#137 | Self-Assembling Space Habitats | Ariel Ekblaw, Aurelia Institute & Foundry

Ariel Ekblaw is an MIT aero-astro engineer who founded the MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative, and developed a new technique to build large-scale space structures. She now runs the Aurelia Institute, a non-for-profit dedicated to building humanity’s future in space and the Aurelia Foundry, a space-focused VC fund. We talk about all of these things in this episode. Enjoy!   🕰️ Timestamps:  00:00 - Introduction 01:47 - Ariel’s Background 06:07 - Self-Assembling Space Structures 10:44 - Applications of Space Real Estate 22:45 - Balancing Form and Function  25:13 - Vision for Aurelia Foundry 26:54 - Promising Sectors for Investment 33:12 - Unexplored Space Manufacturing Use-cases 35:40 - Future of Space Urbanism 38:34 - Challenges and Concerns in Space  41:29 - Recurrent Thoughts on Space 43:29 - Sci-Fi Favorites   🔗 Follow us: 🏠Website : https://www.e2mc.space/ 🤝🏻LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/space-business-podcast/ 🌐Socials: https://linktr.ee/spacebusinesspodcast     🔗 Follow Raphael: 🔷LinkedIn -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaelrottgen/ 🌐Instagram - https://.instagram.com/raphael_space/  ◇  Twitter/X - https://x.com/RaphaelE2MC   To Learn more about Space & the Space Economy: "To Infinity" – Raphael’s Revised Introduction to the Space Economy This book provides an insightful look into the space economy, its current trends, and future opportunities. 📚 https://a.co/d/6jIQ2LO  edX/EPFL's Space Economy MOOC This course offers a detailed understanding of the New Space Economy, covering key concepts and market developments. 🎓 https://www.edx.org/course/new-space- Space Business Newsletter 📬 https://spacebusiness.substack.com/