How the Space Economy Is Evolving: Lessons from Axiom Space’s Former CEO

Susan Wise: Welcome to Stars Launch Pod: Space Technology and Research Sciences, brought to you by StarSciences.org, where we connect, collaborate, and accelerate. I’m your host, Susan Wise, and joining us is Tejpaul Bhatia—space investor, executive, and entrepreneur; former CEO of Axiom Space; former Google executive; and three-time startup founder. Welcome to Launch Pod.

Tejpaul Bhatia: Susan, thank you for having me. I’m excited to be here.

Susan Wise: We’re excited to have you. What a background—you have a lot of experience. Tell us more about what you’re doing right now.

Tejpaul Bhatia: Yeah, you know, I’ve started a new company very much in the space industry. It’s at the crossroads of space and finance. The story of how this started goes way back. I’ve been a space nut my whole life. I know the exact moment.

Susan Wise: Space naut?

Tejpaul Bhatia: Space nut—like nuts about space. Space naut would be pretty cool.

Susan Wise: That’s kind of fun.

Tejpaul Bhatia: Yeah, we might’ve just invented a term.

Susan Wise: Space-naut.

Tejpaul Bhatia: I’m a space-naut. We’ll give you credit for that one—if it becomes a thing. If it doesn’t, you can blame me. But no, I’ve been a space nut—obsessed with space.

I remember the exact moment. I was three years old. My parents took me to Kennedy Space Center, and I saw the launchpad and where they build the rockets. I just knew that’s all I was going to think about for the rest of my life. And many people have similar moments—whether it’s the Apollo moon landing, the shuttle program, or for the younger generation, the new SpaceX launches. There’s some moment where many of us realize, “Wow, this is so much bigger than us,” and there’s some deeper connection.

That’s been my personal connection with space. My career, though, took a very different trajectory—it was focused on technology. I studied computer science in the ’90s at Columbia, focusing on artificial intelligence, computer vision, and streaming media. I graduated in 2000, which was perfect timing for streaming media. I worked at ESPN and Disney and built some of the first HD video networks online that eventually became things like Disney+ and Hulu.

Somewhere along that journey, I got the startup bug. I founded three tech startups—nothing to do with space. Then, about 10 years ago—almost to the day, actually, because my son is about to turn 10—I had a realization. I no longer wanted to be a startup founder. I wanted to be a father, a husband. I wanted to be “normal” and get a regular job. So I joined Citibank.

Susan Wise: Okay.

Tejpaul Bhatia: Specifically Citi Ventures, Citibank’s investment arm, as an entrepreneur-in-residence. My skill set wasn’t in finance at the time—it was in startups. I helped Citi identify new startups, and that’s when I connected my passion for space with my work. I asked if I could start looking at the space ecosystem.

I noticed several companies raising investment around that time, and I started making some personal investments, including Axiom Space, SpaceX, and a few others. I thought, “Great, this is how I’ll be part of the space industry.”

Then I joined Google, where I spent four years while staying connected to the space ecosystem. About five years ago, in 2021, I officially entered the space industry by joining my first investment—Axiom Space—as Chief Revenue Officer. Over the next few years, I had the unbelievable fortune—something my 3-year-old self couldn’t even imagine—of sending four missions to the International Space Station.

That’s 16 seats—four per mission. We sent 12 sovereign astronauts from different countries, many of them first-time astronauts representing their nations. We also achieved several “firsts”: the first cloud computer, digital assistant, wearables, champagne bottle, Build-A-Bear, diabetic pen, and even a cancer drug approved for human clinical research trials on Earth—all in just four years.

During that time, I was promoted to CEO. In a short period, I went from being a complete outsider to helping drive billions in revenue. I learned a lot—especially about the intersection of space, finance, and geopolitics.

Right now, I see a massive opportunity in building the financial infrastructure for the space economy—the invisible rails. If launch is like the railroads going west—except upward—then think about all the financial systems that enabled everything else. That’s the area I want to focus on.

Susan Wise: Especially since it’s not just governments funding and controlling everything anymore—it’s very commercial now.

Tejpaul Bhatia: Yes, although if you follow the money, governments are still the primary source. There’s a myth that there’s a single buyer—like NASA in the U.S.—and while that’s broadly true, the reality is more nuanced.

Most funding still comes from governments, but it’s spent through commercial providers. So you have this massive public-private dynamic happening. That’s what’s going to reshape the industry over the next 5–10 years.

Eventually, it becomes more commercial—orbital data centers, pharmaceuticals, consumer products in space. Now is the time to invest in the space sector.

Susan Wise: It’s definitely growing. We’ve seen things like Artemis II boost public interest—it’s everywhere.

Do you have another “aha” moment besides your childhood one?

Tejpaul Bhatia: I do—one personal and one professional.

The personal one came over 40 years later. As CEO of Axiom Space, I sent our fourth mission to the ISS. At that point, those astronauts’ lives were my responsibility. When they safely returned and I greeted them, I felt like I had fulfilled a purpose—personally and professionally. From that moment on, everything else felt like “house money.” It was incredibly liberating.

The professional “aha” came when I realized the industry is going to be massive—but predicting exactly how is difficult. The key insight was: if it’s going to be big, the most important thing is simply being in the game.

So build something foundational—something that grows with the industry. That’s why I chose financial infrastructure.

Susan Wise: That ties into your startup?

Tejpaul Bhatia: Exactly. We’re currently in stealth mode—not because it’s secret, but because we’re being thoughtful about branding and go-to-market strategy.

Susan Wise: What’s been one of your biggest challenges?

Tejpaul Bhatia: Adapting to the space industry’s legacy culture. It’s over 60 years old, with its own norms and systems. Coming in as an outsider, I had to balance staying authentic while learning to operate within that system.

That outsider-insider tension is still there—but I’ve learned that’s where innovation happens.

Susan Wise: We’re still writing the playbook.

Tejpaul Bhatia: Exactly—there is no playbook.

Susan Wise: The Challenger disaster had a big impact on me. It felt like we needed to pause.

Tejpaul Bhatia: I remember that too—I was eight years old. It was devastating. But even then, I felt admiration. Those astronauts were heroes. It reinforced that we need to continue—but responsibly.

Susan Wise: The best way to honor them is to move forward safely.

Tejpaul Bhatia: Exactly.

Susan Wise: What advice would you give listeners?

Tejpaul Bhatia: On a philosophical level: listen to that deeper calling—whatever aligns within you.

On a practical level: practice beats passion. Hard work matters more than anything. If you know what you want and why, it’s about putting in the work.

Susan Wise: It seems like everything in your life prepared you for this moment.

Tejpaul Bhatia: It really did. I never intended to start another company—but the timing, the idea, and my experience all aligned.

Susan Wise: It’s exciting—we can’t wait to hear more. I hope you’ll come back after your big announcement.

Tejpaul Bhatia: I’d love to.

Susan Wise: Before we wrap up, do you have a passion project?

Tejpaul Bhatia: Space used to be my passion project—now it’s my profession. Outside of that, I love mentoring startups and spending time with my family.

Susan Wise: If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.

Tejpaul Bhatia: Thank you.

Susan Wise: Tej, thank you so much for joining us today. I look forward to our next conversation.

Tejpaul Bhatia: Thank you for having me.

Susan Wise: Make sure you join us where we connect, collaborate, and accelerate. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and subscribe. Until next time—keep looking up.