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).

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).

The Value of a Lunar Economy Explained

Chiara Manfletti

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. 

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.

Is Space Crowded? Managing Traffic in Space With Chiara Manfletti of Neuraspace

Tarun Gupta

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.

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.

Decoding the Direct-to-Device Market With Tarun Gupta of Skylo Technologies

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 Future Space Economy series is generously sponsored by SpiderOak, Sidus Space, and Kepler Communications.

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 <a href="https://www.satellitetoday.com/content-collection/future-space-economy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Future Space Economy series</a> is generously sponsored by SpiderOak, Sidus Space, and Kepler Communications.

Future Space Economy Series: Laws and Liability in Space

John Deere

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.

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.

Internet of Tractors: Unlocking Agricultural Connectivity with John Deere Engineer Chung Hsieh

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. 

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.

Our 100th Episode, Featuring Startup Space Winner Jacqueline Good

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 GEOINT Symposium, 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. 

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 <a href="https://usgif.org/geoint-symposium/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GEOINT Symposium</a>, 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.

An Inside Look at Geospatial Intelligence With Ronda Schrenk

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 www.onorbitspace.com

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 <a href="http://www.onorbitspace.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.onorbitspace.com</a>

Future Space Economy Series: Computing Power in Space

Michelle Parker

Michelle Parker recently took on a new role as vice president of Space Mission Systems at Boeing. After restructuring Boeing Defense, Space &amp; Security last year, 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 ship the first ViaSat-3 satellite 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.

Michelle Parker recently took on a new role as vice president of Space Mission Systems at Boeing. After <a href="https://www.satellitetoday.com/business/2022/11/17/with-eyes-on-profit-boeing-streamlines-defense-business/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">restructuring Boeing Defense, Space &amp; Security last year</a>, 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 <a href="https://www.satellitetoday.com/manufacture/2023/03/20/boeing-delivers-first-viasat-3-satellite-ahead-of-launch/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ship the first ViaSat-3 satellite</a> 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.

Boeing’s Michelle Parker on the Evolving Landscape of Satellite Manufacturing

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.

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.

Future Space Economy Series: Business Models in Space

Hosted by Via Satellite's Senior Managing Editor Rachel Jewett, each On Orbit technology focused podcast features a discussion about the socioeconomic value of space and satellite capabilities.

I love it. And of course, the show’s great, too. Really deep dives and solid variety of content.

Most chill intro music ever

Dynamic perspective on industry developments, and engaging discussions

Well done

On Orbit

Ken Munro

If you think your maritime satellite terminal is safe from hackers, give Ken Munro a call to make sure. He’s probably already found a backdoor to your system on the internet.  Ken is the founder of Pen Test Partners, a network security consultancy firm, as well as a widely respected and very entertaining public speaker on all topics cybersecurty. His presentations include live hacks on local devices, hotel keycards, keyless cars and a range of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, including wearable children’s toys. Ken travels the world, sharing his disdain for device vendors that fail to secure their technologies in order to protect their potential customers.  We sat down with Ken following his keynote at the 2019 OilComm conference in Houston, Texas, to discuss his recent fascination with the commercial space industry, specifically due to what he sees as a concerning lack of security for satellite ground systems. Ken explains his recent work with the commercial satellite industry and shares some ideas on how satellite companies can help better secure their networks in the constantly evolving IoT ecosystem.   The episode also features a replay of the second half of Ken’s keynote at OilComm, which presented the results of a satellite terminal hack for the oil and gas industry. It’s a funny, enlightening, and at times, terrifying presentation packed with some good advice for those who are unsure of their ground systems’ cyber defenses.

If you think your maritime satellite terminal is safe from hackers, give Ken Munro a call to make sure. He’s probably already found a backdoor to your system on the internet.  Ken is the founder of Pen Test Partners, a network security consultancy firm, as well as a widely respected and very entertaining public speaker on all topics cybersecurty. His presentations include live hacks on local devices, hotel keycards, keyless cars and a range of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, including wearable children’s toys. Ken travels the world, sharing his disdain for device vendors that fail to secure their technologies in order to protect their potential customers.  We sat down with Ken following his keynote at the 2019 OilComm conference in Houston, Texas, to discuss his recent fascination with the commercial space industry, specifically due to what he sees as a concerning lack of security for satellite ground systems. Ken explains his recent work with the commercial satellite industry and shares some ideas on how satellite companies can help better secure their networks in the constantly evolving IoT ecosystem.   The episode also features a replay of the second half of Ken’s keynote at OilComm, which presented the results of a satellite terminal hack for the oil and gas industry. It’s a funny, enlightening, and at times, terrifying presentation packed with some good advice for those who are unsure of their ground systems’ cyber defenses.

Satellite Cybersecurity Horror Stories with Ken Munro

Jenny Barna

Jeff asks Spire's launch manager Jenny Barna why the satellite industry can't just sent satellites into orbit whenever they want. This episode addresses the launch bottleneck faced by operators looking to put tens of thousands of constellation satellites into space during the next few years. Jeff also speaks to Via Satellite editorial director Mark Holmes about the highlights of the first two days of the SATELLITE 2019 exhibition and conference in Washington D.C. NOTE - Please excuse the background noise during the interviews. We were recording on the SATELLITE 2019 show floor during operating hours.

Jeff asks Spire's launch manager Jenny Barna why the satellite industry can't just sent satellites into orbit whenever they want. This episode addresses the launch bottleneck faced by operators looking to put tens of thousands of constellation satellites into space during the next few years. Jeff also speaks to Via Satellite editorial director Mark Holmes about the highlights of the first two days of the SATELLITE 2019 exhibition and conference in Washington D.C. NOTE - Please excuse the background noise during the interviews. We were recording on the SATELLITE 2019 show floor during operating hours.

Launching Thousands of Smallsats w/ Jenny Barna (Live at SATELLITE 2019)

Brooke Owens

Grace Graham

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 of her generation, Grace is combining engineering knowhow with entrepreneurial ambition to establish a strong foothold in our community. In this interview, however, Grace explains why it’s equally important for young space industry professionals to master economics, and how understanding market and supply chain economics can help you become a better engineer and entrepreneur. This career-focused discussion also includes tips on how to get the most out of mentor/mentee relationships, and how to deal with rejection in the early stages of your career.

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 of her generation, Grace is combining engineering knowhow with entrepreneurial ambition to establish a strong foothold in our community. In this interview, however, Grace explains why it’s equally important for young space industry professionals to master economics, and how understanding market and supply chain economics can help you become a better engineer and entrepreneur. This career-focused discussion also includes tips on how to get the most out of mentor/mentee relationships, and how to deal with rejection in the early stages of your career.

The All-in-One Aerospace Engineer, Economist, and Entrepreneur w/ Grace Graham, 2019 Brooke Owens Fellow From Utah State University

Vivienne Machi

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 you need to know about Space Force, and other recent government/military space policy developments, we invited our good friend, Defense Daily space and Capitol Hill reporter Vivienne Machi, (@VivienneMachi) to join us for an interview. Vivienne takes us through the basics, answers my questions about the political and operative functions of a space force, and explains developments in space technology acquisition such as the establishment of the Space Development Agency. Via Satellite will be holding a drawing for free On Orbit podcast T-shirts! These are black T-shirts with the cool satellite imagery On Orbit Podcast logo. To enter for a chance to win, all you have to do is one of the following: leave a review of the podcast on iTunes, follow us on Twitter @OnOrbitPodcast (all one word, no spaces) and retweet one of our episode links, or email us at editor@viasatellite.com with a suggestion for a future episode. We’ll be drawing winners every week on Fridays and will continue while supplies last. For more information, visit www.viasatellite.com/podcast or visit Via Satellite on Twitter @Via_Satellite

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 you need to know about Space Force, and other recent government/military space policy developments, we invited our good friend, Defense Daily space and Capitol Hill reporter Vivienne Machi, (@VivienneMachi) to join us for an interview. Vivienne takes us through the basics, answers my questions about the political and operative functions of a space force, and explains developments in space technology acquisition such as the establishment of the Space Development Agency. Via Satellite will be holding a drawing for free On Orbit podcast T-shirts! These are black T-shirts with the cool satellite imagery On Orbit Podcast logo. To enter for a chance to win, all you have to do is one of the following: leave a review of the podcast on iTunes, follow us on Twitter @OnOrbitPodcast (all one word, no spaces) and retweet one of our episode links, or email us at editor@viasatellite.com with a suggestion for a future episode. We’ll be drawing winners every week on Fridays and will continue while supplies last. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.viasatellite.com/podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.viasatellite.com/podcast</a> or visit Via Satellite on Twitter @Via_Satellite

Space Politics of a Space Force w/ Vivienne Machi of Defense Daily

As a holiday gift, we’re bringing our last On Orbit episode of the year a day early! Via Satellite Editor-in-Chief Mark Holmes and Managing Editor Annamarie Nyirady join us to discuss the biggest space and satellite news stories of 2019. It definitely wasn’t a boring year! Constellations, C-band drama, 5G, 3D printing, and mergers and acquisitions are just a few of the items that made the final list of 12. Via Satellite will publish the entire list, along with write-ups about each news story, in the following edition of the Daily News Feed, which will be the last edition before the new year. As soon as we get back from the holiday break, we’ll be posting the first episode of our special six-episode series on how satellites can help bridge the digital divide - “Connecting the Unconnected.” Co-produced with our series sponsor, Hughes Network Systems, Connecting the Unconnected will bring Hughes engineers and executives together with partners in Brazil and Colombia to talk about the important role that broadband connectivity plays in remote healthcare, education, disaster response, public safety, small business development, and quality of life. The first episode, “Defining the Divide,” will post on Tuesday, January 7. Each of the following five episodes will post every other week between our regular episodes. The Via Satellite team and I would like to thank all of you for listening to and supporting the On Orbit podcast! We’re very happy that we were able to produce 19 quality episodes for you during our first year. If you have some time during the holidays, check out our archives to listen to past episodes and subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast platforms. Have a pleasant and relaxing holiday and a Happy New Year! We’ll see you in 2020! -Jeffrey Hill, On Orbit Host and Producer

As a holiday gift, we’re bringing our last On Orbit episode of the year a day early! Via Satellite Editor-in-Chief Mark Holmes and Managing Editor Annamarie Nyirady join us to discuss the biggest space and satellite news stories of 2019. It definitely wasn’t a boring year! Constellations, C-band drama, 5G, 3D printing, and mergers and acquisitions are just a few of the items that made the final list of 12. Via Satellite will publish the entire list, along with write-ups about each news story, in the following edition of the Daily News Feed, which will be the last edition before the new year. As soon as we get back from the holiday break, we’ll be posting the first episode of our special six-episode series on how satellites can help bridge the digital divide - “Connecting the Unconnected.” Co-produced with our series sponsor, Hughes Network Systems, Connecting the Unconnected will bring Hughes engineers and executives together with partners in Brazil and Colombia to talk about the important role that broadband connectivity plays in remote healthcare, education, disaster response, public safety, small business development, and quality of life. The first episode, “Defining the Divide,” will post on Tuesday, January 7. Each of the following five episodes will post every other week between our regular episodes. The Via Satellite team and I would like to thank all of you for listening to and supporting the On Orbit podcast! We’re very happy that we were able to produce 19 quality episodes for you during our first year. If you have some time during the holidays, check out our archives to listen to past episodes and subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast platforms. Have a pleasant and relaxing holiday and a Happy New Year! We’ll see you in 2020! -Jeffrey Hill, On Orbit Host and Producer

The Top 12 Space and Satellite News Stories of 2019

Jennifer Manner

Manner

Satellite is an important part of bringing connectivity to users wherever they are. The regulatory choices that are made by governments can assist in bringing connectivity to users. Satellite spectrum is an invisible asset that is invaluable to us as a society. While it covers the planet, spectrum is actually scarce. How is the spectrum supply managed? In this special episode of our six-part podcast series, “Connecting the Unconnected,” EchoStar Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Jennifer Manner and I will examine  the spectrum, funding, and other decisions that impact the ability of satellite providers to meet the demands of users on both sides of the digital divide.  Connected the Unconnected is a special six-episode podcast series focused on bridging the digital divide. The series is sponsored by Hughes Network Systems. The sixth and final episode of Connecting the Unconnected, The Future of Connectivity, will be published next week.

Satellite is an important part of bringing connectivity to users wherever they are. The regulatory choices that are made by governments can assist in bringing connectivity to users. Satellite spectrum is an invisible asset that is invaluable to us as a society. While it covers the planet, spectrum is actually scarce. How is the spectrum supply managed? In this special episode of our six-part podcast series, “Connecting the Unconnected,” EchoStar Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Jennifer Manner and I will examine <a href="https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/conferences/wrc/2019/Pages/default.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> the spectrum, funding, and other decisions</a> that impact the ability of satellite providers to meet the demands of users on both sides of the digital divide.  Connected the Unconnected is a special six-episode podcast series focused on bridging the digital divide. The series is sponsored by <a href="https://www.hughes.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hughes Network Systems</a>. The sixth and final episode of Connecting the Unconnected, The Future of Connectivity, will be published next week.

The Regulatory Landscape with Jennifer Manner

According to the  ITU’s The State of Broadband 2019 report released in late September, the world achieved greater than 50% global broadband Internet penetration in 2019 — a major milestone. However, significant challenges remain, and a significant portion of the population remains disconnected from even the most basic form of internet connectivity.    We’ve been exploring the topic of bridging the Digital Divide from different angles over several episodes of On Orbit. With billions of people around the world, including in the U.S., living in rural and hard to reach places, building technologies to meet connectivity’s growing demand is a multifaceted challenge. In the first episode of our special podcast series, “Connecting the Unconnected,” sponsored by Hughes, we’re joined by Hughes Network Systems Dave Rehbehn and Mark Weimer to define connectivity challenges in rural and remote regions and address the viability, potential, timing, and impact of specific solutions. In this episode, we define the challenges of connecting those in rural and “hard to reach” locations. Dave and Mark explain why satellite broadband is considered core to achieving higher and improved penetration to these regions, owing to its benefit of reaching remote areas at lower CAPEX than fiber. We also discuss how connectivity challenges are only going to increase in the near future. According to the  Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global IP traffic will triple over the next 5 years to 4.8 ZB per year (1 zettabyte = 1 trillion Gb) by 2022. The number of devices per person will average more than three by 2022. And, there will be three times as many devices as people on the planet. Adding to this demand, implementation of rising technologies like AI, ML, and IoT in homes, businesses, and on planes, ships, and cars requires a ubiquitous and interoperable network. People in rural and remote regions cannot be left behind! Global economic equality is at stake!

According to the <a href="https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-s/opb/pol/S-POL-BROADBAND.20-2019-PDF-E.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> ITU’s The State of Broadband 2019 report</a> released in late September, the world achieved greater than 50% global broadband Internet penetration in 2019 — a major milestone. However, significant challenges remain, and a significant portion of the population remains disconnected from even the most basic form of internet connectivity.    We’ve been exploring the topic of bridging the Digital Divide from different angles over several episodes of On Orbit. With billions of people around the world, including in the U.S., living in rural and hard to reach places, building technologies to meet connectivity’s growing demand is a multifaceted challenge. In the first episode of our special podcast series, “Connecting the Unconnected,” sponsored by Hughes, we’re joined by Hughes Network Systems Dave Rehbehn and Mark Weimer to define connectivity challenges in rural and remote regions and address the viability, potential, timing, and impact of specific solutions. In this episode, we define the challenges of connecting those in rural and “hard to reach” locations. Dave and Mark explain why satellite broadband is considered core to achieving higher and improved penetration to these regions, owing to its benefit of reaching remote areas at lower CAPEX than fiber. We also discuss how connectivity challenges are only going to increase in the near future. According to the <a href="https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/service-provider/visual-networking-index-vni/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Cisco Visual Networking Index</a>: Global IP traffic will triple over the next 5 years to 4.8 ZB per year (1 zettabyte = 1 trillion Gb) by 2022. The number of devices per person will average more than three by 2022. And, there will be three times as many devices as people on the planet. Adding to this demand, implementation of rising technologies like AI, ML, and IoT in homes, businesses, and on planes, ships, and cars requires a ubiquitous and interoperable network. People in rural and remote regions cannot be left behind! Global economic equality is at stake!

Connecting Rural and Hard-to-Reach Places

Bandwidth is by no means an unlimited resource. Your family’s smartphones, your in-home WiFi, and the dozens of Bluetooth devices in your automobile all take bites of different slices of the larger bandwidth pie. The rollout of 5G wireless is like someone walking up to that pie and shoveling a big scoop out of the center with both hands. Who determines how to split the remainder of the pie? Who determines who should be compensated for the pie that was lost? OmniSpace Chief Regulatory and International Strategy Officer Mindel De La Torre joins us for this episode — a primer for those who don’t understand how the ITU’s World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC) works and an explanation of how it impacts the everyday consumer.

Bandwidth is by no means an unlimited resource. Your family’s smartphones, your in-home WiFi, and the dozens of Bluetooth devices in your automobile all take bites of different slices of the larger bandwidth pie. The rollout of 5G wireless is like someone walking up to that pie and shoveling a big scoop out of the center with both hands. Who determines how to split the remainder of the pie? Who determines who should be compensated for the pie that was lost? OmniSpace Chief Regulatory and International Strategy Officer Mindel De La Torre joins us for this episode — a primer for those who don’t understand how the ITU’s World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC) works and an explanation of how it impacts the everyday consumer.

WTF is WRC (and Why Should I Care?)

NanoAvionics CEO Vytenis Buzas defines his small satellite-building business as an homage to the smart industrial practices of the American automobile industry. What emerged as a spinoff of Lithuania’s Vilnius University, NanoAvionics is now thriving and Buzas sees an opportunity to achieve success in the land that inspired his business. He hired industry veteran Frank Abbott as his U.S.-based CEO, who will oversee the company’s preparations to move its research, development and manufacturing business to the United States in 2020. Earlier this year, the company purchased the former Midland, Texas headquarters of XCOR Aerospace and refurbished it into a new smallsat manufacturing plant in Midland, Texas. In this episode of On Orbit, co-host Grace Graham and I spoke with Vytenis and Frank about the company’s move to the USA, the way the company differentiates itself from other space startups, the future outlook of small satellite-powered IoT, and the design of the company’s unique logo. (Side note - Vytenis’ definition of “New Space” in this episode inspired the chosen topic of what will be our first episode recorded in front of a live audience at the SATELLITE 2020 conference in March).

NanoAvionics CEO Vytenis Buzas defines his small satellite-building business as an homage to the smart industrial practices of the American automobile industry. What emerged as a spinoff of Lithuania’s Vilnius University, NanoAvionics is now thriving and Buzas sees an opportunity to achieve success in the land that inspired his business. He hired industry veteran Frank Abbott as his U.S.-based CEO, who will oversee the company’s preparations to move its research, development and manufacturing business to the United States in 2020. Earlier this year, the company purchased the former Midland, Texas headquarters of XCOR Aerospace and refurbished it into a new smallsat manufacturing plant in Midland, Texas. In this episode of On Orbit, co-host Grace Graham and I spoke with Vytenis and Frank about the company’s move to the USA, the way the company differentiates itself from other space startups, the future outlook of small satellite-powered IoT, and the design of the company’s unique logo. (Side note - Vytenis’ definition of “New Space” in this episode inspired the chosen topic of what will be our first episode recorded in front of a live audience at the <a href="https://www.satshow.com/conference-program/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SATELLITE 2020 conference</a> in March).

Building Smallsats Like Cars: NanoAvionics Comes to the USA

Scott Chase

With the unveiling of the SATELLITE 2020 Conference Program this week, we have a very well-timed episode of On Orbit featuring an interview with Scott Chase, Chairman Emeritus of SATELLITE and former Editor-in-Chief of Via Satellite, detailing the evolution of the commercial satellite industry through the late 20th and early 21st century. Scott tells On Orbit host Jeffrey Hill the SATELLITE show’s origin story. The annual event was created in 1981 as a small gathering of innovative minds and invested leaders, determined to realize their visions of a global voice, video, and data network. Scott shares his insights from his many years as chair of the event, and the lessons that the industry learned along the way from technologies and companies that failed despite great expectations.  We also have a very honest conversation about mentorship and industry diversity. Scott served as Jeff’s mentor in the years leading up to and during the hand-off of the SATELLITE chairman role. Jeff asks Scott about his thoughts on how the next generation of professionals will lead the industry and cultivate new innovation, the impact of private investors and STEM education, and the relatively recent surge in public interest for space exploration.  While innovative industries like commercial space are in constant states of change, with disruptive technologies changing the rules of the road, lessons from the past remain relevant, which we hope becomes clear after listening to this fascinating conversation with the former chair of the SATELLITE show. Enjoy!

With the unveiling of the <a href="https://www.satshow.com/conference-program/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SATELLITE 2020 Conference Program</a> this week, we have a very well-timed episode of On Orbit featuring an interview with Scott Chase, Chairman Emeritus of SATELLITE and former Editor-in-Chief of Via Satellite, detailing the evolution of the commercial satellite industry through the late 20th and early 21st century. Scott tells On Orbit host Jeffrey Hill the SATELLITE show’s origin story. The annual event was created in 1981 as a small gathering of innovative minds and invested leaders, determined to realize their visions of a global voice, video, and data network. Scott shares his insights from his many years as chair of the event, and the lessons that the industry learned along the way from technologies and companies that failed despite great expectations.  We also have a very honest conversation about mentorship and industry diversity. Scott served as Jeff’s mentor in the years leading up to and during the hand-off of the SATELLITE chairman role. Jeff asks Scott about his thoughts on how the next generation of professionals will lead the industry and cultivate new innovation, the impact of private investors and STEM education, and the relatively recent surge in public interest for space exploration.  While innovative industries like commercial space are in constant states of change, with disruptive technologies changing the rules of the road, lessons from the past remain relevant, which we hope becomes clear after listening to this fascinating conversation with the former chair of the SATELLITE show. Enjoy!

 Commercial Satellite in the 1980s: An Industry History Lesson w/ Scott Chase

Payam Banazadeh

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 who would be most impacted by those changes. Images are a universal language. In this episode, we caught up with Payam, a National Science Foundation fellow, NASA Mariner Award winner and entrepreneur recently named to Forbes “30 Under 30” list, about the unique capabilities of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data, specifically when used for environmental monitoring.  By using SAR data operating in the X-band, Capella’s constellation can see through clouds and in the dark, monitor stress points in physical infrastructure, extract critical soil and crop data for precision agriculture, prevent illegal fishing, and save lives. Once fully deployed, the Capella constellation will be able to monitor the entire planet, and provide a searchable data archive based on an in-house platform. We also spoke about Capella’s recent partnership with AddValue and Inmarsat and what new opportunities the constellation’s full deployment will bring to its global end-users.

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 who would be most impacted by those changes. Images are a universal language. In this episode, we caught up with Payam, a National Science Foundation fellow, NASA Mariner Award winner and entrepreneur recently named to Forbes “30 Under 30” list, about the unique capabilities of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data, specifically when used for environmental monitoring.  By using SAR data operating in the X-band, Capella’s constellation can see through clouds and in the dark, monitor stress points in physical infrastructure, extract critical soil and crop data for precision agriculture, prevent illegal fishing, and save lives. Once fully deployed, the Capella constellation will be able to monitor the entire planet, and provide a searchable data archive based on an in-house platform. We also spoke about Capella’s recent partnership with AddValue and Inmarsat and what new opportunities the constellation’s full deployment will bring to its global end-users.

Seeing is Believing: Space-Based SAR to Save our Environment w/ Capella Space CEO Payam Banazadeh

Karl Horne

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 new business opportunities, but also as a way to collaborate with terrestrial competitors on rolling out the network. Why collaborate? The answer lies in the unique relationship between future virtualized 5G and present-day satellite networks. Horne joins On Orbit Producer and Host Jeffrey Hill for an interview recorded live at TechXLR8 London.    Inseego CMO Ashish Sharma then joins Jeff to answer these questions from a terrestrial perspective, and also discuss why enterprise end-users will maintain pace with consumers in driving 5G adoption.    LISTEN HERE:   This episode will be the first of a pair of two-part episodes featuring satellite and terrestrial perspectives on 5G-enabled technologies. For our next episode, we’ll be joined by Greg Quiggle, Vice President of Product Management at Kratos Defense and Space, and Alain Guigui, Chief Technologist of Business Solutions for Hewlett Packard Enterprise, for an in-depth look at cloud networking!   EPISODE NOTES:   Interested in learning more about 5G? DC5G 2019, our 5G technology and infrastructure conference, will be held on Monday November, 4th and Tuesday, November 5th 2019 at the Ritz-Carlton in Arlington, Virginia. Now in its third year, DC5G hosts more than 400 professionals working in the wireless industry, transportation, city government, healthcare, finance, travel, insurance, energy, and construction sectors. Register for the event at www.dc5g.com DM us on Twitter @OnOrbitPodcast all one word, to receive a special discount promo code.    Congratulations to Tara Halt, Aerospace Analyst at Bryce Space, for being our first On Orbit T-Shirt drawing winner! @cant_HALT_me   Every Friday, Via Satellite will randomly select one listener to receive a free On Orbit T-Shirt. These are the cool black T-shirts with the On Orbit satellite imagery logo. To enter your name for the drawing, all you have to do is either retweet our episode posts on Twitter, or leave a comment or review on Apple, Google Play, Soundcloud, Stitcher, or any of our podcast platforms, or email your suggestions for an episode topic or guest to editor@viasatellite.com    We’ll hold this drawing weekly for as long as supplies last!   Twitter feeds: @SES_Networks @inseego @Via_Satellite @DC5G_

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 new business opportunities, but also as a way to collaborate with terrestrial competitors on rolling out the network. Why collaborate? The answer lies in the unique relationship between future virtualized 5G and present-day satellite networks. Horne joins On Orbit Producer and Host Jeffrey Hill for an interview recorded live at TechXLR8 London.  Inseego CMO Ashish Sharma then joins Jeff to answer these questions from a terrestrial perspective, and also discuss why enterprise end-users will maintain pace with consumers in driving 5G adoption.  LISTEN HERE: This episode will be the first of a pair of two-part episodes featuring satellite and terrestrial perspectives on 5G-enabled technologies. For our next episode, we’ll be joined by Greg Quiggle, Vice President of Product Management at Kratos Defense and Space, and Alain Guigui, Chief Technologist of Business Solutions for Hewlett Packard Enterprise, for an in-depth look at cloud networking! EPISODE NOTES: Interested in learning more about 5G? <a href="http://www.dc5g.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DC5G 2019</a>, our 5G technology and infrastructure conference, will be held on Monday November, 4th and Tuesday, November 5th 2019 at the Ritz-Carlton in Arlington, Virginia. Now in its third year, DC5G hosts more than 400 professionals working in the wireless industry, transportation, city government, healthcare, finance, travel, insurance, energy, and construction sectors. Register for the event at <a href="http://www.dc5g.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.dc5g.com</a> DM us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/OnOrbitPodcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@OnOrbitPodcas</a>t all one word, to receive a special discount promo code.  Congratulations to Tara Halt, Aerospace Analyst at Bryce Space, for being our first On Orbit T-Shirt drawing winner! @<a href="https://twitter.com/cant_HALT_me" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">cant_HALT_me</a>   Every Friday, Via Satellite will randomly select one listener to receive a free On Orbit T-Shirt. These are the cool black T-shirts with the On Orbit satellite imagery logo. To enter your name for the drawing, all you have to do is either <a href="https://twitter.com/OnOrbitPodcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">retweet our episode posts on Twitter</a>, or leave a comment or review on Apple, Google Play, Soundcloud, Stitcher, or any of our podcast platforms, or email your suggestions for an episode topic or guest to <a href="mailto:editor@viasatellite.com">editor@viasatellite.com</a> We’ll hold this drawing weekly for as long as supplies last! Twitter feeds: <a href="https://twitter.com/ses_networks?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@SES_Networks</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/inseego?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@inseego</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Via_Satellite?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@Via_Satellite</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DC5G_?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@DC5G_</a>

5G's Conceptual Link to Satellite w/ Karl Horne of SES Networks & Ashish Sharma of Inseego

Greg Quiggle

Alain Guigui

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?  On Orbit Host Jeffrey Hill interviews Kratos Defense and Space Vice President of Product Management Greg Quiggle, who is leading his company’s effort to host satellite ground stations and teleports in secure cloud networks. Greg will explain why transitioning certain ground systems to the cloud can optimize and benefit the entire space industry.  We then speak with Alain Guigui, Chief Technologist at Hewlett Packard Enterprise at 5G World in London. Alain and Jeff explore the evolution of the cloud, and the applications they power, and discuss HPE’s recent 5G partnerships, including with Samsung. The discussion is an excellent primer on how clouds have grown beyond simple storage spaces.

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?  On Orbit Host Jeffrey Hill interviews Kratos Defense and Space Vice President of Product Management Greg Quiggle, who is leading his company’s effort to host satellite ground stations and teleports in secure cloud networks. Greg will explain why transitioning certain ground systems to the cloud can optimize and benefit the entire space industry.  We then speak with Alain Guigui, Chief Technologist at Hewlett Packard Enterprise at 5G World in London. Alain and Jeff explore the evolution of the cloud, and the applications they power, and discuss HPE’s recent 5G partnerships, including with Samsung. The discussion is an excellent primer on how clouds have grown beyond simple storage spaces.

Software-Defined Space(s): The Evolving Cloud w/ Greg Quiggle of Kratos & Alain Guigui of Hewlett Packard 

Microsoft Azure wants to craft its own space business vertical. But instead of building their own satellites, they’ve opted to build the business through partnerships. William Chappell, CTO of Microsoft Azure Global, is the innovation leader behind the software giant’s efforts to provide satellite operators with a powerful, automated, and secure cloud layer to their networks.  Microsoft recently announced a major partnership with SES and its O3b constellation, and is looking to expand to different layers of the satellite supply chain. William joins On Orbit host and Via Satellite Executive Editor Jeffrey Hill for a conversation about how secure cloud systems allow satellite operators to support many new and exciting applications at the edge – applications that define business evolution in the age of IoT.  NOTE - Please excuse the unusual audio quality of the interview with William. We didn’t have our usual tech set-up for this interview, so we had to record from a smartphone. You can still easily understand what’s being said, and it’s a very good conversation that we hope you enjoy! Following this interview, we play an excerpt from one of Jeff’s favorite keynote speeches of the year, delivered by David Holmes, Chief Technology Officer of Dell Technologies' Global Energy Program. In the presentation, David explains how digital innovation has enabled global businesses to re-orient to a new economic reality. At the same time, he warns that this reality will very quickly be redefined by challenges faced by Millennials and Generation Z and that we must prepare for this future by putting young leaders in the driver’s seat sooner, rather than later.

Microsoft Azure wants to craft its own space business vertical. But instead of building their own satellites, they’ve opted to build the business through partnerships. William Chappell, CTO of Microsoft Azure Global, is the innovation leader behind the software giant’s efforts to provide satellite operators with a powerful, automated, and secure cloud layer to their networks.  Microsoft recently announced a major partnership with SES and its O3b constellation, and is looking to expand to different layers of the satellite supply chain. William joins On Orbit host and Via Satellite Executive Editor Jeffrey Hill for a conversation about how secure cloud systems allow satellite operators to support many new and exciting applications at the edge – applications that define business evolution in the age of IoT.  NOTE - Please excuse the unusual audio quality of the interview with William. We didn’t have our usual tech set-up for this interview, so we had to record from a smartphone. You can still easily understand what’s being said, and it’s a very good conversation that we hope you enjoy! Following this interview, we play an excerpt from one of Jeff’s favorite keynote speeches of the year, delivered by David Holmes, Chief Technology Officer of Dell Technologies' Global Energy Program. In the presentation, David explains how digital innovation has enabled global businesses to re-orient to a new economic reality. At the same time, he warns that this reality will very quickly be redefined by challenges faced by Millennials and Generation Z and that we must prepare for this future by putting young leaders in the driver’s seat sooner, rather than later.

Microsoft Azure, Dell Energy CTOs on the Digital Innovation Frontier

Brendan Carr

How important are precision agriculture and global food and water supply monitoring applications to our future? Via Satellite’s On Orbit podcast takes a look at the numbers: The world’s population will go from 7.5 billion to 9 billion people in 30 years. Because of this, American farmers alone will be tasked to increase food production by 80 percent to 100 percent over a very short period of time, and for purposes of sustainability, they have to use less seed, less land, and less water.  The only way farmers will be able to meet those expectations is through technology – space-based technologies, such as GPS, Imagery and Sensing, alongside high-speed connectivity, which is stunningly absent, even in the United States. It’s a monumental issue – perhaps the most important of our generation — and to discuss this issue, we’re honored to host U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr, GPS Innovation Alliance (GPSIA) Executive Director David Grossman, and Jeff Jorgenson, director of the Iowa Soybean Association and owner and operator of one of Iowa’s largest soybean farms. The episode begins with an introduction by On Orbit host Jeffrey Hill and GPSIA Executive Director David Grossman about the connectivity resources needed to power precision agriculture businesses. We then sit down with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr to talk about the FCC’s new Precision Agriculture task force, and how high-speed connectivity can help American farmers increase the efficiency of their day-to-day work, plan for the future, and most importantly, improve the sustainability of their businesses.  The episode concludes with an interview with Iowa Soybean Association’s Jeff Jorgenson, who tells us how farmers are learning about new precision agriculture technologies and how the farming community is interacting with technology providers — a conversation that includes a stunning revelation about the amount of interactivity with the satellite industry.

How important are precision agriculture and global food and water supply monitoring applications to our future? Via Satellite’s On Orbit podcast takes a look at the numbers: The world’s population will go from 7.5 billion to 9 billion people in 30 years. Because of this, American farmers alone will be tasked to increase food production by 80 percent to 100 percent over a very short period of time, and for purposes of sustainability, they have to use less seed, less land, and less water.  The only way farmers will be able to meet those expectations is through technology – space-based technologies, such as GPS, Imagery and Sensing, alongside high-speed connectivity, which is stunningly absent, even in the United States. It’s a monumental issue – perhaps the most important of our generation — and to discuss this issue, we’re honored to host U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr, GPS Innovation Alliance (GPSIA) Executive Director David Grossman, and Jeff Jorgenson, director of the Iowa Soybean Association and owner and operator of one of Iowa’s largest soybean farms. The episode begins with an introduction by On Orbit host Jeffrey Hill and GPSIA Executive Director David Grossman about the connectivity resources needed to power precision agriculture businesses. We then sit down with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr to talk about the FCC’s new Precision Agriculture task force, and how high-speed connectivity can help American farmers increase the efficiency of their day-to-day work, plan for the future, and most importantly, improve the sustainability of their businesses.  The episode concludes with an interview with Iowa Soybean Association’s Jeff Jorgenson, who tells us how farmers are learning about new precision agriculture technologies and how the farming community is interacting with technology providers — a conversation that includes a stunning revelation about the amount of interactivity with the satellite industry.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr on Satellite-Powered Precision Farming

Sirisha Bandla

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 the first stage launch platform for the Mark II LauncherOne. Why design a launch service this way? What are the benefits and unique capabilities?  In this episode of On Orbit, co-hosts Jeffrey Hill and Grace Graham sit down with Sirisha Bandla, Business Development &amp; Government Affairs Manager at Virgin Orbit, who supports the development of the company’s LauncherOne and SpaceShipTwo programs. Sirisha explains how LauncherOne works and talks about the results of its most recent drop test. She said the company is moving full speed ahead, with its eye firmly on the prize - first launch. Sirisha also takes time to give advice to young people looking to establish themselves in the industry, and explains why she views setbacks as a chance to evolve goals - not abandon them.

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 the first stage launch platform for the Mark II LauncherOne. Why design a launch service this way? What are the benefits and unique capabilities?  In this episode of On Orbit, co-hosts Jeffrey Hill and Grace Graham sit down with Sirisha Bandla, Business Development &amp; Government Affairs Manager at Virgin Orbit, who supports the development of the company’s LauncherOne and SpaceShipTwo programs. Sirisha explains how LauncherOne works and talks about the results of its most recent drop test. She said the company is moving full speed ahead, with its eye firmly on the prize - first launch. Sirisha also takes time to give advice to young people looking to establish themselves in the industry, and explains why she views setbacks as a chance to evolve goals - not abandon them.

Cosmic Girl: Launching Satellites from Jumbo Jets w/ Sirisha Bandla of Virgin Orbit

Dr. Hannah Kerner develops machine learning solutions for NASA Harvest, a program led by the University of Maryland, in which a group of international partners use satellite data to make decisions related to food security and agriculture in the U.S. and around the world. Dr. Kerner said she appreciates the real-life implications of her work — for example, her team is responding to a locust infestation in Kenya, which has been called the worst in decades and is threatening farmland.  But Dr. Kerner's background in machine learning is out of this world, specifically on Mars and other planets with the Mars Science Laboratory, and she has also worked on commercial remote sensing at Planet. Dr. Kerner talks about how and why she made the choice to change the focus of her work from exploring other worlds to protecting and maintaining our own. “Earth is definitely the best planet, and we need to really really pay attention to this one,” she says. Hannah is also on the board of advisors for Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, an organization that she led in undergrad. She shares her experience navigating academia as a first-generation college student, how space companies are attracting young engineers, and ways the next generation looks at the industry differently.

Dr. Hannah Kerner develops machine learning solutions for NASA Harvest, a program led by the University of Maryland, in which a group of international partners use satellite data to make decisions related to food security and agriculture in the U.S. and around the world. Dr. Kerner said she appreciates the real-life implications of her work — for example, her team is responding to a locust infestation in Kenya, which has been called the worst in decades and is threatening farmland.  But Dr. Kerner's background in machine learning is out of this world, specifically on Mars and other planets with the Mars Science Laboratory, and she has also worked on commercial remote sensing at Planet. Dr. Kerner talks about how and why she made the choice to change the focus of her work from exploring other worlds to protecting and maintaining our own. “Earth is definitely the best planet, and we need to really really pay attention to this one,” she says. Hannah is also on the board of advisors for Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, an organization that she led in undergrad. She shares her experience navigating academia as a first-generation college student, how space companies are attracting young engineers, and ways the next generation looks at the industry differently.

Harvest Hub: Food Security from Space 

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 placing very small satellites in the spaces between larger satellites on larger rockets, rideshare providers is able to provide low-cost options for satellite operators, while providing additional business to traditional launchers and increasing access to space. On Orbit special guest co-host Grace Graham and I spoke with Melissa Wuerl about Spaceflight’s historic SSO-A: SmallSat Express mission, which successfully launched more than 80 small satellites for a wide variety of operators, research organizations and universities on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in December 2018. Melissa shares stories from her team’s experience of assembling and executing on the mission, as well as a look forward to Spaceflight’s recently announced follow-up mission with New Space India.  After the break, I’m joined by Jason Armstrong, Director of Small Satellites for TriSept, for a chat about the company’s unique, one-of-a-kind rideshare mission partnership with Rocket Lab and Millennium Space Systems to test cutting-edge orbital debris removal technology, including a new space-tether that will latch on and deorbit inoperable spacecraft. We hope you enjoy our first dedicated episode/love-letter to rideshare launching!

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 placing very small satellites in the spaces between larger satellites on larger rockets, rideshare providers is able to provide low-cost options for satellite operators, while providing additional business to traditional launchers and increasing access to space. On Orbit special guest co-host Grace Graham and I spoke with Melissa Wuerl about Spaceflight’s historic SSO-A: SmallSat Express mission, which successfully launched more than 80 small satellites for a wide variety of operators, research organizations and universities on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in December 2018. Melissa shares stories from her team’s experience of assembling and executing on the mission, as well as a look forward to Spaceflight’s recently announced follow-up mission with New Space India.  After the break, I’m joined by Jason Armstrong, Director of Small Satellites for TriSept, for a chat about the company’s unique, one-of-a-kind rideshare mission partnership with Rocket Lab and Millennium Space Systems to test cutting-edge orbital debris removal technology, including a new space-tether that will latch on and deorbit inoperable spacecraft. We hope you enjoy our first dedicated episode/love-letter to rideshare launching!

Carpooling Satellites: Historic and Unique Rideshare Launch Missions w/ Spaceflight and TriSept

Dave Rehbehn

Peter Gulla

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 for a granular look at the global effort to bring the world online. Dave and Peter provide a boots-on-the-ground viewpoint on the role of both existing and new constellation satellites for providing affordable access – from cellular backhaul to community Wi-Fi to the deployment of new GEO and LEO assets. The trio also talks a bit about Hughes’ own community Wi-Fi program and its utilization of community advocates and entrepreneurship, as well as how the industry as a whole can advance understanding of the value of satellite in the connected future.   ATTENTION MUSICIANS! Like most new podcasts, we use public-use music tracks for our opening and commercial break themes. The stuff we use now is suitable for now, but we’d like to switch things up a bit. If there are any musicians out there who want to contribute theme songs or music tracks to our show, send us an email at editor@viasatellite.com  and we’ll let you know how you can send us your tracks. We’ll give you full credit on the show, share links to the rest of your music, and we’ll throw in a few extras to make it worth your time. Again, if you’re interested, email us at editor@viasatellite.com  Episode Links &amp; Notes:  Hughes' Community WiFi Program (more info here) Pew Research Statistics on Digital Divide  FCC 2019 Report on Digital Divide Dave Rehbehn on LinkedIn Hughes Connect on LinkedIn

Connecting the world’s disconnected is a mission we take to heart at On Orbit. After all, <a href="https://www.satellitetoday.com/iiot/2019/05/13/introducing-our-new-podcast-on-orbit/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> our debut episode focused on bridging the digital divide</a>. 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 for a granular look at the global effort to bring the world online. Dave and Peter provide a boots-on-the-ground viewpoint on the role of both existing and new constellation satellites for providing affordable access – from cellular backhaul to community Wi-Fi to the deployment of new GEO and LEO assets. The trio also talks a bit about Hughes’ own community Wi-Fi program and its utilization of community advocates and entrepreneurship, as well as how the industry as a whole can advance understanding of the value of satellite in the connected future.   ATTENTION MUSICIANS! Like most new podcasts, we use public-use music tracks for our opening and commercial break themes. The stuff we use now is suitable for now, but we’d like to switch things up a bit. If there are any musicians out there who want to contribute theme songs or music tracks to our show, send us an email at <a href="mailto:editor@viasatellite.com">editor@viasatellite.com</a>  and we’ll let you know how you can send us your tracks. We’ll give you full credit on the show, share links to the rest of your music, and we’ll throw in a few extras to make it worth your time. Again, if you’re interested, email us at <a href="mailto:editor@viasatellite.com">editor@viasatellite.com</a> Episode Links &amp; Notes: <a href="https://www.hughes.com/solutions/global-operator-solutions/satellite-enabled-community-wifi-solutions" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Hughes' Community WiFi Program (more info here)</a> <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/topics/digital-divide/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pew Research Statistics on Digital Divide</a> <a href="https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-356271A1.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> FCC 2019 Report on Digital Divide</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/daverehbehn/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dave Rehbehn on LinkedIn</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/hughesconnects/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hughes Connect on LinkedIn</a>

Community Wi-Fi: Education, Healthcare, and Economic Equality w/ Dave Rehbehn and Peter Gulla

Chris Blackerby

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 pace, and an upcoming wave of constellation satellites about to launch to Low-Earth Orbit has sprung many into action.    On this episode, Astroscale COO Chris Blackerby talks about how his company turned crisis into opportunity and developed a technological solution to remove dangerous space debris from orbit. Chris and I also discuss the economic consequences of ignoring space debris congestion, the global responsibility for action and collaboration, Astroscale’s sharp and sudden rise as a leader in the field, and its search for new ideas and talent in the workforce. We’re very grateful that Chris, who is on Japan standard time, woke up very early in the morning to join us for this very important conversation about space sustainability.

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 pace, and an upcoming wave of constellation satellites about to launch to Low-Earth Orbit has sprung many into action.   On this episode, Astroscale COO Chris Blackerby talks about how his company turned crisis into opportunity and developed a technological solution to remove dangerous space debris from orbit. Chris and I also discuss the economic consequences of ignoring space debris congestion, the global responsibility for action and collaboration, Astroscale’s sharp and sudden rise as a leader in the field, and its search for new ideas and talent in the workforce. We’re very grateful that Chris, who is on Japan standard time, woke up very early in the morning to join us for this very important conversation about space sustainability.

It’s Cleanup Time! Dangerous Space Debris w/ Astroscale COO Chris Blackerby

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