In this special edition of Space Cafe Radio, host Torsten Kriening, Publisher of SpaceWatch.Global, sits down with Daniel Faber, former CEO of Orbit Fab, on the sun deck of Daniel's home near Hidden Lake outside Denver, Colorado.
After almost a decade of knowing each other, this conversation hits differently. Daniel has just stepped down from Orbit Fab—the company he co-founded eight years ago to make satellites refuelable—and is preparing his next bold move. What unfolds is a wide-ranging conversation that challenges assumptions about the future of space.
The Bold Prediction
"I predict that every cell phone tower on Earth will become obsolete within 10 years because of direct-to-device. Every cell phone company that is invested in towers is looking at a dead asset with trailing revenues, and they have to figure out what to do with it."This is the prediction that sets the tone for an extraordinary conversation.
The Orbit Fab Chapter Closes
Daniel reflects on building Orbit Fab from a paradigm nobody believed in to a company where the technology now works and the paradigm has shifted. He shares why stepping aside was the right call, why he's not the right person to take the company to IPO, and what comes next.
A Career of Being Right Too Early
From asteroid mining ambitions at Deep Space Industries to creating the in-orbit refueling market at Orbit Fab, Daniel has spent 25 years working on what most people thought was impossible. He shares the throughline: getting humans and life off Earth as the most significant step since we crawled out of the ocean.
The Three Telecom Models Battle
Daniel breaks down the emerging direct-to-device satellite communications landscape:
SpaceX/Starlink — Will eat the telco market themselves
AST SpaceMobile — The friendlier partnership model with telcos
Space42 — The platform-only approach where telcos keep customers, spectrum, AND transponder
Why AST SpaceMobile is worth $36 billion with only $10 million in revenue, why SpaceX is valued at $1.75 trillion, and what this means for the half-dozen new mega constellation companies funded in the last 6-9 months.
The Massive Markets Coming to Space
Global telecoms: $2-3 trillion
Power generation: $6-7 trillion (and growing with AI data centers)
Manufacturing: $10-15 trillion
How much of these markets will move to space? Daniel makes the case that the next 10-20 years will reveal dozens of massive new space markets we haven't even imagined yet.
Torsten Pushes Back
This isn't a friendly endorsement session. Torsten challenges Daniel on sovereignty concerns, single-person dependencies, spectrum constraints, landing rights, and whether the world really needs 100 mega constellations. The exchange that follows shows why this conversation matters.
What's Next for Daniel?
Daniel stays coy about his new stealth space company, but reveals he's already meeting with likely co-founders and putting pieces in place. His philosophy: be contrarian AND right. Being contrarian is easy. Being right is the hard part.
"In order to be successful, entrepreneurs need to be contrarian. If they're doing something everybody already believes, it's a commodity. There's no margins. Why bother?"
The Throughline
From Deep Space Industries to Orbit Fab to whatever comes next—Daniel's mission remains constant: build the in-space economy that can support permanent human life beyond Earth. The most significant step since we crawled out of the ocean.
For Listeners Who Love Big Ideas
This is a conversation about cell tower obsolescence, in-space manufacturing markets, the geopolitics of mega constellations, and the contrarian mindset needed to build something the world doesn't yet know it wants.
Space Café Radio brings you talks, interviews, and reports from the team of SpaceWatchers while out on the road. Each episode has a specific topic, unique content, and a personal touch. Enjoy the show, and let us know your thoughts at
[email protected]We love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love letters
Support the show
You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast!
Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global, subscribe to our newsletters.
Follow us on LinkedIn and X!
UK