top signals to follow
44 people worth following · curated by role · 33 on the sourcing whitelist
founders & executives 8The people running the rockets and constellations.
Peter Beck
@Peter_J_BeckPosts genuine Electron and Neutron engineering detail and answers technical replies himself.
Tory Bruno
@torybrunoRare executive candor on propulsion and vehicle design trade-offs, explains rocket engineering in reply threads.
Will Marshall
@Will4PlanetFirst-hand Planet strategy framing, Pelican and edge-AI milestones.
Max Haot
@maxhaotPosts Haven-1 hardware and test progress directly; one of the few commercial station programs with real build photos.
Pawan Kumar Chandana
@PawanKChandanaFirst-hand Vikram-1 test and integration updates; core voice of Indian private launch.
Joe Morrison
@mouthofmorrisonBrutally candid takes on EO business models and pricing that no other operator executive will say publicly.
Elon Musk
@elonmuskPrimary source for Starship and Starlink, buried in a very low signal-to-noise feed.
Michael Sheetz
@thesheetztweetzFormer CNBC space reporter, now Firefly IR; still a sharp read on launch finance, with a Firefly interest.
agency leaders 2The officials whose signatures move programs.
engineers & trackers 3Builders and independent trackers posting primary data.
Jonathan McDowell
@planet4589The canonical independent orbital catalog: launch logs, Starlink shell statistics, reentry analysis nobody else produces.
Marco Langbroek
@Marco_LangbroekOptically tracks classified payloads and reconstructs orbits of secretive missions.
Scott Tilley
@coastal8049Detects anomalous satellite behavior and zombie satellites from RF signal analysis; a genuinely unique data source.
analysts 14The sharpest reads on markets, China, and policy.
Blaine Curcio
@ChinaSpaceGuyThe leading English-language analyst of Chinese commercial space (Guowang, Qianfan, commercial launchers); testified to USCC.
Caleb Henry
@ChenrySpaceDeep satcom constellation and manufacturing analysis with a finance lens; ex-SpaceNews.
Tim Farrar
@TMFAssociatesContrarian, numbers-driven analysis of Starlink and Kuiper economics.
Pierre Lionnet
@LionnetPierrePublicly dismantles inflated space-economy market figures; the sharpest European skeptic.
Mo Islam
@itsmoislamSpace-finance and dealflow commentary with an investor lens; Payload's research arm publishes real numbers.
Brian Weeden
@brianweedenAuthoritative on regulatory and debris policy, posts with primary documents attached.
Delian Asparouhov
@zebulgarHigh-signal on space venture financing from inside the deals.
Laura Seward Forczyk
@LauraForczykSpace workforce and commercial human-spaceflight market analysis.
Aravind Ravichandran
terrawatchspace.comThe EO-market must-read: sensor economics, adoption barriers, use-case analysis.
Ian Vorbach
newsletter.spacedotbiz.comInvestor-lens essays and founder interviews (Capella's Banazadeh, Umbra's Dominocielo, Lori Garver).
Erik Kulu
newspace.imMaintains constellation, smallsat, and funding databases with annual reviews; more useful for the Registry surface than Signals.
Casey Handmer
caseyhandmer.wordpress.comIrregular but seismic essays (e.g. 'Starship is still a big deal') that circulate through every space company.
Casey Dreier
planetary.orgThe best NASA budget analysis anywhere; org-affiliated but rigorous.
Anthony Colangelo
mainenginecutoff.comIndependent opinion and analysis since 2016, reader-funded; the closest structural analog to Daring Fireball in this industry.
journalists 13Reporters who break it before the wires.
Eric Berger
@SciGuySpaceThe best sourcing inside SpaceX and NASA; routinely breaks schedule and program news.
Jeff Foust
@jeff_foustNear-real-time coverage of hearings, conferences, and policy with high accuracy.
Sandra Erwin
@Sandra_I_ErwinThe main public source on Space Force procurement and commercial imagery contracts.
Peter B. de Selding
@pbdesDecades of European contract and finance sourcing; posts deal terms and tender details nobody else has.
Joey Roulette
@jorouletteStrong scoops on NASA politics and SpaceX incidents.
Stephen Clark
@StephenClark1The most complete launch-by-launch reporting including non-US vehicles.
Christian Davenport
@SpaceDavenportStrong on Blue Origin and NASA procurement investigations; author of The Space Barons and Rocket Dreams.
Marcia Smith
@SpcPlcyOnlineThe most reliable tracker of US budget and confirmation actions that move commercial markets.
Anatoly Zak
@RussianSpaceWebThe only consistent independent English-language source on Russian launch and program status.
Chethan Kumar
@Chethan_DashFirst with ISRO and Indian private-space news.
Andrew Jones
@AJ_FIThe essential real-time tracker of Chinese launches; often the first non-Chinese source for any CZ or commercial launch.
Andrew Parsonson
europeanspaceflight.comOne-man independent outlet that breaks ESA, Ariane, and EU launch-startup stories before the trades; the Gruber of European space.
Jason Rainbow
spacenews.com/author/jason-rainbow/Covers exactly the satcom-deals beat; no personal social channel found.
creators 4Video explainers credible enough for engineers to cite.
Scott Manley
@DJSnMRigorous technical breakdowns of launches and anomalies, credible enough that engineers cite him.
Tim Dodd
@ErdayastronautDeep-dive engine and vehicle explainers plus first-hand access (Musk interviews, pad tours).
Marcus House
@MarcusHouseWeekly synthesis of global launch progress with strong Starship build tracking; Australia-based.
Felix Schlang
@FelixSchlangDetailed Starship and European launch coverage from a German creator; useful EU perspective.
outlets we read 4Publications, not people; tracked as sources.
- PayloadDaily newsletter that is the industry's morning read; research arm publishes real numbers.
- The Orbital IndexWeekly engineer-grade digest with primary-source links, running since 2019.
- The Space ReviewWeekly contributed long-form essays since 2003, edited by Jeff Foust.
- Space Intel ReportPaywalled trade with contract and tender detail, especially European.