logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2025
22m 37s

103. Satellites

Freakonomics Network & Zachary Crockett
About this episode
There are now nearly 12,000 satellites orbiting Earth. What does it cost to put them there, and how do they make money? Zachary Crockett launches an investigation. 
Up next
Yesterday
23. Cadavers - Part 2
In the final part of our series, Zachary Crockett talks to a man with a storied — and controversial — career in the body parts business. This episode was originally published on October 29th, 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information abou ... Show More
15m 40s
Mar 16
22. Cadavers - Part 1
In the first of two episodes, Zachary Crockett digs into the strange and discomfiting history of cadavers, and the industry that has emerged around them. This episode was originally published on October 22nd, 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for ... Show More
17m 35s
Mar 12
21. Car Washes
Why are these sudsy roadside stops one of the fastest growing industries in America? Zachary Crockett takes a look under the hood. This episode was originally published on October 15th, 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our ... Show More
15m 33s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2020
Tiny Satellites: Eyes in the Sky, Thousands of Them
Lower manufacturing costs, innovative launch vehicles, miniaturized sub-systems and new sensor technologies have resulted in a surge in the number of satellites orbiting earth. The more than 1,300 small satellites orbiting earth means we can now scan any given location on the pla ... Show More
24m 39s
Jun 2024
Strip Malls in Outer Space
What would you do with access to a constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites that can provide real-time access to data and surveillance and seamless connectivity? BCG’s Troy Thomas imagines a future where businesses use satellites to guide autonomous vehicles or use satellites ... Show More
33m 46s
Sep 2024
Strip Malls in Outer Space (First Aired: June 26, 2024)
What would you do with access to a constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites that can provide real-time access to data and surveillance and seamless connectivity? BCG’s Troy Thomas imagines a future where businesses use satellites to guide autonomous vehicles or use satellites ... Show More
34m 1s
May 2025
Crowded Skies: The Commercial Satellite Boom
You’ve seen them streak across the sky — tiny points of light that are not stars. Satellites are now so numerous, they are changing the night sky and creating new challenges. Skip Montreux and Samantha Vega look at the booming business of commercial satellites. From SpaceX’s Star ... Show More
19m 54s
Oct 2025
Your Next Business Move Should Be in Orbit
Space isn’t just for rockets and research anymore. Satellite technology drives precision navigation, automation, and connectivity—quietly powering everything from farming to finance. Troy Thomas, BCG’s global lead for space business, explains why CEOs need a deliberate space stra ... Show More
23m 18s
Jul 2025
Space: the next investment frontier?
Billionaires, scientists and start-ups are all trying to get in on the action. And it's not all about sending rockets and satellites into space. Space-enabled technologies are informing climate forecasting and disaster planning, as well as playing a role in logistics, defence and ... Show More
17m 29s
Sep 2024
The new space race
Billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, as well companies like Boeing, believe a future where more satellites are put in orbit, alongside new space stations, as well as plans for bases on the moon, will prove very profitable.But it is not proving easy for Boeing in particular ... Show More
17m 29s
Sep 2025
Same-day delivery comes to space, as Impulse promises satellite transport in hours, not months, and more
Amazon made same-day delivery the benchmark on Earth. Impulse Space is pitching a similar concept for satellites bound for geostationary orbit about 22,000 miles above Earth, compressing what is typically a months-long transit into a matter of hours. Also, CodeRabbit is helping c ... Show More
9m 16s
May 2025
Pourquoi la Chine déploie-t-elle des satellites sur une orbite rétrograde lointaine ?
Dans un relatif silence médiatique, la Chine vient d’accomplir une première mondiale majeure : le déploiement de la première constellation de satellites sur une orbite rétrograde lointaine (Distant Retrograde Orbit, ou DRO) entre la Terre et la Lune. Cette avancée technologique r ... Show More
2m 30s
Aug 2024
Tech Under Pressure Ahead of Nvidia Results and Space X Tapped in to Bring NASA Astronauts Home
Bloomberg's Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlow look at the move down in technology stocks as the market braces for Nvidia's earnings on Wednesday. Plus Elon Musk's SpaceX has been tapped in to bring NASA's stranded astronauts home from the ISS after Boeing's capsule failings. And Telegr ... Show More
42m 15s