While the satellite connected car has long been seen as a future market for the satellite industry, it hasn’t broken through into the mainstream yet. But recent developments in standards and technology are bringing this closer to reality. This week’s episode features two experts in vehicle connectivity from BMW Group, Olaf Eckart and Georg Schmitt, for a discussion on the path to integrating satellite connectivity into vehicles. 

Eckart and Schmitt explain the use cases where satellite makes sense for vehicles, some of the challenges specific to the automotive industry, and the roadmap for integrating satellite into vehicles from narrowband, wideband, to broadband. The first mass market applications with non-terrestrial network (NTN), narrowband IoT applications are expected to be deployed from 2027 on. 

They are part of the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA), and the discussion covers vehicle demonstrations that 5GAA recently hosted with satellite companies in Paris. The automotive industry is looking to benefit from the work that has been done to integrate satellite into mobile networks, and Eckhart and Schmitt talk about how standards have driven new momentum in the work between automakers, MNOs, and satellite players. 

The Roadmap to the Satellite-Connected Car with BMW Group and 5GAA

The past few years have seen an uptick in partnerships between satellite and telcos as mobile operators look to expand the reach of their networks. Direct-to-device has garnered many of the headlines in this area, but the satellite-telco convergence also encompasses satellite broadband, backhaul, and IoT. 

This week, we hear from Tim Hatt, head of Research and Consulting for GSMA Intelligence, with perspective from the mobile industry’s side of the satellite/telco convergence. GSMA Intelligence provides forecasts and research for the global mobile ecosystem. The mobile ecosystem is closely watching the rollout of satellite constellations, and GSMA Intelligence is now tracking more than 100 partnerships between mobile operators and satellite companies. 

Tim talks about how mobile operators see working with satellite as a differentiator, some of the issues at play as direct-to-device begins to commercialize, and why we shouldn’t overlook the potential of standards-based satellite IoT. 


Sizing Up Satellite-Mobile Integration in 2025 With GSMA Intelligence

This episode of the Future Space Economy series focuses on how space is shaping the future of medicine. Host Jeff Hill is joined by Eascra Biotech CEO and co-founder Mari Anne Snow and Jana Stoudemire, senior executive, Barrios Technologies, to discuss some exciting new developments in bringing medical and pharmaceutical research to space. 

Eascra Biotech is a nanomedicine company that was selected for NASA’s Igniting Innovation: Science in Space to Cure Disease on Earth program to study a new application for their Janus Base Nanoparticles (JBNps) on the ISS. The program just launched to the ISS this past May. Snow talks about what they’ve learned about the ISS mission and how the space industry can better communicate the value of space as a research environment for the pharmaceutical industry. 

Stoudemire is working to establish a new business at Barrios Technologies supporting the development of economically sustainable and profitable uses of space. After a career in pharma, biotech and medical devices, Stoudemire transitioned to lead life science research in microgravity as part of the team managing the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory, and roles with Space Tango and Axiom Space.


Nanomedicine on the ISS: Pioneering Medical and Pharmaceutical Research in Orbit

In this week’s episode, On Orbit interviews Beau Legeer, director of Imagery and Remote Sensing at Esri. While Esri doesn’t operate its own satellites, the company integrates commercial satellite data into its ArcGIS software offering, working to make satellite imagery accessible and user friendly for its customers. 

Beau talks about how the barrier to entry to exploiting satellite imagery has dramatically decreased from his start in the industry, when images were still processed on tape. And now, advances in AI models and even business models and subscriptions are lowering that barrier to entry even further to allow for more widespread adoption of satellite imagery. 

This episode is sponsored by AvL Technologies. AvL Technologies is a leading manufacturer of multi-band and multi-orbit satellite communications ground terminals, serving both government and commercial markets. With terminals ranging in size from 60 cm  to 4.6 m AvL provides efficient, cost-effective solutions for voice, video, and data connectivity without the need for specialized training. AvL’s innovative and visionary approach to engineering and design ensures the critical requirements of today’s missions are met. For more information please visit avltech.com.


AI and a New Era of Geospatial Intelligence with Esri’s Beau Legeer

The relationship between the commercial space industry and the Space Force has evolved in recent years. While the Space Force using commercial capabilities is not new, the “buy before build” philosophy has marked a change in acquisition strategy. 

Space Systems Command’s Commercial Space Office (COMSO) was set up two years ago to better integrate commercial capabilities. This week’s On Orbit podcast episode features Lt. Col. Tim Trimailo, director of the Commercial Space Office. Trimailo took the helm of COMSO in April. 

Trimailo says that while COMSO has spent time seeding the landscape of commercial capabilities, the focus is shifting to delivering operational capabilities to the warfighter. He also shares the latest on the Commercial Space Augmentation Reserve, the Proliferated Low Earth Orbit, or PLEO IDIQ contract, and takeaways from a recent wargame around space domain awareness. 

This interview was part of the GovMilSpace Digital Series, a virtual event that brought together U.S. and allied space, defense, and intelligence leaders to address the evolving threats and priorities shaping tomorrow’s missions. The series is available on-demand, with a panel discussion and video interviews featuring the Space Development Agency, UK Ministry of Defense, German BSI, and more. Registration is now open for GovMilSpace 2026, where these critical conversations continue in person during SATELLITE Week.

Driving Commercial Integration in Space: Interview With COMSO Director Lt. Col. Tim Trimailo

Over the past year, Umbra has expanded its business from operating a commercial SAR constellation to also offering Mission Solutions — where it develops bespoke and custom space systems for the U.S., and its partners and allies. 

This episode of On Orbit features Jason Mallare, vice president and general manager of Umbra’s Mission Solutions business. Jason describes Umbra’s culture as “customer-obsessed,” and talks about how his team takes the learnings from operating its own constellation and uses that experience to help customers fulfill their own unique missions. Jason sees rising demand for space systems from defense and intelligence around the world, and explains why sovereignty is an important issue for these customers. 

This episode of On Orbit is sponsored by Umbra.


SAR for Sovereignty and Security: Inside Umbra’s Mission Solutions Business With Jason Mallare

Back from Paris, Via Editor Mark Holmes joins On Orbit host Rachel Jewett to unpack some of the top takeaways from World Space Business Week. 

Two themes drove much of the conversation during the week — direct-to-device (D2D) and defense. Spectrum was a big topic of conversation with SpaceX’s big spectrum buy and Viasat and Space42 unveiling a new shared spectrum approach. And while defense demand is not new, it’s driving conversations from satellite connectivity, imagery, and manufacturing, as Europe in particular is working though what increased defense spending means for space capabilities. 

Change was another theme this year with a new venue, and lots of new faces getting together to learn about the space and satellite industry. The editors cover some of the top storylines from the week, and their favorite parts of being in Paris in September. 


D2D and Defense Momentum: Takeaways from World Space Business Week

The satellite industry is going through a digital transformation. In this episode of On Orbit, we’re joined by a group of experts representing RF manufacturing, and both parabolic and electronically scanned antennas for a look at digitization at the edge. 

Guests include Simon Swift, engineering director of ETL Systems; Dave Nicoll, strategic business director of Holkirk Communications; and John-Paul Szczepanik, CTO of All.Space. 

The discussion covers what digitization at the edge looks like for both conventional antennas and ESA terminals, and how it allows users at the edge with small, portable terminals to have the resilience of multiple networks without the need for multiple physical modems. 

This episode of On Orbit is sponsored by ETL Systems. For more information, visit etlsystems.com. 


Digitization at the Edge With ETL Systems

In-space manufacturing on a large scale is a capability that has seemed like science fiction but is now moving closer to reality. Rendezvous Robotics, which came out of stealth mode last month, is one startup working on the challenge of how we will build a future in space. 

This episode of On Orbit features co-founder Dr. Ariel Ekblaw to hear more about the autonomous, modular tiles that Rendezvous Robotics is developing to dock and build structures in space, and what this could mean for structures like large phased array antennas, solar panels, or in-space manufacturing sites. 

Ariel is also the founder of the Aurelia Institute, which works to democratize space access through education and outreach. She shares her passion for building the future of human life in space, which she gave a Ted Talk on earlier this year, and how she envisions a future in space where humans don’t just survive, but thrive. 


Building the Future of Infrastructure in Space With Dr. Ariel Ekblaw of Rendezvous Robotics

While sovereign satcom systems are not a new idea, sovereignty has become a critical issue in the satellite industry over the last year as geopolitical trends push nations to want more control over their communications and space data. This episode of On Orbit features Keith Blanchet, vice president of Global Government for ST Engineering iDirect, to dig into this global trend. 

Sovereignty can involve control over space and ground assets, spectrum, cryptography, and supply chains. Blanchet gives insight into the challenges that nations work through as they make decisions about sovereign networks like affordability, local expertise, and managing scope creep, and how commercial providers work closely to meet national needs. He also talks about how multi-orbit orchestration is playing a key role as nations look to build hybrid architectures and partner with their allies. 


How Sovereign Networks Fit Into National Strategies With ST Engineering iDirect

Aravind Ravichandran is a Senior Strategy Consultant at PwC’s space practice, and a self-proclaimed Earth Observation (EO) data aficionado with a passion for blockchain. He sees EO as just another source of data, available and ready to be unlocked. 
As a former software engineer at Amazon, he comes to the space industry from the software industry. He gives insight into ways our industry can learn from the software side of things, including Agile methodology. 
On this episode, Aravind talks about transferable learnings from the software industry, popping the space industry bubble, and use cases for blockchain.

From Amazon Software to Space-Based Blockchain with Aravind Ravichandran

On Orbit Podcast by Via Satellite

Related tracks