On Orbit

Hosted by Rachel Jewett

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Episodes

175

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Hosted by Via Satellite's Senior Managing Editor Rachel Jewett, On Orbit is a technology podcast focused on the socioeconomic value of space and satellite capabilities.

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60 recent

August 24, 2026Episode 17243 min

The Evolution of the Space Edge With Voyager CTO Paul Tilghman

While orbital data centers have drawn attention and driven headlines this year, there's another story unfolding in spaceborne computing — the evolution of the space edge. It's a shift to higher-powered satellites that can process data at the edge, right where it's collected. Voyager Technologies CTO Paul Tilghman joins On Orbit this week to unpack this shift and how it supports the rise of proliferated data collected in space and applications like missile defense, that demand shorter timelines from sensor-to-decision. Paul explains some of the underlying trends associated with this shift, the potential for clustered computing in space, and the importance of compatibility and open standards versus bespoke systems. He also shares an update on Space Edge, Voyager's space-hardened, managed cloud infrastructure designed to bring computing power directly to orbit. A prototype platform of Space Edge is flying on the ISS today. This conversation was sponsored by Voyager Technologies.

August 18, 2026Episode 17144 min

Sovereign Data at Tactical Speeds: BlackSky CTO Patrick O'Neil on the Shifts in Adoption of Space-based Intelligence

As conflicts have erupted around the world, governments and MoDs are recognizing the urgent, immediate need for space-based intelligence. At the same time, the cost to build and launch satellites has dropped significantly, and it's changing how governments acquire satellite imagery and Al-enabled intelligence capabilities, driving them to embrace sovereign solutions from commercial partners. This week, BlackSky CTO Patrick O'Neil joins On Orbit for a conversation about the dynamics underpinning international adoption of sovereign space technologies. Patrick explains the spectrum of needs that begin with subscription-based assured access to commercial imagery and analytics and scale into fully sovereign systems. He also talks about how the speed of modern warfare is fueling demand for real-time dynamic monitoring and how AI helps unlock critical insights from the volumes of Earth observation data collected.

July 28, 2026Episode 17059 min

Space-Based Data Centers: Inside the Race to Move Compute to Orbit

As AI is driving explosive growth in data center construction on Earth, there's accelerating interest in moving some of the computing infrastructure to orbit. The past few months have seen a flurry of announcements for future orbital data centers. Is this the latest hype cycle for the space industry, or a greenfield opportunity? The answer may be somewhere in the middle. In this week's On Orbit episode, we're bringing you a recent discussion from Via Satellite's Tech Webcast series. It features JJ Jaworski, CEO and co-founder of Edge Aerospace; Rob DeMillo, CEO of Sophia Space; and Ronald Birk, principal director of the Space Enterprise Evolution Directorate for The Aerospace Corporation. The conversation digs into potential architectures for orbital computing, the technological developments and challenges, and realistic use cases and potential early adopters for in-orbit computing. This conversation was sponsored by Edge Aerospace.

July 7, 2026Episode 16945 min

An Expedition Across the Arctic-Space Connection With David Marsh

What can the hostile environment of the Arctic teach us about space? David Marsh recently returned from a first-hand journey to find out. He joins On Orbit this week after wrapping up an Arctic expedition where he spent 29 days skiing more than 560 kilometers across Greenland with a group of researchers. Over the trip he worked on a number of research projects like investigating the use of LEO satellites for navigation, and using a new radio propagation technique to measure space weather. David shares what life was like on the expedition and how the trip took him inside an abandoned Cold War radar station. As a space industry professional who previously worked for Voyager Technologies and is now a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, David has a particular focus on the relationship between the Arctic and space. His work on the subject includes a recently published piece for War on the Rocks that is referenced in the episode. While the region is critical for downlinking satellite data, David also believes the extreme environment of the Arctic can teach us something about surviving in the extreme environment of space.

June 23, 2026Episode 16835 min

Building a Global Framework for D2D With Skylo's Mindel De La Torre

Over just a few years, the ability to connect everyday cell phones to satellite has gone from a milestone tech demonstration to a feature that's deployed in millions of phones. Mindel De La Torre has watched this evolution closely and been a part of the regulatory advancements to make it possible. Formerly chief of the FCC's International Bureau, Mindel then led regulatory and international strategy for Omnispace before joining Skylo as head of Global Regulatory Affairs. Mindel joins On Orbit this week to talk about the intersection of spectrum policy, international coordination, and the future of global connectivity. She shares how the regulatory landscape is evolving for D2D, and gives a preview of some upcoming spectrum issues for the WRC-27 conference. From her work in government to startups, Mindel says one through line has been a passion for finding ways to provide service to unserved and underserved communities, which she now gets to see firsthand as D2D expands around the world.

June 9, 2026Episode 16734 min

Inside the State of the Satellite Industry 2026 Report with SIA President Tom Stroup

There's a lot of hype in the space industry and bold projections about how demand for satellite broadband, direct-to-device, and more. But every year, the Satellite Industry Association provides a clear view into the industry's financial performance in the annual State of the Satellite Industry Report. This week I'm joined by SIA President Tom Stroup to dig into the 2026 report, which tracked rapid growth — the number of satellites launched to orbit in 2025 increased by 65%. Tom shares some of the broad trends the report has been tracking in recent years, and some of the interesting contrasts — like the number of satellites manufactured compared to the value captured. The report comes at a key time when there's a bright spotlight on the space industry ahead of the SpaceX IPO, and Tom shares how it's used to educate policymakers on the broader satellite industry. We also talk about SIA's work to find consensus among members in its policy positions, and his perspective on the satellite telecom convergence, as someone with deep experience in the wireless industry. Link to the 2026 SIA Report: https://sia.org/news-resources/state-of-the-satellite-industry-report/

May 19, 2026Episode 16636 min

Breaking the Power Constraint in Space With Star Catcher's Andrew Rush

SWAP — size, weight, and power — is a defining feature of space engineering constraints. As new technologies and designs have opened up options for size and weight, power is still a limiting constraint. Longtime space executive Andrew Rush turned his attention to the issue of power in space with Star Catcher, the company he co-founded in 2024. Star Catcher has the bold ambition to break the constraints of power in space by deploying satellites that can function as a power grid in orbit and beam power to client satellites, on demand. Andrew joined the On Orbit podcast just ahead of Star Catcher's Series A funding announcement. As former CEO of Made in Space and Redwire's first COO, Andrew has had a front row seat to the evolution of commercial space, and considers himself a student of the sector. That experience and hearing from industry colleagues informed the design and business model of Star Catcher. In this episode, Andrew talks about why he sees power as a fundamental infrastructure need in space, similar to transportation and telecommunications, and how plans for the generation of infrastructure compares to the changes he's seen so far.

May 5, 2026Episode 16524 min

Future-Proofing Satellite Networks With ST Engineering iDirect Sales SVP Brian Jakins

How do you future-proof your satellite network to thrive in an increasingly connected world? It's a key question that network operators are asking as they navigate new technologies like 5G, non-terrestrial networks (NTN), multi-orbit architectures, and AI-driven applications. This week, Brian Jakins, senior vice president of Sales at ST Engineering iDirect joins the On Orbit podcast for a conversation about network modernization. Brian works closely with ST Engineering iDirect's customers, which gives him a unique viewpoint at the intersection from both the satellite side and the network operator perspective. In this episode, he talks about the tradeoffs operators are making, how they are approaching emerging technologies and what's truly responding as they look to build scalable, resilient networks. This episode of On Orbit is brought to you by ST Engineering iDirect, a global leader in satellite communications providing technology and solutions that enable its customers to expand their businesses and optimize their satcom networks.

April 21, 2026Episode 16435 min

Inside SatEnlight's Spiral Staircase of Lasers: Interview with Startup Space Winner Matteo Vismara

Based in Milan, Italy, SatEnlight is an optical communications technology company with a terminal that stacks multiple beams on top of each other, arranged in what looks like a multi-layered spiral staircase of lasers. SatEnlight CEO and co-founder Matteo Vismara and his co-founder developed the product based on years of scientific research in Physics and work based at the CERN Large Hadron Collider in Geneva. Matteo joins On-Orbit this week in a conversation with Via Satellite Executive Editor Jeffrey Hill after he won SATShow's 10th Annual Startup Space entrepreneur pitch contest. In this interview, he explains why he chose the risk of starting a private company over the safety of almost guaranteed university tenure and the details of a slide deck tip he received during pitch coaching that helped him win Startup Space. Matteo also talks about how Italy is building off of its deep legacy in cutting-edge space science and why he believes the SatEnlight terminal could actually help create new standards for optical transmissions in space.

April 7, 2026Episode 16333 min

Automation and Agility: How SSC Space Go Is Designed for the New Age of Ground

SSC Space has a mission to help its customers access space — whether that's spacecraft operations and engineering, operating the Esrange launch center in Sweden, or its global ground network. With 54 years of operations, SSC Space has deep experience in space missions. Now, the company is expanding its ground systems business with SSC Space Go, designed for commercial companies with small satellites in LEO. This week, On Orbit hosts Jonas Åslund, product manager, and Viktor Pankov, product owner, of SSC Space Go to hear about how the service was designed to meet the needs of the evolving commercial space market. Both Åslund and Pankov are ground segment experts, and they share the hardware and software upgrades that went into the service, and how it's designed to enable greater automation and flexibility. This episode of On Orbit is brought to you by SSC Space, a leading global provider of advanced space services in science, ground segment, rocket test and launch services.