Why We Need Ferries and Tugboats in Space w/ Orbital Operations | E2208
This Week in Startups
Jason Calacanis
4.4 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 13 November 2025
⏱️ 74 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
👉 Register here to join the kickoff: https://luma.com/cm0x90mk
Today’s show:
Just getting our stuff into orbit isn’t enough… Orbital Operations wants to help companies take things HIGHER.
In today’s TWiST 500 interview, Alex chats with Ben Schleuniger, whose startup Orbital Operations is solving the complexity of space logistics. The advent of reusable rockets has made it easier and cheaper than ever for us to place objects in Low Earth Orbit (or LEO).
But what if we want to reach higher orbits? That’s a much more challenging issue: space is already kind of CROWDED, and not all of our vehicles can carry enough fuel to power them that far out into the cosmos.
Orbital’s fix? Cryogenic orbital maneuvering vehicles (or OMVs) like the Astraeus, which uses hyper-efficient propulsion systems, allowing them to travel further and faster speeds, and even potentially get refueled in orbit.
Learn more about this fascinating tech PLUS we’re looking back at classic Jason interviews with Greg Brockman of OpenAI and Vlad Tenev of Robinhood, AND checking in with Oliver’s latest This Week in AI demo for Character AI’s blockbuster conversational chatbots.
Timestamps:
(02:56) Alex opens the show with Ben Schleuniger, co-founder of space tech startup Orbital Operations
(03:47) Why is movement within orbit such a challenging problem?
(4:28) The key importance of launch vehicle reusability
(07:05) How Orbital’s Astreaus vehicle utilizes cryogenic propellants… and why
(08:49) The secret to keeping those propellants cool
(10:04) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST
(13:57) How Orbital is preparing for their Series A, and how they plan to spend the cash(20:37) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!
(28:09) TWiST FLASHBACK: Revisiting OpenAI Greg Brockman’s visit from 2018
(31:31) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.
(37:57) How GPUs unlocked the AI revolution
(35:02) Tackling early concerns about deepfakes
(41:17) Looking ahead to the dawn of AGI
(50:05) AI DEMO: Oliver stops by to walk us through Character AI’s key features
(50:51) Watch as Oliver simulates a chat with former President Barack Obama
(53:30) How to use ChatGPT to enhance your Character AI prompts
(56:57) TWIST FLASHBACK with Robinhood’s Vlad Tenev from May 2017
(57:14) Back then, Robinhood was valued at a mere $1.3 billion!
(59:21) How Robinhood made financial transactions SO MUCH FASTER than they used to be
(1:00:57) When Robinhood realized they had Product Market Fit… via Hacker News!
(1:06:44) The magic of being better, faster, and cheaper
(1:08:12) This segment was filmed BEFORE Robinhood offered crypto
(1:11: 08) Jason’s Eagle Computer Speech and how to avoid “Taj Mahal Syndrome”
Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com
Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm
Thank you to our partners:
Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST
Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!
LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Not only is it a vehicle that's very efficient in transiting out in space, as you mentioned, |
| 0:04.9 | but also just cost efficiency-wise. We've seen reuse be the play that makes space more economical, |
| 0:11.7 | right? And so we're definitely looking to solve that. We are looking to be, and maybe this is |
| 0:15.4 | another thing with orbital operations, to be a tugboat, to be a tractor, to be a ferry, to be a |
| 0:20.4 | rapid response vehicle. Most of our vehicle has to be propellant, to be a tractor, to be a ferry, to be a rapid response vehicle. |
| 0:21.7 | Most of our vehicle has to be propellant. |
| 0:24.1 | We look a lot more like the third stage of a rocket than we do as traditional satellite. |
| 0:29.6 | Like, we are bigger. |
| 0:30.8 | What's the problem set that you're working against? |
| 0:32.9 | So it's two, and it kind of mentioned it as well. |
| 0:34.8 | One is space defense. |
| 0:36.5 | It does seem like the happy, peaceful humans working together aerospace is kind of coming to a close. |
| 0:43.1 | So really it's just can you get up there and does your technology work? |
| 0:47.0 | This weekend startups is brought to you by LinkedIn ads. |
| 0:50.9 | Start converting your B2B audience into high-quality leads today. Launch your first campaign |
| 0:56.0 | and get $250 free when you spend at least 250. Go to LinkedIn.com slash this week in startups to claim |
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| 1:18.7 | websites, they've got you covered. Get more privacy, more options, and more done. Visit |
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