CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. "Defense happens to be our largest customer and market that we serve, but we make systems that go beyond in terms of applications, to more product lines or capabilities have very direct implications to space," Nawabi said on CNBC's "Manifest Space" podcast. It's best known perhaps for the design and development of the Mars Ingenuity helicopter with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Recently, however, Ingenuity conducted its 57th flight, surpassing 100 minutes of total Mars flight time. The lessons learned from this endeavor will also apparently bolster the emerging space robotics business.

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Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, Morgan Brennan, Michael Sheetz, AeroVironment, Wahid Nawabi, Nawabi, There's Organizations: CNBC, Revenue, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA, Softbank, Airbus, FAA Locations: Ukraine, Simi Valley, Calif