Exploring Space, Technology, and the Human Future
In Her Orbit is a writing project by Jill Hoffman that explores space, emerging technology, and innovation through a human lens. It is less concerned with technical detail and more interested in meaning — how progress shapes identity, emotion, power, curiosity, and the choices we make as a society.
This work asks not only what we are building, but why it matters — and who we become in the process.
What In Her Orbit Is (and Is Not)
In Her Orbit is:
Thoughtful, reflective writing about space and technology
Grounded in curiosity, philosophy, and human experience
Informed by real-world exposure to aviation, aerospace, and innovation
Written for readers who want depth, not hype
In Her Orbit is not:
Technical reporting or engineering analysis
Industry news or trend chasing
Futurism without reflection
This is writing for people who care about the human consequences of big ideas.
The Questions at the Center
In Her Orbit explores questions such as:
What does space exploration reveal about human ambition and identity?
How does technology reshape our sense of purpose and connection?
What do innovation and progress ask of us emotionally and ethically?
How do curiosity and power intersect in the future we are building?
What does it mean to move forward without losing ourselves?
These essays are not meant to provide answers — they are meant to open space for better questions.
Space is not just a technical frontier. It is a mirror.
It reflects how we think about risk, legacy, ownership, collaboration, and wonder. Through the lens of space exploration and emerging technology, In Her Orbit examines how humanity imagines the future — and what that imagination reveals about us right now.
Why Space?
How This Fits Within Jill Hoffman’s Work
In Her Orbit is one expression of Jill Hoffman’s broader work as a writer and speaker focused on curiosity, courage, and the human experience.
While her books and speaking explore living an unconventional life and navigating change more broadly, In Her Orbit focuses specifically on space, technology, and innovation as a lens for understanding humanity.
“The future is not just something we build. It is something we imagine and imagination shapes who we become.”
— Jill HoffmanRead In Her Orbit
New essays are published regularly.
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The Idea That Wanted to Teach the World to Fly
Autonomy is rising. eVTOLs are coming. But the biggest challenge in aviation hasn’t changed.
I grew up in a world where flying wasn’t a hobby; it was a heritage. Airplanes on the ramp. Experiments in the hangar. Stories of impossible flights told around the dinner table. Aviation, in my family, wasn’t mythology. It was
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The Wrong Stuff, Revisited: Why Space Still Hits a Nerve
What a viral post taught me about space, storytelling, and who gets to belong in the stars.
A few days ago, I wrote a short blog post called “The Wrong Stuff.” It was a reflection on a recent all-women Blue Origin suborbital launch—not a critique of the passengers, but of the way it was framed and sold to the public.
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The Future of Work: AI, Space, and the End of Business as Usual
Depending on who you ask, the future of work is either a utopia of infinite leisure or a dystopia where AI takes all the jobs and humans are left writing poetry for food. Some think automation will free us from the grind, while others fear it’ll strip us of purpose. Then there’s the space crowd, arguing that the real workplace revolution is happening on the Moon.
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How the Next Generation of Pilots Will Be More Than Just Human
Aviation has been built on a balance of skill, intuition, and experience for over a century. Pilots train for years, logging countless hours in the cockpit to master their craft. But the next generation of pilots? They won’t all be human. And even the human ones? They won’t train the same way their predecessors did.
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Are We Ready for an AI-Powered Future? Spoiler: Our Energy Supply Isn't
So, Trump dropped a bombshell recently. No, it's not another reality TV cameo but an announcement about Stargate, a massive AI investment that he claims will revolutionize technology. But here's the twist: while hyping up the future of AI, he casually dropped a little line about how the United States doesn't have enough energy to power it.
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Musk, Bezos, Zuckerberg… and the President? The Real Power Behind Space and Tech
Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg, three of the most influential and polarizing figures in modern industry, seated alongside President Trump’s newly chosen cabinet at his inauguration. For some, this moment screams progress: a partnership between government and innovation, …
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Why You Should Care About Space When Earth Is Burning
I was sitting in Washington, D.C., scrolling through the news, when I saw the images of wildfires tearing through California. Even from 3,000 miles away, the devastation felt personal—because Los Angeles is my hometown. Seeing those skies filled with smoke and knowing the toll on lives, homes, and communities broke my heart. It reminded me of the tragedy in Maui just months earlier.
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What If NASA Was Privatized? A Look at the Possibilities
If you’re an entrepreneur like me, you’ve probably noticed something pretty fascinating about the space industry lately: it’s buzzing with innovation. Companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Rocket Lab aren’t just tinkering with cool ideas—they’re doing the stuff we used to think only governments could pull off. Launching rockets, building reusable spacecraft, planning Mars colonies… it’s wild.
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Your GPS and Why You Should Care About Space Trash
One day, while waiting to get off a plane in D.C., trying to distract my thoughts from judging what people leave behind, my brain wondered all on its own about what happened to all the trash in space. The result was many sleepless nights, a mistaken idea to rewatch the movie "Gravity," and a lot of learning about what happens to all the stuff people worldwide have been launching …