Happy International Women's Day! On this episode, Maria Varmazis caught up with ⁠Khalia Padilla, CEO at Imagine Engine, to discuss investing in optical space technologies and going global during Commercial Space Week 2026. She discusses two projects backed by Imagine Engine: one developing an optical transceiver that bridges radio-frequency and optical signals, supported by a NASA grant, and another building a modular, maneuverable satellite in collaboration with students from Lehigh University using similar RF-to-optical modulation techniques. And, more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our ⁠⁠media kit⁠⁠. Contact us at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices