On Orbit

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

On Orbit is a technology podcast hosted by Rachel Jewett, with 174 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Rachel Jewett hosts On Orbit, a technology show with 174 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #171

  Sovereign Data at Tactical Speeds: BlackSky CTO Patrick O'Neil on the Shifts in Adoption of Space-based Intelligence

  Aug 18, 202644 minS1

  As conflicts have erupted around the world, governments and MoDs are recognizing the urgent, immediate need for space-based intelligence. At the same time, the cost to build and launch satellites has dropped significantly, and it's changing how governments acquire satellite imagery and Al-enabled intelligence capabilities, driving them to embrace sovereign solutions from commercial partners. This week, BlackSky CTO Patrick O'Neil joins On Orbit for a conversation about the dynamics underpinning international adoption of sovereign space technologies. Patrick explains the spectrum of needs that begin with subscription-based assured access to commercial imagery and analytics and scale into fully sovereign systems. He also talks about how the speed of modern warfare is fueling demand for real-time dynamic monitoring and how AI helps unlock critical insights from the volumes of Earth observation data collected.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #170

  Space-Based Data Centers: Inside the Race to Move Compute to Orbit

  Jul 28, 20261 hourS1

  As AI is driving explosive growth in data center construction on Earth, there's accelerating interest in moving some of the computing infrastructure to orbit. The past few months have seen a flurry of announcements for future orbital data centers. Is this the latest hype cycle for the space industry, or a greenfield opportunity? The answer may be somewhere in the middle. In this week's On Orbit episode, we're bringing you a recent discussion from Via Satellite's Tech Webcast series. It features JJ Jaworski, CEO and co-founder of Edge Aerospace; Rob DeMillo, CEO of Sophia Space; and Ronald Birk, principal director of the Space Enterprise Evolution Directorate for The Aerospace Corporation. The conversation digs into potential architectures for orbital computing, the technological developments and challenges, and realistic use cases and potential early adopters for in-orbit computing. This conversation was sponsored by Edge Aerospace.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #169

  An Expedition Across the Arctic-Space Connection With David Marsh

  Jul 7, 202645 minS1

  What can the hostile environment of the Arctic teach us about space? David Marsh recently returned from a first-hand journey to find out. He joins On Orbit this week after wrapping up an Arctic expedition where he spent 29 days skiing more than 560 kilometers across Greenland with a group of researchers. Over the trip he worked on a number of research projects like investigating the use of LEO satellites for navigation, and using a new radio propagation technique to measure space weather. David shares what life was like on the expedition and how the trip took him inside an abandoned Cold War radar station. As a space industry professional who previously worked for Voyager Technologies and is now a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, David has a particular focus on the relationship between the Arctic and space. His work on the subject includes a recently published piece for War on the Rocks that is referenced in the episode. While the region is critical for downlinking satellite data, David also believes the extreme environment of the Arctic can teach us something about surviving in the extreme environment of space.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #168

  Building a Global Framework for D2D With Skylo's Mindel De La Torre

  Jun 23, 202636 minS1

  Over just a few years, the ability to connect everyday cell phones to satellite has gone from a milestone tech demonstration to a feature that's deployed in millions of phones. Mindel De La Torre has watched this evolution closely and been a part of the regulatory advancements to make it possible. Formerly chief of the FCC's International Bureau, Mindel then led regulatory and international strategy for Omnispace before joining Skylo as head of Global Regulatory Affairs. Mindel joins On Orbit this week to talk about the intersection of spectrum policy, international coordination, and the future of global connectivity. She shares how the regulatory landscape is evolving for D2D, and gives a preview of some upcoming spectrum issues for the WRC-27 conference. From her work in government to startups, Mindel says one through line has been a passion for finding ways to provide service to unserved and underserved communities, which she now gets to see firsthand as D2D expands around the world.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #167

  Inside the State of the Satellite Industry 2026 Report with SIA President Tom Stroup

  Jun 9, 202635 minS1

  There's a lot of hype in the space industry and bold projections about how demand for satellite broadband, direct-to-device, and more. But every year, the Satellite Industry Association provides a clear view into the industry's financial performance in the annual State of the Satellite Industry Report. This week I'm joined by SIA President Tom Stroup to dig into the 2026 report, which tracked rapid growth — the number of satellites launched to orbit in 2025 increased by 65%. Tom shares some of the broad trends the report has been tracking in recent years, and some of the interesting contrasts — like the number of satellites manufactured compared to the value captured. The report comes at a key time when there's a bright spotlight on the space industry ahead of the SpaceX IPO, and Tom shares how it's used to educate policymakers on the broader satellite industry. We also talk about SIA's work to find consensus among members in its policy positions, and his perspective on the satellite telecom convergence, as someone with deep experience in the wireless industry. Link to the 2026 SIA Report: https://sia.org/news-resources/state-of-the-satellite-industry-report/

  ListenShow Notes

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.