Mar 25, 2026

From Starlink to Scarcity: Dialogue with Jonathan Criss — the SpaceX Engineer Solving Earth’s Water Crisis

Jonathan Criss

20 min 56 views

Mar 25, 2026

Season 3

Episode 15

From Starlink to Scarcity: Dialogue with Jonathan Criss — the SpaceX Engineer Solving Earth’s Water Crisis

In this episode of Development Aid Dialogues, podcast host Hisham Allam spoke with Jonathan Criss, CEO and Founder of Vital Lyfe. After more than 13 years working on Dragon and Starlink, from cargo racks to reusable spacecraft, Criss left to establish Vital Lyfe, a company building small-scale purification systems for remote villages, disaster zones and infrastructure-poor communities already feeling the pressure of climate change....

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Guest

Jonathan Criss

Founder / CEO

Former Engineering Manager at SpaceX, with over a decade of contribution to groundbreaking advancements in aerospace technology. Today, passionate about mentoring the next generation of innovators while channeling his experience into launching Vital Lyfe focused on pushing the boundaries of technology.

Host

Hisham Allam

DevelopmenAid Dialogues host

Hisham Allam is a DevelopmentAid journalist and podcast host, renowned for award-winning investigative work, including the Pulitzer Prize for his contributions to the Panama Papers.

Produced by

DevAid Dialogues

DevelopmentAid Dialogues is a podcast that features insightful conversations with experts and practitioners, offering valuable perspectives on the challenges and opportunities shaping our world.

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From Starlink to Scarcity: Dialogue with Jonathan Criss — the SpaceX Engineer Solving Earth’s Water Crisis

From Starlink to Scarcity: Dialogue with Jonathan Criss — the SpaceX Engineer Solving Earth’s Water Crisis

Produced by

DevAid Dialogues

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