# Bridgit Mendler and Griffin Cleverly talk about building scalable ground stations for satellite networks; cyberattacks on automakers, lead in protein powder; look back at the 1986 Challenger disaster

- Show: [Go/No-Go](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go)
- Published: 2025-10-27
- Length: 1h 09m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2025-10-27-bridgit-mendler-and-griffin-cleverly-talk-about-building-scalable-ground-station
- Listen: https://rss.com/podcasts/go-no-go/2293879

## Summary

Bridgit Mendler, CEO, and Griffin Cleverly, CTO of Northwood Space, explain how they are building scalable, phased-array ground stations to connect with satellites, leveraging cellular supply chains to reduce costs and increase deployment speed. They discuss their 'novel in the aggregate' approach, in-house manufacturing strategy, and the complex regulatory hurdles of deploying a global network. The episode also covers recent manufacturing news, including a cyberattack on Jaguar Land Rover, nuclear waste regulations affecting Radiant's microreactors, lithium battery fires on Air China flights, and lead contamination in protein powders, before concluding with a detailed analysis of the organizational failures leading to the 1986 Challenger disaster.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2025-10-27-bridgit-mendler-and-griffin-cleverly-talk-about-building-scalable-ground-station#t=0) Introduction: Northwood Space and Satellite Connectivity
- [1:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2025-10-27-bridgit-mendler-and-griffin-cleverly-talk-about-building-scalable-ground-station#t=63) Northwood's Business Model and Phased-Array Technology
- [7:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2025-10-27-bridgit-mendler-and-griffin-cleverly-talk-about-building-scalable-ground-station#t=451) In-House Manufacturing and Supply Chain Strategy
- [13:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2025-10-27-bridgit-mendler-and-griffin-cleverly-talk-about-building-scalable-ground-station#t=823) Phased-Array Antenna Design and Digital Beamforming
- [19:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2025-10-27-bridgit-mendler-and-griffin-cleverly-talk-about-building-scalable-ground-station#t=1144) Regulatory Hurdles and Global Deployment
- [21:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2025-10-27-bridgit-mendler-and-griffin-cleverly-talk-about-building-scalable-ground-station#t=1266) Product Development and Software Integration
- [30:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2025-10-27-bridgit-mendler-and-griffin-cleverly-talk-about-building-scalable-ground-station#t=1825) Founding Story and Go/No-Go Moments
- [39:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2025-10-27-bridgit-mendler-and-griffin-cleverly-talk-about-building-scalable-ground-station#t=2351) News: Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack and Nuclear Regulations
- [47:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2025-10-27-bridgit-mendler-and-griffin-cleverly-talk-about-building-scalable-ground-station#t=2864) News: Lithium Battery Fires and Lead in Protein Powder
- [59:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2025-10-27-bridgit-mendler-and-griffin-cleverly-talk-about-building-scalable-ground-station#t=3547) Reconstruction: The 1986 Challenger Disaster

## Topics

- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Security & privacy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/security-and-privacy)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Northwood Space (company)
- Jaguar Land Rover (company)
- Radiant (company)
- Air China (company)
- Consumer Reports (other)
- Tyson (company)
- Agrostats (company)
- Real Page (company)
- Lumafield (company)
- SpaceX (company)
- Miter (company)
- Tata Group (company)
- FCC (other)
- NASA (company)
- Challenger (product)

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- [Optimization Beast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-02-10-optimization-beast) (The Amp Hour)
- [Psst...Hey buddy, wanna buy an Octopus?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2025-10-09-psst-hey-buddy-wanna-buy-an-octopus) (The Amp Hour)
- [Cellular IoT with Jared Wolff](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-09-20-cellular-iot-with-jared-wolff) (The Amp Hour)
- [Ludicrously High Frequency Interference](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-06-03-ludicrously-high-frequency-interference) (The Amp Hour)
- [Space Bound, Again - Xtreme Xtraplanetary Xenonosocomiophobia](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2014-12-11-space-bound-again-xtreme-xtraplanetary-xenonosocomiophobia) (The Amp Hour)

## Citing this page

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