Podcast

Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne is a rather unique launch vehicle. It’s a rocket that deploys, or drops, from a customized Boeing 747 — a “Flying Launchpad,” so-to-speak. One of those aircraft, a former passenger airliner operated by Virgin Atlantic, was purchased by Virgin Galactic in 2015, renamed “The Cosmic Girl” and designated to be used as...

It’s frustrating for environmental scientists to watch politicians mangle and regurgitate climate change data into stump campaign speeches. When Capella Space CEO Payam Banazadeh co-founded the San Francisco-based satellite constellation company in 2016, he set out on a mission to tell a clear, visual story about how our planet is changing, directly to the people...

Connecting the world’s disconnected is a mission we take to heart at On Orbit. After all, our debut episode focused on bridging the digital divide. We like to think of this endeavor as satellites enabling global economic equality. In this episode, Hughes Network Systems’ Dave Rehbehn and Peter Gulla join On Orbit host Jeffrey Hill...

On this episode of On Orbit, we’re joined by Melissa Wuerl, Vice President Business Development for Spaceflight Industries, and Jason Armstrong, Director of Small Satellites for TriSept, for an episode dedicated to rideshare launch services and the impact they’ve made on opening access to space. Rideshare launching is like the carpooling of launch services. By...

As global space activity expands and accelerates, our space environment, naturally, becomes more congested. There have been nearly 9,000 satellites launched to date. Out of those 9,000, only 5,000 are currently maintaining orbit, and out of those, only 1,950 are operational – leaving a lot of unknowns. Efforts to maintain our orbital environment aren’t keeping...

Mechanical Aerospace Engineer Grace Graham does it all! In addition to being a 2019 Brook Owens Fellow and full-time student Utah State University, she also interns at The Aerospace Corporation, and helps run her own startup Elements Meals – a company she co-founded that creates healthier snack foods for athletes.  Like many emerging space professionals...

What does it mean when people say that the satellite industry is becoming more “software-defined?” Does it mean that physical infrastructure is being replaced with more flexible, adaptive software? Does it mean that the satellite industry is becoming a lot more like the software industry? Or both?  In this episode of On Orbit, we interview Kratos...

The telecommunications sector is at an inflection point between the peak of the 4G LTE market and the on-ramp for next-gen 5G wireless services. Does the roll out of 5G services change the market landscape for satellite operators? SES Networks’ Karl Horne sees 5G as a tremendous opportunity not only to drive innovation and create...

Most people are aware of the Trump administration’s plans for a “Space Force,” but few are clear on how it will fit within DoD structure, how it operate differently than existing organizations like the Air Force Space Command, and what it will look like if and when it survives scrutiny in Congress. To explain everything...

On Orbit is a bi-weekly podcast hosted by Via Satellite Executive Editor and SATELLITE Chair Jeffrey Hill, focusing on the socioeconomic value and problem-solving power of commercial space technologies. At SATELLITE 2019, Jeff hosted a fireside chat on 3D Printed rockets with Tim Ellis, CEO and Founder of Relativity, a unique launch service company that...