On Orbit
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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How TrustPoint Aims at the Commercial Future of GPS, with CEO Patrick Shannon
04/23/2024
How TrustPoint Aims at the Commercial Future of GPS, with CEO Patrick Shannon
In this week’s On Orbit episode, we’re joined by Patrick Shannon, CEO of TrustPoint. Patrick won the 2024 Startup Space pitch contest at SATELLITE in March, competing against nine other startups. TrustPoint is building a commercial GPS system, and working toward its own constellation of around 300 spacecraft in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) to offer GPS services that have more affordable precision, better security, and greater availability. Patrick breaks down some of the the limitations of traditional GPS and why we are now seeing more commercial businesses like TrustPoint looking to provide new solutions to GPS issues. He takes us inside the Startup Space experience, talks about the impact it has made on the company so far, and previews what’s next for TrustPoint. The company is shifting out of an internal R&D phase and into more demonstrations and testing with customers and partners. This episode is sponsored by AvL Technologies, an industry leading manufacturer of multi-band and multi-orbit satellite communications ground terminals for military, government and commercial applications. Learn more at https://www.avltech.com/
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To LEO, GEO, and Beyond: A Conversation With Tom Mueller
04/02/2024
To LEO, GEO, and Beyond: A Conversation With Tom Mueller
We have a special On Orbit episode from SATELLITE 2024 this week, a fireside chat with Impulse Space CEO Tom Mueller. Mueller is considered one of the world’s leading spacecraft propulsion experts. As one of SpaceX‘s founding members, he led the development of propulsion systems for the Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy, as well as the Dragon line of spacecraft. His work was crucial in the development of reusable rocket technology. Mueller spoke with Via Satellite editor-in-chief Mark Holmes during SATELLITE about his new company Impulse Space, an in-space transportation company working to deliver payloads to LEO, GEO, the Moon, Mars and beyond. Mueller describes his vision for Impulse Space to provide the transportation for the space economy of the future with Mira and . Our next episode will also be from SATELLITE. We’ll share the kickoff for the , Building Deep Space Satellite Connectivity Networks. This discussion features experts from QinetiQ, Space Tango, and Kepler Communications. Expect that in your feeds on April 16.
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Nuclear Weapons in Space: Behind the Headlines With Brian Weeden
03/06/2024
Nuclear Weapons in Space: Behind the Headlines With Brian Weeden
A few weeks ago, space security issues took center-stage in the news after reports of a nuclear satellite weapon. This raised a lot of questions — What would a nuclear weapon mean in space? Why would Russia pursue this? In this week’s On Orbit episode, we dig into these questions with Dr. Brian Weeden, chief program officer of the Secure World Foundation, an organization that works to promote secure, sustainable, and peaceful uses of outer space. Weeden is an expert on space security issues and conducts research on issues like space debris, protecting space assets, and space governance. He explains the physical and geopolitical consequences of detonating a nuclear weapon in space, implications for the Outer Space Treaty, and how this situation has raised awareness of security issues in space.
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Unpacking the Geopolitical Landscape of GNSS With Zephr CEO Sean Gorman
02/20/2024
Unpacking the Geopolitical Landscape of GNSS With Zephr CEO Sean Gorman
We often take for granted how much of our modern lives are underpinned by GPS technology. This episode of On Orbit digs into GPS and the global landscape of GNSS, which stands for Global Navigation Satellite System. Dr. Sean Gorman, CEO of new startup Zephr, joins as this episode’s guest. We talk about how much economic value is supported by GNSS technology, the GNSS geopolitical landscape including China’s investment in the BeiDou constellation, private GNSS systems, and why this technology will be important for future use cases. Sean also talks about how Zephr fits into this landscape, and how working at Snapchat and dealing with GPS accuracy on mobile devices led to the idea for the company.
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Exploring Potential in Quantum Tech, Diversity, and Creativity With Sonali Mohapatra
02/06/2024
Exploring Potential in Quantum Tech, Diversity, and Creativity With Sonali Mohapatra
In this episode, On Orbit interviews Sonali Mohapatra, who works in quantum innovation at the National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) in the U.K. Sonali breaks down quantum technology and shares some of the future use cases that relate to the space industry. Read more about the quantum use cases for space in Sonali’s cover story in the Via Satellite November edition. In Sonali’s role as Quantum Innovation Sector Lead at the center she works to encourage quantum readiness across different sectors including space, healthcare energy, and more. We talk about some of the human implications of the responsibility she feels to contribute to quantum technology development in a way that serves the greater good. Sonali is a very creative person and deeply passionate about diversity and gender issues. We talk about how she brings all of that together in her work and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach, and mentoring and diversity initiatives she has been a part of. Read the quantum article here: https://interactive.satellitetoday.com/via/november-2023/imagining-the-future-of-quantum-computing-for-space/
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Keeping Space Clean and Safe for Everyone: The Global Sustainability Mission
01/23/2024
Keeping Space Clean and Safe for Everyone: The Global Sustainability Mission
There is always an inherent risk when doing anything in space. That said, a handful of space sustainability-minded companies are working hard to minimize those risks and prevent self-inflicted catastrophes. In this episode, we’ll learn about the true scope of the threat posed by space debris, congestion and the lack of situational awareness and about the technologies and solutions being deployed to keep space clean. We’ll also explore the value of space sustainability economy itself, and how government and private investment in green space tech will pay off in the future. This episode features Patricia Cooper, president and founder of Constellation Advisory; Audrey Schaffer vice president of Strategy & Policy for Slingshot Aerospace; and Kristin Shahady, business development manager for Astroscale U.S. This episode is part of the Future Space Economy Series which brings together global industries, space leaders, governments, and educators to explore practical applications for space infrastructure and technologies. Season Two kicks off live at SATELLITE 2024 with the session, Building Deep Space Satellite Connectivity Networks, on March 20. .
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Inside the World of Space Communications With Sarah Nickell
01/09/2024
Inside the World of Space Communications With Sarah Nickell
Space has a compelling story to tell, but it can be a challenge to craft the message. As Space is such a technical sector, it can be hard for leadership to communicate the value of what they do to investors, media, and the public. It’s Sarah Nickell’s job to craft that message. As a PR professional with her own firm, Nickell works with companies like Voyager Space and York Space Systems to tell their stories. She has worked with Via Satellite for years, and she has had stories placed in national publications like Bloomberg, ABC News, and Vice. In our first episode of 2024, Nickell gives a look behind the scenes at the world of space public relations. This episode is an interesting journalism/public relations crossover about what it’s like to be on both sides of the conversation. It’s also a crash course for listeners that aren’t familiar with media and public relations. The conversation covers topics like building a messaging strategy, managing national security concerns in communications, and how Nickell manages running a small business.
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2023 Year in Review With Via Satellite Editors
12/19/2023
2023 Year in Review With Via Satellite Editors
2023 was a big year in news in the satellite industry. Nearly all the top operators saw a mix of leadership changes, mergers and acquisitions, and major constellation updates. In this episode, Via Satellite editors Rachel Jewett, Mark Holmes, and Jeff Hill recap some of the biggest announcements in the satellite sector of 2023, and how they set the stage for 2024. This is our last episode of the year and we’ll be back with new episodes in January. Thank you for listening to On Orbit this year!
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Explaining the Vital Space-to-Ground Link With SSC’s Erwin Mercado
12/05/2023
Explaining the Vital Space-to-Ground Link With SSC’s Erwin Mercado
SSC’s mission is: “We help Earth benefit from Space.” For SSC — Swedish Space Corporation — fulfilling that mission involves its extensive ground network that supports launches with real-time TT&C data and communicating with payloads. This episode of On Orbit features a conversation with Erwin Mercado, president and CEO of the company’s U.S. subsidiary, SSC Space US Inc, about the value of space communications. Erwin talks about the company’s rich history in space. Formerly known as Universal Space Network, the company was founded by Pete Conrad, commander of the Apollo 12 mission and third person to walk on the Moon. Erwin shares how the company has built up a portfolio of ground stations around the world to form the link between Earth and space, and how these communications are critical to support space missions. This episode of On Orbit is sponsored by SSC. For more information, visit
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Satellite Policy and a Side of Space Movies With Henry Gola
11/14/2023
Satellite Policy and a Side of Space Movies With Henry Gola
What do satellite policy and space movies have in common? For starters, space debris often plays a key role in both. In this episode of On Orbit, we talk about regulation and space movies with Henry Gola, a partner in Wiley’s Telecom, Media & Technology practice. Gola has been part of some of the biggest regulatory developments, like representing the C-Band Alliance before the FCC. He gives a review of some of the top policy issues at the FCC right now, and we dig into the details of the regulatory framework for satellite-to-cell coverage. Gola also leads the “Hosted Payload” series on the Wiley Connected podcast, where he talks about famous space movies with policy experts. We chat about some of his favorites like “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Gravity,” and how movies have raised awareness of issues like space debris. Hosted Payload link:
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How Startups are Shaping the Future Space Economy
10/31/2023
How Startups are Shaping the Future Space Economy
Over the course of this debut season of Future Space Economy, we’ve learned how dependent both private and public sector space investors are on startups to bring enabling technologies to life. Today’s space startups are pitching their products as the glue that will hold the Future Space Economy together. In this episode, the leaders and founders of space startups across multiple applications join us to discuss what they feel are the strongest opportunities for their businesses to succeed in an expanding space ecosystem. We also ask them if investors are buying into the space economy for the long haul, and whether or not startups could play a leading role in shaping space policy.
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What Does ESG Mean for the Space Industry Here on Earth?
10/17/2023
What Does ESG Mean for the Space Industry Here on Earth?
When we talk about sustainability in the space industry, we’re usually talking to space sustainability issues like space traffic management and space debris. Amber Ledgerwood is trying to bring attention to sustainability issues here on Earth. Amber is the Senior Manager of Social and Environmental Impact at SES and she leads the operator’s ESG strategy. In this episode, Amber talks about how environmental, social, and governance issues apply to SES and the satellite industry. These issues range from the climate impact of space companies on Earth, diversity and inclusion, how a company’s products and services impact society, and also responsible behavior in space. She hopes her role influences the industry beyond SES and challenges other space companies to take concrete actions to minimize climate impact and improve diversity among their workforce.
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Protecting the Space Economy: Cyber Defenses and National Security
10/03/2023
Protecting the Space Economy: Cyber Defenses and National Security
Most of us understand the damage caused by cyberattacks on Earth. In space, the consequences of cyberattacks are even more dire. They can sabotage years of economic activity, threaten national security and the lives of astronauts and in-space personnel, and spark uncontrollable military action in an already dangerous environment. In this episode, we’ll learn about how modern approaches to cyber and national security change when dealing with complex in-space infrastructure, and protecting human activity in space. This episode is part of the On Orbit webcast series. In Part 1 of this discussion, we discuss the legal framework and policies needed to protect the Future Space Economy. Part 2 of the discussion will focus on the software, tools, and technological solutions needed to protect space networks. This discussion includes John Moberly, senior vice president of Space at SpiderOak. Moberly leads SpiderOak’s pivot to space leveraging the company’s zero trust and cybersecurity foundational capabilities. Prior to SpiderOak, he was a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army, from which he retired after 20 years. Joining Moberly is Jonathan Swanson, director of Security Strategy for Krebs Stamos Group. Swanson is an ISC2 CISSP certified professional with over a decade of expertise in cyber security strategy and risk management.
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Future Space Economy Series: The Evolution of the Space Tourism Experience
09/20/2023
Future Space Economy Series: The Evolution of the Space Tourism Experience
As it exists today, the space tourism “experience” relies on the thrill of just being in space for a select group of dedicated space enthusiasts. However, for this budding tourism industry to grow, it needs to appeal to a broader mainstream audience and to those who want more than a rocket ride and a view of the Earth. This episode of the On Orbit features experts who are working to build a more complete space tourism experience package that includes pre- and post-launch adventures, in-space activities and entertainment. Learn about your next potential vacation in space!
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Why the MyRadar Weather App Launched its Own Satellites
08/30/2023
Why the MyRadar Weather App Launched its Own Satellites
With 50 million downloads and 950,000 ratings, and an average rating of 4.8 stars, MyRadar is one of the most popular weather apps, putting weather information directly in the hands of its customers. But this isn’t an ad for MyRdar, it’s the story of how and why a popular mobile app becomes a space company. MyRadar orbital ambitions, and is working on a satellite constellation to quickly alert to wildfires. MyRadar CTO Sarvesh Garimella about how and why the mobile app is investing in its its own satellites. The story turns the traditional Earth observation model on its head, as MyRadar is already an end user of satellite data, and now its purpose-building satellites for its own needs. He also shares how a weather app helps its users deal with climate change, how AI models are impacting weather forecasting, and why a digital-first weather company still invests in the power of real, human meteorologists. Correction: The intro of the podcast misstates the number of MyRadar downloads. The app has 50 million downloads.
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Future Space Economy Series: The Value of a Lunar Economy Explained
08/01/2023
Future Space Economy Series: The Value of a Lunar Economy Explained
Why are the world’s space faring nations racing back to the moon? What is the value of establishing a new lunar economy? In this episode of On Orbit’s Future Space Economy webcast series, host Jeffrey Hill speaks with Yale University’s Emma Louden, Nanoracks’ Mike Lewis, and former SpaceX leaders David Anderman and Sita Sonty about what’s driving the new space race to the moon. The group explores the value of lunar materials and resources, research on the “dark side of the moon,” and the economic opportunities created by just getting there (as well as getting there first).
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Is Space Crowded? Managing Traffic in Space With Chiara Manfletti of Neuraspace
07/18/2023
Is Space Crowded? Managing Traffic in Space With Chiara Manfletti of Neuraspace
Is space crowded? While space is infinite, space crowding is an important issue as the satellite industry launches more and more mass to orbit each year. This week, Chiara Manfletti, COO of space traffic management startup Neuraspace joins On Orbit to answer this and other critical questions about space sustainability. In this episode, she digs into the specifics of the risks to satellite operators, and different approaches to space traffic management, and how governments and even insurers have a role to play in sustainable in orbit operations. Chiara has an interesting background in academia and government. Before getting involved with Neuraspace, She served as president of the new Portuguese national space agency, Portugal Space. We talk about that experience, the startup environment in Europe, and Chiara also shares about her beekeeping hobby.
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Decoding the Direct-to-Device Market With Tarun Gupta of Skylo Technologies
07/10/2023
Decoding the Direct-to-Device Market With Tarun Gupta of Skylo Technologies
In the past year, the satellite industry has been a part of a slew of announcements about direct-to-device and satellite to cell. Now, major names in cellular industries and devices like Apple, Qualcomm, and T-Mobile are all working with satellite companies. Tarun Gupta, chief product officer and co-founder of Skylo Technologies joins On Orbit this week to talk about the growth in the direct-to-device market. Skylo had been working on its own tech stack to connect devices directly to satellite before 3GPP release 17 standards, but Tarun says that the standards release along with the iPhone 14 were both major catalysts in opening up this market. In the past, OEMs didn't believe small devices could connect directly to satellite, and now companies are asking how fast devices can be brought online. In this episode, Tarun talks about trends in this market, the enabling technologies and developments, and use cases like remote power line monitoring for wildfires. We also talk about Skylo’s recent announcement with Qualcomm.
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Future Space Economy Series: Laws and Liability in Space
06/20/2023
Future Space Economy Series: Laws and Liability in Space
Space is an exciting new frontier for the global economy, but like all frontiers, it exists largely without a legal framework to guide and protect the people and businesses that would participate in this economy. This webcast in the Future Space Economy series features policy experts Therese Jones senior policy director for the Satellite Industry Association (SIA); Chris Kunstadter, Global Head of Space for insurer AXA XL; and Dara Panahy, Milbank partner. These experts tackle tough questions related to space law like — What does it mean to own property in space? How does the insurance industry assess risks in space? How do we prepare for the legal challenges in the future when more people are working and living in space? The is generously sponsored by SpiderOak, Sidus Space, and Kepler Communications.
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Internet of Tractors: Unlocking Agricultural Connectivity with John Deere Engineer Chung Hsieh
06/06/2023
Internet of Tractors: Unlocking Agricultural Connectivity with John Deere Engineer Chung Hsieh
John Deere made headlines last year announcing a satellite project — looking for industry partners to connect thousands of agricultural machines beyond cellular networks — a major opportunity for the satellite industry. In this week’s episode, we talk to Chung Hsieh, senior infrastructure engineer at John Deere. Chung has long worked with the satellite industry on John Deere’s StarFire GPS augmentation network, and he has been working with participants in the RFP as well. Chung gives an engineer’s perspective on data and connectivity in agriculture, and dealing with the reality of physics constraints of satellite antennas, and his perspective on working with the satellite industry. The StarFire network is a foundational technology in terms of the impact it has had on John Deere’s business, and Chung believes a satellite connectivity solution could have the same level of impact on John Deere’s future, especially with the future of autonomous vehicles. Chung also gives an update on the RFP, and how Deere is testing and evaluating solutions from a number of finalists. This episode was recorded in-person in New Orleans at ConnectX after a panel that Chung and I were on about IoT and cellular connectivity, and there is a bit of background noise.
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Our 100th Episode, Featuring Startup Space Winner Jacqueline Good
05/23/2023
Our 100th Episode, Featuring Startup Space Winner Jacqueline Good
The On Orbit podcast has reached 100 episodes! Thank to our listeners for tuning in over the past three years for engaging conversations with the people driving the business of space. In this episode, co-hosts Jeff Hill and Rachel Jewett commemorate the milestone by looking back on some of their favorite episodes, and share a highlight reel of clips. This episode’s guest is Jacqueline Good, founder of Magnestar and winner of the 2023 Startup Space competition. We talk with Jacqueline after her Startup Space win and dig into the issue of signal interference and how Magnestar is working to help with spectrum coordination and improve the resilience of space services. Jacqueline shares the story of going on a listening tour talking to satellite operators about the problems they face, and how those discussions led her to build a data solution to solve the issue of signal interference. Jacqueline is also the first winner from Canada, and she has found a lot of value in the community of Canadian startup leaders. She gives her perspective on why Canada is such a robust proving ground for space startups, how playing competitive hockey influenced her approach to business.
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An Inside Look at Geospatial Intelligence With Ronda Schrenk
04/26/2023
An Inside Look at Geospatial Intelligence With Ronda Schrenk
Ronda Schrenk has had a front-row seat to the evolution of geospatial intelligence in the United States. She started out as an imagery analyst for the National Photographic Interpretation Center (NPIC), just before it was combined into the new National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NEMA), which later became the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Now, she is an advocate for the industry as CEO of the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation. Ronda joins On Orbit this week ahead of USGIF’s annual , to talk about how she has seen the industry evolve. She recounts how one of her first assignments was manually counting boats around a small island, and how much analyst work was done manually in spreadsheets at the time. She talks about the enabling technologies that have increased the speed of insights and made life easier on analysts, and shares context behind some of the recent headlines in the geospatial intelligence industry.
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Future Space Economy Series: Computing Power in Space
04/11/2023
Future Space Economy Series: Computing Power in Space
Today’s modern global economy runs on data, and the world’s most successful industries and organizations are defined by the speed and efficiency in which they access that data. Defining success in space will be no different – a vibrant, diverse, and productive economy in space will require massive amounts of data that can easily be accessed by facilities on Earth and shared between satellites, vehicles, and space stations in orbit. In the fourth episode of On Orbit’s Future Space Economy webcast series, host Jeffrey Hill speaks with leaders from Mynaric, Ramon.Space, OrbitsEdge, Nebula Space Enterprise, and Avantus Federal to learn how they are building to support advanced applications and automation in the space environment. Learn about how these systems operate in space and are protected from the harsh environment. The group also explains how virtualized networks will work to transfer data from space to Earth, and how data is processed, transmitted, and protected in the future space economy. Learn more about On Orbit’s hit new webcast by visiting
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Boeing’s Michelle Parker on the Evolving Landscape of Satellite Manufacturing
03/28/2023
Boeing’s Michelle Parker on the Evolving Landscape of Satellite Manufacturing
Michelle Parker recently took on a new role as vice president of Space Mission Systems at Boeing. After , Boeing brought all satellite programs together under Space Mission Systems including commercial and government satellites, Spectrolab and Millennium Space Systems in one organization. Michelle has a long career in the satellite industry, starting out more than 25 years ago with Hughes’ satellite division before it was acquired by Boeing, where she worked on the thermal design of the original 702 platform. Now she is tasked with integrating these teams and recognizing synergies across the business to present the best offerings to customers. She spoke with On Orbit host Rachel Jewett on the first day of the SATELLITE show in Washington D.C., as Boeing prepared to to Cape Canaveral for launch operations. In this wide-ranging discussion, Michelle talks about the demand environment for satellite manufacturing across government and commercial segments in the multi-orbit era. She discusses responding to competition in the manufacturing market, how she has seen Boeing and the industry evolve, and the market for talent.
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Future Space Economy Series: Business Models in Space
03/07/2023
Future Space Economy Series: Business Models in Space
In this webcast, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Business Operations Casey Swails is joined by speakers from Voyager Space, Spaceflight, Loft Orbital, and BCG for a discussion about how private businesses, industries, civil space agencies, government organizations, and commercial space companies form strategic partnerships and collaborate with each other to accomplish a mission. Host Jeffrey Hill kicks off the discussion by asking how existing commercial space industry business models work. For example: How do customers engage with launch services? How are satellites procured? How can an organization access space without having to build their own satellite or buy their own rocket? The group also takes a look at the International Space Station (ISS) as an example of a space-based economic hub involving a variety of business models and partnerships. Please note: There are minor audio issues throughout the podcast related to speaker microphones captured during the livestream.
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Satellite in the Wild: How the Smithsonian and Iridium Track Animals from Space
02/14/2023
Satellite in the Wild: How the Smithsonian and Iridium Track Animals from Space
One of the most exciting things about the satellite industry is exploring how satellite can be used to improve life on Earth. Iridium and the Smithsonian have worked together on a particularly interesting example of that, tracking wildlife. The Smithsonian has an initiative called , that tracks the movement of certain species. The organization recently partnered with Iridium to use the operator’s satellite network to help track species like Asian elephants, Masai giraffes, jaguars, wildebeests, and bobcats. In this episode of On Orbit, Jared Stabach, research ecologist at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute and Dan Mercer, vice president and general manager for Iridium, talk about how satellite-enabled IoT furthers conservation efforts by tracking these species. Jared talks about the research projects that Iridium’s network has enabled, like analyzing the impact of human activity on animal populations, as well as the satellite tech involved with designing IoT trackers that different wild animals can wear.
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Future Space Economy Series: Infrastructure for a New Frontier
01/31/2023
Future Space Economy Series: Infrastructure for a New Frontier
The second episode of On Orbit’s Future Space Economy webcast features Sidus Space Founder and CEO Carol Craig, Kepler CEO Mina Mitry, Orbit Fab CDO Jeremy Schiel, SpaceRyde CEO Sohrab Haghighat, and BCG’s Sita Sonty in a discussion about financing, building, and networking complex infrastructure in space. The Future Space Economy is, at its core, a massive infrastructure building project consisting of spaceports, rockets, satellites, and advanced spacecraft. These elements create the physical framework to support advanced space applications. In this episode, we’ll talk to the people who are building and investing in this new infrastructure about their plans for the future, as well as their greatest needs and challenges in completing their mission. We’ll also discuss mission planning, extending infrastructure on Earth and beyond Earth’s orbit, and the critical role that advanced computing and telecommunications will play in the building process. is generously sponsored by SpiderOak, Sidus Space, and Kepler Communications. NOTE: There is a very slight hum in the background of the webcast recording. This was due to a technical issue in the audio capture.
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Can I Work in Space? Evona’s Tom Kelly on Expanding the Sector Workforce
01/17/2023
Can I Work in Space? Evona’s Tom Kelly on Expanding the Sector Workforce
The space industry is in a race for talent, to hire bright and innovative people to propel companies forward to meet their bold growth projections. While working in the space industry used to be a more insular career path, the industry's rapid expansion with new startups and technologies is driving a push to bring more people into the industry’s workforce. Executives have been open about feeling the crunch for talent, and even the . Recruiting firm Evona is part of the solution. The recruiting firm specializes in space — especially bringing new people into the sector. Evona has grown rapidly since four tech recruiters banded together in Bristol, England a few years ago to start the company and has supported space companies like Iceye Finland, York Space Systems, and Isar Aerospace. Co-founder Tom Kelly joins the podcast to talk to new host, Via Satellite Senior Managing Editor Rachel Jewett, about how specialized space recruiting works, how Evona makes an effort to hire from outside of the industry, and why that is important. Evona encourages everyone to ask the question — Can I work in space?
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Future Space Economy Series: The Next Giant Leap
12/20/2022
Future Space Economy Series: The Next Giant Leap
This is the very first episode of the On Orbit Podcast’s new “Future Space Economy” educational series – designed to educate audiences about the opportunities, challenges, risks, and rewards of expanding economic activity off-world. In this debut episode, titled “The Next “Giant Leap” – How Industry, Technology, and People Move Off Earth to Create a New Economy in Space,” On Orbit host Jeffrey Hill is joined by: Dr. Alison Perez, Ventures Investment & Portfolio Manager, Lockheed Martin Ventures; Carolyn Belle, Director, Advanced Systems, Astroscale; Matt O’Connell, Operating Partner, DCVC; and John Moberly Sr. Vice President of Space, SpiderOak to discuss why we should be investing the infrastructure needed to expand the modern economy into space. This includes building new spaceports on Earth, space stations in orbit, and transportation corridors to the moon. To accomplish this goal, the space industry must first convince private industry, policymakers, and the general public that they will benefit from this investment. Why bring the global economy into space? What is the short- and long-term vision for the space economy? How will this be managed? How will interests be protected in space? This webcast is the “101” session to get you started on the long journey toward the answers. On Orbit’s Future Space Economy Webcast is generously sponsored by SpiderOak, Sidus Space, and Kepler Communications. Learn more here:
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How Space Startups Score Seed Investment in a Crowded, Competitive Market
12/07/2022
How Space Startups Score Seed Investment in a Crowded, Competitive Market
A wave of capital investment has poured into new space companies over the past few years, as investors searched for the next big disruptive space technology. It’s not yet known if the fragile state of today’s global economy has slowed this momentum. Do investors remain as hungry for space startups as they were five to 10 years ago? Are investors being more cautious and selective as they navigate through an unusual market environment? In this episode, investor judges from this year’s Startup Space competition at SATELLITE 2023 will explain how their early-stage seed investment strategies have changed and how entrepreneurs can adapt their pitches to stand out in an increasingly competitive startup market. We are joined by Josephine Millward, partner at OpAmp Capital, David Anderman, co-founder & operating partner at Stellar Ventures, Terrence Craig, advisor at Toyota Ventures and Rafferty Jackson, co-founder of Jack Industries. This all-star group of investors and startup experts provide invaluable answers to some of the most important questions for startups, including: Is it okay for startups to jump into markets with a lot of existing competition? When is an entrepreneur truly ready to seek their seed investment? What’s the checklist they need to complete? How are seed investment pitches evolving? How can entrepreneurs stand out? Following the discussion, we reveal the 10 finalists for this year’s Startup Space competition. At the end of the episode, I reveal some exciting new changes that will be happening with the On Orbit podcast starting next month and into the new year.
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