icMercury’s Mission to Make Space Accessible to Everyone and Why Space Matters More Than You Think

Susan Wise: Hi, and 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 it’s an honor to have with us today the captain at  icMercury, Lijie Zhu.

Lijie Zhu: Thank you.

Susan Wise: Welcome.

Lijie Zhu: It’s my pleasure to be here.

Susan Wise: I’ve gotta tell you, I started off my day checking out some of your posts on LinkedIn, and you made one recently that I absolutely loved: “The sky was never empty: Why a satellite matters more than you realize.” It was such a great read. Can you tell us more about icMercury and what’s happening there?

Lijie Zhu: Yes. I stepped into the space industry by meeting my great partners, Harry and Sada. Harry is from Finland and Sada is from Turkey. We were invited to the Go Global Awards ceremony in 2022 in Tallinn, Estonia, and we started chatting about our love for space and how much time we spend looking at the stars. The three of us, as entrepreneurs, thought: Why don’t we do something together? That was the beginning of Interstellar Communication Holdings.

After a year, we established our company, and within two years we launched our first satellite — the icMercury satellite — into space with SpaceX in March 2025. This was such a great achievement, one we couldn’t have imagined when we first assembled this team. That’s how it all started.

Susan Wise: That’s very exciting. What are you working on right now? What’s going on with your company, and how might it affect the space industry?

Lijie Zhu: In the past, the space industry was seen as a private club. You needed a VIP invitation. That created an engagement gap and a visibility gap. When the industry is only run by governments and billionaire companies, people think, “Wow, that’s impressive,” but they don’t see how it’s relevant to daily life.

But if the industry can engage more players, it becomes more relevant. And for space startups, many of them need capital and visibility. That’s the problem we want to solve by building Interstellar Communication Holdings — providing personal access for individuals and small organizations so they can learn about space, send their artwork or collections, and even launch their own small satellites. That’s our focus.

Susan Wise: The average person might look up and say, “Oh cool, there’s a satellite,” but not really think about how it affects them. It’s not just a box of technology — there’s more to it than that.

Lijie Zhu: Exactly. People are affected in many ways, even if they don’t realize it. For example, Google Maps exists because of GPS data — a free tool everyone uses, but few think about the satellites behind it. People don’t realize how many space companies there are, or how much innovation is possible if regular people become aware of the available technology.

We began as people who simply dreamed about space. But we took classes at the International Space University, talked to experts, and built partnerships with existing space companies. It was a fun journey, because space people have such a beautiful, broad perspective. They’re inclusive, willing to share, and they offer new ways to solve old problems. We want to share that experience with more people — to help them look at things from a different perspective.

Susan Wise: I love that. And along this journey — following your passion — did you have a moment where you thought, “Yes! This is our aha moment. We did it!” What was that like?

Lijie Zhu: There are always “aha moments” in the space industry. We know it isn’t easy to make the impossible possible, but many things are possible by nature. In the beginning, we asked ourselves, “Can we really send our own satellite into space?” There were so many obstacles, and many times we thought, “This is where we get stuck. This is where we fail.” But every time, someone showed up saying, “I can help. I can solve this problem. I can support your goal.”

Sending a satellite is such a big task — we couldn’t do it alone. We needed so much support, and people helped us with genuine goodwill. That’s our constant aha moment.

Susan Wise: I’m sure there were challenges along the way, like you mentioned. Is there one in particular you’d like to talk about and how you overcame it?

Lijie Zhu: There are always challenges when you’re building a new channel that people aren’t sure will work. We had to test things over and over. The technology challenges were the easiest — if something didn’t work, you diagnose the problem, fix the bug, and try again.

Susan Wise: Right.

Lijie Zhu: The biggest challenge is people. There’s the engagement gap and the visibility gap. It’s difficult to convince someone to invest in the space industry when they’ve always heard that space companies lose money. We want them to see a different perspective — that after a period of restructuring, space is actually a promising industry that’s been undervalued. Telling that story is a new challenge every time. People come with pre-installed narratives. It takes time, patience, and connecting with the right people.

Susan Wise: And perseverance. The space industry is definitely growing, but the public needs to understand that it’s growing and that it’s happening now. It’s not just for nations — everyone can be involved on different levels.

Lijie Zhu: Yes. Space is like chocolate chips — it goes well with any flavor of ice cream. We believe any company can have a “space perspective,” because we’re all naturally connected to space.

Susan Wise: Absolutely. I like that! I like chocolate chips on just about anything. What one piece of advice would you like to share with our listeners?

Lijie Zhu: I’d say this with a lot of passion and love: Don’t give up. Dream big, and keep working toward your beautiful dream. Someone will show up when you need a hand. That has been our experience. If you have the right heart, you will find the right people.

Susan Wise: Lijie, I’m so glad you’re on Launch Pod today, because what you’re talking about is exactly what we’re about — bringing people together to connect, collaborate, and help push forward their ideas, their businesses, and their goals.

I’m glad you’re here to share your story and hopefully inspire others — and maybe connect with people who can help you with challenges you’re facing.

Lijie Zhu: May I say something about my impression of Launch Pod?

Susan Wise: Oh — please!

Lijie Zhu: I’ve learned so much from listening to your podcast. You’ve interviewed so many great people who’ve made important developments in the space industry. They’re not often seen by the general public, but learning from their personal stories and life experiences is so valuable.

Susan Wise: Thank you so much for those kind words. It’s easy to do this podcast because I’m talking to brilliant people. I’ll admit, some of this goes right over my head, but I learn so much every time I sit down with someone like you. We’re so grateful that you’re here to share your story, and I can’t wait to talk again and hear what new things you’re working on.

I also always like to ask: do you have a past or present passion project you’d like to mention?

Lijie Zhu: Yes — the Art to the Moon project coming up in early 2026. Last year in December, in New York at the Downtown Association Club, we hosted the Art to the Moon Space Gala. We reached out to 500 artists in 15 countries, and selected 15 art pieces. Together with a company called LifeShip, we’re working to send their artwork to the Moon. We’re also grateful to our partner gallery in New York — they are the art experts and helped us select these beautiful pieces that share love.

Susan Wise: I love that. Where can I see this? Is the art available online?

Lijie Zhu: Yes — on Galleries App at Gallery.art. They have a gallery display for the event. And also at icMercury.com. You can click “Events.” After the first launch, we want to continue the Space Art Gala and attract more artists to participate in space. That’s something I’m truly passionate about.

Susan Wise: Lijie, thank you so much for sharing your story. We look forward to the exciting things coming from icMercury, and we’re so honored to have you — their captain — here with us today. Thank you again.

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