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

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-...