Not Your Dad’s Space Domain Awareness, With Brien Flewelling of ExoAnalytic Solutions
Release Date: 01/21/2025
Inside SatEnlight’s Spiral Staircase of Lasers: Interview with Startup Space Winner Matteo Vismara
On Orbit
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...
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Automation and Agility: How SSC Space Go Is Designed for the New Age of Ground
On Orbit
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...
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Investing in American Manufacturing: Shey Sabripour Talks CesiumAstro’s Ramp-Up
On Orbit
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 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...
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Designing for the Next Generation of GEO With Swissto12 CEO Emile de Rijk
On Orbit
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...
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Semiconductors, Satellites, and Scale With Spirit Electronics CEO Marti McCurdy
On Orbit
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...
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From Skepticism to Maturity: Unpacking Space Investment in 2025 With Chad Anderson
On Orbit
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 , 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,...
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The Infrastructure Revolution Behind Data Centers in Space With Ramon.Space CEO Avi Shabtai
On Orbit
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...
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The Commercial-Defense Convergence: 2026 Trends to Watch
On Orbit
There’s a growing understanding that space-based capabilities are critical for national defense strategies, and defense demand for commercial space systems has been a key trend in 2025 influencing both satellite communications, manufacturing, and imagery and sensing. 2025 brought the announcement of the Golden Dome planned missile defense architecture, and a steep ramp-up in space investment in nations around the globe. Nations are working to secure sovereign communications and access to space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) data. This episode of On Orbit shares a...
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Quantum is Coming: How Does it Change the Game for Space Systems and Networks?
On Orbit
Forecasts on the arrival time for quantum computing vary greatly – from “it will be here in a decade” to “it’s already here.” There is consensus on the fact that it’s coming, and when it does, it will change the way we build and protect networks in space. In this episode of our , we’re joined by experts in the field to help understand how quantum computing and quantum encryption will most likely work according to the research that is being conducted today. This episode covers the concept and definition of quantum resiliency and how that will be determined in an unknown future....
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Space Traffic Management for Security With Neuraspace CEO Chiara Manfletti
On Orbit
Is space crowded? Although there’s been such a large increase in satellites in orbit, it’s not a simple question. On Orbit with Chiara Manfletti, CEO of Portugal-based space traffic management company Neuraspace. Chiara emphasizes the need for better coordination on space situational awareness (SSA) and space traffic management (STM) and the evolving landscape of standards and regulations. This episode also covers how nations have taken a greater interest in working with commercial operators for SSA capabilities, and why strong SSA is critical for ensuring peace as space...
info_outlineWe often hear space described as congested and competitive but Dr. Brien Flewelling likes to describe the situation in space as dense, dynamic, and deep. This means that space traffic is getting denser as there are more spacecraft in orbit; it’s deeper with spacecraft in more orbits; and more dynamic as spacecraft maneuver more frequently. It's "not your dad’s space domain awareness,” he says.
Brien is the director of Strategic Program Development at ExoAnalytic Solutions. He joins the On Orbit podcast this week for a conversation about space domain awareness (SDA) and how NATO coordinates SDA. He shares his takeaways from the NATO Edge and Spacepower conferences in December, about how NATO can have better coordination in space domain awareness with greater adoption of commercial capabilities.
He answers what really happens when a satellite breaks apart in orbit, how decision-making in space is evolving to be more autonomous, and what’s needed to keep pace with everything being launched to orbit today.