Chris Jannette, President and CEO at BlackStar Orbital

05/11/2025 52 min
Chris Jannette, President and CEO at BlackStar Orbital

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Episode Synopsis

In this episode of The Techne Connect, Chris Jannette, President and CEO of BlackStar Orbital, reveals how his team is building a hypersonic, reusable spacecraft to make space fast, reliable and built to last.He traces the journey from the US Air Force and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to leading an engineering-led startup executing a Space Force Phase II contract, fresh from wind-tunnel campaigns and heading to drop tests. Chris unpacks BlackStar’s vision for rapid reconstitution of satellites, the ethics and reality of AI and drone warfare, and why systems engineering, rigorous safety and controlled growth matter.We also dive into BlackStar’s consumer “SpaceBox” payloads flown on Axiom-4, the case for reusable on-orbit assets, and the skills the company is hiring for. Expect a candid take on leadership, collaboration and a call for innovators not to wait for others to build the future.Thank you for listening to The Techne Connect Podcast - where we go behind the tech and ahead of the curve.But we don’t just share stories, we help build them. At Techne Talent, we connect ambitious people with opportunities across the very industries we feature. If you’re inspired by what you hear, speak to us today about where your skills could take you.👉 Don’t miss an episode: Follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.📸 For behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Instagram: @techne_talent💼 Explore opportunities and connect with us on LinkedIn: Techne TalentInspire your future. Plug into what’s next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.