Satellite Spotlight Wrapped

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.

Author

Imagining Forward
December 30, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

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Thank you for reading these emails, for attending our events, watching our podcasts, and for trusting me with your time.

Being in your inbox is a privilege.

This is my last newsletter of the year. I hope 2025 was significant for you. May 2026 take you onwards and upwards.

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space brew

recap of 2025

2025 established Satellite Spotlight as a trusted intelligence source in space and frontier technology deals and opportunities.

3 themes emerged

  • Advanced manufacturing

  • Automation-as-a-service

  • Longevity

A 47% organic subscriber growth during fall was positive.

50 editions —> 60% open rate —> 8% CTR.

We supported

  • 5 fundraises.

  • 7 realized business development opportunities.

  • 4 sponsorships.

  • Shared over $10M in deal flow.

beehiiv screenshot of # of words written and impressions

440 words per edition.

Average 1-3 minutes to read.

Editions tied to hegemonic names like BlackSky, Airbus, Lockheed, NASA caught your attention the most.

Readers were concentrated in U.S. with curiosity from Canada, India, Japan, and Korea.

pie chart of reader segmentation by country

community spotlight

where the industry met this year

A 147% organic community growth in 2025 was positive.

1607 members 2024 —> 3977 members 2025

We supported

  • 7 events.

  • 2500 total RSVPs.

  • 17 panelists (founders and NASA).

  • 40 introductions.

  • Businesses acquired new customers for $13/lead.

3 event trends emerged

  • Happy hours, breakfasts.

  • Defense procurement.

  • SF led, followed by LA then NY.

Some highlights

where the community converges in 2026

  • CES (Jan).

  • CSC-SEDS (Jan).

  • SmallSat (Feb).

  • Satellite x GovMilSpace (Mar).

  • Boston TW (May).

  • MilSatCom (Jun).

  • NYTW (Jun).

  • IAS (Sep).

  • SFTW (Oct).

  • LATW (Oct).

cosmic annual insights

field notes from 2025

  1. what struck me:

  • Startups met investors, partners, talent.

  • Founders met mentors.

  • A reader told me the deal flow classifieds changed how they track the market. I kept it.

  • Sponsorship requests came within the first three editions.

  1. what worked

The caliber and pedigree of people who said yes.

Panelists brought a Pandora’s box of intel. Leaders, officers, operators, investors took notes. We all left 1% sharper than we arrived. That’s the bar and the community feels it.

  1. a constraint I chose

I would be a trillionaire if I got 1 BTC for countless advice to charge founders for speaking engagements.

I won’t do it.

Founders carry enough weight. This platform amplifies the “why this, why now” for leaders who don’t have Elon Musk’s town square.

  1. an underrated edge

I’m a verbose yapper.

What changed is active listening. Really listening.

Turns out, that’s the edge. I can confidently say l’ve absorbed a myriad on how space economies are built, funded, and scaled by staying quiet at key moments.

  1. a hesitation I’m dropping

I hesitated to invite certain people I admire to the conversation. I lacked conviction on how to add value.

That was a limiting belief.

In 2026, if a conversation matters to the ecosystem, I’ll take the first step.

  1. I’m optimizing for

Speed. Lower latency.

The industry is blazing forward at supersonic pace. While this is a marathon, improving minutes per mile compounds quickly.

I’m also letting go of doing everything solo. If you want to help, authentically, reach out.

  1. upcoming milestones

In 2026, the space industry will shift from prototype to production and real velocity in 2027.

Imagining Forward’s mandate:

  • Podcast launching January 7

    Season one features Jeff Thornberg (Portal Space), Dennis Wingo (SpaceBilt), Justin Kelley (Blacksheep Group), Julie Newman (Outpost Space), Yuk Chi Chan (Charter Space), and Lee Wilson (Astracene).

  • Intelligence platform is wrapping up pilots with seven companies and 250 MAU. Production goes live in February.

  • Space report reviewing 2025 insights and a 2026 outlook drops January 5.

  1. one moonshot goal

Hosting a panel at IAS 2026 in Turkey. Manifesting a long-form conversation with Palmer Luckey.

Space Tech Community Plugs

Resources for entrepreneurs, investors, and tech professionals

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