On Orbit

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Space Situational Awareness in an Era of Weaponized Space Jan 07, 2025

Show notes

This episode of the Future Space Economy series explores the dangerous, yet increasingly likely hypothetical situation that a space-faring nation breaks the Space Treaty of 1967 and brings nuclear weapons into space.

Host Jeffrey Hill interviews space law and policy experts Senjuti Mallick, business operations manager for COMSPOC, and Tatiana Sainati, partner at Wiley Rein.

Senjuti and Tatiana weigh in on what governments are doing right now to expand space situational awareness (SSA) capabilities to protect commercial interests in space. And whether these dangerous developments change the way we view satellites and spacecraft as critical infrastructure, and why SSA is one of the key investments governments and industry can make in space.

More about the Future Space Economy series here: https://www.satellitetoday.com/content-collection/future-space-economy/

2024 Year in Review With Via Satellite Editors Dec 17, 2024

Show notes

There's never a slow news day in the space and satellite industry and there's a lot to talk about from 2024 — from SES's acquisition of Intelsat, Starlink's commercial wins, challenges with some of the biggest manufacturers, and new launch vehicles coming online.

Host Rachel Jewett is joined by fellow Via editors Mark Holmes and Jeff Hill for a discussion of some of the biggest storylines of 2024. The discussion centers around the top storylines from operators, manufacturers, and launchers, and why these are the critical stories that we'll be covering as they continue to develop in 2025.

Baiju Bhatt on Aetherflux's Vision to Build a Power Grid in Space Dec 03, 2024

Show notes

Tech entrepreneur Baiju Bhatt, known for disrupting the investing landscape with Robinhood, has his sights on the space industry. The Robinhood co-founder left his role as chief creative officer in March of this year, and announced space solar startup Aetherflux in October.

Bhatt joins On Orbit this week to talk about why he wanted to start a space company, and tackle the goal of building a power grid in space. He shares his longtime passion for space that started with looking up to his dad who worked at NASA, and being inspired by the pace of innovation in the commercial space industry today.

Aetherflux is pursuing a vision of a power grid in space — one that's not tied to the power grid on Earth, able to beam power down to remote locations. While space solar power is not a new concept, it's a bold vision that has not been accomplished before.

Bhatt talks about Aetherflux's approach to use satellites in LEO equipped with high power lasers to transmit solar power to ground stations down on Earth, and what kinds of opportunities a space power grid could make possible both on Earth and in space.

This episode is sponsored by AvL Technologies, a leading manufacturer of multi-band and multi-orbit satellite communications ground terminals.

Evolving Launch and Delivery Infrastructure to Support an Expanding Space Economy Nov 21, 2024

Show notes

In the latest episode in the Future Space Economy series, leaders from Rocket Lab, NASA, and Northrop Grumman explain how launch infrastructure is evolving to support an expanding space economy.

The discussion covers how industry is evolving to deliver payloads of all sizes beyond LEO/MEO/GEO orbits, and how launchers are scaling up their infrastructure to meet future demand, and the design innovations companies are pursuing to optimize performance and efficiency for beyond-LEO missions.

This episode's guests include: Jeff Brink, flight systems engineer in Deep Space Logistics at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC); Kurt Eberly, director of Space Launch for Northrop Grumman Space Systems; and Brian Rogers, vice president of Global Launch Services for Rocket Lab.

This episode is part of the Future Space Economy webcast series.

Acres of Potential: How NASA Acres Works to Bring Satellite Imagery to the Agriculture Industry Nov 05, 2024

Show notes

NASA Acres is working to bring the value of satellite imagery to farmers and the agriculture industry in the U.S. This episode features NASA Acres Deputy Director Mike Humber for a conversation about how NASA Acres is working to build trust and bridge the gap for greater adoption of satellite imagery within the agriculture industry.

Humber explains that a large part of this work is about building relationships — forming partnerships and hearing directly from farmers. NASA Acres recently conducted a survey of more than 1,000 farmers with Trust in Food and in collaboration with Ag Data Transparent (ADT) to find out how farmers view agriculture data privacy.

Humber shares how farmers use satellite imagery, explains why he sees great potential for increased adoption, and how NASA is trying to approach this work in a responsible way with agriculture data transparency.

What a Trump or Harris Election Win Means for the Space and Satellite Industry Oct 22, 2024

Show notes

This week's On Orbit podcast is a topical look at space policy in the U.S. election. Host Rachel Jewett is joined by fellow Via editor Jeff Hill for a conversation with Svetla Ben-Itzhak, assistant professor of Space and International Relations and Deputy Director with the West Space Scholars Program at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Ben-Itzhak recently wrote a piece for The Conversation about the implications of Musk's endorsement of Donald Trump for U.S. space exploration and defense. This is an increasingly pertinent issue as reports from national news outlets like the Associated Press show that Elon Musk donated $75 million to his own political action committee America PAC that is working to elect Trump. Musk has also been floated to lead a government efficiency commission in a Trump White House.

Ben-Itzhak gives her main takeaways of space policy during President Biden's presidency and what space policy could look like in a Kamala Harris administration or a second Trump term. The podcast also digs into the idea of Musk working or advising in a second Trump administration and the conflict of interest issues that would bring up.

Read Ben-Itzhak's piece in The Conversation: theconversation.com/spacexs-elon-mu…e-policy-235747

Via Editors Recap World Space Business Week Oct 01, 2024

Show notes

This week Via Satellite editors Jeff Hill and Mark Holmes join the podcast to talk about their trip to Paris for the annual World Space Business Week. The annual September show was at a particularly interesting time this year, a month after the Olympics and just weeks before the U.S. presidential election.

One of the key themes from the week is just how much the industry is grappling with SpaceX's dominance and how to compete with SpaceX in launch, satellite communications and even Earth observation with Starshield. There are so many interesting storylines in the works right now with new rockets coming online, satellite operator mergers, and evolving discussion about standards.

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. www.avltech.com/

Patti Grace Smith Fellows Share the Program's Outsized Impact Sep 05, 2024

Show notes

In this week's On Orbit podcast episode, we hear firsthand about the impact the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship is making. Patti Grace Smith was a pioneer in the aerospace industry who served as the head of the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation. She broke many barriers as a Black woman and was an inspiration to many. The Patti Grace Smith fellowship honors her legacy by working to combat racial inequity in the aerospace industry.

In this episode we hear from two fellows about how they have been impacted by the fellowship. AJ Bekoe was a Patti fellow in 2022 with Ball Aerospace and is now a member of the fellowship's executive team. A graduate of Syracuse University, AJ was hired by her host company and she is now a Systems Engineer at BAE Systems.

Spencer Roberts is a member of the class of 2024, interning at ABL Space Systems. He is studying Mechanical Engineering at Santa Clara University

AJ and Spencer share their experiences with the intern program and talk about the value of the community it builds, from the cohort of fellows who spend a week together in Washington, D.C., to the network of former fellows and mentors. They also share their perspectives on how companies can step up efforts to recruit a diverse workforce, and tips for students applying for the fellowship. Applications for the class of 2025 are due by Tuesday, October 1.

Space Robotics: Leading Autonomous Systems for Building, Capturing, and Servicing Aug 20, 2024

Show notes

This episode in the Future Space Economy series highlights breakthroughs from leading space system manufacturers in building autonomous robots that inspect, service, assemble, build, and refuel in orbit. The discussion digs into advances in additive manufacturing, shares lessons learned from major in-space demonstrations, and outlines demand for commercially built robotics.

This episode's guests include: Al Tadros, CTO of Redwire; Holly Johnson, vice president of Robotics and Space Operations, MDA Space; Kevin Smith, chief engineer, Orbit Fab; Joe Anderson, vice president of Space Logistics, a Northrop Grumman company.

What's Propelling the Need for In-Space Mobility? Aug 06, 2024

Show notes

On-board propulsion is one of the biggest decisions that satellite operators make in the process of designing their spacecraft. The decision impacts the cost, weight, and capability of a satellite. And it can be a challenging decision to make because of the technology and fragmented nature of the propulsion market.

In this episode of On Orbit, we talk to Dr. Daniel Perez Grande, CEO and co-founder of in-space mobility company Ienai Space. Daniel breaks down some of the ways the propulsion market is evolving. As the small satellite industry matures and the orbital environment in LEO gets more congested, its driving a greater need for mobility and onboard propulsion. He explains how prospective customers and investors look at the market, and some of the challenges startup propulsion companies are facing.

Ienai Space is developing the Athena thruster, and Daniel addresses the company's approach and the importance of looking at mobility holistically versus just a propulsion system. Also, Ienai Space is based in Madrid, and he also shares some insight into Spain's startup space industry.

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