On Orbit

Hosted by Rachel Jewett

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Episodes

171

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Jun 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

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.

March 17, 2026Episode 16237 min

Investing in American Manufacturing: Shey Sabripour Talks CesiumAstro's Ramp-Up

As a young electrical engineer at RCA Corporation, Shey Sabripour was inspired by the company's legacy of contributing to space missions, and he wanted to make his own mark by establishing a company that builds technology in the United States. He went on to found CesiumAstro 10 years ago, which is now at a pivotal moment in its growth journey. He joins On Orbit this week after the company recently raised $270 million and secured $200 million EXIM financing to build out its manufacturing capabilities in Texas under the "Make More in America" initiative. In this interview, he shares his deep passion for building in America, and how he sees a crucial link between strong commercial competition, resilient supply chains, and defense readiness. Sabripour also talks about how CesiumAstro has methodically grown from providing software defined radios to now, full-scale missions and previews the launch of the company's first Element satellite, targeted for later this year.

March 10, 2026Episode 16125 min

Designing for the Next Generation of GEO With Swissto12 CEO Emile de Rijk

Emile de Rijk started Swissto12 with a simple goal — to make access to Geostationary Orbit (GEO) faster and more affordable. In order to achieve that, the company had to think smaller. From its origins as a startup, Swissto12 is now coming of age as a disruptive European satellite manufacturer. This week, Swissto12 CEO Emile de Rijk joins On Orbit to talk about the company's cutting edge payload technology and the decision trade-offs that come with payload flexibility. De Rijk also talk about how Swissto12's approach to smaller, more flexible GEO satellites fits in with the issue of sovereign space, and how it might also fit into the future concepts of orbital data centers. The company is at a critical juncture this year with satellite builds for both SES and Viasat underway. De Rijk shares the latest updates on the Hummingsat program. This episode of On Orbit is brought to you by Swissto12, a manufacturer of advanced satellite radio frequency components, payloads, and systems.

March 3, 2026Episode 16030 min

Semiconductors, Satellites, and Scale With Spirit Electronics CEO Marti McCurdy

Semiconductors are foundational to satellite operations, powering everything from communications payloads, to sensing, and propulsion control. As CEO of Spirit Electronics, Marti McCurdy's work is at the heart of the semiconductor supply chain. Spirit Electronics offers semiconductor services that range from ASIC design and foundry, to wafer processing, and qualification. The company has always served a mix of defense and space, but is seeing growth in its space business in recent years with the uptick of growth in the industry. Marti says the work isn't new; it's just applying the company's expertise in semiconductors to a new customer base. In this episode, Marti shares the ins and outs of semiconductor supply chains and the work that goes into being a trusted manufacturing partner. She also shares what's in store for Spirit Electronics in 2026 and how AI is impacting the company's work in test development. This episode of On Orbit is brought to you by Spirit Electronics is a supplier of high reliability electronic components, engineering services, and superior supply-chain solutions.

February 10, 2026Episode 15936 min

From Skepticism to Maturity: Unpacking Space Investment in 2025 With Chad Anderson

Investment in space infrastructure hit a new record in 2025, reaching $22.2 billion, according to Space Capital's latest report. This level of investment surpassed the previous record of 2021. Chad Anderson, CEO and founder of Space Capital, joins On Orbit this week to share his takeaways from 2025 from Space Capital's recent Space Investment Quarterly report, alongside predictions for 2026. Anderson says the record levels of investment in 2025 show the market has transitioned from skepticism to industrial maturity and proven utility. He also shares some of the trends driving momentum for 2026, like the uptick of investment in geospatial intelligence capabilities aligning with AI investment, and how a SpaceX IPO in 2026 could impact the rest of the space investment landscape.

January 27, 2026Episode 16025 min

The Infrastructure Revolution Behind Data Centers in Space With Ramon.Space CEO Avi Shabtai

Data centers in space have been a hot topic in the last few months as a potential future solution to the limitations of running massive data centers on Earth. Ramon.Space, which builds edge computing and onboard processing systems has been preparing for this future for years. In this episode, Ramon.Space CEO Avi Shabtai shares the concept of a distributed architecture data center in space, with many satellites acting as nodes in a mesh network. Avi envisions a fleet of satellites forming a large data center, with each satellite capable of computation, storage, and other capabilities. He explains the tech behind the headlines, and shares his predictions for how data centers in space might take shape over the next five to ten years. This episode of On Orbit is sponsored by Ramon.Space