it is rare to kind of find a space 682 00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:32,360 Speaker 1: note who goes quite deep on the stuff. 683 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:35,040 Speaker 5: So I loved it. And yeah, again, thank you so 684 00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:37,120 Speaker 5: much for sharing all of your work with us. We're 685 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:38,640 Speaker 5: we're very lucky to see it. 686 00:35:38,640 --> 00:35:40,839 Speaker 2: It's my pleasure. Thank you for letting me visit your 687 00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:43,600 Speaker 2: country so much. And uh and thanks for the time. 688 00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:45,880 Speaker 1: Next time you're back, I'll show you around, just so 689 00:35:45,920 --> 00:35:47,760 Speaker 1: that you really don't think there isn't much here. 690 00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:52,719 Speaker 2: That it's not true. Thank you, thank you. 691 00:35:53,480 --> 00:35:55,680 Speaker 5: Good to meet youtally Kip 692 00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:01,759 Speaker 4: Back bore Dog sl