Balerion Advisor Doug McAdams sits down with Yanni Barghouty, Founder & CEO of Cosmic Shielding Corporation, to discuss radiation shielding. Cosmic Shielding Corporation is developing Plasteel, a radiation-shielding material and integration platform for space electronics, spacecraft systems, and future human spaceflight applications. The company is addressing radiation as a limiting factor for modern compute, COTS electronics, lunar systems, and long-duration space operations.
Timestamped Overview
00:00 – Introduction to Cosmic Shielding Corporation and the radiation problem in space
01:00 – Yanni’s background, Georgia Tech, startup experience, and family connection to physics
02:20 – Founding insight: space infrastructure had not solved radiation shielding
04:30 – Early material concept: hydrogen-rich nanocomposite polymer shielding
05:30 – Radiation as a barrier to human and robotic space operations
07:00 – Limits of radiation-hardened electronics and the need for modern compute in orbit
10:30 – Shielding as an enabling technology rather than a compliance checkbox
12:00 – Flight heritage: Jetson-based flight computer and reduced functional interrupts in orbit
13:20 – Secondary radiation, outdated models, and modern nanoscale electronics challenges
16:30 – ISS testing, Axiom mission, AFRL work, TACFI, and DoD program development
18:45 – Plasteel material properties, nanoparticle integration, machinability, and thermal interface use
21:30 – Use cases: enclosure swaps, spot shielding, subsystem protection, and end-to-end integration
24:40 – Terrestrial and adjacent applications including nuclear, RTGs, aviation, and high-altitude systems
26:30 – Radiation environments across the Moon, LEO, GEO, MEO, and Van Allen belt transit
29:00 – Customer base across NASA, commercial space, defense, VLEO, drones, and aviation
31:20 – Current flight systems, cameras, flight computers, and power control applications
32:10 – Business model: analysis, shielding design, material supply, and custom fabrication
34:50 – Company footprint, Huntsville HQ, clean room, team size, and manufacturing approach
36:40 – Accelerator testing, qualification burden, and building credibility in radiation physics
40:30 – Space infrastructure, VC interest, and scaling critical enabling technologies
43:30 – Productization goal: making radiation protection plug-and-play for space operators
44:40 – 2035 vision: Plasteel as a standard material for orbital compute and ruggedized structures
46:25 – Human spaceflight applications and upcoming work related to Artemis de-risking
48:00 – Scaling plan, Huntsville expansion, qualification testing, and customer onboarding
49:35 – Series A round and strategic investor focus
50:45 – Upcoming CERN data, IEEE/NSREC, IAC, LET limitations, and nanodosimetric effects
53:00 – Closing discussion: adapting COTS hardware for space and contact information
