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Space systems underpin modern life, national security, and the global economy - but defending space requires resilience far beyond the satellite itself.

In this Defense of Space episode, SSPI rebroadcasts an SSPI-WISE conversation moderated by Katina Mruk with Jennifer Jeffries of the U.S. Space Force Commercial Integration Cell, Darren McKnight of LeoLabs, and Ambericent "Amber" Cornett of ChameleCo. Together, they examine persistent orbital intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum technologies, commercial-military integration, information sharing, policy, culture, and the human side of space safety.

The panel's central message is clear: commercial capability cannot be treated as a backup plan, and technology alone cannot create resilience. Effective defense depends on trusted partnerships, shared language, timely information, and people who can work across organizational and national boundaries.

This conversation was originally presented as an SSPI-WISE All-Members Meeting on July 23, 2026.

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Commercial satellites support civilian life, global commerce, humanitarian work, and active military operations. When those roles overlap, who ultimately bears the risk?

In Episode 1 of Collateral Risk, SSPI Executive Director Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Dr. Jessica West, Senior Researcher at Project Ploughshares, about the risks created when commercial space becomes essential infrastructure for national security.

West explains why space security must begin with people; why dual use is not a single category; how disruption of space-enabled services can spill into civilian life; and what commercial operators, governments, and international institutions should decide before a crisis.

In this conversation:

Why human impacts and civilian services belong at the center of space security
How commercial, civilian, and military uses overlap without becoming one uniform category
How targeting and disruption can spill over to civilian users
What commercial operators, boards, and governments need to establish before a crisis
How contracts, accountability, Article XI, UNOOSA, and debris prevention shape practical restraint

Collateral Risk is part of SSPI's Defense of Space campaign within the Better Satellite World initiative.

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Who are the leaders helping guide the future of the space and satellite industry, and why do they choose to serve?

In this episode of the SSPI podcast, Why I Serve, we meet Andrew Faiola, Commercial Vice President at Astroscale and Chair of the SSPI Board of Directors.

Andrew reflects on more than two decades in satellite communications, beginning with a 1992 Space Shuttle mission that sparked his interest in the industry and now connects directly to his work in on-orbit servicing and space sustainability.

In this conversation we find out:

What first drew him into the satellite industry
How the industry has adapted through major technology shifts
Why he has chosen to serve through SSPI, GSOA, MSUA and the SSPI UK Chapter
What makes SSPI different as a membership organization
His vision for SSPI's next two year why the industry must do a better job telling its story
And why the people entering the industry make him optimistic

This episode is part of SSPI's Space and Satellite Futures track, focused on leadership and the next generation of the industry.

If you are interested in satellite communications, on-orbit servicing, space sustainability, professional leadership and the future of the space and satellite community, this conversation offers a thoughtful view from SSPI's new Chair.

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The Lighthouse Problem in Space

Everyone wants safer space. But who pays for it?

In Episode 4 of Are We There Yet?, Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Dr. Joseph N. Pelton about one of the hardest problems in the Space Safety Economy: shared safety infrastructure.

Joe offers a deceptively simple analogy from maritime history, and it may be one of the clearest ways to understand the economic challenge of space safety. The conversation also explores why debris mitigation cannot depend on voluntary guidelines alone, how the Kessler Syndrome could threaten access to space, and whether an insurance-style fund could help pay for debris removal while rewarding operators for clean launches and successful deorbits.

Widening the frame, Joe discusses space safety concerns beyond debris. Space safety includes solar storms, coronal mass ejections, planetary defense and the protection of Earth's increasingly space-dependent infrastructure, from satellites and power grids to pipelines and communications systems.

Sponsored by the American Space Exploration Children's Trust Fund.

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Who are the leaders helping guide the future of the space and satellite industry, and why do they choose to serve?

In this episode of the SSPI podcast, Why I Serve, we meet Stephen Hanna of Vantor and a member of both the SSPI Mid-Atlantic Chapter Board and the SSPI International Board.

Stephen shares his journey from geography and business into geospatial intelligence, satellite imagery, and space intelligence. He reflects on the rapid evolution of geospatial technologies, the importance of continuous learning, and the role that professional communities play in helping people build meaningful careers.

In this conversation Stephen reveals:

how he found his way into the space industry
how geospatial intelligence has evolved over the past two decades
why mentorship and professional communities matter
what makes the SSPI Mid-Atlantic Chapter successful
and what excites him most about the future of space sustainability

This episode is part of SSPI's Space and Satellite Futures track, focused on leadership and the next generation of the industry.

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Careers rarely follow a straight line.

In this episode of Movers…In Our Orbit, SSPI Executive Director Tamara Bond-Williams welcomes back Diana Klochkova to discuss her transition from marketing leadership to corporate strategy, her move from Privateer to Rebel Space Technologies, and the role curiosity has played throughout her career.

From economics and storytelling to startup growth and executive leadership, Diana shares lessons learned from building businesses, communicating complex ideas, and creating opportunities by reaching out to people who inspire her.

The conversation also explores the importance of systems thinking, the growing need for non-engineering talent in the space industry, and why some of the best career opportunities begin with a simple conversation.

And finally, listeners will meet Merle, Diana's seventy-four-pound sulcata tortoise and neighborhood celebrity.

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What happens when astronauts, spacecraft, or future lunar settlers need help and there's no communications network to call on?

In Episode 3 of Are We There Yet?, Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Toni Spatola, Chief Commercial Officer of Filtronic, about the communications and navigation infrastructure that may enable safe operations beyond Earth orbit.

Using the Artemis II communications blackout as a starting point, the conversation explores how governments and industry are building the communications, positioning, and navigation systems that future lunar missions may depend upon.

If communications infrastructure is a prerequisite for safe operations, it may also become one of the foundational investments and service sectors of the emerging Space Safety Economy.

Sponsored by the American Space Exploration Children's Trust Fund.

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Artemis has returned human spaceflight to the Moon. Attention is now turning to what follows — how activity between Earth and the Moon develops, where opportunity begins to take shape, and how safety and operational readiness influence participation. This rebroadcast of the May edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, brings together perspectives from industry, finance, and policy to examine what is forming now, what signals matter to investors and operators, and how organizations are positioning themselves in response.

This session explores:

Where early opportunity is taking shape
What signals matter to investors and operators
How safety and reliability influence decision-making
How organizations are positioning themselves for what comes next

Featured speakers include:

Shatel Bhakta, ESDMD SAO Lunar Architecture Team Lead, NASA
Stephen Eisele, CEO, Lonestar Data Holdings
Jessica Gregory, VP, Civil Space Programs, Voyager Technologies
Zack Hester, Head of U.S. Office, Novaspace
Paolo Pino, Co-Founder & CTO, Volta Space Technologies

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Before livestreaming became ordinary, satellite communications transformed how humanity experienced the world. In this episode of Movers…In Our Orbit, SSPI Executive Director Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Robert M. Patterson, founder of The SPACECONNECTION, about the rise of satellite television and the communications revolution that made live global broadcasting possible. Inspired by the Apollo 11 broadcast, Patterson went on to help pioneer satellite sports distribution, HDTV broadcasting, digital transmission techniques, and transportable uplink systems that reshaped television infrastructure worldwide. The conversation also explores what today's NewSpace generation can learn from earlier cycles of communications innovation, industry transformation, and technology hype.

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What if aviation's real problem was never bandwidth?

When airlines deploy new connectivity systems, installations can take years across an operational fleet. But satellite connectivity ecosystems are now evolving far faster than traditional aviation deployment cycles.

In this episode of SSPI's From Connectivity to Intelligence series, Mike Moeller, SVP of Aviation at Quvia, discusses what happens when rapidly changing connectivity environments collide with the realities of commercial aviation infrastructure.

Drawing on more than two decades in in-flight connectivity, Mike explores the industry's transition through GEO, Ka-band, Ku-band, LEO, and increasingly complex multi-orbit environments.

The topic locks in a core insight: by the time a connectivity upgrade reaches an entire fleet, the connectivity landscape itself may already have changed. Quvia has a solution.

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In this episode of The SSPI Podcast, part of the Space & Satellite Futures track, Tamara Bond-Williams welcomes XTAR back to the SSPI community in a conversation with Pat Rayermann, Chief Executive Officer of XTAR.

Pat shares how XTAR became a pioneer in commercial military X-band satellite communications, serving government and military customers in a segment where reliability, trust and mission assurance are essential. He explains why X-band continues to matter, how XTAR is adapting through next-generation satellites with X-band, military Ka-band and UHF payloads, and what it means to operate a focused SATCOM company in a rapidly changing market.

The conversation also explores space safety, orbital debris, satellite replacement, maneuverability, refueling, NATO and multinational SATCOM cooperation, and why resilience depends on a diverse mix of commercial and military capabilities. Pat also reflects on his long relationship with SSPI and why he brought XTAR back into the community as a returning corporate member.

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How is satellite data evolving from passive observation into real-time decision-making?

In this episode, BlackSky: How Is BlackSky Turning Space Data Into Real-Time Decisions?, we welcome new SSPI member BlackSky and explore how speed is redefining the value of space-based intelligence.

Joined by Katelyn Fobes, the conversation unpacks how BlackSky combines high-frequency satellite imagery with AI-driven analytics to detect anomalies and deliver actionable insights within hours, and sometimes minutes, of collection. From tracking aircraft and maritime activity to supporting disaster response, the focus is on operational relevance… not just data.

We also explore how commercial space is reshaping government missions, the role of human-in-the-loop decision-making, and why workforce, mentorship, and community are central to how BlackSky is showing up as a new SSPI member.

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Who are the leaders helping guide the future of the space and satellite industry, and why do they choose to serve?

In this episode of the SSPI podcast, Why I Serve, we meet Daniel Gizinski of Comtech and a member of the SSPI Board of Directors.

Daniel shares his journey from engineering to executive leadership and reflects on how companies like Comtech contribute to connectivity, resilience, and the broader space ecosystem. In this conversation:

how he entered the satellite and space industry
where Comtech plays a role today
what excites him about the future
what challenges the industry needs to address
and why he chose to serve on the SSPI Board

This episode is part of SSPI's Space and Satellite Futures track, focused on leadership and the next generation of the industry.

If you are interested in satellite communications, the space economy, industry leadership, and the future of global connectivity, this conversation offers a clear and grounded perspective.

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Does a true Space Safety Economy already exist, or is it still emerging?

In Episode 1 of Are We There Yet?, Tamara Bond-Williams interviews Rob Scheige of WTW about space insurance, satellite insurance, orbital debris, space risk management, satellite servicing, and the economics of safer operations in orbit.

They discuss why hardware failure remains a larger insurance concern than collision risk, how insurers think about catastrophic orbital events, and what market signals would show that a scalable Space Safety Economy has arrived.

A timely conversation for leaders across the space economy, satellite industry, NewSpace, and space sustainability.

Sponsored by the American Space Exploration Children's Trust Fund.

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Ryan Stevenson is the Chief Scientist and a founding member of Kymeta, where he led one of the most consequential breakthroughs in satellite antenna technology: the world's first simultaneous connection to both Ku and Ka frequency bands in a single, compact metamaterial surface. It is the kind of achievement that looks inevitable in hindsight and was anything but in practice.

In this episode of Orbited, the 2025 20 Under 35 cohort asks Ryan how he knew when to ship, what assumption he had to stop accepting before the solution became visible, and where metamaterial antennas are headed as spectrum congestion becomes an industry-wide problem. He also makes the case for why orbital debris cleanup may be the most important technology to watch, and shares what he'd tell high schoolers about entering a space industry in the middle of a massive disruption cycle.

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Space law pioneer Randy Segal, 2026 Space and Satellite Hall of Fame inductee and partner and space practice co-leader at Hogan Lovells, joins the 2025 20 Under 35 cohort for a wide-ranging conversation about what it takes to build legal and regulatory frameworks for an industry that moves faster than the law. From commercial space stations to sovereign government deals to mega-constellation licensing, Randy has navigated it all, and in this episode, she brings 33 years of hard-won perspective directly to the next generation.

Topics include: how to think about contracts when no one knows what the regulations will be, what sovereigns and startups misunderstand about each other, why Elon Musk's Martian Constitution clause is less crazy than it sounds, what the current FCC environment means for operators and investors, how to protect IP in space, and what it takes to build a career in a field that only makes sense in hindsight.

Orbited is an SSPI series pairing the 2025 20 Under 35 cohort with inductees into the Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

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In this episode, Candace Johnson, co-founder of SES, pioneer of direct-to-home broadcasting, and partner at Seraphim Space, is Orbited as she fields questions from SSPI's 2025 20 Under 35 cohort.

One of the most consequential figures in commercial space history, Johnson launched her career at 30 with a letter from the Prime Minister of Luxembourg and a conviction that private satellite communications would reshape Europe. Decades later, she helped build the ecosystem that made global connectivity possible and is now raising alarms about the industry she helped create.

In this conversation, the 2025 cohort presses Johnson on what it took to break the financial and cultural assumptions holding back commercial satellite operators, how she identified market demand before the language existed to describe it, and what she sees when she looks at the constellation economy today. Her answers are pointed: spectrum is being wasted, emerging space-faring nations are being locked out, and the industry that prided itself on opening access may be quietly closing it again.

Orbited is an SSPI series pairing the 2025 20 Under 35 cohort with inductees into the Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

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Orbited brings together the 2025 20 Under 35 cohort and the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame Class of 2026, where one industry legend takes the center and the next generation rotates through with questions designed to draw insight from experience. The clock is running. The buzzer is real. And every participant gets their moment in the orbit.

In this debut session, Steve Hart, whose work over four decades helped shape military satellite security, IP-based commercial networking, and the ground network algorithms behind high-capacity satellite systems, faces off with a cohort that arrives with serious questions. They want to know about sunk costs and when to let go of good work. They ask about cybersecurity threats then and now, about navigating defense acquisition culture, about how you build a company that stays innovative when the billionaires move in. And they close with something bigger: whether multilateralism in space can survive a world that keeps pulling toward sovereignty and silos.

Hart doesn't hedge. He talks about his time as what he calls "Chief Saboteur" and what it takes to break things on purpose when stagnation sets in. These conversations are part of SSPI's Space and Satellite Futures mission, cultivating and recognizing the talent that keeps our industry moving forward.

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In this episode of the SSPI Space and Satellite Futures podcast, Executive Director Tamara Bond-Williams sits down with Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou, Co-CEO of Tototheo Global, to explore how a 40-year maritime heritage is shaping the future of satellite communications. Despina breaks down how Tototheo helps organizations across maritime, enterprise, and government sectors turn connectivity into real operational value, why hybrid satellite-terrestrial architectures are replacing one-size-fits-all solutions, and how the lessons learned at sea are now transforming industries from energy to logistics.

The conversation goes beyond technology to tackle one of the industry's most urgent challenges: building inclusive leadership pipelines for a rapidly converging space and satellite ecosystem. Despina shares her five years leading WISTA International, the 2024 IMO Gender Equality Award, and her conviction that stronger industries require stronger, more diverse leadership pathways. SSPI's role in creating those pathways, through community, visibility, and cross-disciplinary dialogue, sits at the heart of this discussion. Whether you're a maritime professional, a satellite industry newcomer, or a leader thinking about the future of global connectivity, you'll leave with a sharper sense of where the industry is headed and what it demands of the people in it.

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Part of the Better Satellite World podcast, From Connectivity to Intelligence is a new quarterly series underwritten by Quvia, exploring how AI and satellite connectivity are changing what's possible in the world's most demanding operating environments.

In the debut episode, SSPI Executive Director Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Quvia Founder and CEO Benny Retnamony about what happens when connectivity stops being just a pipe and starts becoming intelligent. From aircraft and cruise ships to offshore energy and other remote environments, Benny explains how vast amounts of valuable data remain trapped at the edge, why traditional policy-based network management is no longer enough, and how AI can help orchestrate data movement across complex hybrid networks. The conversation explores multi-orbit connectivity, quality of experience, cloud-edge integration, and the emerging future of "physical AI" in connected operations.

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Happy International Women's Day! Celebrate by tuning into this SSPI-WISE Presents podcast, based on the conversation conducted at the SSPI-WISE meeting on February 24. WISE speaks with special guest, Nicole Stott, former Astronaut.

Nicole Stott is a veteran NASA astronaut, aquanaut, engineer, artist, and author of Back to Earth. With 104 days in space, including service on the International Space Station and Space Shuttle, she brings the life-changing perspective of spaceflight into her creative and advocacy work on Earth. Through art, education, and environmental stewardship, Nicole champions the spirit of STEAM, uniting science, engineering, and creativity in service to our shared home.

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How do you keep a remote school connected — not just on day one, but for years?

In this episode of Signal to Soar, Vaibhav Magow, Vice President of the International Division at Hughes, explains what it really takes to make rural school connectivity reliable and scalable. From satellite backhaul enabling 4G and 5G expansion, to the role of the Jupiter System and hybrid GEO/LEO networks, this conversation explores how infrastructure decisions shape educational access across Africa and Asia-Pacific.

When connectivity holds, classrooms expand. And when classrooms expand, communities grow.

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In this rebroadcast of the December edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, the conversation is taken to the next level by grounding it in a shared, evidence-based understanding of the current state of space and satellite activity in New York State.

This session features Empire Space, whose research, census work, and ecosystem mapping anchor the discussion. We will also have two spotlight sessions, each featuring a New York–based company operating at very different edges of the space economy. Together, the speakers offer a composite picture of where New York's space sector actually stands as we head into 2026.

Featured speakers include:

Patrick Chase, Founder - Empire Space
Kaylon Paterson, Founder & CEO, Patterson Aerospace Systems
Maxine Hoover, Director of Communications, Mars Ocean Analog

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In this SSPI-WISE Presents podcast, based on the panel conducted at the SSPI-WISE meeting on January 22, WISE navigates the fast-evolving frontier of space. Tune in to hear leading experts as they decode the regulatory and policy shifts shaping the future of satellites and orbital operations. Speakers Include:

Dr Alice Bunn OBE, International Director, UK Space Agency
Karen Cox, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, LeoLabs
Laura Stefani, Managing Partner & Founder, Trailfinding Regulatory Solutions
Meagan Sunn, Senior Director of Government Affairs, Ice Miller LLP
Katina Mruk, Associate Director, RKF Engineering Solutions, LLC (moderator)

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In this Better Satellite World Awards Roundtable, SSPI's Tamara Bond-Williams is joined by leaders from Astroscale, INTEGRASYS, and River Advisers for a candid conversation about how space and satellite systems shape everyday life on Earth.

The discussion goes beyond technology to explore responsibility, resilience, and long-term stewardship. From orbital sustainability and interference protection to spectrum access and regulatory strategy, the panel examines why decisions made in space increasingly affect safety, connectivity, and opportunity for people and communities worldwide.

This roundtable is part of SSPI's Better Satellite World campaign, focused on how space and satellite technologies serve your world — and what it takes to protect them for the future. Speakers include:

Nick Shave, Managing Director, Astroscale
Alvaro Sanchez, CEO, Integrasys
Dr. Jennifer Stone, Chief Strategy Officer, River Advisers

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In this New Member Spotlight episode of the SSPI Podcast, Tamara Bond-Williams welcomes INTEGRASYS and CEO Álvaro Sánchez in a conversation about growth, engagement, and shared purpose within the space and satellite industry.

Álvaro discusses how INTEGRASYS approaches satellite operations through software-defined capability, explaining why interference mitigation, spectrum awareness, and operational resilience have become central concerns for satellite operators. He shares how customers are increasingly seeking systems that support long-term decision-making and continuity in complex, contested environments, and how INTEGRASYS works alongside operators to address those evolving operational challenges.

Álvaro has been part of the SSPI community for several years, recognized as a 2022 20 Under 35 honoree and most recently as a 2025 Better Satellite World Award winner. In 2025, INTEGRASYS expanded that engagement by joining SSPI as a corporate member, marking a deeper commitment to the community and to contributing its experience and perspective to the future of space and satellite.

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In this New Member Spotlight episode of The SSPI Podcast, we welcome GOMspace to the SSPI community and get to know the company behind the name.

Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Slava Frayter, CEO of GOMspace North America, about how GOMspace is helping North American customers turn satellites into mission capability. The conversation explores the company's approach to bespoke small satellite solutions, including integrated mission design, subsystem reliability, operational support, and long-term sustainability.

Frayter also shares why North America is a priority market for GOMspace, how customer needs are evolving beyond hardware and software, and what motivated the company to join SSPI as a corporate member.

This episode is part of SSPI's Space and Satellite Futures track, highlighting the people and organizations shaping the future of the space and satellite industry.

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Five years ago, in the throes of the global pandemic, a ray of hope was born of the unique vision of then SSPI President Nicole Robinson – that SSPI should have a gathering for the women of the industry. That gathering took place on the evening of December 16th, 2020, while Nicole was President of SSPI.

Five years! SSPI-WISE has accomplished so much since then and is looking forward to reaching even higher heights, but it all started with that initial vision. In this SSPI-WISE Presents podcast, based on the panel conducted at the December 16 WISE anniversary meeting, Nicole Robinson, President, Gilat Datapath, Tina Ghataore, CEO, Aerospacelab North America, and Debra Facktor, Head of U.S. Space Systems at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc. and past Chair of SSPI-WISE, join us for SSPI-WISE's anniversary celebration and share their thoughts.

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In this episode, Tamara Bond-Williams, Executive Director of Space and Satellite Professionals International (SSPI), speaks with Josef Nemec, Technical Director of GovSat, to discuss the importance of secure satellite communications for governmental and institutional users. GovSat, a public-private partnership between the Luxembourg government and SES, operates the GovSat-1 satellite, which provides secure, non-preemptible, and assured communications with features like X-band and military Ka-band capacity and anti-jamming technology. The conversation highlights how GovSat supports national security, operational assurance, and trusted connectivity across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

The episode also explores the strategic role of Luxembourg as a secure satellite hub for Europe and NATO allies, the influence of interoperability and coalition operations on GovSat's service design, and the challenges of maritime law and international coordination in satellite communications. Josef shares insights on the evolving European defense communications ecosystem, opportunities for joint procurement and shared infrastructure, and GovSat's participation in shaping the future of allied secure connectivity.

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In this episode, Tamara Bond-Williams, Executive Director of Space and Satellite Professionals International (SSPI), speaks with Andreas Nil, Co-Founder and Managing Director of MediaMobil, about how satellite communications at sea have evolved from kilobits to multi-orbit, multi-network systems.

The conversation explores how maritime operators use VSAT, GEO, and LEO satellites, global teleport networks, and adaptive gateways to keep ships connected across oceans, ports, and national jurisdictions. Andreas explains how MediaMobil's Multilink Gateway dynamically switches between satellite systems based on cost, performance, regulation, and availability—ensuring reliable connectivity even where LEO coverage is restricted.

The episode also examines how satellite connectivity supports mobility, sustainability, and critical operations, from route optimization and emissions monitoring to offshore launch platforms and future 5G and 6G non-terrestrial networks. Throughout, Europe emerges as a laboratory for collaboration, regulation, and trust in satellite systems.

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In this episode, Tamara Bond-Williams, Executive Director of Space and Satellite Professionals International (SSPI), is joined by Craig Bowley, Regional Vice President of Sales for Europe at ST Engineering iDirect, to launch a new European series focused on the vertical markets shaping connectivity across the region.

The conversation explores the macro trends redefining Europe's satellite landscape, from EU programs like IRIS² and GovSatCom, to the growing importance of secure, interoperable communications for governments, including their defense capabilities, and essential public systems. Bowley explains how multi-orbit systems, software-defined terminals, and new ground architectures are enabling resilience across land, sea, air, and space.

This episode also examines emerging applications such as connected trains, mobility, IoT, and the convergence of satellite and 5G networks, revealing how satellite systems quietly underpin everyday life and strategic operations alike.

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How does a region become a launchpad for the next space economy? In this New Member Spotlight episode of The SSPI Podcast, Executive Director Tamara Bond-Williams sits down with Victor Hoskins, President and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA), one of SSPI's newest corporate members. Together they explore how Fairfax County's powerful technology base, world-class universities, and proximity to the U.S. federal government are fueling investment in satellite, aerospace, and quantum innovation. Hoskins shares how FCEDA is building a complete ecosystem—from K-12 STEM outreach to AI-driven workforce pipelines—and why the region's 150 space companies are positioning Northern Virginia as a global hub for the $1.8 trillion space industry of the future.

About our Guest:

Victor Hoskins is President and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA), where he leads strategy for one of the nation's strongest innovation economies and the largest economy in Virginia. Under his leadership, FCEDA has secured more than $3 billion in new investment, supported the creation of 54,000 high-tech jobs, and helped grow a cluster of more than 150 space and aerospace companies in Fairfax County. An MIT-trained urban planner with decades of experience in economic strategy and innovation ecosystems, Hoskins serves on multiple regional economic and business boards and has been recognized with the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to economic development.

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In this episode of She Reaches, host Tanveer Pujara speaks with Lee Steinke, Chief Operating Officer at CisLunar Industries, Partner at Elara Nova Space Consultancy, and former Interim COO at Orbit Fab.

With experience spanning NASA, DARPA, Space Force, and the U.S. Department of Defense, Lee brings a unique perspective on how government, industry, and innovation intersect to define the next era of space operations. She led the Space Futures Workshop to explore the commercial implications of space for U.S. national security and continues to influence policy and strategy through her work with Space Force and NewSpace Nexus.

Before entering the aerospace sector, Lee built her career in the energy industry as an executive and licensed professional scientist — and today she is a published author, TEDx speaker, and advocate for advancing U.S. leadership in space.

Tune in to hear how Lee's journey from energy to aerospace reflects the power of curiosity, courage, and strategic leadership in shaping humanity's future beyond Earth.

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In the third and final episode of this mini-series, we hear from Nobu Okada, Founder & CEO of Astroscale. Since establishing Astroscale in 2013, Nobu has grown the company from a one-person venture into a global organization with offices in five countries, raised over $383 million in funding, and led the company to a successful IPO.

A highly respected figure in the space industry, Nobu is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics, an advisory board member of the Space Generation Advisory Council, and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. He previously served as Vice President for Space Economy and Sponsorship at the International Astronautical Federation until 2023 and co-chaired the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Space Technologies until 2021. During his tenure, he played a key role in developing the Space Sustainability Rating, a system designed to promote responsible space operations. Under Nobu's leadership, Astroscale has received numerous accolades, including the IAF Excellence in Industry (SME) in 2023, the Japanese Prime Minister's Award in 2022, and recognition as one of TIME100's Most Influential Companies in 2022. Nobu has also received individual recognition, including the 2020 SpaceNews Company Leader of the Year and the 2019 Forbes JAPAN Start-up of The Year.

Before founding Astroscale, Nobu was an IT entrepreneur and strategy consultant, managing IT companies across Japan, China, India and Singapore. He successfully led one company to an IPO. Earlier in his career, he worked at McKinsey & Company and served in the Japanese Ministry of Finance. Nobu holds a bachelor's degree in Agriculture from the University of Tokyo and an MBA from the Krannert School of Business, Purdue University.

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In this episode of The People Behind the Progress, we explore a question at the heart of every technological leap: how do you write the rules for innovation?

Few people can answer that with more insight than Mike Thompson, who has spent more than thirty-five years shaping the policies and regulatory frameworks that allow new technologies to take flight.

From the UK Radiocommunications Agency and Inmarsat to co-founding Access Partnership, Mike has helped define how spectrum is shared, how satellite networks coexist, and how global agreements are built. His work has influenced everything from Ultra Wide Band adoption to the protection of critical C-band infrastructure, from fair-play procedures at the ITU to new spectrum allocations that improved aviation and maritime safety.

In conversation with Tamara Bond-Williams, Executive Director of SSPI, Mike reflects on the diplomacy, technical understanding, and strategic patience needed to develop rules that don't restrict progress, but enable it. He shares what he has learned about aligning governments and industries, anticipating future technologies, and building trust into the very architecture of global communications.

This episode celebrates Mike's selection as a finalist for the UK Space & Satellite Personality of the Year Award, honoring a career spent ensuring that innovation has the stable, thoughtful foundations it needs to thrive.

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This special mini-series, The People Behind the Progress, celebrates the finalists for the UK Space and Satellite Personality of the Year Award – A distinction that honors people whose ideas, integrity, and influence have advanced the UK's role on the global stage. In the first episode of this mini-series, we hear from Dr. Alice Bunn, President of UKspace.

Dr Alice Bunn is a globally recognised leader in science and engineering, with a distinguished career spanning strategic leadership, international diplomacy, and public engagement. Awarded an OBE in the Queen's Honours List in 2022 for her services to the UK space sector, Alice is President of the UKspace Trade Association and has a 25-year career in the space sector where she has held leadership positions in national, European and global contexts. Alice sits on the Advisory Board of Strategy International and acts as strategic advisor to a number of companies spanning the UK and international space sectors.

As former Chief Executive of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, she led a global organisation of over 115,000 members, where she successfully reversed a 15-year financial decline and implemented a transformative strategy focused on societal impact. Previously, Alice served as International Director at the UK Space Agency, where she secured record investments in the European Space Agency and pioneered new approaches to civil space security and infrastructure.

Alice is a passionate advocate for science communication and is a chartered engineer. Alice is regularly called upon as a media expert contributor to all things space and engineering, appearing on BBC, Radio 4, ITN, Sky News and in demand as a speaker at international summits and conferences such as Davos, UN Summits, TEDx and more.

Alice has a PhD in Metallurgy from Darwin College, University of Cambridge, and is also a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Royal Aeronautical Society. As an avid wild swimmer, she proudly sits as the Chair of the Board at SwimTayka, a drowning prevention charity that teaches kids in developing countries to swim.

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In this episode of She Reaches, host Tanveer Pujara speaks with Maureen Gannon, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of X-Bow Systems, a company redefining the rocket motor and launch vehicle market through advanced manufacturing and innovation.

With over 30 years of experience across aerospace, defense, and commercial sectors, Maureen has built a remarkable career leading high-performing teams, securing hundreds of millions in startup funding, and winning major U.S. defense contracts. As one of the few women co-founders in the solid rocket motor industry, she's not only disrupting technology — she's reshaping how leadership looks in aerospace.

Tune in to hear Maureen's entrepreneurial journey — from co-founding Galactic Unite and Firefly Space to scaling X-Bow Systems — and her insights on breaking barriers, building momentum, and fueling innovation in a high-stakes industry.

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In the Movers in Our Orbit podcast series, we speak with friends of SSPI who recently made big executive moves. We'll find out what they're doing now and what they hope to achieve in their new roles in the industry. In a rebroadcast of the first episode of season 2, we hear from Kelsey Doerksen, GeoAI Postdoctoral Researcher at Arizona State University and 2021 Promise Award Recipient.

Passionate to do impactful work for Earth, in space, Kelsey Doerksen is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Oxford in the Autonomous Intelligent Machines and Systems Centre for Doctoral Training Program, in the Oxford Applied and Theoretical Machine Learning Group under supervision of Yarin Gal. She is focusing her research on the uses of AI and Machine Learning to enable science discovery and understanding of climate-focused applications (expected graduation, 2025). Kelsey is a Research Affiliate at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab and a part of the Machine Learning and Instrument Autonomy group, working on the Scientific Understanding from Data Science Strategic Initiative. She is also a Data Scientist with the Climate and Data Environment Unit at UNICEF, building the data pipeline infrastructure and providing analysis necessary to create the UNICEF Children's Climate Risk Index.

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In Everyday Guardians, the podcast series of the Securing the Future of Space campaign, we speak with people who are helping to build a more resilient, sustainable and secure orbital environment – whether through technology, policy or ethical leadership. Securing the Future of Space is underwritten by the American Space Exploration Fund. In the fifth episode, we hear from Moriba Jah, President and Co-founder of GaiaVerse. Moriba Jah is a world-leading space environmentalist, astrodynamicist, and social justice advocate, a MacArthur Fellow and Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, where he holds the Mrs. Pearlie Dashiell Henderson Centennial Fellowship. He directs the Jah Decision Intelligence Group at the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences. He also serves as Chief Scientist at Privateer and Co-founder of Moriba Jah Universal.

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From Classroom to Community – the official podcast of the Signal to Soar campaign, underwritten by Hughes, an Echostar company – shines a spotlight on the tremendous difference connectivity can make for schools, especially those isolated by terrain and other factors, and how connectivity via satellite transforms the communities that surround those schools. When a remote school connects for the first time, everything changes. Students gain access to global knowledge, and teachers tap into new tools. Families and communities begin to share in the benefits. In the third episode of our series, we hear more on this topic from Mónica Aguirre, Deputy CEO of Satellite Services at Stargroup México. Mónica holds a Bachelor's degree in Financial Management from Tecnológico de Monterrey. She spent five years working in the financial industry at Value Casa de Bolsa, Morgan Stanley Capital International, and BBVA Bancomer. In 2015, she joined the Stargroup team to lead the finance department and later took on the role of Deputy CEO, overseeing strategic projects and building partnerships with national and international providers to deliver satellite telecommunications services. These solutions are tailored for businesses and government programs aimed at narrowing the digital divide across the country.

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In the sixth episode of She Reaches, host Tanveer Pujara speaks with Kirsten Bartok Touw, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of New Vista Capital, an early-stage venture firm investing in space, aerospace, and defense technology.

With a career spanning investment banking, venture capital, entrepreneurship, and national security policy, Kirsten brings a uniquely holistic view of how capital and innovation intersect to shape the future of aerospace and defense. Before launching New Vista, she co-founded AirFinance, served as Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy at Hawker Beechcraft, and was CFO and co-founder of XOJET, later acquired by VistaJet.

Tune in as Kirsten shares her journey and how she’s helping bridge Silicon Valley and national security to accelerate the technologies defining our next decade of flight, defense, and space exploration.

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Satellite connectivity makes all the difference in education, and bridging the gap to deliver high-speed internet to schools in hard-to-reach places creates the opportunity for every student to soar. In this SSPI-WISE Presents podcast, based on the panel conducted at the September 25 meeting of SSPI-WISE, we hear a roundtable discussion from leaders of NIGCOMSAT who share insights on how they are advancing digital inclusion and transforming education through satellite broadband. This episode is moderated by Ruth Okoh, Founder/Managing Director of Spaceboss Aerospace Consulting Ltd., and features Engr. Florence Ibrahim, Satellite Control & Operations, NIGCOMSAT, Engr. Opeyemi Kareem – Product & Presales Engineer, NIGCOMSAT, and Ifeoma Maureen Nzekwe, Deputy General Manager & Program Coordinator, NIGCOMSAT.

This roundtable conversation is part of the Signal to Soar campaign. Whether separated by distance, infrastructure, or inequality, too many students remain disconnected from the full promise of education. Satellite connectivity helps bridge that gap, delivering high-speed internet to schools in hard-to-reach places—and bringing the world to students who are otherwise far from opportunity. From live-streaming lessons and global classrooms to virtual museum tours and cultural exchanges, satellites expand access to knowledge and connection. With the right signal, every student can soar. Click here to learn more.

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In SSPI's Accelerate Change podcast series, sponsored by SES, we explore how creative collaboration is transforming the pace of innovation across the space and satellite industry. SES is championing a new era - one where partnerships, agile technologies, and bold ideas are breaking old cycles and building a more connected future. Through conversations with leaders in cloud, telecommunications, sustainability, and space infrastructure, we dive into the stories shaping the next frontier of global connectivity. In the fifth and final episode, we hear from Nihar Shah, Chief Strategy Officer at SES, who joins SSPI's Tamara Bond-Williams to explore how SES is redefining the industry's long investment cycles.

Nihar Shah is SES’s Chief Strategy Officer, driving strategic clarity and unlocking long-term business value for the organization. Having joined SES in 2006, Nihar has held various progressive managements roles in Market Research & Analysis and Strategic Market Development. Nihar was also part of the SES team that evaluated the company’s investment into O3b Networks, defining SES’s successful diversification strategy to global network services. Prior to SES, he worked for several years in consulting for the commercial and government space sector, and has lived and worked in India, the US and the Netherlands. Nihar holds a BA in Economics, an MA in International Space & Technology Policy from George Washington University, and a Joint MBA from Georgetown & ESADE.

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From Classroom to Community – the official podcast of the Signal to Soar campaign, underwritten by Hughes, an Echostar company – shines a spotlight on the tremendous difference connectivity can make for schools, especially those isolated by terrain and other factors, and how connectivity via satellite transforms the communities that surround those schools. When a remote school connects for the first time, everything changes. Students gain access to global knowledge, and teachers tap into new tools. Families and communities begin to share in the benefits. In the first episode of our series, we hear more on this topic from Germán Otálora, Director of Microsoft’s Airband Program for Latin America.

Germán Otálora is the Director of Microsoft’s Airband Program for Latin America, a role in which he dedicates most of his time to building partnerships between the public and private sectors, NGOs, and academia to bring purposeful connectivity to underserved rural communities across the region. He joined Microsoft in 2015 after a successful career in consulting, working for multinational firms such as PwC, where he led a team of over 30 consultants.

As an avid traveler, Germán is well-acquainted with the economic and social realities of rural Latin America and has received several awards and recognitions for his hard work and dedication to connecting the unconnected.

Germán holds a degree in Industrial Design (2001) and an MBA (2015) from Universidad de Los Andes. He currently lives in Bogotá, Colombia, with his wife, two children, and their Boston Terrier named Lupita.

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In SSPI's Accelerate Change podcast series, sponsored by SES, we explore how creative collaboration is transforming the pace of innovation across the space and satellite industry. SES is championing a new era - one where partnerships, agile technologies, and bold ideas are breaking old cycles and building a more connected future. Through conversations with leaders in cloud, telecommunications, sustainability, and space infrastructure, we dive into the stories shaping the next frontier of global connectivity. In the fourth episode, we hear from Tina Ghataore, Group Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer and CEO of Aerospacelab North America. Tina gives us a look at how Aerospacelab is rewriting the satellite manufacturing playbook. By combining vertical integration with agile manufacturing, Aerospacelab is helping nations and companies achieve sovereign space capability - faster, simpler, and at greater scale - through collaboration.

In 2022, Tina's contribution to the aerospace industry was recognized by both the public and industry peers alike when she was voted Via Satellite's "Satellite Executive of the Year", accepting her award in front of a select audience at the industry's leading annual conference 'Satellite 2022.’

Before Mynaric, she was the Executive Vice President of Inflight Connectivity Solutions at Yahsat, a leading UAE Satellite Operator, where she was responsible for the overall strategy and execution of enabling the organization to launch into the Mobility Satcom Services business.

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In this episode of She Reaches, host Tanveer Pujara sits down with Laura Crabtree — aerospace engineer, CEO and co-founder of Epsilon3, and one of the Crew Operations & Resource Engineers (CORE) who helped put the United States back in the human spaceflight business.

Before launching Epsilon3 in 2021, Laura spent more than a decade at SpaceX, where she trained astronauts, authored and executed hundreds of procedures, and sat on console for milestone Dragon missions — including the first flight to the ISS and the first commercial crew launch in 2020.

Epsilon3, often described as the “operating system for space missions,” was born from Laura’s first-hand experience with checklists, spreadsheets, and tools that couldn’t keep pace with the complexity of modern space operations. Today, the platform is streamlining workflows not only for spacecraft but also for aviation and other industries with complex technical missions.

Tune in to hear Laura’s founder journey and why she’s passionate about building better tools, mentoring the next generation of women in STEM, and chasing big challenges both in and out of this world.

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Kidsan’s leadership philosophy centers on strategic intent, mental clarity, and the joy of leading. Her contributions have not gone unnoticed; she was honored on the South Florida Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list, recognizing her significant impact on her industry, the economy and community, and also recognized on their Influential Business Women’s list for 2022. Under her leadership, Quvia’s Cruise & Ferry division has seen remarkable advancements, solidifying its position as a leader in the fast-evolving world of satellite communications.

Kidsan’s dedication to excellence and philanthropic contributions are seen in her voluntary board roles for both SSPI and Florida International University where she gained her Executive MBA. She remains an inspiration for those in the industries she serves.

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In the second episode, we hear from three major players at Amazon Web Services: Shayn Hawthorne, General Manager of Space Services, Akanksha Alok, Solutions Architect - Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, and Jonathon Fraker, Senior Account Executive, USSF.

Shayn Hawthorne has worked for over 30 years in the space field, first as an Active Duty and Reserve US Air Force astronautical engineer and space operations officer, building and launching research and development satellites for the Intelligence Community (IC) and conducting both space surveillance and counterspace operations. Shayn also served 20 years at the MITRE Corporation as Technical Director on IC sensors, Missile Defense Agency sensors and engagement systems, and Space Control Operations. Shayn then joined Amazon Web Services where he founded AWS Ground Station, Amazon’s 1st space service, helped start AWS’s Aerospace & Satellite Solutions Division, and developed on-orbit space edge runtimes. Shayn is now AWS’s Principal Advisor for National Security sensors and satellites. In this role Shayn works with customers and builders across AWS to build new enterprises that utilize AWS services and features to disrupt how space operations are conducted.

Akanksha Alok is an Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning professional with a background in computer science from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Johns Hopkins. With over five years at Amazon Web Services, she has held impactful roles-first as a Data Scientist, where she built end-to-end machine learning pipelines, and currently as a Solutions Architect, helping organizations design and scale "intelligent" systems both on the ground and in space. Her expertise spans natural language processing, computer vision, and generative Al, with deep focus areas including agentic workflows, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), context engineering, and large-scale model training and inference. Akanksha is passionate about translating cutting-edge research into practical solutions that drive real-world value.

Jonathon Fraker is a Space Technology and National Security professional specializing in cloud-enabled space operations. At Amazon Web Services, he partners with the U.S. Space Force to implement mission-critical cloud solutions that enhance space operations capabilities. He has also developed new AWS space-edge services, delivering innovative solutions for both government and commercial missions. His expertise spans space mission management, ground systems architecture, and cloud technology integration for space and defense applications. During his tenure at Raytheon Technologies, he led FVEY space programs that pioneered cloud-based Mission Management systems. Jonathon focuses on advancing national space capabilities through commercial innovation, dedicating his career to empowering space and national security partners with transformative technologies.

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In Everyday Guardians, the podcast series of the Securing the Future of Space campaign, we speak with the people who are helping to build a more resilient, sustainable and secure orbital environment - whether through technology, policy or ethical leadership. Securing the Future of Space is underwritten by the American Space Exploration Fund. In the fourth episode, we hear from Marshall Smith, President of Space Solutions at Voyager Technologies.

Marshall Smith has decades of experience designing and building complex, human-rated space systems for NASA. He serves as the President of Space Solutions at Voyager, overseeing the business segment. Previously as Voyager's Chief Technology Officer, Mr. Smith lead the technical strategy for the enterprise. He continues to guide the Starlab team through the design, development, and operations of the commercial space station through his role as a Board Member. Prior to CTO, Mr. Smith served as Voyager’s Vice President of Exploration.

Previously at Nanoracks, since acquired by Voyager Technologies, Mr. Smith managed the space systems division, which included commercial space station development, autonomous outpost platforms, and support systems including airlocks. Marshall comes to Voyager having served for 37 years at NASA, most recently as the Deputy Associate Administrator for Systems Engineering, Director for Human Exploration and Director for Cross-Program Systems Engineering. Smith led several initiatives that integrated innovative commercial partnerships into NASA’s deep-space exploration programs, including the Human Landing System and more.

He is the recipient of the NASA Systems Engineering Excellence of the Year Award, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal.

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In this episode of She Reaches, host Tanveer Pujara sits down with Tess Hatch — aerospace engineer, Managing Director at Stifel Venture Bank, and one of today’s most influential voices in space investing.

Tess has built her career at the intersection of science and business, with experience at Boeing, SpaceX, and Bessemer Venture Partners before joining Stifel. Today, she champions visionary entrepreneurs who are transforming science fiction into reality — from satellite constellations to commercial spaceflight and the deep tech driving the future of our world and beyond.

Tune in to hear Tess’s unique journey from the engineering floor to the front lines of venture capital, why she’s betting big on space as the next great frontier, and how she’s working to shape the ecosystem for the next generation of innovation.

Tess Hatch (left) and Tanveer Pujara (right)

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In this podcast series, we speak with friends of SSPI who recently made big executive moves. We’ll find out what they’re doing now and what they hope to achieve in their new roles in the industry. In this episode, we meet someone navigating the personal side of one of the biggest transformations our industry has ever seen. Sylvie Macraigne is a product and strategy leader with more than 20 years of international experience – from France to London to the U.S. to Luxembourg. Her resume includes Orange, Globecast, Arqiva, and Intelsat. Now she serves as Senior Principal Product Manager at SES, where she’s helping lead the company’s multi-orbit future – including integrating Low Earth Orbit capabilities into SES’s service portfolio.

Sylvie joins us just days after SES acquired Intelsat – a historic merger that will shape this industry for decades to come. What does that kind of change feel like on the inside? How do you hold steady in the midst of it? And where does the future lead from here?

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In SSPI's new Accelerate Change podcast series, sponsored by SES, we explore how creative collaboration is transforming the pace of innovation across the space and satellite industry. SES is championing a new era - one where partnerships, agile technologies, and bold ideas are breaking old cycles and building a more connected future. Through conversations with leaders in cloud, telecommunications, sustainability, and space infrastructure, we dive into the stories shaping the next frontier of global connectivity.

What if your phone could connect to space? Not with a bulky terminal, but with the device already in your hand, wherever you are, no matter the infrastructure on the ground?

In this first episode of the series, we hear from Amy Mehlman, Executive Vice President and Chief Global Affairs Officer at Lynk Global. Amy has shaped telecom and space policy for nearly thirty years - from Congress to the FCC, from multinationals to NewSpace startups. Today, she’s helping guide a company that’s redefining who can connect and how, through a new model of global access. In this episode, Amy and SSPI's Tamara Bond-Williams explore how unmodified mobile phones can connect directly to satellites: no towers or special hardware needed.

Amy Mehlman is EVP and Chief Global Affairs officer at Lynk Global. She is a senior telecommunication professional with nearly three decades hands-on experience helping innovative companies secure favorable public policies, government contracts and secure market access by working with government representatives, industry partners, and multilateral NGOs.

Most recently, Mehlman worked as VP for Global Affairs and Stakeholder Relations at E-Space Inc. where she led global policy efforts shaping the rapidly growing non-geostationary satellite market, successfully-pursued government contracts, obtained market access, spearheaded partnerships, and oversaw legislative efforts. Prior to that Amy served as VP of U.S. Government Affairs and Global Policy at Viasat, leading their domestic and international policy efforts on satellite licensing, space safety and equitable access to spectrum. Earlier in her career, Amy was Founder and President of a successful boutique telecommunications public policy firm (Mehlman Capitol Strategies) representing over 30 companies before the U.S. Congress, FCC & Executive Branch. Amy began her career at the prestigious Washington, D.C. law firm Wiley, Rein & Fielding where she represented leading wireless, satellite, telecom equipment and broadcast companies before the US Congress and Administration.

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In Everyday Guardians, the podcast series of the Securing the Future of Space campaign, we speak with the people who are helping to build a more resilient, sustainable and secure orbital environment - whether through technology, policy or ethical leadership. Securing the Future of Space is underwritten by the American Space Exploration Fund. In the third episode, we hear from Nobu Okada, Founder & CEO of Astroscale.

Since establishing Astroscale in 2013, Nobu Okada has grown the company from a one-person venture into a global organization with offices in five countries and led the company to a successful IPO in 2024. A highly respected figure in the space industry, Nobu is an Honorary Ambassador of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), a member of the International Academy of Astronautics, an advisory board member of the Space Generation Advisory Council, and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. He plays an active role in United Nations forums, contributing to key workshops and committee discussions that shape the global agenda for space sustainability. Nobu previously served as the IAF’s Vice President for Space Economy and Sponsorship and co-chaired the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Space Technologies until 2021.

Under Nobu’s leadership, Astroscale has received numerous accolades, including the IAF Excellence in Industry (SME) in 2023, the Japanese Prime Minister’s Award in 2022, and recognition as one of TIME100’s Most Influential Companies in 2022. Nobu has also received individual recognition, including the 2020 SpaceNews Company Leader of the Year and the 2019 Forbes JAPAN Start-up of The Year.

Before founding Astroscale, Nobu was an IT entrepreneur and strategy consultant, managing IT companies across the Asia-Pacific region. He successfully led one company to an IPO. Earlier in his career, he worked at McKinsey & Company and served in the Japanese Ministry of Finance. Nobu holds a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from the University of Tokyo and an MBA from the Krannert School of Business, Purdue University.

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In this episode of She Reaches, host Tanveer Pujara speaks with Sarah “Sassie” Duggleby, CEO and Co-Founder of Venus Aerospace – a Houston-based startup developing hypersonic spaceplanes that could enable one-hour global travel. With a background in aerospace engineering and a bold vision for the future of high-speed transportation, Sassie is pioneering technology that could transform how we connect across the planet.

As a first-time founder, engineer, and inspiring leader, Sassie shares insights from her journey, the challenges of building something truly groundbreaking, and her passion for making space and advanced transportation more accessible.

Sassie Duggleby (left) and Tanveer Pujara (right)

Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a space enthusiast, or curious about the innovators shaping the future, Sassie’s story offers inspiration, real-world lessons, and a glimpse into the future of spaceflight.

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In the second season of The Road Less Traveled series, SSPI's Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with people whose lives and work inspire us because they walk “the road less traveled,” the one leading us to a wider view of space, satellites and our quest for the dwelling of light we call “The Truth.” This episode features a roundtable conversation with Chris Impey, Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the University of Arizona; Dr. Claire Nelson, Chief Ideation Leader of The Futures Forum; and Frank White, Professor at Kepler Space University and author of The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution.

Chris Impey is a University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the University of Arizona. He has over 450 publications on education, observational cosmology, galaxies, and quasars, and his research has been supported by $20 million in NASA and NSF grants. He has won eleven teaching awards and has taught four online classes with over 420,000 enrolled and 8 million minutes of video lectures watched. Chris Impey is a past Vice President of the American Astronomical Society, and he has won its career Education Prize. He’s also been NSF Distinguished Teaching Scholar, Carnegie Council’s Arizona Professor of the Year, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor. He has written 120 popular articles on cosmology, astrobiology and education, two textbooks, a novel called Shadow World, and ten popular science trade books: The Living Cosmos, How It Ends, Talking About Life, How It Began, Dreams of Other Worlds, Humble Before the Void, Beyond: The Future of Space Travel, Einstein’s Monsters: The Life and Times of Black Holes, Worlds Without End: Exoplanets, Habitability and the Future of Humanity, and most recently Recipe for a Universe: Cosmic Chemistry from the Big Bang to You.

Dr. Claire Nelson, Chief Visionary Officer of The Futures Forum, is listed among Forbes Top 50 Female Futurists. The author of the game-changing book SMART Futures for a Flourishing World: A Paradigm Shift for Achieving Global Sustainability, is a Board Member of the World Futures Studies Federation and Editor of its flagship magazine Human Futures. The Convenor of Space Futures Forum is noteworthy for her advocacy for global and space sustainability and serves as Advisor to various groups including Engineering for One Planet and Space for Humanity. A social entrepreneur, Nelson is Founding Convenor of June as National Caribbean American Heritage Month. A dynamic keynote speaker and storyteller, her one-woman show ‘Moon Runnings: The Life & Times of the First Jamaican on the Moon’ is aimed at advancing planetary consciousness. Honored as a White House Champion of Change, she holds a Doctorate in Engineering Management from George Washington University.

Frank White is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and a Rhodes Scholar. He earned an M.Phil. in Politics from Oxford University. White’s book, The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution, is considered by many to be a seminal work in the field of space studies. He has authored or co-authored numerous additional books on a wide range of topics, including SETI, AI, and climate change. In addition to his writing career, White is co-executive editor of Sentient Media, LLC, President and Board Chair of the Human Space Program, a Professor at Kepler Space University, and a Curator of Space and AI information for Intro-act.

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In the second season of The Road Less Traveled series, guest host Lou Zacharilla speaks with people whose lives and work inspire us because they walk “the road less traveled,” the one leading us to a wider view of space, satellites and our quest for the dwelling of light we call “The Truth.” This episode features a conversation with Justin Park, entrepreneur, technology consultant and member of the SSPI Mid-Atlantic Chapter Board who joins us to talk about his most recent endeavor, The Cross on the Moon Coalition (https://mooncross.org).

Justin Park is an entrepreneur, technology consultant, and thought leader with Master’s degrees in aerospace management and computer science from the International Space University and the University of Iowa, respectively. He worked as an intern at the NASA Ames Research Center during his tenure with Accenture and as an associate for Booz Allen Hamilton at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. His first company, Intergalactic Education, developed over a dozen space-centric mobile apps. He was a volunteer editor for the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) for five years and in 2017, gave a TEDx talk at Suffolk University on the emerging commercial space economy. He has presented at the Humans to Mars Summit, the International Space Station Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC), as well as at the International Space Development Conference (ISDC). He is a published author and was awarded the Yuri Gagarin Medal of Cosmonautics at the Robert Heinlein Flight into the Future Contest in 2008. He currently sits on the Board of the Space and Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) – Mid-Atlantic Chapter and is an active member of MoonDAO, a decentralized space organization that sent two astronauts into space on the Blue Origin New Shepard rocket. His most recent endeavor, The Cross on the Moon Coalition, is focused on bringing together spirituality and space exploration.

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In the second season of The Road Less Traveled series, guest host Lou Zacharilla speaks with people whose lives and work inspire us because they walk “the road less traveled,” the one leading us to a wider view of space, satellites and our quest for the dwelling of light we call “The Truth.” This episode features a conversation with Award-winning composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg, creator of THE MOONS SYMPHONY (https://www.moons-symphony.com/).

THE MOONS SYMPHONY fuses music and science to bring lunar exploration vividly to life through cinematic visuals and orchestral storytelling. Inspired by astronauts’ profound perspectives, this symphonic journey reimagines our place in the cosmos and culminates in a powerful tribute to Earthrise. THE MOONS SYMPHONY is the result of bold collaboration between composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg, a symphony orchestra, and a team of planetary sciensists. A visionary work of music inspired by the real science of our solar system’s most enigmatic moons. This multi-movement symphony brings together NASA data, cinematic visuals, and choral grandeur to awaken a deeper curiosity about the universe.

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In the second season of The Road Less Traveled series, guest host Lou Zacharilla speaks with people whose lives and work inspire us because they walk “the road less traveled,” the one leading us to a wider view of space, satellites and our quest for the dwelling of light we call “The Truth.” This episode features one of the great untold stories in our industry, provided to us by our guest, podcast host Joanne Higgins.

Host Joanne Higgins worked in film and TV production for 13 years as a production coordinator and associate producer. Later, she transitioned into the construction industry, co-owning a company that developed and built single-family homes across LA. She’s a lifelong Angeleno, growing up in Compton and attending Cal State Long Beach. She spent her childhood hearing her godfather talk about working on the Apollo program. Concerned that this unique legacy could be forgotten, she began a journey to record and capture their experiences as a first-time podcast host.

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In this episode of She Reaches, host Tanveer Pujara speaks with Benedetta Cattani, the visionary Founder, CEO, and CTO of Ecosmic. From her beginnings as a graduate trainee to a member of an all-female startup team, Benedetta’s journey is one of purpose, persistence, and passion for space sustainability. She shares how Ecosmic is turning the challenge of space debris into an opportunity for innovation—and how their commercial solution is helping ensure the future of space remains safe and accessible.

Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a space enthusiast, or simply curious about the people shaping the space industry, Benedetta’s story offers insight, inspiration, and a fresh perspective from a first-time founder working to make an out-of-this-world impact.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, based on the May 2025 edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, leaders from Pixxel, Dhruva Space, TMT Law Practice, VegaMX, and the US-India Business Council have a candid conversation about opportunity, access, and alignment in India's rapidly growing space sector. Our speakers include:

Chetan Bikkina, Chief Commercial Officer, Dhruva Space Private Limited
Jay Gullish, Executive Director, Digital Policy, U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC)
Abhishek Malhotra, Senior Advocate, Chamber of Abhishek Malhotra
Vivek Mital, CEO, VegaMX Inc.
Aakash Parekh, Chief Commercial Officer, Pixxel

India is rapidly transforming its space sector, moving from a government-led model dominated by ISRO to a new era of public-private collaboration and global engagement. Recent policy reforms - including liberalized FDI caps, the launch of IN-SPACe as a commercial regulator, and the Indian Space Policy 2023 - are opening doors for private enterprise and international investment. At the same time, Indian companies are stepping into global supply chains, developing satellite constellations, launch vehicles, and Earth observation capabilities that are redefining India's position in the global space economy. Yet, foreign participation still requires careful navigation of regulatory, legal, and strategic frameworks shaped by India's evolving priorities.

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Space is changing fast. Commercial activity is accelerating. Talent needs are shifting. Orbits are filling. And with the growing threat of Kessler Syndrome, long-term access to space may become more constrained than ever before. In this SSPI-WISE Presents podcast, based on the panel conducted at the May 1 meeting of SSPI-WISE, we hear a roundtable discussion between Donya Naz Divsalar, (incoming) Head of Future Projects at Magdrive; Elizabeth Kennick, President, Teachers In Space, Inc. and Genna Ng, Venture Partner, Beyond Earth Technologies and Co-Founder, Singapore Space Network.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, SSPI's Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Ed Fox, Chief Technology Officer at MetTel. They explore one of the hot topics of the industry: the convergence of the telecom and satellite industries and what that may spell for the future.

Ed Fox is MetTel’s technology leader, responsible for the planning, deployment, and operations of MetTel’s broadband, data, and VoIP network infrastructure. He is a member of the Forbes Technology Council and a contributing author for IDG influencer network. Ed has over 30 years of telecommunications and network experience managing massive organizational and customer growth at major telecommunications providers.

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In the She Reaches series, an initiative of SSPI-WISE (SSPI Women in Space Engagement), journalist and podcast host Tanveer Pujara sits down with trailblazing women across the space industry, from founders and engineers to visionaries and scientists, who are redeﬁning what it means to reach for the stars.

In the debut episode of She Reaches, Tanveer speaks with Vanessa Clark, CEO of Atomos Space, to discuss her journey from physicist to space industry entrepreneur. Vanessa shares how she navigated the challenges of founding a venture-backed startup, the pivotal moments that shaped her leadership style, and her vision for the future of space mobility and logistics. Tune in to hear how she’s building the infrastructure for the next generation of space exploration – and the lessons she’s learned along the way.

Tanveer Pujara (left) and Vanessa Clark (right)

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In Everyday Guardians, the podcast series of the Securing the Future of Space campaign, we speak with the people who are helping to build a more resilient, sustainable and secure orbital environment - whether through technology, policy or ethical leadership. Securing the Future of Space is underwritten by the American Space Exploration Fund. In the second episode, we hear from Dr. Alina Utrata, political theorist and Career Development Research Fellow at St. John's College, Oxford University.

Dr. Alina Utrata is a political theorist focusing on the politics of technology corporations and currently a Career Development Research Fellow at St John’s College, Oxford University. She received her PhD in Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge as a Gates-Cambridge scholar, where her research examined how Silicon Valley companies have come to amass forms of political power through their control of technological regimes. Alina grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she received her BA from Stanford University in History with a minor in Human Rights, and her MA in Conflict Transformation and Social Justice from Queen’s University Belfast as a Marshall Scholar. In her free time, she hosts and produces the podcast The Anti-Dystopians, the politics podcast about tech.

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Dr. Femi Ishola is an experienced Innovator, Entrepreneur, Engineer, and Researcher with a strong background in Electro-Optics, Space, and Satellite Systems Engineering. Accredited and licensed engineering practitioner by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering(COREN); Reg. No. R.4218. With over 15 years of professional experience in the global space industry, Dr. Femi brings a super-heavyweight perspective to aerospace engineering projects and gatherings across the continents!

Founder and CEO of Phemotron Systems Corporation, a multinational new space company with operations in Nigeria, Japan, and USA. Served as a Researcher at the Japanese Space Communication Systems Laboratory, National Institute of Information Communications Technology (NICT), Tokyo, Japan. Systems pioneer and Project Manager at the National Space Research and Development Agency, Nigeria. Versatile in optical systems development, antennas, and microwave systems. Actively conducting research on Laser Communication technologies for Small Satellites, Drones, Beyond-5G integration, Beamed Energy Systems, and Unmanned Autonomous Systems.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical/Electronics Engineering from the University of Lagos, Nigeria in 2010, Incorporated Phemotron Systems Ltd in 2013, obtained a Master of Science degree from the International Space University, France, in 2014, and a Ph.D. degree from the Laboratory of Lean Satellites Enterprises and In-Orbit Experiments, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan in 2021. His Ph.D. research was focused on free-space optical communication technologies for small satellites. Completed advance satellite design course at the Samara National Research University, Samara, Russia.

Dr. Femi served as the SSPI Nigeria Director of Student Affairs where he galvanized undergraduate student exposure to space education and general STEM activities. Dr. Femi participated and contributed to the Japanese Engineering Test Satellite (ETS-9) HICALI project and the 6U CubeSOTA optical communication terminal and mission development. He also participated in the Southern Australian Universities QB50 Collaboration Satellite project. He was the Pioneer and Project Manager of the Nigerian Space Agency Centre for Space Transport and Propulsion (CSTP) Ground Control Station. Recipient of the Best and Most Innovative Project Award, SEEES National Universities Competition 2009, Kano State Government Award for the Best Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Project, in 2011, the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Emerging Space Leaders Award, 2019 and the grand prize winner of 9th Annual SATShow (SATELLITE). Startup Space Competition, Washington DC, 2025.

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In The Space Business is... – the podcast series of The Space Business is Everywhere campaign, underwritten by ST Engineering iDirect – we take a look at the way the commercial space industry has spread itself to parts of the world where space and satellites were once only read about or dreamed of. Each episode will focus on a specific location and features an innovator who is shaping - and reshaping - the industry. In the final episode, we hear from Terry Bleakley, Regional Vice President of the APAC region at ST Engineering iDirect.

Terry Bleakley is the regional vice president of the APAC region at ST Engineering iDirect where he is responsible for developing and executing strategies to accelerate the company’s revenue growth.

Throughout his extensive career, Terry held several senior leadership roles with leading satellite operators. From 2010 to 2023, he served as Regional Vice President for the Asia-Pacific at Intelsat, where he oversaw significant regional initiatives, strengthening the company’s presence in the region. Prior to his tenure at Intelsat, he was the Chief Commercial Officer at MEASAT from 2007 to 2010, where he played a critical role in driving the company’s commercial growth.

Terry’s journey in the satellite industry began in 1997 when he moved to Malaysia to join British Telecom. Since then, held senior sales management roles at PanAmSat and Intelsat. More recently, he served as Senior Advisor for Strategic Initiatives at Intelsat and as an advisor to Sky TV New Zealand. He is set to continue his advisory work with SkyPerfect JSAT through late 2024.

With strong roots in the APAC region, Terry serves as the President of the Asia Pacific Satellite Communications Council (APSCC), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the satellite ecosystem in the Asia-Pacific region. Since 2023, he has been leading APSCC’s efforts to advance satellite communications across one of the world’s most dynamic markets.

He holds a Bachelor of Science from Victoria University in Wellington and a Diploma in Aviation Studies from Massey University in New Zealand.

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In The Space Business is... – the podcast series of The Space Business is Everywhere campaign, underwritten by ST Engineering iDirect – we take a look at the way the commercial space industry has spread itself to parts of the world where space and satellites were once only read about or dreamed of. Each episode will focus on a specific location and features an innovator who is shaping - and reshaping - the industry. In the fourth episode, we hear from Yo Shimizu, President & COO of JSAT International, Inc., Misao Furukawa, Director, Business Development, Space DC Business of Space Compass and Teppei Kato, Chief Business Officer of Orbital Lasers.

Yo Shimizu was appointed in 2020 as President & COO for JSAT International, Inc. which serves satellite telecommunication services, investments, partnership creations and research & studies in wide range of new space business field. JSAT international is a wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary of SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (JSAT), the largest satellite operator in APAC. Yo joined JSAT (Space Communications Corporation at that time) in 2001, and has more than 20 years of experience in the satellite related business including national security areas. Currently Yo is engaged in the new business development with U.S. partners for new space-based solutions (SSA, EO, Data analysis, Debris removal, etc.), along with JSAT’s core business of satellite telecommunication service.

Misao Furukawa is Director of the Space DC Business of Space Compass, which was established as a joint venture with NTT and SKY Perfect JSAT in July 2022. Space Compass will launch a novel “Space Integrated Computing Network” to aid the realization of a sustainable society. He has over 23 years of experience in the satellite communication Engineer and Business development. In the company, he played various roles including satellite communication, ITU Radio Regulation related and Remote sensing. He is now developing the Optical Data Relay service in Space Compass.

Teppei Kato joined JSAT Corporation (now SKY Perfect JSAT) in 2007, handling planning and sales of satellite communication services for domestic, Asian and U.S. markets. He later engaged in investment activities and strategy formulation for creating new businesses in the NewSpace sector. In 2021, Teppei led a major investment in a Japanese space venture and contributed to the company's IPO through strategy formulation and execution. He joined Orbital Lasers in April 2024, overseeing overall business development and promotion. Orbital Lasers is a developer of innovative laser technology that carved out from SKY Perfect JSAT in January 2024.

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In Everyday Guardians, the podcast series of the Securing the Future of Space campaign, we speak with the people who are helping to build a more resilient, sustainable and secure orbital environment - whether through technology, policy or ethical leadership. Securing the Future of Space is underwritten by the American Space Exploration Fund. In the first episode, we hear from Dr. Daniel Capper, Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Metropolitan State University at Denver.

Daniel Capper, Ph.D., is a Professor at the University of Southern Mississippi and Adjunct Professor at Metropolitan State University in Denver. Trained at the University of Chicago in the field of science and religion dialogue, his interdisciplinary studies explore environmental ethical interactions with the nonhuman natural world comparatively as well as among American Buddhists. Capper’s many publications include the books Learning Love from a Tiger: Religious Experiences with Nature, Roaming Free like a Deer: Buddhism and the Natural World and Buddhist Ecological Protection of Space: A Guide for Sustainable Off-Earth Travel.

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How does a young woman from Pakistan grow up to become an influential community builder inside a global corporation like Hughes Network Systems? In this episode of the SSPI-WISE Presents podcast, SSPI's Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Adileh Sharieff, Senior Director Planning and Strategic Programs. In addition to her professional achievements at Hughes, Adileh co-founded a small group called BYOL (Bring Your Own Lunch) in January 2023, which grew into a thriving community of over 200 women by the end of the year. In June 2024, she was invited to join the Hughes Women Impact Network (WIN) coordinator leadership team, where she has focused on building a supportive and empowering community for women within the company.

With over 25 years of dedicated service at Hughes, Adileh Sharieff has continually evolved through various pivotal roles within the company. She began her career in Network Operations, mastering the fundamentals before transitioning to Systems Integration and Testing. This diverse experience has allowed her to build enduring relationships and make significant contributions as the business scaled its systems and resources.

Currently, Adileh leads a Project Management team within North America Operations, overseeing the rollout and implementation of new projects. Her leadership and expertise ensure the successful execution of initiatives that drive the company's growth and innovation. Adileh holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan, and a Master's degree in Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park.

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In this podcast series, we speak with friends of SSPI who recently made big executive moves. We’ll find out what they’re doing now and what they hope to achieve in their new roles in the industry. In the first episode of season 2, we hear from Kelsey Doerksen, Data Scientist with the Climate and Data Environment Unit at UNICEF and 2021 Promise Award Recipient.

Kelsey recently completed her Data Science Research Fellow position with UNICEF and European Space Agency F-lab, working on the Giga Initiative to use Earth Observation and AI to map schools in the global south and their access to electricity and the internet. She is a former Space Systems engineer at Planet on the Mission Operations team, using space to help life on Earth, and co-led the commissioning of 48 satellites for the Flock 4S commissioning campaign, publishing the work as part of the SmallSat 2021 conference.

Kelsey graduated from the Masters of Engineering Science in Electrical & Computer Engineering in the collaborative Planetary Science and Exploration Program at Western University in December 2019. Her thesis topic involved the utilization of machine learning algorithms for space weather applications, using in-situ satellite data. Kelsey’s Bachelors degree was in Aerospace Engineering: Space Systems Design with a Minor in Business at Carleton University, in which she further fostered her passion for one day becoming an astronaut. Spacecraft operations, machine learning, climate change and solar physics are some of her research-focused interests.

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The space & satellite industry is more dynamic than ever, with professionals moving across sectors and roles at an accelerated pace. At SSPI, this has brought in a wave of new leadership, including a remarkable milestone: as of last year's election, four of our newest Board Directors are women. To celebrate this moment and International Women's Day, we will explore their perspectives and dive deeper into topics such as leadership, vision and the future of SSPI and SSPI-WISE. Newly appointed SSPI Executive Director Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Kidsan Barnes, Senior Vice President, Maritime, Cruise & Ferry at Quvia, Lisa Henke, Chief of Technology & Innovation, USG at Maxar Intelligence and Tina Ghataore, Chief Revenue Officer at Aerospacelab and SSPI-WISE Chair and Board Liaison.

Kidsan Barnes is a distinguished leader in the satellite communications and cruise connectivity industries. She currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Cruise & Ferry at Quvia (formerly Neuron). With a career marked by innovation and strategic vision, Kidsan has played a pivotal role in driving growth and transformation within her sector. Her contributions have not gone unnoticed; she was honored on the South Florida Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list, recognizing her significant impact on her industry, the economy and community, and also recognized on their Influential Business Women’s list for 2022. Under her leadership, Quvia’s Cruise & Ferry division has seen remarkable advancements, solidifying its position as a leader in the fast-evolving world of satellite communications. Kidsan’s dedication to excellence and philanthropic contributions are seen in her voluntary board roles for both SSPI and Florida International University where she gained her Executive MBA. She remains an inspiration for those in the industries she serves.

Lisa Henke joined Maxar Technologies in 2016 as Chief Architect of Open Technologies and served in several leadership roles at the company before taking on her current role of Chief of Technology & Innovation, USG for Maxar Intelligence in May 2024. Prior to coming to Maxar, she was the Chief Architect for National Reconnaissance Office/Ground Enterprise Directorate/Integrated System Program Office leading ground development, cloud transformation and agile transformation. Lisa also served in leadership roles at DigitalGlobe, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. She is a proud Air Force Veteran and a certified Green Belt with an MBA with technology management emphasis and a variety of certifications, including Agile, Architecture and Systems Engineering and MBSE.

Tina Ghataore joined Aerospacelab in August 2023 as Group Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer, and CEO of Aerospacelab's new North American branch. Prior to joining the fast-growing international startup specialized in designing, manufacturing and operating small satellites, Tina served as Chief Commercial Officer of Mynaric and President of Mynaric USA where she led the company’s efforts to position Mynaric as the preferred laser communication provider for aerospace application for both government and commercial markets. In 2022, Tina's contribution to the aerospace industry was recognized by both the public and industry peers alike when she was voted Via Satellite's "Satellite Executive of the Year," accepting her award in front of a select audience at the industry's leading annual conference SATELLITE 2022.

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The United Kingdom’s robust and ambitious space sector has many personalities. Each year at the Better Satellite World Awards Dinner in December in London, the SSPI UK Chapter recognizes one of them as the Satellite Personality of the Year. In this podcast, we hear from the 2024 honoree, Dr. David Parker FRAeS, Non-Executive Board Member of the UK Space Agency and Visiting Professor at the University of Southampton. This interview was originally broadcast as part of the Personalities of the Space & Satellite Industry podcast series, which aired before Dr. Parker was named the 2024 Satellite Personality of the Year.

Dr. David Parker has led a distinguished thirty-five-year career in the space sector, spanning industry, UK government and the European Space Agency (ESA). Until June 2023, he served as ESA’s Director of Space Exploration at ESTEC in the Netherlands, overseeing astronaut missions to the International Space Station, Europe’s involvement in Artemis and pioneering projects like training an astronaut with a physical disability.

Previously, he was the Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency (2013-2016), where he led Tim Peake’s ISS mission and negotiated ESA’s first UK center in Harwell. Starting in the UK space industry in 1990, he contributed to projects like XMM-Newton and ExoMars. Dr. Parker holds a degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics and a PhD from NASA Langley Research Center. He has received several accolades, including the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Geoffrey Pardoe award. He currently works part-time at ESA, serves on the UK Space Agency Board and is a Visiting Professor at the University of Southampton.

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In The Space Business is... – the podcast series of The Space Business is Everywhere campaign, underwritten by ST Engineering iDirect – we take a look at the way the commercial space industry has spread itself to parts of the world where space and satellites were once only read about or dreamed of. Each episode will focus on a specific location and features an innovator who is shaping - and reshaping - the industry. In the third episode, we hear from two “20 Under 35” honorees from the Bahrain National Space Agency: Aysha Alharam, Chief Satellite Design Department and Yaqoob Alqassab, Space Engineering Specialist.

Aysha Alharam is Chief Satellite Design Department for the National Space Science Agency (NSSA) of Bahrain. She began her career in 2018 when she was selected as one of the nine first members of the Bahrain Space Team, a position that had over 4,000 other applicants. As the first Bahraini space engineer leading the team, Aysha served as project manager, idea innovator and software developer for the “Aman” payload project, which won the prestigious Payload Hosting Initiative – organized by the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) in 2022 – out-competing space agencies, companies, universities and research centers from over 100 countries. The Aman payload project showcases Eng, which focuses on securing satellite data through a novel cybersecurity encryption algorithm based on FPGA and parallel processing technology. Aysha personally developed the idea of the AI-based image processing system that will be onboard the first Bahraini satellite, “AlMunther,” the first of its kind in the Middle East region. She completed her education with two Masters degrees, one in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a concentration in space technology from Khalifa University in the UAE and one in Information Technology and Computer Science from the University of Bahrain.

Yaqoob Alqassab is a Space Engineering Specialist at the Bahrain National Space Science Agency (NSSA). He joined NSSA in 2019 as a Senior Engineer and was promoted to his current position in 2024 in recognition of his dedication and impressive job performance. Yaqoob has cultivated a diverse skillset, including expertise in satellite engineering, Attitude Determination and Control Subsystem (ADCS) programming, structural and thermal analyses, system analysis and mission analysis. While working for NSSA, Yaqoob developed the first Bahraini software in space for ADCS as part of his work on Light-1, a 3U CubeSat designed to detect Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes and the first joint project between Bahrain and the UAE. Yaqoob contributed significantly to the launch of DhabiSat, a 2U CubeSat created to test novel ADCS algorithms in space, for which he served as both an ADCS software programmer and structural integrity analyst. He also worked on AlMunther, a 3U CubeSat aimed at capturing medium-resolution images of Bahrain and testing Bahraini AI and cybersecurity innovations in space. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bahrain and his Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Khalifa University.

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On February 7, 2025, the space & satellite industry lost a giant. Jim Oliver, Founder, Owner and CEO of AvL Technologies and a member of the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame, was known throughout the industry as a pioneer, mentor, innovative design engineer and wildly successful entrepreneur. The innovations he brought to the satellite ground segment have been instrumental in freeing the satellite antenna from its fixed base and moving it out into the field for users from broadcasting and disaster relief to government and military. The world has gained in knowledge, lives saved, health restored and greater safety and security as a result. You can read his obituary here.

In honor of his lifetime of contributions to our industry, SSPI is taking this week to rebroadcast an interview from the Risk podcast series, in which Jim shared his experiences taking risks as an entrepreneur and never giving up the passion required to succeed. Read more about Jim in his Space & Satellite Hall of Fame profile.

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On the night of December 2, 2024 in London, SSPI and its UK Chapter held their annual Dinner to present Awards to three individuals and organizations that have made the world a far better place through their efforts. In this podcast series, you will hear their stories. The third episode features Dan Losada, Vice President, International Division at Hughes, who joins us to discuss Hughes' role in bringing internet access to some of the most isolated communities in Colombia through Juntas de Internet - Comunidades de Conectividad.

Dan Losada, vice president at Hughes, leads the company’s international sales team, responsible for satellite broadband systems sales around the globe, and maintaining the company’s competitive edge as the world’s leading VSAT provider. Prior to assuming leadership of the international sales team, Dan was senior director of the Hughes Defense and Intelligence Systems Division (DISD), supporting the U.S. military during its transition to Internet Protocol (IP)-based broadband systems. Previously, Dan held positions in microwave and RF systems design at Hughes and TRW, Inc. (now part of Northrop Grumman).

Earlier in his career, Dan served as a technical consultant for Universidad Antonio Narino in Bogotá, Colombia, overseeing deployment of a point-to-multipoint network and evaluating proposals for the implementation of a city-wide WLAN Wireless Network. A certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Dan holds both a Bachelor and Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has published papers on communication systems and design and speaks frequently at industry conferences and panels worldwide.

Hughes, with Microsoft and the Colombian government, brought internet access to some of the most isolated communities in Colombia through Juntas de Internet – Comunidades de Conectividad (Internet Connectivity Communities). According to the Wireless Broadband Alliance, more than four billion people globally remain without internet access, including 80% of households in poorer countries and 75% of students in rural areas. The Colombian government laid the groundwork for Juntas de Internet in July 2023 with the backing of the country’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MinTIC). The program was established to both enhance existing networks and build new ones. Internet implementation, connection, and maintenance is a joint effort between connectivity communities and regional internet service providers (ISPs). Connectivity communities are non-profit organizations whose income is exclusively used for the administration, operation, and maintenance of fixed community internet service. Hughes, serving as a regional ISP, partnered with Microsoft on Juntas de Internet. Read more about Hughes, Microsoft and Colombia’s MICT – Juntas de Internet: Connectivity Communities.

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On the night of December 2, 2024 in London, SSPI and its UK Chapter held their annual Dinner to present Awards to three individuals and organizations that have made the world a far better place through their efforts. In this podcast series, you will hear their stories. The second episode features Will Mudge, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Speedcast, who joins us to discuss Speedcast's provision of essential connectivity solutions during humanitarian crises and natural disasters.

Will Mudge is the Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Speedcast. In his current role, Will is responsible for managing 600 people across 44 countries with disciplines including supply chain, field engineering, IP engineering, teleports, R&D, NOC and systems engineering. He has built and improved numerous high-performing teams at Speedcast and is also an active contributor in industry panels and podcasts as well as a creator of video content and author of multiple papers. Before his current role, Will served as Vice President of Engineering Operations at Speedcast, a role in which he was responsible for a large part of Speedcast’s global infrastructure and the delivery of a positive experience to customers. Prior to his current role, Will served as the Director of Satellite Capacity and Technology at Speedcast, developing global teleport and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation strategies. He also previously served as the Director of Satellite Capacity and Technology, the R&D engineering lead, and as a strategic product marketing manager and program manager at Speedcast (formerly as Harris CapRock). Will holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Speedcast has consistently demonstrated a commitment to humanitarian aid and disaster response efforts by providing essential connectivity solutions during crises. In areas affected by natural disasters, the company has delivered reliable communications as a vital lifeline for both the affected communities and first responders working to aid them. In May 2024, Speedcast contributed to disaster response efforts in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, when the region experienced catastrophic flooding. Rio Grande do Sul received an entire year’s worth of rain in a matter of hours, leading to widespread landslides, the collapse of a key dam and many deaths. Speedcast took quick action to donate and deliver Starlink terminal kits and airtime to the Brazilian government, providing necessary connectivity to police, hospitals, the Brazilian army and various local and state government departments, which dramatically improved disaster response efforts. These quick-to-deploy solutions from Speedcast proved instrumental in reaching isolated areas and supporting recovery operations. Read more about Speedcast.

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The annual SATELLITE conference in Washington, D.C. is the gravitational pull of the commercial space & satellite industry. Like every other conference, media outlet and association that gathers the global community, SATELLITE has undergone changes over the past five years that reflect the growth and wonderfully chaotic direction of the space & satellite industry.

Jeffrey Hill, Executive Editor of Via Satellite and Executive Chairman of SATELLITE 2025, has taken a breather from conference planning to talk to SSPI's Lou Zacharilla about what we can expect this March in Washington, D.C. SATELLITE has adapted to many changes in conference structure and will be bringing exciting new features to the conference this year, such as the "Happy Hour Rocket Show" on the Exhibition floor. Jeff and Lou also discuss the "anxiety, both good and bad" running through the industry as it faces change after change and what we hope to see in the future.

Jeffrey Hill serves as the Executive Editor of Via Satellite and chair of the annual SATELLITE conference and exhibition in Washington D.C. He is also the host and producer of Via Satellite’s On Orbit podcast and the host of Via Satellite’s technology webcast series. Over the course of his nearly 15-year career, Jeff has become one of the most connected people in the space and satellite industry. He has interviewed prominent space and technology leaders such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Bea Perez, Emily Calandrelli and Charles Bolden, as well as hundreds of policy makers, investors, influencers and executives from all over the world.

A native of Philadelphia, he began his career as web editor for Next City magazine, while covering city hall politics for Philadelphia Weekly and Philadelphia Inquirer. He also previously served as a director of communications at Drexel University. He now lives in Bethesda, Maryland with his wife and son, two beagles and piles of books, musical instruments and knick-knacks from countless industry events and conferences. He enjoys making Slack Emojis of his co-workers.

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In The Space Business is... – the podcast series of The Space Business is Everywhere campaign, underwritten by ST Engineering iDirect – we take a look at the way the commercial space industry has spread itself to parts of the world where space and satellites were once only read about or dreamed of. Each episode will on a specific location and features an innovator who is shaping - and reshaping - the industry. In the second episode, we hear from Jane Egerton-Idehen, CEO of Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT).

Jane Egerton-Idehen is a seasoned professional Tech Executive, Author and Angel Investor. She is a dynamic executive with over 20 years in leadership roles across telecommunications, technology and satellite industries. She is currently the MD/CEO of Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), leading the nation's foremost agency in charge of managing the operations and services of the communications satellite owned by Nigeria. She has previously held high-level positions at Meta, Avan Communications, Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Network. With proven expertise in driving strategic growth, fostering C-level relationships and implementing revenue-generating sales strategies across multi-national markets, Egerton-Idehen is recognized among Nigeria's top corporate leaders, with a focus on emerging markets, strategic consulting and innovative technology solutions.

She was the Head of Sales, Middle East and Africa, Meta and Country Manager & Regional Sales Director for the West African branch of Avan Communications Group PLC. She cumulatively spent 13 years in Sales and Management in the telecommunication infrastructure giant — Ericsson. She also worked as a Cluster lead for Nokia Siemens Network in West Africa. Egerton-Idehen was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. She has a degree in Electronics Engineering in 2001 from the University of Nigeria, Nusska; a Master's Degree from Warwick Business School, US; and an executive education from Yale School of Management, US. She has worked in the telecommunications industry in Africa for more than 17 years.

Being one of the few females heading key business areas in the tech industry has exposed her to numerous professional and personal challenges peculiar to women. Spurred by discussions with fellow female executives round the globe, she organized a forum at Ericsson in which emerging and experienced female leaders could support each other in developing their careers. The overwhelming success of the forum led her to found Women and Career to reach women beyond her organization and to support girls seeking careers after school.

In March 2020, she published a book, Be Fearless: Give Yourself Permission To Be You. She drew from her more than 15 years of experience as a telecommunication executive in Africa to help women build lasting careers, especially in the male-dominated STEM industries.

Egerton-Idehen has continued to be actively involved in speaking to girls and women about STEM careers. She has spoken at TEDx programs, the African Science Academy, Asheshi University in Ghana, and CFA’s Startups Hangout and many more. She was awarded the Most Outstanding Female CEO of 2024 by the 5th Business and Excellence Awards. She is also the recipient of the Womenovate INWED2024 Women Impact Leader Awards.

Egerton-Idehen volunteers for the ACE Foundation’s Young Career and Graduate Mentorship Programme, and she is an aspiring fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Institute. A home girl at heart, she actively gives back to the Ajegunle community of Lagos through the Sozo Network’s #BeforeITurn18 program, which prepares underserved teenage girls for life, career and leadership.

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On the night of December 2, 2024 in London, SSPI and its UK Chapter held their annual Dinner to present Awards to three individuals and organizations that have made the world a far better place through their efforts. In this podcast series, you will hear their stories. The first episode features Andre L. Jones, who co-founded WANSAT Networks, Inc. to provide connectivity to underserved and unserved areas in his birth country of Guyana.

Born in one of the poorest regions of the nation, Andre witnessed firsthand the challenges that rural communities faced due to their isolation. When oil was discovered in Guyana, for example, the nation experienced rapid economic expansion, but the benefits did not reach many rural areas. Andre turned the years of expertise in the satellite communications industry he had developed as a successful businessman in the United States toward the problem, securing vital partnerships with leading companies operating in the region like Intelsat, Viasat and Telefonica. Through these partnerships, WANSAT was able to deliver connectivity to remote regions unreached by fiber and terrestrial networks, providing those isolated communities with access to essential services and communication options.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, based on the December 2024 edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, we take a more comprehensive look at the industry’s need to get its financial mojo back and to make its case to the larger media and the world that it is more than Musk, and as integral to human life and society as anything can be. We look at the ethics behind the great change coming for space and ask – in our typical way – whether DoorDash is more important than the Dart mission!

Our guests include:

Jonathan Baliff, CFO, Redwire Space
Tim Fernholz, Senior Space Writer, Payload
Michael Thate, Research Scholar for Responsible Tech, Innovation and Policy, Princeton University
Rick Tumlinson, Founder and Chairman, SpaceFund

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, based on the live November 2024 edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable that took place at the offices of Clyde & Co. in New York City, we hear from a powerhouse panel of guests including top investors, underwriters and space industry experts who examine the core issues shaping the Commercial Space Agenda and the future investment landscape.

As the 2025 presidential term brings a wave of high-level decisions on space policy, the stage is set for pivotal choices that will shape national strategy across space security, development, and exploration. Space technology is poised to open new pathways for bolstering national security and enhancing human welfare. With the infusion of commercial space capabilities into civil and national security realms, government space systems architectures are evolving in response to new opportunities and challenges. Yet, the sustainability of these shifts remains uncertain, with U.S. space leadership facing ongoing pressures. Policymakers and industry leaders alike stand at a critical crossroads.

Our guests include:

Tom Dinges, Vice President of Investor Relations, Mynaric
Elizabeth Evans, Senior Equity Partner @ Clyde & Co. | J.D.
Alex Hamilton, President and Co-Founder, Donald Capital, LLC
Chris Kunstadter, President, Triton Space LLC
Michael Sheetz, Space Reporter, CNBC
John A. Willding II, Corporate and Securities Partner, Stinson LLP
Hamlet Yousef, Managing Partner, IronGate Capital Advisors

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In The Space Business is... - the podcast series of The Space Business is Everywhere campaign, underwritten by ST Engineering iDirect - we take a look at the way the commercial space industry has spread itself to parts of the world where space and satellites were once only read about or dreamed of. Each episode will on a specific location and features an innovator who is shaping - and reshaping - the industry. In the first episode, we hear from Steve Matier, President and CEO of Maritime Launch Services in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Stephen Matier, President and CEO of Maritime Launch Services, is the visionary and driving force behind the development of Spaceport Nova Scotia, a world-class commercial space complex that will launch Canada into the global space industry. A mechanical engineer (Bachelor of Science, University of New Mexico, 1989) and an award-winning former NASA contractor engineering manager (NASA White Sands Test Facility), Matier is leading coordination and approval among provincial, federal and international governing bodies, securing financing, leading launch vehicle lease contracts, coordinating launch vehicle integration and selecting best-in-class commercial firms to support launch operations at Maritime Launch.

As part of Steve’s work with Maritime Launch, he is driving the collaboration and partnerships that will support the development of a safe and environmentally sustainable commercial space launch market in Canada. With satellite and launch vehicle clients within Canada and around the globe interested in launching from Spaceport Nova Scotia, Maritime Launch is joining a global industry that will exceed one trillion dollars annually within the next 20 years.

While Steve’s day-to-day focus is squarely focused on developing Canada’s first commercial spaceport, Matier’s interest in space extends beyond the technology and the launch itself. Steve has a passion for teaching, which means he is never far from the classroom, whether guest lecturing at a local high school physics class in Canso or presenting to kids at summer programs in Antigonish. He has driven partnerships with St. Francis Xavier University and Cape Breton University and is a supporter of Dalhousie’s cubesat program. His passion for working with schools began in his early career in the Space Shuttle program, with the recognition that kids can look up into space and see opportunity for themselves on the ground. Steve is a recipient of the prestigious Silver Snoopy Award, an honor in recognition of outstanding achievements related to human flight safety and mission success.

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In this Making Leaders podcast, we hear from Paige Webster, Director of Commercial Solutions at ATLAS Space Operations and one of three Promise Award Recipients in 2024. Paige joined ATLAS Space Operations in November of 2021 as a Technical Sales Engineer in Client Solutions after completing three internships at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Her keen eye for identifying process improvements led her to spearhead the development of a new role that aligned the Operations, Integrations, Engineering and Client Solutions teams to create a more streamlined approach to customer relations. Paige’s exemplary performance in this new role she helped create led her to be promoted to her current position of Director of Commercial Solutions, a position in which she focuses primarily on sales and business development, developing ground station solutions for a wide variety of unique missions. She has a unique talent for explaining complex topics in a way that is accessible to diverse audiences, allowing her to bridge the gap between engineering and sales.

As a Director of Commercial Solutions, Paige led ATLAS’ effort to design the ground station solution to support Blue Origin’s DarkSky-1 and follow-on Blue Ring missions. Simultaneously, she oversaw the solution development for more than 12 customer campaigns and managed ATLAS’ commercial contracting, resulting in great customer satisfaction. Since joining ATLAS in 2021, Paige has quickly become a significant contributor to the company. She has closed approximately 40% of 2024’s current revenue, and is on track to close more than 70% of ATLAS’ Commercial and Fed Civil sales by the end of 2024.

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In this Making Leaders podcast, we hear from Bradley Williams, Acting Associate Director for Flight in the Heliophysics Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate and one of three Promise Award Recipients in 2024. Bradley began his career in aerospace at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, where he served as a Project Manager and Systems Engineer collaborating with faculty and research teams to identify proposal opportunities and develop spaceflight proposals for NASA. He went on to serve as the Director of Civil Space Programs at Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems (now Terran Orbital Corporation, LLAP), a role in which he led the development of project/program management processes that prepared the company for trading on the New York Stock Exchange. While at Tyvak, Bradley led the NASA Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator CubeSats project, which included the TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) payload achieving a groundbreaking 200 Gigabits per second optical communications downlink. He also provided critical leadership during the design and integration phases of the CAPSTONE mission, a landmark project that continues to operate in cislunar space.

Upon joining NASA, Bradley was a vital member of the OSIRIS-Rex Camera Suite (COAMS) team, contributing to both development and launch successes as a member of the systems integration and test team, management team and later as the ALTO lead and primary interface to the spacecraft team. Following the OSIRIS-Rex launch, Bradley served as Deputy Payload Manager on GUSTO, a first of its kind, balloon-borne observatory selected as a Mission of Opportunity out of NASA’s Astrophysics Division. GUSTO completed the longest duration flight from Antarctica on a long duration balloon after its launch in 2023.

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In this Making Leaders podcast, we hear from Mackenzie Mason, Engineering Manager for Space Mission Systems Structural Dynamics at Boeing and one of three Promise Award Recipients in 2024. Mackenzie began her career at Boeing in 2014 as a Structural Dynamics Engineer. Her early contributions to the company were pivotal to the development of the 702MP/MP+ spacecraft, as she provided crucial recommendations to program management offices and customers and led numerous innovations in dynamic loads analysis and testing. Mackenzie spearheaded the dynamic shaker table move at Boeing’s El Segundo site, a project in which she had to overcome numerous challenges, including excavation of the structural test floor, removal of a vacuum chamber and reduction of the structural test lab footprint while adhering to an accelerated schedule. Her strategic planning and oversight ensured that multiple satellites completed testing on the new dynamic shaker table with 100% success, completing a $5 million investment.

While working at Boeing, Mackenzie also authored a white paper documenting updated NASA methodologies for predicting shock on composite honeycomb structures based on Boeing’s actual spacecraft-level shock measurements. Her white paper is now a critical reference for resolving requirement and verification disagreements in new satellite programs.

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The United Kingdom’s robust and ambitious space sector has many personalities. In this podcast series, we introduce you to three whom the UK Chapter of SSPI is considering for its prestigious Personality of the Year Award in 2024. One of these three finalists will be named the 2024 Satellite Personality of the Year live at the Better Satellite World Awards Dinner in London on 2 December.

Each of the three finalists is a star who has made significant contribution to the UK and global satellite industry and whose career is a study of performance and excellence at the highest level. In the third episode, we learn a bit about Mark Boggett, CEO of Seraphim Space Fund.

Mark Boggett is the CEO and co-founder of Seraphim, an investment firm exclusively focused on SpaceTech domain globally. Seraphim launched the world’s first Space VC fund in 2016. Now operating Seraphim Space Accelerator on three continents, with >$350m raised for the seed stage alumni. Seraphim also operates a space growth fund, listed on the London Stock Exchange. Across these three elements Seraphim has built a portfolio of over 100 SpaceTech startups - the world’s most prolific investor in the space domain.

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Each of the three finalists is a star who has made significant contribution to the UK and global satellite industry and whose career is a study of performance and excellence at the highest level. In the second episode, we learn a bit about Antonio Franchi, Head of the 5G/6G NTN Programme Office at the European Space Agency (ESA).

Antonio Franchi works at the European Space Agency as the Head of the 5G/6G NTN Programme Office in the Connectivity and Secure Communications Directorate. Antonio has over 30 years of experience in the satellite telecommunications industry. Prior to ESA, Antonio worked for over 20 years with Inmarsat, a major global satellite operator, spearheading a new generation of satellite communications systems. Antonio received an MSc in Electronic Engineering from the University of Rome and an MBA from the London Business School. He is author of 30+ articles and papers published at international conferences and professional magazines, and he holds six international patents in the satcom field.

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The United Kingdom's robust and ambitious space sector has many personalities. In this podcast series, we introduce you to three whom the UK Chapter of SSPI is considering for its prestigious Personality of the Year Award in 2024. One of these three finalists will be named the 2024 Satellite Personality of the Year live at the Better Satellite World Awards Dinner in London on 2 December. Click here to join us there!

Each of the three finalists is a star who has made significant contribution to the UK and global satellite industry and whose career is a study of performance and excellence at the highest level. In the first episode, we learn a bit more about Dr. David Parker FRAeS, Non-Executive Board Member of the UK Space Agency and Visiting Professor at the University of Southampton.

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In this special Making Leaders and SSPI-WISE Presents podcast, we hear from Joan Tang Mancuso, Marketing & Business Development Consultant (now retired), who was selected as SSPI's 2024 Mentor of the Year.

Joan has provided expert guidance, mentorship and support to young people in the space & satellite industry throughout her more-than-30-year career and long after retiring from full-time work. As a member of the SSPI Mid-Atlantic Chapter Board, she spearheaded the creation, promotion and implementation of a scholarship program to help inner city high school students with STEM education. An inaugural participant in SSPI-WISE’s Mentorship program, Joan mentored four different women across three countries, guiding them through career development, job changes, promotions and professional and personal challenges. Of particular note, she guided one mentee through a successful career transition from a technical role to a managerial position and helped another advance her career while navigating a difficult international relocation. Joan has also provided her insights and expertise to broader groups of women and industry professionals through a number of SSPI-WISE panels and online discussions.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, based on a panel session at the live New York Space Business Roundtable on September 18, we hear a discussion on the role of space and satellite in economic development, both in New York and beyond. Experts share their tips and what challenges they have faced or expect to face in the future.

Our guests include:

Lou Zacharilla, Director of Innovation, SSPI (moderator)
Nick Reese, CEO & Founder, Frontier Foundry, former DHS
Luc Decker, Consul General, Luxembourg Trade & Investment Office NY
Norman R. Garza, Jr., Executive Director, Texas Space Commission

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, based on a panel session at the live New York Space Business Roundtable on September 18, we hear a discussion on how New York State has moved forward on its journey to become a commercial space industry center, the pace of its development and what it needs to really get this going faster.

Our guests include:

Joe Fargnoli, Founder, New York Space Alliance (moderator)
Michael Clouser, Director, The Startup Race / Researcher, International Triple Helix Institute
John Neal, Executive Director, Space Policy, Cyber, Space and National Security Division, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Barry Safier, Engineering Manager, Moog Space and Defense Group
N. Darius Sankey, Managing Director, Innovation Acceleration Capital

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In this SSPI-WISE Presents podcast, SSPI Director of Engagement Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Penelope Longbottom, former Senior Advisor, Satellite Division at Sage Communications, now retired, and a Member of the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame and Andrea Maleter, former Technical Director at the Futron Corporation, now retired, and the 2010 SSPI Mentor of the Year.

Penelope launched her eponymous firm Longbottom Communications, LLC, in 2000. It was a full-service branding, public relations and marketing communications firm that advised and served a spectrum of clients in the global space, satellite, telecommunications and broadband sectors. In 2015 the firm was acquired by McLean-based Sage Communications, at which time Ms. Longbottom took full retirement. In 2016 she was inducted into the SSPI Hall of Fame in honor of her contributions fostering global awareness and the benefits of satellite communications to governments, enterprises, public safety, disaster management and ever-evolving applications and markets.

Penelope devoted over three decades to helping her employers, and later clients, drive strategic messaging and branding to foster market growth and help a skeptical public understand and utilize satellites for rapidly expanding communications capabilities. She applied her PR and marketing expertise first in the analogue world of television and cable broadcasting, through the evolution of digital direct-to-home TV and radio, mobile communications and multiple business applications and vertical markets. She entered the industry in 1985 as Director of Communications for Hughes Communications. Departing Hughes in 1996, Penelope was tapped by Lockheed Martin Corp. to help stand up and brand its newly created Lockheed Martin Intersputnik unit in London, a new partnership with Russia. Following that short-lived venture, Penelope was appointed VP of Lockheed Martin’s Space & Strategic Missiles Division. In 1999, she joined XM Satellite Radio to brand and drive the go-to market strategy of this first U.S.-licensed digital satellite radio operator to launch.

Andrea Maleter spent some 40 years in the global satellite, telecommunications and aerospace industries. As a consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Futron she provided policy, regulatory, investment and marketing advice to telecommunications companies, satellite manufacturing businesses and governments worldwide on areas including strategies for new technology implementation; telecommunications sector policy and privatization. Prior to consulting she held management positions at INTELSAT and COMSAT where she participated in the development of global telecommunications satellite markets and the planning and procurement of new satellite systems.

Andrea currently serves as Co-Chair of the SSPI-WISE Mentoring Working Group and has been instrumental in the formation and success of the SSPI-WISE Mentorship program.

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In the podcast series of Reducing the Risks of Space, Part 2: New Ideas in Space Safety, we explore policy, law, technology and operations in development now to manage the challenging space environment of the future. Episode 4 features a conversation with Dr. Grant Cates, Senior Project Leader for the Space Architecture Department at The Aerospace Corporation.

Dr. Grant R. Cates is a senior project leader for the Space Architecture Department at The Aerospace Corporation. In this role, Cates leads discrete event simulation analysis capabilities for NASA’s Human Exploration missions, Space Force launch ranges, and other customers. He provides launch probability assessments, forecasts of future launches, optimization of complex multi-launch space missions, and advocates for in-space rescue capabilities.

Cates joined Aerospace in 2014 and developed a model to determine launch range throughput and for forecasting future launches, both domestic and international. He led development of a model that estimated launch probability for the Atlas, Delta, and Falcon launch vehicles.

Cates was a chief scientist at SAIC where he built simulations to analyze human space flight architectures and to estimate the launch probability for NASA's Space Launch System. He held various positions at NASA in the Space Shuttle Program, including payload integration manager, landing convoy commander, flow manager, and flow director for the Columbia space shuttle orbiter. He was a member of the technical committee for the joint NASA/Air Force Source Evaluation Board for the initial Shuttle Processing Contract, served as a board member for the Space Program Operations Contract, was a member of the mishap investigation board that investigated a fire on the space shuttle Endeavour, and led the Jasper, Texas recovery site after the loss of Columbia. Cates was also an Air Force AWACS weapons director. He participated in Red Flag air warfare exercises, controlled F-15s intercepting Soviet bombers, and flew combat support missions during Operation Earnest Will.

Cates is the author, lead author, and coauthor of numerous papers. His peer reviewed journal articles include the “Project Assessment by Simulation Technique” and “The In-Space Rescue Capability Gap.”

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Bits, Bytes and AI, Oh My!, the podcast of the Digital Space campaign, underwritten by Hughes, delves into the rapidly evolving world of digital technology and its transformative impact on the space of satellite industries. In this series, we explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning and space based digital infrastructure with industry leaders and technologists. In episode 5, we hear from Carla Filotico, Partner and Managing Director at Novaspace.

Carla Filotico has 20 years of experience in management and strategy consulting. In her current role, she leads Novaspace strategy practice. She has extensive knowledge of the space sector, its ecosystem and applications/domains and more generally of the issues related to the space industry along the entire value chain from R&D, to manufacturing, launch, operations and to downstream applications. Ms. Filotico has been supporting space public institutions on space and industrial policy, market development and entrepreneurship fostering, as well as key global and European industry players to grow their business and shape their investment strategies. She is an active member of the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Jury. Prior to joining Novaspace (formerly SpaceTec Partners and Euroconsult), she led Booz&co’s (now Strategy& PWC) Aerospace and Defence practice in Italy and the Space Strategy team in Europe. Ms. Filotico is an Aerospace engineer, with MSc in space system engineering.

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Bits, Bytes and AI, Oh My!, the podcast of the Digital Space campaign, underwritten by Hughes, delves into the rapidly evolving world of digital technology and its transformative impact on the space of satellite industries. In this series, we explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning and space based digital infrastructure with industry leaders and technologists. In episode 4, we hear from Kidsan Barnes, Senior Vice President of Cruise & Ferry at Neuron.

Kidsan’s leadership philosophy centers on strategic intent, mental clarity and the joy of leading. Her contributions have not gone unnoticed; she was honored on the South Florida Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list, recognizing her significant impact on her industry, the economy and community, and also recognized on their Influential Business Women’s list for 2022.

Under her leadership, Neuron’s Cruise & Ferry division has seen remarkable advancements, solidifying its position as a leader in the fast-evolving world of satellite communications. Kidsan’s dedication to excellence and philanthropic contributions are seen in her voluntary board roles for both SSPI and Florida International University where she gained her Executive MBA. She remains an inspiration for those in the industries she serves.

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Bits, Bytes and AI, Oh My!, the podcast of the Digital Space campaign, underwritten by Hughes, delves into the rapidly evolving world of digital technology and its transformative impact on the space of satellite industries. In this series, we explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning and space based digital infrastructure with industry leaders and technologists. In episode 3, we hear from Brad Grady, Business Development Manager at Hughes Network Systems, LLC.

Brad Grady serves as a Business Development Manager at Hughes, where he enhances airlines’ in-flight connectivity experiences through the comprehensive Hughes In-Flight Connectivity Solutions. Leveraging over a decade of market analysis and insights, Brad collaborates with other industry-leading experts at Hughes to deliver transformative IFC experiences.

With more than 15 years in the satellite connectivity industry, Brad’s career is marked by prominent leadership positions. Prior to joining Hughes, he served as the Chief Operating Officer at Northern Sky Research (NSR) until its acquisition by Analysys Mason in 2022, where he continued as a Research Director. At NSR, an Analysys Mason company, Brad led the mobility and government/military research sectors, providing valuable insights to end-users, satellite operators, service providers, and the financial community.

Throughout his consultancy career, Brad has authored numerous reports on topics ranging from the global space economy’s market opportunities to the impacts of emerging LEO technologies on the mobility sector. He is a recognized speaker at industry conferences, has been interviewed by leading space sector publications, and has contributed to numerous custom consulting engagements.

Brad earned a Bachelors of Arts in Economics from the University of Maryland.

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Bits, Bytes and AI, Oh My!, the podcast of the Digital Space campaign, underwritten by Hughes, delves into the rapidly evolving world of digital technology and its transformative impact on the space of satellite industries. In this series, we explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning and space based digital infrastructure with industry leaders and technologists. In episode 2, we hear from Dr. Jennifer Seiler, Senior Engineer at RKF Engineering Solutions, LLC.

Jennifer Seiler is a Ph.D. computational astrophysicist, software developer and open science devotee. She currently works for RKF Engineering as a simulation and model developer and engineer for long-range wireless communication systems (both ground and satellite systems). Prior to RKF Engineering, Jennifer worked for Giant Army as Staff Astrophysicist and Developer on Universe Sandbox, a physics simulator sandbox game currently available on Steam.

She previously worked for the Department of Statistics at Columbia University studying open coding, open data, big data management and statistical issues of reproducibility in the sciences. A major focus was a project called ResearchCompendia.science. ResearchCompendia.science is a web service that allows researchers to run codes associated with scientific publications. The service allows authors of publications to create companion websites on which others may reproduce the paper's results or run their own parameters.

Jennifer has ten years of experience designing, developing and testing massively parallel numerical simulations that evolve highly non-linear partial differential equations (the Einstein Equations) in three or more dimensions for dynamical systems (close binary black holes and neutron stars). Though her degrees are in physics and astrophysics, she has a very strong and unique computer science background in software development and testing, numerical simulations, analysis, database management and cluster management. From 2010 to late 2012, Jennifer occupied a NASA Postdoctoral Position (NPP) in the Astrophysical Sciences Division at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center doing numerical relativity and gravitational astrophysics related to the (2012 de-funded and soon to be refunded) LISA mission (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) and relevant to LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory). She received her Ph.D. from the Leibniz University of Hannover, Germany for research at the Max-Planck Institut für Gravitationsphysik (Albert Einstein Institute).

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Bits, Bytes and AI, Oh My!, the podcast of the Digital Space campaign, delves into the rapidly evolving world of digital technology and its transformative impact on the space of satellite industries. In this series, we explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning and space based digital infrastructure with industry leaders and technologists. In episode 1, we hear from Chris Stott, Founder, Chair and CEO of Lonestar Data Holdings, Inc.

Chris Stott is the Founder, Chair and CEO of Lonestar Data Holdings Inc., the Lunar information, technology, and communications company and the first to send and operate data centers from the Moon for global disaster recovery. A lifetime entrepreneur, Chris is also the Founder and Non-Executive Chair of River Advisors and ManSat, the world’s largest commercial provider of satellite spectrum. Chris serves as the Chair Emeritus, alongside the late Sir Arthur C. Clarke, of the Space and Satellite Professionals International (SSPI), the largest professional association in the global space and satellite industry, which also named him Satellite Industry Mentor of the Year in 2015. Chris’s passion for the economics and commerce of space has led him to co-found both the Institute of Space Commerce in Austin in the United States, and the International Institute of Space Commerce on the Isle of Man in the British Isles. He has served on faculty at the International Space University (ISU) since 2003 and is a former co-chair of the university’s school of business and management. Chris is also a guest lecturer in space law and regulation at MIT Media Labs, the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and the School of Law at the University of Houston. In his spare time, Chris is a multi-award-winning producer, writer and documentary filmmaker. A naturalized Manx American, Chris lives in Florida with this wife and son and their dogs. He enjoys shooting (pistol, rifle, skeet and trap), SCUBA and Free Diving and flying helicopters. He drinks way too much coffee and rarely watches TV. When he needs to sleep, he reads his own bio.

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In the podcast series of Reducing the Risks of Space, Part 2: New Ideas in Space Safety, we explore policy, law, technology and operations in development now to manage the challenging space environment of the future. Episode 3 features a conversation with renowned industry journalist Peter B. de Selding, Co-Founder and Chief Editor of SpaceIntelReport and Member of the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame.

Peter B. de Selding is Co-Founder and Editor of SpaceIntelReport.com. He started SpaceIntelReport in 2017 after 26 years as the Paris Bureau Chief for SpaceNews where he covered the commercial satellite, launch and the international space businesses. A must read for space executives, Peter has broken numerous stories that changed the course of the industry. Among them was his investigation of the February 1995 launch accident at Xichang in China that destroyed the Intelsat 708 satellite. Peter also led coverage of the privatization of Intelsat and Eutelsat – and of the flurry of merger and acquisition activity that followed them – which further transformed the industry. His reporting could also change the fortunes of companies large and small.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, based on the July 2024 edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, we hear from Greg Eghigian, Author & Professor at Penn State and Nick Reese, Co-Founder & COO of Frontier Foundry. They discuss unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) and the numerous questions around them such as why we are spending so much to learn about UAPs and what would happen if we discovered we are not alone.

The question “are we alone?” has never been fully answered. With each image and data set arriving back from Hubble and James Webb the frivolous, Sci-Fi cultural expression of alien life is less frivolous. There is an anxiety about our place in the Universe and it impacts our human community in many ways.

The government and military are now addressing the question of UAPs with heightened seriousness and attention. As the understanding of UAPs' existence and nature becomes more mainstream, numerous questions emerge, particularly concerning commercial space and beyond.

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In this podcast series, we speak with friends of SSPI who recently made big executive moves. We’ll find out what they’re doing now and what they hope to achieve in their new roles in the industry. In episode 3, SSPI Director of Engagement Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Laura Cummings, Associate at Greenberg Traurig, LLP and 2023 "20 Under 35" honoree.

Laura Cummings focuses her practice on space law and commercial space regulation, providing legal support to businesses dealing with complex matters pertaining to space, satellite, and telecommunication industries. Her work scope is global, involving policy-making, legislative interpretation, and application of regulatory frameworks. She is involved in virtually all areas of space regulatory affairs including spectrum advocacy, remote sensing, export compliance, payload authorization, and providing guidance on in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing mission authorization.

Laura has deep experience influencing international telecommunications regulations and policy. Laura has served as a member of the U.S. Delegation to International Telecommunication Union conferences, including the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference, contributing to ongoing work around space sustainability. Similarly, she advocates for evolved U.S. domestic space regulations that are cohesive with international law and foreign domestic laws, working across a variety of jurisdictions and legal systems.

She plays a role in driving a regulatory agenda for the small satellite industry and in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing capabilities. In her previous role at Astroscale U.S., Laura managed spacecraft licensing for the geostationary Life-Extension Services program, drove spectrum advocacy, and supported export compliance. Laura also has experience with the Federal Aviation Administration, supporting the creation of new regulations regarding launch and reentry licensing requirements.

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In this podcast series, we speak with friends of SSPI who recently made big executive moves. We’ll find out what they’re doing now and what they hope to achieve in their new roles in the industry. In episode 2, SSPI Director of Engagement Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Slava Frayter, Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales at Kayhan Space.

Mr. Slava Frayter is the Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales at Kayhan Space, a SaaS company specializing in space situational awareness (SSA) and providing space traffic coordination and collision avoidance services for satellite operators and government organizations.

Before joining Kayhan Space in May 2024, Slava served as the Vice President for North America at Gilat Satellite Networks. In this role, he oversaw all company operations in North America, managed the regional team, and developed and executed growth strategies across various markets, including cellular backhaul, enterprise, mobility, and government sectors.

Prior to his tenure at Gilat, Mr. Frayter spent nearly two decades with Newtec, a Belgian satellite communication technology company, where he held several executive positions for the Americas region, including the CEO of Newtec America role. During his time there, Slava successfully built cross-functional organizations, grew revenue, significantly expanded the company's market presence, and forged long-term strategic relationships with partners and clients.

Mr. Frayter holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Riga Technical University in Latvia and an MBA in International Business and Finance from the University of Connecticut.

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In this podcast series, we speak with friends of SSPI who recently made big executive moves. We'll find out what they're doing now and what they hope to achieve in their new roles in the industry. In episode 1, SSPI Director of Engagement Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Jennifer Manner, Senior Advisor for Space and Satellite Policy at the Office of Spectrum Management in the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

Jennifer A. Manner is the Senior Advisor for Space and Satellite Policy at the Office of Spectrum Management in the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). In this role, Jennifer is the principle advisor to NTIA on spectrum management issues related to space and satellite communications. Prior to joining NTIA, Ms. Manner served as Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs at EchoStar Corporation, Deputy Chief of the Office of Engineering and Technology, as well as the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Jennifer has also held senior positions at the FCC and in industry, including at MCI/WorldCom (not Verizon) and Skyterra (now Ligado).

Jennifer has held leadership roles in a number of organizations including the Global Satellite Operators Association, the Satellite Industry Association, and the U.S. ITU Association. Jennifer has also held leadership positions in a number of U.S. government advisory committees including Chair, Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee and Vice Chair of the FCC’s World Radiocommunications Advisory Committee and the Commerce Department’s International Trade Advisory Committee. Jennifer also holds leadership positions at the International Telecommunications Union. Further, Jennifer served for over a decade as a professor of law at Georgetown University Law School teaching international telecommunications law, and continues to teach at Carnegie Mellon’s Executive Education Program in Technology Policy and the Silicon Flatirons Program at UC Boulder.

Jennifer is also an author of numerous articles and several books on spectrum and telecommunications including Spectrum Wars: The Rise of 5G and Beyond (Artech House 2021). Jennifer is currently working on her latest book, Spectrum Wars: A New Hope for Connectivity (expected release 2025). Jennifer is also a filmmaker, with her latest film, When Wire Was King: The Transformation of Telecommunications is available on PBS, as well as Amazon and AppleTV and other streaming platforms. Jennifer holds a B.A. in Political Science and Theater from the State University of New York at Albany, a J.D. cum laude from New York Law School and a LL.M. with honors from Georgetown University Law School. Jennifer lives in Bethesda, MD with her husband, Dr. Eric Glasgow, and her golden doodle, Charliedoodle.

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In part 1 of this special Better Satellite World podcast series, you heard from SSPI Director of Innovation and host of the Better Satellite World podcast Lou Zacharilla. He discussed the past two years of the Better Satellite World podcast and his favorite episodes, including his number 1 pick: The Road Less Travelled: Joining Faith and Science in a Journey Through the Stars. In part 2 of The Best of the Better, you'll get to listen to Lou's favorite episode, which originally aired as the inaugural episode of The Road Less Travelled series, sponsored by ATLAS Space Operations.

In The Road Less Travelled: Joining Faith and Science in a Journey Through the Stars, Lou speaks with Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ, Director of the Vatican Observatory and co-author of multiple books, including Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? and Turn Left at Orion. Brother Guy holds degrees from MIT, Harvard University and the University of Arizona and has been a member of the Catholic Church’s Jesuit Order since 1989. He has authored hundreds of scientific publications in addition to his books. Brother Guy even has his own asteroid – 4597 Consolmagno – and is a recipient of the Carl Sagan Medal from the American Astronomical Society.

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In this special Better Satellite World podcast, SSPI Director of Engagement Tamara Bond-Williams interviews none other than our host, SSPI Director of Innovation Lou Zacharilla. They discuss some of the most entertaining and intriguing podcasts Lou has had the privilege to record over the years, culminating in Lou's favorite podcast of all time, what he considers the Best of the Better Satellite World.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, based on the June 2024 edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, our panel of experts takes a hard-nosed look at how the public and private sectors share the world of AI.

Among other questions, we ask: What role will AI have on military applications in Space and on the ability to anticipate threats and opportunities that the commercial sector can benefit from? Profit from? Provide a more secure and just world for? There is no doubt that space is increasingly a warfare theater. But will it also become a culture which, through commerce and global cooperation, becomes a place where conflicts are “de-risked”?

Speakers include:

Dr. James Cunningham, DoD Busisness Development, Wallaroo
Chris Cummins, Chief of Staff, Voyager Space
Stuart Daughtridge, Senior VP, Advanced Technology, Kratos; Chairman, DIFI; and Finalist 2023 Satellite Executive of the Year
Jeremy Fand, Co-Founder and CEO, SeerAI, Inc.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast series, we ask the question: “What would you do if you had the power to make the world a better place during your career?” Joining SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla to answer that question in the seventh and final episode are 3 members of the “20 Under 35” cohort of 2023: Andrew Chau, Space Mission Program Manager at Millennium Space Systems (A Boeing Company), Bhavi Jagatia, Astrodynamics Engineer at Planet and Matej Poliacek, ISS Flight Operations Engineer & STRATOS Flight Control Team Deputy Lead at DLR – German Aerospace Centre.

Andrew Chau is a Space Mission Program Manager for Millennium Space Systems, A Boeing Company, in El Segundo, California. In his current role, he leads Victus Nox, a tactically responsive space program for the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command Space Safari Office. The program, which demonstrates how fast we can respond to on-orbit needs, is critical for national security space. Most notably, the program required a high-performance small satellite to be completed in a mere eight months from contract authorization; a 60-hour activation phase; a 24-hour launch phase; and mission operations-ready in 48 hours after launch. Under Andrew’s leadership, the team met or exceeded these ambitious goals – eight months for satellite completion, 58 hours for activation, 24 hours for launch and 37 hours for mission operations. These goals can take years to complete, and yet, the team completed everything in under a year. Prior to VICTUS NOX, Andrew served as program manager for a high-rate production study and was the project manager for Millennium Space’s micro control-moment gyroscope. He also worked as an electromechanical design engineer.

Bhavi Jagatia is an Astrodynamics Engineer at Planet, a position she took on after completing a successful internship for the Orbits R&D team. While at Planet, she has made significant improvements to the tasking system for the company’s high-resolution constellation of imaging satellites, SkySats. Bhavi was initially tasked with evaluating the complex schedule for SkySats, identifying areas of improvement and implementing changes to increase the collection capacity of the fleet. Her work resulted in substantial fulfillment enhancements, and she is now the sole owner and developer of the tool for her team. Bhavi received her Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University, which she attended on the prestigious Tata scholarship. During her studies at Cornell, she worked with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on a project to investigate the use of flux-pinning on orbiting sample capture for a Mars sample return mission. Bhavi served as avionics lead for the project and participated in a microgravity test aboard a Zero-G flight with the JPL team. She also led Cornell’s project team for NASA’s Micro-G NExT competition while completing her studies and worked in internships at Boeing’s research lab, ASML, and Honda Aircraft Company.

Matej Poliacek is a Flight Operations Engineer and Deputy Team Lead of the STRATOS Flight Control Team for the Columbus module of the International Space Station (ISS) at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). In this role, he supports the astronaut crew onboard by monitoring and operating the systems and payloads in the module, ensuring crew safety, smooth running of the station and supporting scientific activities. Matej also took part in the recent European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut selection, and although he did not reach the final stages, he was among the top 5% selection from the 22,500 applicants Europe-wide. He is currently the first and only known Slovak citizen to directly work on the ISS project. In 2023, Matej and his team conducted a hardware upgrade on the ISS from the ground alongside astronauts who were performing the on-board activities. The project, which involved replacing Columbus LAN switches, took several years of preparation, including writing and updating procedures, outlining choreography for the crew and coordination with NASA counterparts and European payload operators to facilitate the transition to new hardware with minimal impact on daily ISS operations. It took 2 full weeks of console work to complete, during which Matej supported the crew with ground commanding to properly configure the module both before and after the hardware transition, provided the crew with guidance for their on-board actions and checked out and integrated the hardware into station operations.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast series, we ask the question: “What would you do if you had the power to make the world a better place during your career?” Joining SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla to answer that question in the sixth episode are 3 members of the “20 Under 35” cohort of 2023: Christian Keil, Chief of Staff at Astranis, Sapna Rao, Senior Systems Engineer at Lockheed Martin and Glory Sikka, Technical Program Manager at Maxar.

Christian Keil is the Chief of Staff at Astranis, a manufacturer and operator of MicroGEO communications satellites. He leads both the marketing team and the regulatory team, roles in which he is the primary interface between Astranis and the outside world — whether heads of international regulatory agencies or fans on Twitter. After joining Astranis as its third businessperson, Christian played a pivotal role in scaling the company to over 300 employees and a $1.6 billion valuation. Over nearly five years, he has helped by establishing the company’s back-end business systems (finance, recruiting, HR, etc.), designing the company’s first website, writing the company’s first onboarding guide and securing the company’s first MOUs from the Department of Defense.

Sapna Rao is a Senior Systems Engineer at Lockheed Martin. She joined the company in 2018 after graduating from the Virginia Tech College of Engineering with a degree in Aerospace Engineering and completing an Aerospace Engineering internship with Lockheed Martin. Sapna quickly became integral to many Lockheed Martin initiatives, playing an active role as a Software Systems Engineer, Systems Engineer and Mission Operations Developer on significant programs including Artemis I, Artemis II, the Human Landing System, and the Cryogenic Demonstration Mission. She currently serves as the lead for developing customers and partners from industry and academia to participate in Lockheed Martin’s Lunar Mobile Vehicle project. Sapna is also the technical lead for Project Agni, a machine learning and artificial intelligence tool that can detect wildfires using lightning and weather data. She is also leading the generation of mission operations sequences for the Cryogenic Demonstration Mission. This mission is proving out the technology for transferring liquid hydrogen in orbit demonstrating refueling in space. This capability will enable future deep space exploration to Mars and beyond.

Glory Sikka is the Deputy Technical Program Manager for NASA’s Space Infrastructure Dexterous Robot (SPIDER) project at Maxar. She joined the company in 2018 as a Lead Systems Engineer for the project. SPIDER is an ambitious and complex mission demonstrating a brand-new robotic arm system for in-space assembly of spacecraft. Glory’s team is responsible for the end-to-end system, which includes end-over-end walking capability, robot control avionics, situational awareness software, operations console, a precision in-space assembled Ka-band antenna and an in-space manufactured composite antenna boom. She was promoted to her current position in 2021 and is one of the youngest employees to ever reach that level of seniority at the company. Before joining Maxar, Glory spent two years as a Systems Engineer performing robotic maintenance activities on nuclear reactors for the MDA Corporation. She made many training and tool upgrades and improvements while at the company, resulting in greater up-time and reduced risk during maintenance operations. Glory began her career at Solar Ship, where she conducted design, modelling, experimental testing and data analysis for a next-generation airship.

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In this SSPI-WISE Presents podcast, Tamara Bond-Williams, Director of Engagement at SSPI, speaks with Merissa Velez, Chief of the Satellite Programs and Policy Division at the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) Space Bureau. This podcast is the second episode of New Ideas in Space Safety, the podcast of the SSPI topic campaign: Reducing the Risks of Space, Part 2: New Ideas in Space Safety.

Merissa Velez is Chief of the Satellite Programs and Policy Division of the Federal Communications Commission’s Space Bureau. In this role, Ms. Velez oversees a team addressing legal and policy issues associated with the licensing and regulation of satellite systems. Ms. Velez has focused on satellite regulatory issues at the FCC for the past ten years, and was previously the Chief of the Satellite Policy Branch in the International Bureau’s Satellite Division. Prior to joining the FCC, Ms. Velez clerked for the Supreme Court of Hawaii and worked in the legal publishing industry. Ms. Velez is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School and Middlebury College.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, based on the May edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, you'll hear the first AI talk at the Roundtable. It’s the gamechanger and it’s here and moving fast. How fast and where is it going to land in the commercial space sector?

In this conversation, we bring AI into the house and to space and satellite to find out where it is doing a makeover on commercial space. We look for answers from the government sector, too, and talk about how AI can help smaller companies get contracts, financing and customers.

And we ask if AI is really a friend to the industry or just smiling to our faces while wanting to take our place? Will AI help us get further out there or take over things down here first?

Our speakers include:

Prateep Basu, Co-founder, SatSure
Matteo Cuccorese, Co-founder & CEO, SPAICE
Sapna Rao, Senior Systems Engineer, Lockheed Martin, 2023 20 Under 35 Honoree
Hanna Steplewska, President and COO, Cognitive Space

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In this Better Satellite World podcast series, we ask the question: “What would you do if you had the power to make the world a better place during your career?” Joining SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla to answer that question in the fifth episode are 3 members of the “20 Under 35” cohort of 2023: Neha Lin, Space Systems Engineer at Iridum, Armando Loli, Project Engineer at Boeing and Asad Malik, Founder, Chairman and CEO of iRocket.

Neha Lin is a Space Systems Engineer at Iridium. She joined the company in 2017 as a Satellite Payload Computer Engineer, during a pivotal time when Iridium had just begun retiring its older satellites and launching Iridium NEXT satellites with entirely new payload hardware and software, as well as hosted services. As soon as she took on this role, Neha was confronted with a multitude of challenges with on-orbit payload hardware and software issues and integrating the new satellites into the existing Iridium satellite constellation without disrupting service for customers. She investigated each issue and developed appropriate responses and procedures to minimize service impact. Neha also actively guided the Operations team in efforts to recover the computers with as little disruption as possible. Before joining Iridium, Neha began her career as a Reliability Test Engineer at Microchip Corp., where she carried out rigorous flash endurance cycles on PIC microcontrollers. She transitioned into a role as an RTL Design Engineer at Microchip Corp. before moving on to join Iridium.

Armando Loli is a Project Engineer at Boeing. He joined the company initially as an Industrial Engineer, a role in which he supported F-15, F/A-18 and 777x aircraft. From there, Armando transferred to Kennedy Space Center to work on Boeing’s Starliner Crewed Spacecraft. He was selected as a key member of the Pad Team that assists NASA astronauts into the Crew Module on Launch Day and also granted security clearances to help integrate Production Engineering initiatives across Boeing’s entire Space and Launch portfolio. In his current position, Armando developed the requirements and initial design for a Spacecraft Production System Digital Model/Twin and demonstrated optimized build flows and flexible scaling to meet different build rate scenarios. He is currently managing 3 major projects for Boeing’s Space Production, Test, Launch and Recovery Engineering Core Team. While working at Boeing, Armando created and now manages an initial Immersive Development Center for the company’s space programs that provides Mixed Reality technologies, which help with manufacturing, production, test and operations.

Asad Malik is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of iRocket. He founded iRocket at the age of 28 with the vision of bridging the “digital divide” by launching satellites designed to enhance 5G high-speed Internet access, autonomous vehicles, telemedicine and online education. The company’s slogan, “Launch More. Wait Less,” articulates its commitment to providing low-cost, responsive launches with a fully reusable launch vehicle powered by clean, sustainable propellants. iRocket also plans to provide point-to-point cargo delivery services, which can be used for national security and humanitarian missions, such as those dealing with natural disasters. Asad is a graduate of the Tandon School of Engineering at New York University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He worked at M&J Engineering Group, a diversified provider of engineering, environmental, construction and technology services, for 12 years, eventually serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. While working at M&J, Asad developed MARQUS, an FEA error-checking and design optimization tool for submarine hull structure design, and helped deliver $2 billion in constructed value projects for the Department of Defense with exceptional CPARS ratings. Asad still serves on the Board of Directors at M&J while leading iRocket today. In 2020, he was accepted into the NYU Stern Accelerator Endless Frontiers Lab (EFL) and was part of its Deep Tech Cohort. EFL works with high-growth start-ups that employ innovations in technology and life sciences with the goal of having societal impact through science and technology.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast series, we ask the question: “What would you do if you had the power to make the world a better place during your career?” Joining SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla to answer that question in the fourth episode are 2 members of the “20 Under 35” cohort of 2023: Aysha Alharam, Acting Head of Satellite Design and Development at the Bahrain National Space Science Agency and Laura Cummings, Regulatory Affairs Counsel at Astroscale U.S.

Aysha Alharam is the current Acting Head of Satellite Design and Development for the National Space Science Agency (NSSA) of Bahrain. She began her career in 2018 when she was selected as one of the nine first members of the Bahrain Space Team, a position that had over 4,000 other applicants. As the first Bahraini space engineer leading the team, Aysha served as project manager, idea innovator and software developer for the “Aman” payload project, which won the prestigious Payload Hosting Initiative – organized by the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) in 2022 – out-competing space agencies, companies, universities and research centers from over 100 countries. The Aman payload project showcases Eng, which focuses on securing satellite data through a novel cybersecurity encryption algorithm based on FPGA and parallel processing technology. Aysha personally developed the idea of the AI-based image processing system that will be onboard the first Bahraini satellite, “AlMunther,” the first of its kind in the Middle East region. She completed her education with two Masters degrees, one in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a concentration in space technology from Khalifa University in the UAE and one in Information Technology and Computer Science from the University of Bahrain.

Laura Cummings is Regulatory Affairs Counsel for Astroscale U.S., a position in which she is responsible for identifying and helping to create the regulatory framework to authorize In-Orbit Servicing, Assembling and Manufacturing (ISAM) for spacecrafts such as Astroscale’s Life Extension In-Orbit (LEXI) missions. These satellite missions require knowledge and expertise in multiple legal frameworks, orbital regimes and technical innovations, with only a handful of precedents that can be considered examples by regulators. In addition to her work on the ISAM regulatory framework, Laura represents Astroscale U.S. in a variety of industry associations, including the Commercial SmallSat Spectrum Management Association (CSSMA) – of which she is President and a Board Member – and the Consortium for the Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing (CONFERS), where she helps the industry to shape policies and communications standards for ISAM missions. Before joining Astroscale U.S., she served as a Regulatory Intern at SES Satellites and a FAA Legal Honors Intern at the Federal Aviation Administration. Laura received her Bachelor of Arts in International Regulations and Affairs, Astronomy from the University of Colorado Boulder, her Doctor of Law in Space Law and International Law from the University of Denver – Sturm College of Law and her Juris Doctor in Space Law from Georgetown University Law Center. While earning her degrees, she held major roles in the Space Law Society at both Georgetown University Law Center, where she served as Vice President and then President, and at Denver University, where she served as Executive Director.

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In the fifth and final episode of Invisible, Indispensable Infrastructure, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with Jonathan Baliff, Chief Financial Officer at Redwire Space. Redwire, based in Florida, is a new leader in mission-critical space solutions and high-reliability components for the next generation space economy. On April 24, Redwire received the 2024 Business Award from the Luxembourg-American Chamber of Commerce, becoming the first space and satellite company to receive this honor.

Jonathan Baliff has been a leader in the aerospace, energy and infrastructure sectors for over 25 years as both a public company senior executive and investment and commercial banker. Mr. Baliff has served on the Redwire Board of Directors and as Chair of the Audit Committee since September 2021. Mr. Baliff also serves on the Board of Directors and Audit Committee of Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc (NYSE: TCBI). Most recently, Mr. Baliff was the President of Genesis Park Acquisition Corporation, the special purpose acquisition corporation that merged with Redwire.

Previously Mr. Baliff served as Chief Executive Officer of Bristow Group (NYSE: BRS), the world’s largest commercial helicopter and industrial aviation company serving the energy and government sectors. He served as Bristow’s Chief Financial Officer from 2010 to 2014 until his appointment to Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Bristow Group in 2010, Mr. Baliff was the Executive Vice President for Strategy at NRG Energy, where he led the development and implementation of NRG’s overall strategy. Before joining NRG in 2008, Mr. Baliff was a Managing Director in Credit Suisse’s Global Energy Group, where he advised energy infrastructure companies on over $50 billion in merger and acquisition assignments and project and corporate financings starting in 1997. Mr. Baliff started his business career with J.P. Morgan’s Natural Resource Group in 1995 after nearly a decade flying F-4 Phantom fighter aircraft in the US Air Force, including the first combat missions during the first Gulf War.

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It’s an exciting time to be a part of the space and satellite industry. Launches are happening every day from New Zealand to Florida. The ground systems are going virtual. We have software-defined satellite. And all of these changes are coming together to impact the way satellites interact with infrastructure. As an industry, we are now in a place where we are augmenting and sometimes even supplanting terrestrial infrastructure.

In the fourth podcast of the Invisible, Indispensable Infrastructure podcast series, we explore this topic in-depth with a panel of five women experts from SSPI-WISE (SSPI Women in Space Engagement). This episode is based on the recent SSPI-WISE online conversation, Satellites as Infrastructure, that took place on April 25, 2024.

Our expert panel includes:

Toni Lee Rudnicki, Fractional COM/Founder, TLR Consulting LLC and Elevating Women Working Group Co-Chair (moderator)
Haley Bauser, Senior Product Engineer, Varda Space Industries
Beatrice Mok, Corporate Development Director, Kacific
Caroline Reid, Spacecraft Operations Engineer, Rocket Lab
Sarah Tulaimat, Senior Account Manager, Appliot

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In the third episode of Invisible, Indispensable Infrastructure, we take a look at how satellites ensure safety and keep things moving down the road every day with Martin Jefferson, Commercial IoT Data Services Manager - North America at Globalstar.

Martin Jefferson currently serves as the Commercial IoT Data Services Manager for Globalstar, a position he has held for 15 years. With over 30 years of experience as an experienced senior technical sales executive, he helps drive the satellite IoT business for the brand and acts as key liaison for Globalstar’s Value-Added Manufacturers and Resellers. Globalstar is an American satellite communications company operating a low Earth orbit satellite constellation for mobile voice and data communications. The company provides business and recreational communications for industries, government and individual customers located in remote areas. Before joining Globalstar, Martin served as General Manager and Owner of Kelcom, Inc.'s Hamilton branch, as Director of Sales - Eastern Canada for Glentel, Inc. and as Vice President and General Manager at Digital Mobile Systems, Inc. He received his Bachelors of Science in Microbiology from the University of Toronto.

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The peaceful use of space for all nations is consistent with the vision of the United Nations, as it is with every professional in our industry. And there is one group and a person at the UN whose role it is to work toward that vision every hour of the day. The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) works to promote international cooperation in the peaceful use and exploration of space and in the utilization of space science and technology for sustainable economic and social development. In the second episode of Invisible, Indispensable Infrastructure, we hear from Aarti Holla-Maini, Director of UNOOSA, a true champion of the peaceful uses of space and its development.

Aarti Holla-Maini is the Director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), having taken up post on September 18 following her appointment by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. Ms. Holla-Maini brings over 25 years of experience in the space and satellite sector, working predominantly with international organizations and regulators. Prior to the United Nations, she held the post of Secretary-General of the Global Satellite Operators Association. Ms. Holla-Maini is a recognized leader with a strong track record in forging public-private and cross-sector partnerships; high-level advocacy at the international level; strategic communication and managing diverse stakeholders.

Under her leadership, Ms. Holla-Maini expanded the association from being a regional organization to a global one representing commercial satellite operators around the world. She was one of the chief architects of the Crisis Connectivity Charter established in 2015 for emergency telecommunications via satellite with the UN World Food Programme’s Emergency Telecommunications Cluster and has, on multiple occasions, secured recognition and policy support for space technologies to play their rightful role in connecting the unconnected, in Europe, Africa and beyond.

The appointment of Ms. Holla-Maini comes at a time when activities in space are being increasingly driven by the private sector. Her deep experience in high-level advocacy with international organizations and regulators, along with her understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the space sector, will serve Member States well as they seek to access and leverage the benefits of space to accelerate sustainable development. Ms. Holla-Maini’s experience has included service as a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Space; member of the Advisory Group of the Space Sustainability Rating managed by eSpace at EPFL Space Center; member of the Advisory Board of the Satellite Industry Association of India; Senior Space Policy Advisor to Forum Europe and an Expert Advisor on Space Traffic Management for European Union studies 2021-2023.

Ms. Holla-Maini holds a bachelor’s degree in law with German law from Kings College London and a master’s degree in business administration from HEC in France. She is fluent in French, German and Punjabi alongside her native English and has moderate knowledge of Dutch.

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The world is supported by infrastructure that no one can see. It keeps computers and communication networks running, detects hurricanes and wildfires, tracks methane and carbon emissions. And we go nowhere without it. It guides ships and planes, cares and homes. It battles disease and helps take a bite out of crime. This infrastructure consumes little or no concrete or asphalt and few steel beams for support, yet it circles the entire planet. It is the network of communication and observation satellites.

In the first episode of Invisible, Indispensable Infrastructure, we hear from Karl Horne, Vice President of Cloud and Digital Solutions at SES. Karl is responsible for technology and business strategies for satellite connected cloud and Digital Transformation solutions aimed at the Enterprise, Public Sector and Telco/MNO markets. In this capacity, Karl works across the ecosystem of cloud and network service providers, technology vendors, and solutions integrators to establish SES’s solutions in support of the industry shift towards 5G, IoT, and Cloud Powered Digital Transformations.

Karl has over 30 years of experience in the telecom/datacom industry. Prior to his current position at SES, he has held various Engineering, CTO and Business Development roles for Ciena Corporation, Scientific Atlanta and AT&T Tridom. Karl holds a BSEE from Clemson University.

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In this SSPI-WISE Presents podcast, Tamara Bond-Williams, Director of Engagement at SSPI, speaks with Diana Klochkova, Chief Marketing Officer at Privateer Space, a pioneering company dedicated to making space access safer and more accessible. This podcast is the first episode of New Ideas in Space Safety, the podcast of a new SSPI topic campaign: Reducing the Risks of Space, Part 2: New Ideas in Space Safety.

Diana Klochkova is CMO of Privateer, where she leads marketing for the space start-up as it builds the tools that will make space safer and more accessible. Diana’s background spans a variety of roles in B2C, B2B, digital, and content marketing. In 2018, she founded Zaya, a boutique agency focusing on purpose-driven projects. Prior to Zaya, she held leadership roles at Rebel Ventures, Omnicom Media Group and Levi Strauss & Co.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, based on the February 2024 edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, we take a look with experts at where we stand in early 2024 with regard to the commercial space industry and a battlefield that has bled two societies, threatened the stability of Europe and will take at least a generation’s wealth to repair.

The battle for Ukraine has been a desperate fight. One filled with miscalculations, brutality and an horrific loss of life. The everyday peace and serenity needed for societies to thrive has been upset in great cities like Kyiv and Kharkiv. Europe, the USA and most of the world wants it to end. It will eventually end. But how? Sheer exhaustion? Or can satellites and commercial space play a role?

Our panel of experts includes:

Vera Bergengruen, Senior Correspondent, TIME Magazine
David Myers, President & CEO, UltiSat, Inc.
Stephen Wood, Senior Director, Maxar News Bureau

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In this Making Leaders podcast, we hear from Ed Spitler, Head of SATCOM at Artel and one of three inductees to the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame in 2024. For more than three decades, Ed Spitler has pursued a passionate commitment to support the American warfighter by supplying best-in-class satellite communications systems to power the success of the US Armed Forces. Upon completing his military service as a Cryptographic Telecommunications and Systems Specialist, Ed went to work for the US Department of Defense Contractor, rising from Senior Technical Engineer to Regional Program Manager, OPMAS-EUR, 5th Command, where he played a pivotal role in transitioning seven Defense Communications Sites (DCS) throughout Germany from analog to digital technology.

In 2001, he joined Artel as Vice President of Managed Network Services, in which role he served as program director for more than eight critical DOD and Department of State programs and supported missions including Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan. Leaving Artel in 2012, Ed went on to hold a series of leadership positions, including COO of Vizada, CEO of Astrium Services Government and President of Satcom Services Government Division at Airbus Defense and Space. By 2017, he was back at Artel as Head of Satcom, where he led the company into a multi-orbit future that delivered resilient GEO to LEO connectivity to the government. He led development and delivery of the SPACE FORCE Pathfinder 2 program, which embedded the Pathfinder 2 payload aboard Hispasat’s Amazonas Nexus HTS. The goal was to provide dependable access to connectivity while saving money for Federal agencies compared with short-term satellite capacity leasing. The program produced savings of more than 60 percent over equivalent service.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast series, we ask the question: “What would you do if you had the power to make the world a better place during your career?” Joining SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla to answer that question in the third episode are 2 members of the “20 Under 35” cohort of 2023: Srikanth Kodeboyina, Founder and CEO of Blue Eye Soft Corp dba Blue Space and Klaus Okkelberg, Electrical Design & Analysis Engineer at Boeing.

Srikanth Kodeboyina is the Founder and CEO of Blue Eye Soft Corp, currently in the process of becoming Blue Space. He moved to the United States in 2010 to pursue his education and earned his Master’s degree in Computer and Electrical Engineering from the University of Dayton. Within six years of completing his degree, he was working for Fortune 100 companies and managing projects across 14 states with budgets up to $32 million. Srikanth moved on to be commissioned an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, which led to him becoming a U.S. citizen. With citizenship came the opportunity to pursue his true dream, starting his own enterprise in the form of Blue Eye Soft (BES). The company initially offered IT consulting and management services, but it quickly expanded to include BlueDoc AI, Blue Space and Blue Space International, creating a specialty in the application of artificial intelligence models to analyze vast amounts of data, text and imagery. BES has established offices in South Carolina and New Mexico and intends to establish a presence in an international business hub in India next. The company has achieved the highest security clearances and been awarded contracts from agencies such as NASA and AFWERX, a technology directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Since founding BES, Srikanth has been chosen by more than 20 organizations to participate in incubator/accelerator programs for top entrepreneurs. He was a member of the first cohort of the New Mexico Lab-Embedded Entrepreneur Program (LEEP) at Los Alamos National Laboratory and was also chosen to be part of MIT’s Engine program that helps the next generation of “Tough Tech” leaders navigate the commercialization process.

Klaus Okkelberg is an Electrical Design & Analysis Engineer at Boeing. In his current position, he works at Boeing Phantom Works Space on moving ground-based signal processing algorithms to space, reducing turnaround time, which is crucial for enabling autonomous operations. Klaus also works with artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), specifically deep neural networks (DNNs), for image-based inspection and pose estimation – the detection of the position and orientation – of unknown satellites. Supervised AI/ML greatly reduces the need for feature engineering, meaning fewer engineers and revisions are needed per project. Using DNN algorithms has sped up development of new image processing functions and reduces the cost of developing and deploying new space-based imaging sensors, which has led to many new business opportunities for Boeing with national space government customers. Klaus has personally developed several key innovations in AI/ML, including data augmentations, training regularizations and high-dimensional space embeddings. These developments greatly reduce generalization error and enable the use of real satellite imagery from different sources without additional pre- or post-processing. Klaus is a graduate of Penn State Schreyer Honors College with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and of the University of New Orleans with a Master’s degree in the same field. At Penn State, his thesis on nonlinear control of marginal oscillators contributed to the more precise detection of explosive materials, providing immense benefit to potential customers such as the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Klaus interned at Xilinx in their signal integrity division.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with John Murtagh, Head of Strategy at Airbus Defence and Space - Intelligence. They discuss John's work with Airbus' Intelligence program unit and the key role of Earth observation data analytics in modern strategy and intelligence planning.

John Murtagh is an Earth observation industry professional. He is a strategist within the Strategy Team of Connected Intelligence within Airbus Defence and Space, a leading supplier of satellite imagery and related defense solutions. Since joining Airbus in 1992, John has undertaken a wide range of roles and is now an executive member driving strategies focused on new digital transformation services and platform initiatives. He has worked in over 30 countries on all continents since joining Airbus and brings a unique perspective from the global customer vantage point.

John received his undergraduate degree from King’s College London and graduated with an MSc in Remote Sensing from Imperial College/University College London. He also has an MA in Marketing and an MBA in Strategy. Prior to joining Airbus, John worked for BP Exploration in their Remote Sensing Group as a data integration specialist.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, recorded as a special bonus interview after of the February edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with TIME Magazine reporter Vera Bergengruen. Vera recently returned from Ukraine where she reported on the nation's communication network, including satellites.

Vera Bergengruen is a senior correspondent at TIME Magazine, based in the Washington, D.C. bureau. She covers the overlap of national security, politics, and technology. Her work at TIME has won the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi Award and a New York Press Club Award. Vera has over 10 years' experience as a Washington correspondent, having worked as a National White House and later Pentagon Correspondent for McClatchy and National Security Correspondent for BuzzFeed before joining TIME. She joined the New York Space Roundtable on February 21, 2024 to discuss the potential role of satellites and commercial space in bringing an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

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In this Making Leaders podcast, guest host Lou Zacharilla steps in for Robert Bell to speak with Stuart Daughtridge, Vice President of Advanced Technology at Kratos and Director and Chair of the Digital Intermediate Frequency (IF) Interoperability Consortium (DIFI). Stuart, who was recently nominated for Via Satellite's Satellite Executive of the Year award, joins Lou to talk about DIFI's latest news and the upcoming London Space Business Roundtable on March 5.

Stuart Daughtridge has been with Kratos since 1999, and in the satellite and aerospace industry since 1986. In his current position, Mr. Daughtridge leads Kratos’ satellite ground segment technology research and development efforts. Prior to his current role, he held several senior management positions, including SVP & GM of the Integral Systems Products Group, SVP & GM of the Integral Systems Commercial Group, as well as Program Manager of several major commercial programs. Before joining the Company, Mr. Daughtridge held various management and engineering positions with Orion Satellite Corporation, Intelsat, and Spacecom. Mr. Daughtridge holds a Bachelor of Science from Lafayette College.

DIFI has created a standard that enforces interoperability on digital IF/RF technology. Digital IF was developed to overcome the limitations of analog systems but, today, vendor lock-in prevents it from delivering seamless interoperability and severely limits its adoption. A truly interoperable digital IF, on the other hand, will enable transformation to a virtualized ground segment, reducing the total cost of ownership and significantly boosting network and terminal agility and scalability. Compliance with the DIFI standard will ensure that satellite ground segments can seamlessly adapt to rapidly changing space-layer payloads, orbits, and constellations. Ultimately, DIFI promises to elevate the resilience, performance, and capabilities of satellite networks and enable a digital transformation that integrates satellites seamlessly into the larger telecom, IT and GIS markets.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast series, we ask the question: “What would you do if you had the power to make the world a better place during your career?” Joining SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla to answer that question in the second episode are 3 members of the “20 Under 35” cohort of 2023: Julie Newman, Program Chief Engineer at Boeing; Dr. Zhe Liu, Senior Materials & Process Engineer at Maxar; and Alix Rousselière, Strategy Consultant for Satcom at Euroconsult.

Julie Newman is Program Chief Engineer for Satelit Nusantara Lima N5 (SNL), a major geostationary communications satellite program, at Boeing. In this role, she has been instrumental in overseeing risk management and problem resolution for the satellite, particularly in the midst of a challenging shift to a different payload. Julie regularly directs and approves the work of senior engineering staff and provides recommendations to the program management office and the customer. She has also represented her executive manager in various critical functions, ranging from safety to quality assurance across Boeing’s El Segundo site and has spearheaded multiple process improvement initiatives, including major efforts to improve Boeing’s engineering training and metrics tracking systems. Before taking on her current position, Julie was the Technical Program Manager, a role in which she led a team of 15 engineers to develop the engine controller assembly for the Space Launch System (SLS) first stage rocket. The team consistently exceeded expectations under her leadership while executing a late re-design of the unit to resolve a leakage issue associated with a sneak path discovered during testing of the engineering model. She received a Promise Award from SSPI in 2023.

Dr. Zhe Liu is Senior Materials & Process Engineer at Maxar as well as an accomplished scientist with a broad range of expertise in material science, biopolymers and computer science. Originally from China, Dr. Liu began her academic journey with an undergraduate degree in her home country. She then spent several years engaged in research and development in biopolymers before moving to the U.S. for further studies. She earned a Master’s degree in Material Science with a concentration in composite materials from the University of Dayton before pursuing a PhD at Florida State University, where her research focused on nano composite materials for thermal ablative applications. During her PhD, Dr. Liu joined a California-based start-up company that specialized in the novel 3D printing of continuous fiber carbon composites. As team leader, she characterized the materials and developed the process for printing structural components. This crucial work paved the way for the successful commercialization of a carbon fiber/thermoplastic composite bicycle. Dr. Liu is currently working on a second Master’s degree in Computer Science at Georgia Tech while working full-time for Maxar.

Alix Rousselière is Strategy Consultant for Satcom at Euroconsult, which she joined in April 2022. Her role responsibilities include advising satellite operators and space agencies, conducting commercial and financial assessments and developing market intelligence reports on a variety of topics, including milsatcom and NGSO constellations. Although not an engineer herself, Alix has completed exemplary work on highly technical technology harmonization dossiers for the European Space Agency (ESA), demonstrating her ability to learn and adapt quickly. She participated in more than 12 international consulting missions within her first year at Euroconsult. Before joining Euroconsult, Alix spent two years at Thales in Abu Dhabi where she worked on Strategy and Commercial Development for Defense & Space Key Accounts. In particular, Alix formulated and helped implement a new, transversal, coordinated 5-year Strategic Plan for the company’s UAE Defense accounts by analyzing trends and providing recommendations to C-level executive management on priority subjects and associated investments.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with the Rt Hon Lord Willetts FRS, President of the Resolution Foundation and Chair of the UK Space Agency. Lord Willetts delivered the keynote address at the 2023 Better Satellite World Awards Dinner where Avanti Communications, the International Rescue Committee and Maxar New Bureau received Better Satellite World Awards for their achievements.

The Rt Hon Lord Willetts FRS is the President of the Resolution Foundation and Chair of the UK Space Agency. He is a member of the Board of Darktrace plc and is Chair of Innovate Cambridge. He served as the Member of Parliament for Havant (1992-2015), as Minister for Universities and Science (2010-2014) and previously worked at HM Treasury and the No. 10 Policy Unit.

He is a Board member of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a visiting Professor at King’s College London and an Honorary Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford. Lord Willetts has written widely on economic and social policy. His book “A University Education” is published by Oxford University Press. A second edition of his book “The Pinch” on fairness between the generations was published in 2019.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with Massimiliano Ladovaz, Chief Operations Officer at Eutelsat Group. Massimiliano leads the UK-based Eutelsat Group team responsible for the completion of the Gen-1 LEO constellation and the design and development of the LEO-GEO Next-Gen constellation. For his achievements, he was chosen as the 2023 SSPI-UK Satellite Personality of the Year and honored at the 2023 Better Satellite World Awards Dinner.

Massimiliano joined OneWeb in 2018 at its UK HQ and became the Chief Technology Officer in 2020. With HMG investing in OneWeb after bankruptcy, Massimiliano was instrumental in re-starting the engineering and satellite operations teams in the UK; thus leading the timely production and launch of 650 satellites and the procurement/deployment of 45 gateways and ground network around the globe. Massimiliano started his career at the European Space Agency, then moved to Luxembourg-based SES as VP Spacecraft Platform Engineering and Launch Systems. He then joined Inmarsat in the UK as Senior VP Space Segment & System Architecture at Inmarsat, leading the design, procurement and deployment of several multi-billion US dollars space programs. He holds a Masters in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Rome.

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In this Making Leaders podcast, we hear from Onyinye Nwankwo, PhD Candidate in Atmospheric and Space Sciences at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and one of three Promise Award Recipients in 2023. Onyinye is an accomplished scientist in the field of upper atmospheric and space sciences, currently pursuing her PhD in Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Physics and Industrial Physics at Nnamdi Azikiwe University in her home country of Nigeria before obtaining a Master’s degree in Space Geophysics from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) in Brazil and a second Master of Science in Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering from the University of Michigan.

During her undergraduate studies, Onyinye served as an industrial trainee “Radio Signal Officer” at the Nigeria Port Authority in Lagos State, where her skills in maintaining radio signals and signal processing were key to ensuring efficient communication and navigation services. She went on to become a Scientific Officer with the Center for Atmospheric Research, National Space Research and Development Agency (CAR-NASRDA) in Anyibga, Kogi State, Nigeria, where she showcased her expertise in data processing, management and the operation of cutting-edge imaging technology. In this role, Onyinye provided key raw data handling for the All-Sky Airglow Imager and Fabry Perot Interferometer and made significant contributions to the understanding of atmospheric phenomena, which also bolstered Nigeria’s stature in space and atmospheric research. Before joining CAR-NASRDA, she worked as a Graduate Assistant in the Department of Physics at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture in Umudike, Nigeria, where she handled a range of responsibilities for the department, including course instruction, design and implementation of research methodologies, contributions to lab experiments and management of administrative tasks.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with representatives of the three 2023 recipients of Better Satellite World Awards. Libby Barr, Chief Operating Officer of Avanti Communications, Fernando Carballal, Associate Director of Product Development and Operational Partnerships for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Stephen Wood, Senior Director of the Maxar News Bureau join Lou to discuss their projects, goals and making a better world for all.

Libby Barr is the Chief Operating Officer at Avanti Communications (“Avanti”) and a member of its Executive Committee. Joining in January 2019, Libby is responsible for the development and growth of the Carrier, Mobility and Enterprise customers along with overseeing the end-to-end customer experience across Avanti’s Sales and Marketing departments. Libby is passionate about connecting some of the hardest-to-reach communities in the world. Key milestones include the connectivity of over 1,000 villages in Africa, to which Avanti has made significant investments to provide satellite infrastructure and digital connectivity in rural and ultra-rural areas. Along with her team, Libby’s focus will be on connecting a further 10,000 villages and schools over the next five years. Prior to Avanti, Libby was at BT for nine years. As Managing Director of Customer Care, she was a key member of the BT Consumer Leadership Team who grew the company’s revenue by more than £1.2bn in five years. Libby was also responsible for the strategic vision, leadership and transformation of a 10,000 strong Customer Care organisation across more than 30 sites worldwide. Libby began her career at Vodafone. At the company for 22 years, she held positions in both the global and UK organisations, leading the Enterprise Sales and Service organisations. In addition, Libby was a Trustee of the Vodafone Foundation.

Avanti Communications’ rural solution is a groundbreaking satellite service designed to bridge the digital divide by connecting ultra-rural villages in Nigeria for the first time. This innovative solution has proven key to the Nigerian Communications Commission's (NCC) National Broadband Plan of 2020, which sets out two national goals: to achieve 90% population coverage and a penetration rate of 70% by 2025. Avanti Rural solution uses advanced satellite technology to extend mobile network coverage to the hardest-to-reach areas of Nigeria, that would be impossible to reach using traditional terrestrial infrastructure. This off-grid service is a game-changer in the telecommunications industry, providing cellular services to the most remote communities, and in turn, promoting digital inclusion and socio-economic development. As of 2023, Avanti has deployed over 500 ultra-rural sites in 21 Nigerian states, providing 2G and 3G connectivity to 2.5 million Nigerians. All these areas previously had no connectivity, with residents forced to travel on foot or by local bus to the nearest towns with coverage just to use their mobile phones.

Fernando Carballal is Associate Director of Product Development and Operational Partnerships for the International Rescue Committee (IRC), an organization that helps people affected by humanitarian crises—including the climate crisis—to survive, recover and rebuild their lives. He is also Co-Founder and Innovation Consultant of Impactspace, which works with businesses, NGOs, government and academia internationally to explore and commercialize new impactful ideas. Before joining IRC and co-founding Impactspace, Fernando served as Head of Design and User Engagement for Sen and as a Designer for a variety of companies, including Satellite Applications Catapult, Thingmaker and Cyclehoop Ltd. He is a graduate of London Metropolitan University with a Masters in Product Design and the University of East London with a Bachelors of Science in Architecture.

The Mapping Invisible Populations project is an innovative initiative by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), created in collaboration with Flowminder and Humanitarian Open Street Map. The project was developed in 2023 with the central aim of providing support services to hard-to-reach populations. This initiative primarily targets fragile and conflict-affected areas which may receive less medical and other humanitarian support. Using satellite imagery mapping techniques and GIS methodologies provided by its partners, the Mapping Invisible Populations project gathers satellite and spatial data and combines it with population estimates analyzed by its partners to determine the location of these underserved populations. Subsequently, these estimates are verified by community informants for further corroboration. The objective is to identify populations living in areas that are large enough to justify IRC investing resources, time, and risk to provide medical and humanitarian assistance.

Stephen Wood is the Senior Director of the Maxar News Bureau. He has more than 30 years of experience analyzing satellite imagery and performing all-source analysis for government, commercial and media customers. Mr. Wood joined DigitalGlobe (which became Maxar Intelligence) in 2000, after 14 years in the U.S. government, where he held a range of senior imagery intelligence-associated positions. He was the co-founder of AllSource Analysis, an imagery analytic company based in Colorado. He has an in-depth record of creating geospatial and all-source material and has briefed audiences extensively throughout his career, including high-ranking government officials, CEOs and the media on geospatial information and high current interest issues.

The Maxar News Bureau is a unique partnership program that collaborates with renowned media organizations worldwide, focusing on using technology for social good and global transparency. The program is operated by Maxar Intelligence, a leading provider of secure, precise geospatial intelligence. The Bureau leverages the business’ satellite imagery, analytics and expertise to complement quality journalism and provide irrefutable evidence in an era where credibility is critical. The Maxar News Bureau has provided high-resolution satellite imagery and analysis for notable reports like The New York Times’ 2020 Pulitzer Prize-winning report on Russia’s use of shadow warfare and the 2019 Emmy-winning “One Building, One Bomb” story, which reconstructed a chemical attack in Syria. The Bureau’s satellite imagery allowed the Times reporters to enhance their storytelling and lend credibility to their reports. In the realm of current events, information is traditionally released by the media, governments or organizations directly involved in the event. The Maxar News Bureau serves as an auxiliary source, providing supporting evidence or context to unfolding situations.

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In this SSPI-WISE Presents podcast, guest host Divya-Kala Bhavani, General Manager for PR, Communications & Marketing at Dhruva Space and co-chair of the SSPI-WISE Elevating Women Working Group interviews Pramoda Hegde, former Mission Director of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). They discuss Pramoda's journey from a small coastal village in India to Mission Director at the ISRO and how she continues in retirement to tour different villages across India to speak with young engineering hopefuls about the space industry. A note for non-Indian listeners of this podcast: the convention "Pramoda Ma'am" is an expression of respect for a female elder that is common in India.

Divya-Kala Bhavani oversees the Public Relations, Communications & Marketing activities at Dhruva Space, a full-stack Space engineering company and the first private Space-Technology company in India. Divya-Kala has previously worked as a journalist and National Technology Features Editor at The Hindu, one of India’s largest and oldest English daily newspapers. Divya-Kala holds a Master’s degree in Media & Communications Governance from London School of Economics, and a Bachelor’s (Hons) in Journalism from London College of Communication, University of the Arts London. Divya-Kala is an active member of HAPS Alliance and of Space and Satellite Professionals International and SSPI-WISE, where she is the Co-Chair of the Elevating Women Working Group.

Dhruva Space has been recognized twice by the Government of India, having been awarded the National Startup Award for its efforts in Satellite and Space Technology, and having been awarded the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Telecom Excellence Award 2022 for the company’s work in the field of Satellite Communications. On 24 June 2022, Dhruva Space became one of the first private companies to receive authorization from IN-SPACe. The company has since completed three Space missions within 12 months; including the history-making Thybolt Mission, which saw the launch of India’s first two private satellites, Thybolt-1 and Thybolt-2, authorized by IN-SPACe, to be successfully deployed into orbit. In January 2024, Dhruva Space also successfully validated its P-30 Nanosatellite platform, which kicks off the company’s LEAP initiative of hosted payload solutions for the global market.

Pramoda Hegde is a former Mission Director at the Indian Space Research Organisation. Her career at ISRO spanned 32 years, during which she played pivotal roles in some of India's historic Space missions. In 2011, Pramoda was designated as Mission Director for the GSAT-12 mission; this was the first time a woman was designated as Mission Director for a GEO Mission in ISRO's history; additionally, this was also the first time all three key positions of a mission were handled by women. Pramoda also took on the roles of Project Manager, Operations Director, and Deputy Project Director for many other Geostationary satellite missions: INSAT-4A and INSAT-4B, GSAT-9 GSAT-12, GSAT-18, and GSAT-31.

After retiring from ISRO, Pramoda frequently delivers lectures at various research institutes across India, and is also known for her 'From Village to Space' storytelling sessions where she recounts her journey of growing up in Muroor, a small farming village in India, and eventually joining ISRO.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast series, we explore the exciting developments in space-based data analytics and the absolutely game-changing nature of this relatively new part of the industry. The fourth episode features a conversation with Mike Collett, Founder and Managing Partner of Promus Ventures and Joe Fargnoli, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of the New York Space Alliance and co-host of the monthly New York Space Business Roundtable alongside SSPI's Lou Zacharilla. Mike and Joe join Lou to talk about space-based data analytics and the role satellites play.

Mike Collett is Founder and Managing Partner of Promus Ventures. Since its inception in 2012, Promus Ventures invests in DeepTech early-stage startups, with offices in Chicago, San Francisco and Luxembourg. Mike has been a venture capital investor for over 20 years. Mike has invested in over 100 startups, including Rocket Lab, AngelList, Whoop, Mapbox, ICEYE, Bellabeat, FLYR, Kensho, Swift Navigation, Spire Global and others.

Prior to Promus Ventures, Mike was Founder and Managing Partner of Masters Capital Nanotechnology Fund, a venture capital firm. While working at Masters Capital, a hedge fund, Mike invested in software and hardware startups. Prior to venture capital, Mike was a Vice President in Merrill Lynch’s Mergers & Acquisitions group.

Mike holds a BA in Math and BA in English from Vanderbilt University. He also holds a MBA in Finance from Washington University in St. Louis. Mike and his wife Paige have four children and live in Chicago.

Joe Fargnoli is one of the co-founders of the New York Space Alliance (NYSA), a Public Benefit Corporation focused on bringing the immense and diverse resources of New York City and State to the New Space Economy. NYSA offers programs in tactical entrepreneurship such as an accelerator, a bootcamp in conjunction with Founder’s Institute and a Hacking for Space Program in development as well as an online Innovation Exchange community connecting the many different space impacting industries with the New Space Economy. He also serves as a Solutions Architect for Raytheon Intelligence & Space and SMA, Inc. and Managing Partner for both NYSA and Innovation Acceleration Capital in Rochester, New York.

Together with SSPI, Joe co-founded the New York Space Business Roundtable, a monthly dialogue and real New York style conversation about the space & satellite industry and its many facets, including where the investments are going. January's edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable - 2024: What We Want! - is coming up later this week on Wednesday, January 17. You can learn more and register for the Roundtable on SSPI's website.

His previous career background includes Northrop Grumman Electronic Sensors and Systems group working on both National Electro-Optical as well as SAR system and Kodak/ITT/Exelis/Harris with focus on National and Commercial systems. He also served as a Technical Fellow within the NRO. Joe holds an MS in Optics from the University of Rochester, an MS in Telecommunications and Computers from the George Washington University a BS in Mathematics and MS degree in Electrical Engineering from The State University of New York.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast series, we explore the exciting developments in space-based data analytics and the absolutely game-changing nature of this relatively new part of the industry. The third episode features a conversation with Raimundo Rodulfo, Director of Innovation & Technology and Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Coral Gables in Florida. Raimundo joins SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla to talk about how Coral Gables is using satellite technology to manage city services and provide better quality of life for its citizens - one of many reasons why Coral Gables was recognized in 2023 as a Top7 Intelligent Community of the world by the Intelligent Community Forum (www.intelligentcommunity.org).

Raimundo Rodulfo started his career 30 years ago in the early 1990s as an electrical engineer in the telecommunications industry, developing urban networks and intelligent systems. He joined the City of Coral Gables in 2004 and currently serves as Director of Innovation & Technology and Chief Innovation Officer. He leads strategic planning, co-innovation, oversight and management of citywide IT operations, infrastructure and smart city initiatives. Under his leadership, the City has received numerous awards including IEEE Smart Cities Jury Award in 2022, first place in the Digital Cities 2018, first place in the U.S. Open Cities Index in 2019 and 2020, first place in the Government Experience award in 2023, Smart 50 Award in Urban Infrastructure in 2020 and 2023, Smart Cities Council Innovation Excellence Award in 2022, Smart21 and Top7 Intelligent Community in 2023, and being recognized as one of the 8 Smart Cities to Watch in 2020 by State Tech Magazine and as one of the Top 12 worldwide in the Gartner Eye on Innovation Awards for government in 2021.

Prior to joining the City, he spent ten years in the private sector working for various Fortune 500 companies such as Bellsouth, Siemens, and NCR in varying capacities. During this time, he also worked on engineering and technology projects for Motorola and Lucent Technologies in Chicago, and Agilent Technologies in Silicon Valley. He volunteers as Co-Chair of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Global Cities Team Challenge (GCTC) Superclusters, as a member of the World Business Angel Investment Forum (WBAF) Miami Board of Directors and the Cities Today Institute (CTI) Leadership Forum, and as an advisory member of international nonprofit professional committees, academic programs, and engineering standard development organizations. He has been a guest speaker at numerous conferences and events, and has also authored multiple research papers, articles, technical book chapters and other publications in the areas of smart cities, engineering and technology.

Rodulfo has received numerous awards and recognition throughout his career. Most recently, he was named City Executive of the Year in the 2022 LocalSmart Awards, received the Globant Digital Disruptor award and the CyberTrust Pioneer award in 2021, was named to State Tech Magazine's list of 30 State and Local Government IT Influencers Worth a Follow in 2020, was recognized as Sustainable Technology Innovator in 2023 and Smart Disruptor in 2020 by Smart Cities Americas, and received the Key to the City from the Mayor of Coral Gables.

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In this Making Leaders podcast, we hear from Julie Newman, Program Chief Engineer at Boeing and one of three Promise Award Recipients in 2023. Julie is Program Chief Engineer for Satelit Nusantara Lima N5 (SNL), a major geostationary communications satellite program. In this role, she has been instrumental in overseeing risk management and problem resolution for the satellite, particularly in the midst of a challenging shift to a different payload. Julie regularly directs and approves the work of senior engineering staff and provides recommendations to the program management office and the customer. She has also represented her executive manager in various critical functions, ranging from safety to quality assurance across Boeing’s El Segundo site and has spearheaded multiple process improvement initiatives, including major efforts to improve Boeing’s engineering training and metrics tracking systems.

Before taking on her current position, Julie was the Technical Program Manager, a role in which she led a team of 15 engineers to develop the engine controller assembly for the Space Launch System (SLS) first stage rocket. The team consistently exceeded expectations under her leadership while executing a late re-design of the unit to resolve a leakage issue associated with a sneak path discovered during testing of the engineering model. Julie is a graduate of Caltech with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast series, we ask the question: "What would you do if you had the power to make the world a better place during your career?" Joining SSPI's Lou Zacharilla to answer that question in the first episode are 3 members of the "20 Under 35" cohort of 2023: Onyinye Nwankwo, Atmospheric and Space Scientist at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Amy Comeau, Lead Member of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner Chief Engineer's Office; and Dr. Justyna Kosianka, Senior Remote Sensing Scientist at Ursa Space Systems.

Onyinye Nwankwo is an accomplished scientist in the field of upper atmospheric and space sciences, currently pursuing her PhD in Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Physics and Industrial Physics at Nnamdi Azikiwe University in her home country of Nigeria before obtaining a Master’s degree in Space Geophysics from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) in Brazil and a second Master of Science in Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering from the University of Michigan. During her undergraduate studies, Onyinye served as an industrial trainee “Radio Signal Officer” at the Nigeria Port Authority in Lagos State, where her skills in maintaining radio signals and signal processing were key to ensuring efficient communication and navigation services. She went on to become a Scientific Officer with the Center for Atmospheric Research, National Space Research and Development Agency (CAR-NASRDA) in Anyibga, Kogi State, Nigeria, where she showcased her expertise in data processing, management and the operation of cutting-edge imaging technology. In this role, Onyinye provided key raw data handling for the All-Sky Airglow Imager and Fabry Perot Interferometer and made significant contributions to the understanding of atmospheric phenomena, which also bolstered Nigeria’s stature in space and atmospheric research. Before joining CAR-NASRDA, she worked as a Graduate Assistant in the Department of Physics at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture in Umudike, Nigeria, where she handled a range of responsibilities for the department, including course instruction, design and implementation of research methodologies, contributions to lab experiments and management of administrative tasks. Onyinye was selected as one of the three Promise Award Recipients for the 2023 "20 Under 35" cohort.

Amy Comeau is a lead member of the CST-100 Starliner Chief Engineer’s Office at Boeing, a position that requires solving complex system-level design and integration challenges. As part of her current role, she facilitates factory tours of the Starliner program for key stakeholders, including legislators, community leaders, national and international customers, universities and other organizations, making constant use of her powerful communication and leadership skills. Amy began her career at Boeing in 2018 as a satellite systems vehicle engineer as part of a rotation program, where she led an in-depth analysis of test equipment anomalies and supported the setup and functional checkouts of various satellite payloads. Before joining Boeing, she worked in a fellowship for start-up Bryce Space and Technology as a Brooke Owens fellow – one of only 36 women selected for the fellowship in 2017. She also participated in NASA’s Micro-g NExT challenge as a student, during which she designed, developed and manufactured a tool that could seal micrometeorite debris holes on the International Space Station. Amy graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering.

Dr. Justyna Kosianka is a Senior Remote Sensing Scientist at Ursa Space Systems, with a history of designing and developing algorithms for Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) analytics, geospatial modeling for synthetic SAR training data generation and data fusion. Within this she has focused on change detection as well as environmental monitoring analytics. Dr. Kosianka serves as the manager for Ursa’s SAR-based Analytics Team and has served as the technical lead for the company’s suite of SAR-based Earth observation analytics, including National Catastrophe, soil moisture, stockpile measurement, flood mapping, well monitoring and oil storage measurement and supply chain management. She was recently assigned the role of Product Owner for Ursa’s commodities-based product offerings. In this role, Dr. Kosianka is responsible for planning for design and development of commodities and Earth observation products, which helps set the direction for an entire suite of SAR-analytics-based products for the company. She has made particular progress in the area of 3D Change Detection while at Ursa, resulting in her being awarded 2 patents for SATELLITE SAR ARTIFACT SUPPRESSION FOR ENHANCED THREE-DIMENSIONAL FEATURE EXTRACTION, CHANGE DETECTION, AND VISUALIZATIONS (A-1 and B-1).

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In this Better Satellite World podcast series, we explore the exciting developments in space-based data analytics and the absolutely game-changing nature of this relatively new part of the industry. The second episode features a conversation with Peter Broadhurst, Senior Vice President, Safety and Regulatory at Inmarsat. Peter joins SSPI's Lou Zacharilla to talk about how Inmarsat is making continuous investments in safety and enhancing life at sea while helping to build maritime communities and collect and process data to improve our knowledge of and relationship with Earth's oceans.

Peter Broadhurst joined Inmarsat in 2014 as Vice President of Service Delivery for the Maritime business unit, where he was responsible for leading the development of products and services from conception and implementation, through to launch and life cycle management. Peter was instrumental in the launch of Inmarsat’s high-speed broadband service Fleet Xpress launched in March 2016.

With over 25 years of experience in the maritime industry, Peter began his career at sea as a Radio Officer, before running his own business and working for a maritime distributor. Peter then spent 15 years with Sea Tel Inc., / Cobham SATCOM as Vice President of Sales and Marketing where he was responsible for overseeing and managing global sales, support, marketing, training, and product management.

Peter has a HND Electronics, Marine Radio General Certificate, Radar and Marine Navigation Aids accreditation from Wray Castle Merchant Navy School, and holds an Open University, BSc (Hons) First Class degree on Radio Frequency Systems.

Peter is Acting President of Comite International Radio Maritime (CIRM), on the Board of the World Maritime University and an Ambassador for the Sailors’ Society.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast series, we explore the exciting developments in space-based data analytics and the absolutely game-changing nature of this relatively new part of the industry. The first episode features a conversation with Geoffrey Craig, Senior Product Strategist at Ursa Space Systems. Geoff joins SSPI's Lou Zacharilla to talk about how satellite imagery can be applied to Commodities.

Geoffrey Craig is a Senior Product Strategist at Ursa Space where he focuses on developing remote sensing products for commodity markets. Prior to joining Ursa Space, Geoff spent eight years at S&P Global Platts covering oil futures, renewables & carbon markets. He was also a Cairo-based business journalist, during which time he traveled widely across the Middle East & North Africa. Geoff began his career as an International Trade Analyst at the US Department of Commerce. He holds a Master’s degree from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and a Bachelor's degree from The George Washington University.

Headquartered in Ithaca, New York, Ursa Space Systems is a satellite intelligence company providing on-demand analytic solutions. Through its radar satellite network and data fusion techniques, Ursa detects real-time changes in the phsyical world to understand trends and events at deeper levels than ever before.

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In this Making Leaders podcast, we hear from Bhavi Jagatia, Astrodynamics Engineer at Planet and one of three Promise Award Recipients in 2023. Bhavi took on her current position at Planet after completing a successful internship for the Orbits R&D team. While at the company, she has made significant improvements to the tasking system for the company’s high-resolution constellation of imaging satellites, SkySats.

Bhavi was initially tasked with evaluating the complex schedule for SkySats, identifying areas of improvement and implementing changes to increase the collection capacity of the fleet. Her work resulted in substantial fulfillment enhancements, and she is now the sole owner and developer of the tool for her team. Bhavi received her Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University, which she attended on the prestigious Tata scholarship. During her studies at Cornell, she worked with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on a project to investigate the use of flux-pinning on orbiting sample capture for a Mars sample return mission. Bhavi served as avionics lead for the project and participated in a microgravity test aboard a Zero-G flight with the JPL team. She also led Cornell’s project team for NASA’s Micro-G NExT competition while completing her studies and worked in internships at Boeing’s research lab, ASML, and Honda Aircraft Company.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, we hear a special live report from the World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC-23) in Dubai from Dr. Tony Azzarelli, President of SSPI's UK Chapter and CEO of Azzurra Telecom Ltd. We'll also get a sneak preview of what sorts of fun and excitement are in store at the upcoming Better Satellite World Awards Dinner in London this December!

Dr. Tony Azzarelli is CEO of Azzurra Telecom Ltd., which he founded in August 2018 to provide expertise and consulting on Regulatory and Government Affairs for the telecom industry. He is also one of the founders of SSPI's UK Chapter and its new President. Tony is the Founder and Company Director of ACCESS.SPACE Alliance, an organization dedicated to the small satelite industry, and is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (FIET) and the Royal Society of Arts. Before founding Azzurra Telecom, he served in a variety of management roles at OneWeb, including VP of Market Access, VP of Global Spectrum Licensing and VP of Regulatory and Government Affairs. Tony previously served as Head of Space and Sciences Services Group for Ofcom, Deputy Director of International Market Access and Regulatory Affairs at Boeing and Director of Spectrum Affairs at ICO Global Communications. He began his career at the European Space Agency as a System Telecom Engineer and went on to become a Senior Engineer in Spectrum Management for INMARSAT. Tony holds a Doctorate in Electronic Engineering from Politecnico di Torino and an MBA from the Open University.

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Government is and will forever be the enabler for large endeavors and the industrial sector of new national initiatives and economies. The relationship between BIG government and space and satellites has been necessary, productive and profitable.

But is it time to do what Capitalism and Innovation demand: hand-off? Find the path toward a robust commercial sector which will now flourish and be invested in with confidence? Or is it too soon?

In this podcast, based on the November 2023 edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, you'll hear from Beverly Belvisi, CEO of Interstellar Labs and Rick Tumlinson, Chairman of Space Fund as they discuss where we are and where we go next in the Cislunar ecosystem.

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In the third episode of this Making Leaders podcast series, we hear from James Hinds, Chief Executive Officer at Airbus OneWeb Satellites. James joins SSPI’s Robert Bell to discuss his career path and what experiences he brought from his engineering and management background to the new space sector.

James Hinds is the CEO of Airbus OneWeb Satellites, a position he was appointed to in January 2021. He has over 35 years of leadership and engineering experience in the space and satellite industries. Prior to his previous role as COO of Airbus OneWeb Satellites at the end of 2019, he spent four years with Airbus Defence and Space in Toulouse, France, where he was responsible for strategic planning of its Space Systems business. Before that, he worked with Airbus and Boeing (and predecessor companies) in satellite engineering, production and project management. Notable achievements include his responsibilities as Airbus program manager for the Hylas 1 satellite (a joint Airbus/India Space Research Organisation programme); director responsible for payload research and development at Airbus including digital processors, active antennas and amplifier development; and as the lead verification engineer of Boeing’s 601HP satellite series.

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In Part 2 of this Making Leaders podcast, we hear more from Debra Facktor, Head of U.S. Space Systems at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense and the 2023 Mentor of the Year. Throughout her more than 30 years in the space industry, Debra has served as a mentor and guide for more than 25 interns and young leaders beginning their careers and countless more leaders as they continue their professional journeys. Of note, she provided vital advice and support to Gary Lai, who went on to become the Chief Architect at Blue Origin, when he was an intern and young engineer starting out at Kistler Aerospace. Debra founded the Women in Aerospace (WIA) Foundation in 2009 – which has provided scholarships to 35 women pursuing higher education degrees in aerospace fields over the past 13 years – and served as a mentor to the inaugural recipient, Dr. Whitney Lohmeyer, whom she still mentors today. She is a sought-after speaker for panels, business deals and general industry advice due to her powerful combination of enthusiasm, energy and sharp business acumen.

Debra is Head of U.S. Space Systems for Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, a position she has held for 3.5 years. In her current role, Debra leads the company’s space business line with a focus on small satellite constellations and space exploration, and serves on the board of the Airbus OneWeb Satellites joint venture. Her contributions have been vital to the company’s remarkable 4-year compound annual growth rate of 145%. Before joining Airbus U.S., she served as Vice President and General Manager of Strategic Operations at Ball Aerospace, where she led the firm’s D.C. operations and expanded its strategic capabilities in the defense, civil and commercial sectors.

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In this Making Leaders podcast, we hear from Debra Facktor, Head of U.S. Space Systems at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense and the 2023 Mentor of the Year. Throughout her more than 30 years in the space industry, Debra has served as a mentor and guide for more than 25 interns and young leaders beginning their careers and countless more leaders as they continue their professional journeys. Of note, she provided vital advice and support to Gary Lai, who went on to become the Chief Architect at Blue Origin, when he was an intern and young engineer starting out at Kistler Aerospace. Debra founded the Women in Aerospace (WIA) Foundation in 2009 – which has provided scholarships to 35 women pursuing higher education degrees in aerospace fields over the past 13 years – and served as a mentor to the inaugural recipient, Dr. Whitney Lohmeyer, whom she still mentors today. She is a sought-after speaker for panels, business deals and general industry advice due to her powerful combination of enthusiasm, energy and sharp business acumen.

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What if you wanted to be buried in space? Is there a service for that? In fact, there is.

Which other niche businesses will thrive in the Cislunar economy and how will they be financed and supported?

In this podcast, based on the October 2023 edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, we explore how businesses can succeed in the Cislunar Economy. How might – or might not – they be financed? We discuss market potential, secondary market dynamics, and investor perspectives in today’s Cislunar economic landscape.

Joining SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla and NYSA’s Joe Fargnoli are:

Dr. Robbie Robertson, CEO and Co-founder, Sedaro
Micah Walter-Range, Managing Director, Community in Space

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On September 28 during the September open meeting, SSPI-WISE was pleased to offer a workshop on entrepreneurship. This podcast, the first of the SSPI-WISE Presents series, is based on that inspiring workshop.

Everyone charts their own career path and for some that path is entrepreneurial. We have all heard about the challenges and successes of “running your own business,” but this podcast offers you a first-hand look through the experiences of a panel of women entrepreneurs. You’ll hear answers to your questions on key issues including:

Why start your own business
How to establish Goals, Mission, and Value Proposition
Developing Finance and other Resources

In this podcast, you'll hear from:

Mary Frost, CEO, Power to Change US
Susan Irwin, President, Irwin Communications
Andy Steinem, CEO, Dahl-Morrow International
Dasha Tyshlek, CEO, StratCraft

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In this Better Satellite World podcast series, SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla speaks with people whose lives and work inspire us because they walk “the road less travelled,” the one leading us to a wider view of space, satellites and our quest for the dwelling of light we call “The Truth.” This series features people you may have heard about but may not have yet had a chance to actually hear speak.

In the fifth episode of The Road Less Travelled, Lou speaks with Brad Bode, CIO, CTO & Founder of ATLAS Space Operations. They discuss Ground Segment as a Service, ATLAS' promising approach to satellite operations that offers a range of benefits to satellite operators and how ATLAS' work has them ranked in the top 30 among Fortune's most innovative companies.

Brad Bode brings over 20 years of software development experience in the aerospace industry to the ATLAS team. He has designed, developed, tested and deployed satellite command and control, mission planning and data management applications throughout his career. Now, Brad, as the architect and visionary behind Freedom GSaaS (Freedom Ground Segment as a Service), is responsible for hundreds of thousands of satellite passes and terabytes of data collected. He holds an MS in Computer Science from Northern Illinois University.

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GEO satellite has been with us since the dawn of the satellite age, and it’s easy for us to take it for granted. GEO 2.0 makes its contribution to the Eternal Orbit campaign by inviting today’s experts in geosynchronous orbit to discuss the future of this grandfather of satellite orbits. What’s new, what’s sexy and what is tried and true? Let’s find out together in GEO 2.0.

What happens when the old and young meet and bring to the world best of breed connectivity – or collide in the chase for its rich market share, capital and the future? In an industry where terrestrial and orbital, once contestants in a bitter communications technology “religious war,” have found convergence and common ground around technologies such as 5G and soon 6G, and where deals such as Apple and Globalstar show the innovation that can occur with these platforms, the next question is, “When will there be true multi-layer connectivity that can readily connect EVERYTHING without complicating the customer experiences?”

Further, when will the 5 billion unconnected find the internet with ease and make the “Middle of Nowhere” no more? What do established, profitable GEO leaders, such as Hughes Network Systems, with its extraordinary new Jupiter-3 satellite now in orbit think about this and the future of connectivity and satellite industry investments? Can it work with upstarts?

In this episode of GEO 2.0, based on the September edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, you'll hear from Joe Bernabucci, Director of Strategy & Market Intelligence at Hughes, William Mudge, Vice President of Engineering Operations, USA at Speedcast and Steve Nixon, President and Co-Founder of SmallSat Alliance. They discuss if the Outernet is outer nuts and if GEO has entered a new era that will be even more potent than the first.

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Mark Twain once famously quipped, "Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it." Well, Pam Sullivan isn't so sure about that!

In the third episode of GEO 2.0, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with Pam Sullivan, Director of the Office of Geostationary Earth Orbit Observations at NOAA's Satellite and Information Service. In this role, she oversees the development, acquisition, integration, installation, and acceptance of major system elements (spacecraft, instruments, launch services and ground systems) for the GOES-R Series satellites and NOAA’s next-generation geostationary satellites, Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO).

Pam Sullivan joined NOAA in May 2018. Previously, she managed the GOES-R Series Flight project for NASA, directing the development of the spacecraft, Instruments, and launch services for the four satellites in the GOES-R series. Sullivan has broad space flight development experience that includes serving as the Deputy Project Manager for the Joint Polar Satellite System Project, Program Manager for the National Polar Operational Environmental Satellite System Visible/Infrared Imager/Sounder System, and Manager of the James Webb Space Telescope Integrated Science Instrument Module, the Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera, and GOES-IM Imager and Sounder instruments.

GOES satellites are designated with a letter prior to launch. Once a GOES satellite has successfully reached geostationary orbit, it is renamed with a number. GOES-U, the final satellite in the series, is scheduled to launch in 2024.

Prior to starting her NASA career, Sullivan served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, training as a space shuttle flight controller and supporting military space experiments using the shuttle. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in astronautical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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In the second episode, SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla talks with Dr. Channasandra “Ravi” Ravishankar and Bhanu Durvasula from Hughes about how integrated constellation solutions, including GEO, are meeting the demands of the day and will meet challenges of the future. You’ll also hear more about where satellites in geosynchronous orbit are expanding the capabilities of their nearer Earth cousins.

Dr. Channasandra “Ravi” Ravishankar is Senior Vice President of Engineering at Hughes and leads end-to-end system design activities of GSO and NGSO satellite systems. He led the development of GMR-1 Mobile Satellite System air interfaces that adapts terrestrial 3GPP specifications over satellite – these air interfaces have been standardized in ETSI and ITU. He has contributed to 3GPP 5G NTN specifications in the area of mobility management. He was a keynote speaker at the International Communication Satellite Systems Conference (ICSSC) in 2022. He has served as Editor of IEEE Transactions on Communications journal and Guest Editor of IEEE Networks Magazine on “Integration of Satellite and 5G Networks.” He received his PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University, USA. Prior to joining Hughes, he was with Comsat Laboratories, Clarksburg, Maryland, USA.

Bhanu Durvasula, Vice President of the International Division at Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), leads the company’s international product and operations team, responsible for product line management of satellite broadband systems. In his 30+ years at Hughes, Mr. Durvasula has held a variety of leadership roles in engineering and product development for solutions including, among others: cellular backhaul over satellite, Mobile Satellite Systems (MSS) ground networks; and point-tomultipoint wireless products for terrestrial cell backhaul and last mile access. Most recently, Mr. Durvasula’s efforts have been focused on satellite network technology for community Wi-Fi hotspot and cellular backhaul solutions in support of the company’s efforts to bring connectivity to unserved and underserved areas of the world. He holds several patents, both issued and pending. Mr. Durvasula earned a Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Consumers, businesses, governments and communities around the world benefit from the connected experiences enabled by Hughes technologies and services.

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GEO satellite has been with us since the dawn of the satellite age, and it's easy for us to take it for granted. GEO 2.0 makes its contribution to the Eternal Orbit campaign by inviting today's experts in geosynchronous orbit to discuss the future of this grandfather of satellite orbits. What's new, what's sexy and what is tried and true? Let's find out together in GEO 2.0.

In the first episode of GEO 2.0, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with Mike Antonovich, CEO Commercial for U.S. Electrodynamics, Inc. Mike gives us a look at what may be in store for GEO's future in the satellite industry from the perspective of an industry veteran.

Mike Antonovich is a globally recognized leader in the managed transmission service industry with over 30 years experience delivering high quality solutions and services to the world's leading media, enterprise and government clients. He currently serves as CEO Commercial for U.S. Electrodynamics, Inc. (USEI), a position he took on recently. Mike joined USEI after working as Senior Satellite Services Sales Specialist for Telstra, where he was responsible for growing Telstra's presence in the satellite communications marketplace. Before Telstra, he was VP of International Sales & Business Development at DataPath, where he worked in systems design and integration, global field services, and transportable Earth stations, among other areas. Mike served for 4 years as CEO of Eutelsat Americas, a position in which he was responsible for all activities for Eutelsat in the Americas and for supporting Americas-based clients on Eutelsat’s global capacity. He has served in a variety of other leadership roles throughout his career in the industry, including SVP of Global Sales at Media Global Links, SVP and GM for the Americas at ATEME, President & CEO of The SPACECONNECTION and EVP of Global Sales and Marketing at PanAmSat.

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In the fourth episode of The Road Less Travelled, Lou speaks with Dr. Kimberly Arcand. Dr. Arcand is the Visualization Scientist & Emerging Tech Lead for NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, which has its headquarters at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Arcand is an award-winning producer and director. She is a leading expert in studying the perception and comprehension of high-energy data visualization across the novice-expert spectrum. As a science data storyteller, she combines her background in molecular biology and computer science with her current work in the fields of astronomy and physics.

Dr. Arcand has been a pioneer in astronomy data visualization, 3D printing and virtual reality. She presented her TEDx talk entitled “How to Hold a Dead Star in Your Hands” in 2016 on 3D printing, the same year she was selected as a “Changemaker” for the White House State of the Women Summit. In 2019, she was featured in the Smithsonian’s “How to be a Scientist” video series both for her work in 3D visualizations of astronomical objects and her work with under-represented groups in STEM. She led a team of researchers to launch the first-ever data-driven virtual reality application of a supernova remnant using NASA observational data. She was selected as a speaker for the U.S. Department of State Speaker Program in 2019, and has appeared on TV shows such as episodes of BBC’s “Universe” on BBC & PBS in 2021, “A World Without NASA” on the Curiosity channel in 2020, and Roadtrip Nation on PBS in 2020. Her recent work with SYSTEM Sounds on data sonifications for multiwavelength data and featured on NASA’s SoundCloud, went viral, and has been covered in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Atlantic, BBC, CNBC, NPR, and the Today Show among others. She is currently working on holograms and applications incorporating haptic technology for astrophysics.

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Few subjects have been more fertile for the writer’s mind than space with its infinite mysteries and fascinations. With the commercial business of space forming, writers have started to shape stories of the people and potential which make it, yet again, the subject of fascination.

As the dreams of fortunes and adventure again capture the creative mind, what are authors writing about and what do they have to say about our space barons and fictional characters with space as the background? In this podcast, based on the August 2023 edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, you’ll hear from writers of new books from across the spectrum about their books and their opinions!

Our guests include:

Christian Davenport, Washington Post reporter and author of The Space Barons: Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos
Tim Fernholz, Sr. Report, Quartz.com, author of Rocket Billionaires
Rob Scheige, Vice President, Willis Towers Watson, author of The Ubiquitous They

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In the second episode of this Making Leaders podcast series, we hear from Ronald van der Breggen, Chief Commercial Officer at Rivada Space Networks. Ronald joins SSPI’s Robert Bell to discuss his career path and what experiences he brought from his advisory and entrepreneurial background to the new space sector.

Ronald van der Breggen is Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Rivada Space Networks, a position he has held for just over 1 year. As CCO at Rivada, he is responsible for setting and executing the commercial strategy for the company. In addition to serving at Rivada, Ronald is the CEO and owner of Route206 b.v., a consultancy business he founded nearly 10 years ago to help turn tech companies into business successes. He puts his consulting skills to use on multiple boards, serving as Advisory Board Member for both Via Satellite Magazine and Xenesis and also briefly served as the Advisor to the CEO of KebNi. Ronald's other past postions include Chief Commercial Officer at LeoSat Interprises, Inc., Vice President of Customer Account Managment for SES Satellites, Vice President of Business Development at KPNQwest and Senior Director of IP Network Development at KPN.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast series, SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla speaks with people whose lives and work inspire us because they walk “the road less travelled,” the one leading us to a wider view of space, satellites and our quest for the dwelling of light we call “The Truth.” This series will feature people you may have heard about but may not have yet had a chance to actually hear speak.

In the second episode of The Road Less Travelled, Lou speaks with Colby Youngblood, President of Celestis, Inc. Celestis Memorial Spaceflights make the dream of spaceflight a reality by launching a symbolic portion of cremated remains into near-space, Earth orbit, to the lunar surface or even beyond. Colby is responsible for all Celestis operations with particular focus on staff management and fulfilling all significant financial goals of the company. Colby joined the United States Air Force at the age of 17 and served 20 years before he retired from active military service. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and held leadership roles in aircraft maintenance operations, airfield operations, professional development, human resources, and strategic planning during his military career.

After retiring from the Air Force, Colby earned his M.B.A. with a specialization in Executive Leadership from the University of Houston. Before joining Celestis, he was a successful business management consultant, acting as a Co-CEO to help small businesses become more efficient and profitable.

Colby has a passion for leading teams and developing relationships. His expertise spans from professional development and leadership training to cross-functional team leadership and culture development. Colby enjoys negotiating as a hobby and was excited to attend Harvard University’s flagship negotiation course: Negotiation and Leadership at Harvard Law’s Program On Negotiation.

Colby married his best friend, Myrna, in 2000, and they have two boys, Colby Jr. and Conner.

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Recent tragedies always remind us how vulnerable we are and often how much risk is acceptable and how much danger can be avoided. In this podcast, based on the July edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, during a time when commercial, civil and government-related space activities are popping-up like flowers, we put the financial and ethical lenses on the issue of risk, reward and motive. Our guests include:

Grant Cates, Sr Project Leader, Space Architecture Dept., The Aerospace Corporation
Juan Cacace, Head of Global Market Access, Access Partnership
Josef Koller, Systems Director for the Center for Space Policy and Strategy, The Aerospace Corporation

And in this podcast, we asked them:

How much protection do explorers and innovators need?
How much assurance does a wealthy person paying to take a dangerous risk need?
What is an ethical risk in a system predicated on innovation, adventure, danger and profit?
Are people duped into unsafe situations today because of outright greed and negligence?

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This summer, SSPI brings you a series of guest interviewers who will interview our latest space & satellite industry guests. For the second episode, we hear from Sharon Parker-Lines, Deputy Managing Directory and Operations Director at Astroscale Ltd. Sharon is interviewed by Jessica Ratty, Founder of HALO Marketing PR & Communications.

Jessica Ratty is the Founder and leader of Halo PR and Comms; a communications agency that works with leaders in technology, deep tech, AI, Low Earth Orbit, deep space, fashion tech, out-of-home, fin tech, entertainment and social transformation industries globally and for the betterment of societies across the world. She founded HALO while working as a BBC Expert Woman contributor for the past 6.5 years. Before founding HALO, Jessica served as Managing Directory of the Cornwall Camper Company, Head of Public Relations at Crowdfunder and Communications Manager for Seachange, among other positions.

Sharon Parker-Lines is Deputy Managing Director and Operations Director for Astroscale Ltd. (Astroscale UK), the UK subsidiary of Astroscale, a position she has held for nearly 3 years. She joined Astroscale with more than 20 years of experience in operations, specializing in human resources, finance, production, commercial and strategic planning. As Operations Director, she manages and oversees the support functions of the Astroscale UK business, including finance, human resources, IT, administration and procurement, as well as managing the resource resquirements of the wider engineering team. Before joining Astroscale, Sharon served as Centre Director for the Oxford Centre for Innovation and for nine years as Chief Operating Officer of Bonnier Books UK, a global publishing company.

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This summer, SSPI brings you a series of special guest interviewers who will interview our latest space & satellite industry guests. For the first episode, we hear from Lee Chew Tan, President Commercial for ST Engineering iDirect. Lee Chew is interviewed by Jennifer Hoil, Director of Product Marketing at ST Engineering iDirect and an active member of SSPI-WISE (SSPI Women in Space Engagement).

Jennifer Hoil is Director of Product Marketing at ST Engineering iDirect, a position she has held for nearly 1.5 years. Jennifer previously served as Senior Manager of Product Marketing at the company. Before joining ST Engineering iDirect, she worked as Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Isotropic Systems and Director of the Satellite Group at Sage Communications. Jennifer also served for 7 years as Account Executive for Longbottom Communications, a boutique communications firm specialized in space & satellite clients. She is an active member of SSPI-WISE and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Sustainment & Infrastructure Working Group.

Lee Chew Tan is President Commercial for ST Engineering iDirect, a position she has held for nearly 2 years. She also currently serves as President for the Women in Tech Chapter of the Singapore Computer Society. Before joining ST Engineering iDirect, Lee Chew served as Managing Director for the Worldwide Public Sector, ASEAN at Amazon Web Services (AWS). She began her career at Hewlett Packard Asia Pacific, where she worked as Vice President of Sales, Asia Pacific for 2.5 years before moving on to become Vice President and General Manager, Servers Asia Pacific and finally Senior Vice President, Business Group, Global Sales for Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Lee Chew dedicates her time to the industry outside of working hours as well, having served as a mentor for the German Accelerator Southeast Asia from May 2019 to February 2021.

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In this Making Leaders podcast, we hear from Joe Spytek, CEO of Speedcast and one of three inductees to the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame in 2023. In his 17 years as Co-Founder and CEO for ITC Global, Joe Spytek grew the company from a disaster recovery start-up to a remote communications leader, coordinating the sale of the business to Panasonic in 2015. At Speedcast, he led the company through a complete recapitalization during the height of the global pandemic, while consolidating more than 15 legacy organizations, each with different networks and platforms. Just 18 months later, Speedcast had created something new – a global network delivering the multi-path, multi-orbit, software-defined service that the industry talks about as the future. It has enabled Speedcast to integrate LEO connectivity into managed-service solutions for customers to take advantage of lower latency while receiving guaranteed service levels. Speedcast now operates the industry’s largest global network, topping out at more than 30 Gbps of total bandwidth to customers in 2022 when the company stood up 65 new networks in a matter of weeks to support demand.

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In this Making Leaders podcast, we hear from David Kagan, CEO of GlobalStar and one of three inductees to the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame in 2023. Dave Kagan's career began more than 25 years ago when he worked in finance and operations for Norwegian Cruise Line. There, he saw the growing value of satcom to shipboard operations and passenger satisfaction. That led him to accept a position as president and CEO of Maritime Telecommunications, whose founder and fellow Hall of Famer Richard Hadsall invented the motion-stabilized VSAT antenna.

He did the things a good leader is supposed to do: growing the company’s revenues and expanding its customer base to include cruise lines, luxury yachts, oil rigs and government vessels. But he also forged a partnership that would reinvent the company: a deal with AT&T to enable mobile phone usage on cruise ships. When the World Trade Center was attacked, the company made headlines by offering phone and internet service for free aboard dozens of ships to let passengers reach their loved ones.

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Talent attraction is a many-faceted challenge that is top of mind for our rapidly expanding industry. We have to fill the talent pipeline, from grade school through to institutions of higher learning. And we need to attract talented individuals already in the workforce to meet immediate talent needs.

Outside In explores all the ways people are outside, and how to invite them in, inclusive of gender, ethnicity or “race,” nationality, other industries, other disciplines. How do we invite people in? How do we make our industry the most attractive and the most inviting?

In the second part of this Making Leaders podcast, members of the 2022 “20 Under 35” cohort join SSPI’s Tamara Bond-Williams to further explore this concept of “Outside In.”

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Outside In explores all the ways people are outside, and how to invite them in, inclusive of gender, ethnicity or “race,” nationality, other industries, other disciplines. How do we invite people in? How do we make our industry the most attractive and the most inviting?

In this podcast, members of the 2022 “20 Under 35” cohort join SSPI's Tamara Bond-Williams to explore this concept of “Outside In.”

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In this new Better Satellite World podcast series, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with people whose lives and work inspire us because they walk "the road less travelled," the one leading us to a wider view of space, satellites and our quest for the dwelling of light we call "The Truth." This series will feature people you may have heard about but may not have yet had a chance to actually hear speak.

In the first episode of The Road Less Travelled, Lou speaks with Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ, Director of the Vatican Observatory and author of multiple books, including Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? and Turn Left at Orion. Brother Guy holds degrees from MIT, Harvard University and the University of Arizona and has been a member of the Catholic Church's Jesuit Order since 1989. He has authored hundreds of scientific publications in addition to his books. Brother Guy even has his own asteroid - 4597 Consolmagno - and is a recipient of the Carl Sagan Medal from the American Astronomical Society.

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The greater the value of space, the greater the risks. The rise of the space economy is accelerating the business, operational, and human risks. Are we prepared to handle them?

The Safe Space podcast series – part of the Reducing the Risks of Space campaign – explores policy, law, technology, and operations in development now to manage the challenging space environment of the future. In the sixth and final episode, SSPI Engagement Director Tamara Bond-Williams pays tribute to the 19 men and women who have lost their lives in the history of human space exploration.

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The greater the value of space, the greater the risks. The rise of the space economy is accelerating the business, operational and human risks. Are we prepared to handle them?

The Safe Space podcast series – part of the Reducing the Risks of Space campaign – explores policy, law, technology and operations in development now to manage the challenging space environment of the future. The fifth episode features a conversation on human sexuality in space, including the inherent risks therein, with Maria Santaguida, PhD Candidate and Researcher at Concordia University and Simon Dubé, PhD, Research Fellow at the Kinsey Institute.

Maria Santaguida is a PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology at Concordia University, where she conducts research on human sexuality, sexual technology and substance-related sexual behavior. Her doctoral work investigates the associations between alcohol consumption on risky sexual decision-making and behavior. She also explores Space Sexology, and how sex research can be integrated into space programs to promote greater diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her doctoral work was funded by the Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Société et Culture (FRQSC).

In late 2021, they collaborated on a position paper titled The Case for Space Sexology which was published in the Journal of Sex Research. Their work represents a crucial step toward a comprehensive scientific study of human sexuality and intimacy in space.

Simon Dubé, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Kinsey Institute specializing in human sexuality, sextech, and Erobotics, the study of human-machine erotic interaction and co-evolution. His work also explores Space Sexology, and how we can integrate sex research into space programs. He received his doctorate in Psychology from Concordia University. He is the communication representative of the International Academy of Sex Research and a co-Chair of the International Congress on Love & Sex with Robots. His work is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

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The greater the value of space, the greater the risks. The rise of the space economy is accelerating the business, operational, and human risks. Are we prepared to handle them?

The Safe Space podcast series – part of the Reducing the Risks of Space campaign – explores policy, law, technology, and operations in development now to manage the challenging space environment of the future. The fourth episode, based on the May edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, features a conversation with Alex Fielding, Co-Founder and CEO of Privateer, Jack Deasy, VP of Business Development & Advanced Systems at Astroscale and Dr. Chiara Manfletti, Director and COO of Neuraspace.

What services are needed to ensure that we succeed in space once there? What services and innovations will they bring to market that enables the launch sector to become more specialized and less costly? And how do we achieve a circular economy and a safer one in space? This episode delves into all of these questions and more.

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The greater the value of space, the greater the risks. The rise of the space economy is accelerating the business, operational and human risks. Are we prepared to handle them?

Rob Schwarz is the Chief Technology Officer at Momentus and is responsible for the vision and technical direction of the full line of Momentus products. Under his technical leadership, Momentus is commercializing its pioneering and sustainable Microwave Electrothermal Thruster, a new kind of in-space engine that uses water as a propellant.

Rob’s background is in spacecraft systems engineering and management, product management and innovation. Prior to joining Momentus, he spent 20 years at Space Systems Loral (now part of Maxar) and Orbital Sciences (now part of Northrop Grumman) working on various commercial and government space projects. Rob was Executive Director of Systems Engineering at SSL from 2010-2015 and then moved to Product Management before becoming CTO of the Maxar Space Division in 2018. He joined Momentus in early 2020 as CTO.

Rob has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering from Rutgers University and a Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT.

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The greater the value of space, the greater the risks. The rise of the space economy is accelerating the business, operational and human risks. Are we prepared to handle them?

The Safe Space podcast series – part of the Reducing the Risks of Space campaign – explores policy, law, technology and operations in development now to manage the challenging space environment of the future. The second episode features a conversation about cyber and nuclear threats to space between Nick Reese, Co-Founder of Frontier Foundry Corporation and former Deputy Director for Emerging Technology Policy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Tory Bruno, President & CEO of United Launch Alliance and a member of the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame.

Before co-founding Frontier Foundry Corporation, Nick Reese most recently served as the first ever Director of Emerging Technology Policy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he advised the White House and senior Cabinet officials on national security implications of emerging technologies. He is the author of the DHS AI Strategy, DHS’s Post-Quantum Cryptographic Transition Roadmap, and the 2022 DHS Space Policy. He was also the lead DHS representative for the development of Space Policy Directive-5, National Security Memorandum-10, the National Space Policy, and Executive Order 13960. A noted expert in cybersecurity, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and outer space, he currently holds faculty positions at New York University and George Washington University teaching graduate courses related to emerging technology and geopolitics. Mr. Reese has a 20+ year career in the US Military, Intelligence Community & Homeland security with a focus on operations and bringing technical solutions to high stakes national security challenges. From the front lines of the War on Terror to building Quantum Computing Policy he has been an instrumental actor in protecting our nation with eye both on today and the future.

Mr. Reese is a graduate of Saint Leo University and Old Dominion University. He lives in the Washington DC area with his wife and their dog.

Tory Bruno came to United Launch Alliance (ULA) in 2014 after a long career managing programs for some of the most advanced and powerful weapons systems in the American arsenal. As general manager of Lockheed Martin Strategic and Missile Defense Systems, he led a team of men and women responsible for the Navy’s Trident II D5 Fleet Ballistic Missile, the Air Force’s ICBM Reentry Systems and the Terminal High Area Altitude Defense System (THAAD). He managed a joint venture responsible for producing and safely maintaining the UK’s nuclear weapons and has engineered control systems for rockets and hypersonic weapons, for which he holds numerous patents. No words describe him better than Tom Wolfe’s famous phrase, “a steely-eyed missile man.”

When he was tapped to lead ULA, the company was at a crossroads. What had been an effective monopoly on national security and NASA missions had turned competitive as new commercial competitors entered the business. The company needed to adapt to survive. This veteran of military space and missile programs might not have seemed the obvious choice of leader, but he was soon to prove doubters wrong. Tory was inducted into the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame in 2020.

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The greater the value of space, the greater the risks. The rise of the space economy is accelerating the business, operational and human risks. Are we prepared to handle them?

The Safe Space podcast series – part of the Reducing the Risks of Space campaign – will explore policy, law, technology and operations in development now to manage the challenging space environment of the future. The first episode features a conversation between Elizabeth Evans, Partner at K&L Gates – who joins us to speak about the Space Shuttle Children's Trust Fund – and Kathryn Lueders, Former Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA (now retired) and a member of the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame.

Elizabeth Evans is a partner at the New York office of K&L Gates. She is a member of the asset and corporate finance practice group and heads the airfinance practice in the Americas. She concentrates her practice in structured asset-based finance, and focuses on aviation finance (both fixed wing and rotary), satellite finance, transportation finance, and project finance. She also engages in related transactional, regulatory and policy work for aviation, aerospace and space industries. Her practice includes private placements of debt and equity, leveraged equipment leasing and all aspects of the law relating to outer space (both domestic and international).

Prior to joining the firm, Elizabeth served as a partner in the financial institutions group at an international law firm, where she focused her practice on aviation and other asset-based finance, (including satellite, railcars, trucks and heavy equipment finance transactions), as well as space law policy work. Elizabeth has represented banks, financial institutions, credit capital corporations, private equity investors, governmental agencies, export credit agencies and leasing companies in complex structured financings, including air traffic control system financings, airport and terminal development projects and aviation, rail car and truck financings. She has spent many years working on restructurings (both in court and out-of-court) during economic downturns. She has done both debtor side and lender/lessor side work in numerous aviation restructurings, and has represented private equity funds in the purchase of distressed equity positions in equipment finance. She helped arrange and conduct unique foreclosures and auctions of satellites orbiting in space. She has also played an instrumental role in drafting legislation relating to the laws of outer space.

For nearly thirty years, Kathryn Lueders has played an indispensable role in bringing the capabilities of the commercial space and satellite industry to NASA; serving human space exploration missions though new technology, practices of cost savings, and opening valuable opportunities for the industry. Kathryn began her career at NASA in 1992 as the Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System and Reaction Control Systems Depot Manager for the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico, after completing two Bachelor’s degrees in Science and Business Administration and a Masters of Science degree. Kathy moved to the International Space Station (ISS) Program next and served in a variety of managerial roles covering space station Logistics and Maintenance, Vehicle Systems Integration and Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Integration.

In November 2007, Kathryn became responsible for expanding the range of launch vehicles providing access to the International Space Station. She established the Program's Transportation Integration where she oversaw international partner vehicles, including the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), the Japanese Space Agency's H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), and the Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft. In that role, she also managed the development and execution of the Commercial Resupply services contracts which began delivery of cargo to the ISS in 2012 and now have now delivered over 100,000 lbs of cargo to the International Space Station. She was inducted into the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame in 2021.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, originally aired as part of the Making Space for New Space series, we hear from Alex Fielding, co-founder and CEO of Privateer. Alex joins SSPI's Lou Zacharilla to talk about Privateer's goals and strategies, particularly concerning the enormous and vital task of removing already existing space debris and preventing more. Space debris will be a major topic in the coming weeks as well, as we begin the Reducing the Risks of Space Campaign, so stay tuned!

Alex Fielding is the co-founder and CEO of Privateer. Privateer is a data and intelligence platform empowering the future of space sustainability. As CEO and chairman of Privateer, Alex is responsible for supporting the leadership, vision and execution of Privateer. With decades of experience in innovation and growth in the tech sector, he is poised to lead the team in its launch of the first highly accurate space traffic map that aggregates multi-source data on Earth orbiting space objects, as a means to power the new space economy and make space exploration safe and sustainable.

Alex started his career as an engineer at Cisco Systems and Apple, where he worked on multiple generations of MacOS, PowerBook, and network servers and was part of the first iMac team. After departing Apple, he joined Exodus Communications under the leadership of Ellen Hancock, a former Apple CTO who served as Exodus’ CEO. Alex went on to co-found GPS company Wheels of Zeus with Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak in 2001 (sold in 2006), marking the beginning of a fruitful friendship and partnership that brings us Privateer today.

Alex has also worked as CTO at Power Assure and then Vice President at Vigilent before starting Ripcord while a contractor at NASA. Alex served as CEO at Ripcord from 2014-21 and remains on the Board of Directors. Alex is also on the Board of Directors of The Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME). He is on the mentor board of Orange Fab and is an adviser to Astra Space. He is an active contributor to the IETF. He is a founding member of Singularity University at NASA Ames Research Center and co-author on several patent applications.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with Mark Serres, CEO of the Luxembourg Space Agency. Mr. Serres joins Lou to speak about Luxembourg's remarkable space innovation and investment ecosystem, from how it came to be to where the nation sees its programs headed next. Part of this interview was originally aired during the March 2023 edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable.

Mark Serres became a director on June 13, 2019. He is currently the CEO of the Luxembourg Space Agency. Previously, he served as Director of Space Affairs at the Ministry of the Economy and as coordinator of the relations with the European Space Agency at the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. Prior to working for the Luxembourg Government, Mr. Serres held several engineering positions at Hitec SA. He is an electrical engineer and holds a PhD in optoelectronics from the Université Catholique de Louvain. Mr. Serres is also Vice-Chairman of the Council of the European Space Agency and a Member of the International Academy of Astronautics. Mr. Serres is a Luxembourg national. He is not an independent director because he represents an important shareholder.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla speaks with Kevin Cohen, General Manager for Global Prepaid Internet & LATAM Fixed Broadband at Viasat, which won a Better Satellite World Award in 2022 for providing satellite broadband connectivity to Ukranian refugees.

Kevin Cohen is General Manager for Global Prepaid Internet & LATAM Fixed Broadband at Viasat, a position he has held for nearly 1 year. He has served in a variety of management positions at Viasat during his nearly 15 years with the company. Kevin previously held the positions of Managing Director for Global Community Internet, General Manager for Community WiFi, Americas, Managing Director and General Manager for Global Community WiFi, General Manager for LATAM Consumer Broadband and Director of Emerging Markets, Space Technologies, among others. He received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and his Master of Business Administration from San Diego University.

When the war in Ukraine began and the immediate resulting refugee crisis occurred, Viasat partnered with the regional government of Košice, Slovakia to provide free high-speed internet access to Ukrainian refugee sites across Eastern Slovakia. Viasat utilized its satellite-enabled Community Wi-Fi system to connect the areas most in need of connectivity. Once these areas of need were identified by the Košice regional government, Viasat’s Community Wi-Fi systems were installed in a matter of days to provide critical connectivity available to thousands of refugees. Viasat focuses on unlocking the opportunities provided by internet connectivity for everyone, wherever they are, through its network.

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla speaks with Jeff Rex, Vice President of Business Development, Earth Intelligence at Spire Global, which won a Better Satellite World Award in 2022 for its usage of satellite-based data and analytics to combat climate change.

Jeff Rex is Fice President of Business Development, Earth Intelligence at Spire Global, a position he has held for 1.5 years. He previously served as Vice President of Engineering, Weather. Before joining Spire, he held a variety of management positions in the industry, including serving as Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Business Development at FLYHT, Director of Engineering & Business Development at Panasonic, Vice President of Engineering & Product Integration at AirDat and Vice President of Integration & Operations at L2 Consulting/L2 Aviation. Jeff began his career as a Federal Account Manager for Dell.

Climate change continues to be a major and developing threat around the world. Spire Global has responded by using space-based data and analytics, provided by its constellation of over 100 multipurpose satellites, to help governments and the private sector monitor, adapt to and reverse the effects of climate change in several ways. Spire’s Earth Intelligence data provides crucial information on environmental factors, including sea ice levels and soil moisture, which can be used in climate change research and development of solutions. For example, the company’s data is currently being used to monitor soil moisture in Scotland’s peatlands. The peatlands cover 20% of the country and are one of the most efficient carbon stores in the world; they currently contain roughly 140 years of the nation’s total current greenhouse gas emissions. When the bogs are damaged, however, they become carbon emitters instead. Restoring the peatlands is crucial to prevent such emissions, and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) is using Spire’s data to map wetlands and monitor their dynamics, providing necessary information on which areas most require restoration and protection

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In this Better Satellite World podcast, SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla speaks with Elly Perets, CEO of ASTERRA, which won a Better Satellite World Award in 2022 for its Recover satellite-based leak detection system.

Elly Perets is CEO of ASTERRA (formerly Utilis), a position he has held for 8 years. ASTERRA provides utilities around the world with cutting-edge satellite scanning technology to detect leaks in their infrastructure. Before joining ASTERRA, he founded and served as CEO of Progressive Labs, Ltd. Elly’s other experience includes serving as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Pageflex and Press-sense, as Viable Vision Expert for Goldratt Consulting and as Sales Director for SA International. He has a M.S.E. in Management of Technology from the University of Pennsylvania and a L.L.B. in Information Technology from Reichman University.

Potable water systems around the world suffer an average of 15-20% leakage rate, resulting in wasted energy usage, contamination or, in the worst cases, critically low availability of drinking water in already stressed areas. ASTERRA (formerly Utilis) developed and patented a new technology that uses reflected signals from L-Band polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) to detect potable water underground up to 2 meters. Using ASTERRA’s proprietary algorithm, potable water can be distinguished from naturally occurring or salt/brackish water. The technology can penetrate foliage and asphalt roadways, allowing detection of water leakage from utility pipes. Once the leaks are identified, field leak inspectors can pinpoint where to search for the source of the problem to repair the damage quickly and with the least possible waste. ASTERRA’s new technology, called Recover, is a low-cost alternative for finding potable water leaks that is available even to small and rural water agencies, where they frequently had few options. The company works with small and rural utilities to provide custom packages to meet their needs, as these organizations often do not have GIS programs or a formal leak detection program. ASTERRA received a Better Satellite World Award from SSPI in 2022.

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In this Making Leaders podcast, we hear from Kevin Steen, CEO of OneWeb Technologies. Kevin joined OneWeb Technologies as CEO in 2022, after serving as CEO of ST Engineering iDirect for 12 years. Before ST Engineering iDirect, he served in other leadership positions, including as Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions at SAP and as Senior Director of World Wide Business Operations for Aspen Technology. Kevin is an entrepreneur who has co-founded and worked in senior leadership roles at multiple early-stage startups that were later acquired by Fortune 100 companies. He received his MBA from Northeastern University after completing a BSBA at the University of Denver.

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SpaceChain CEO Clifford W. Beek and PwC Manager for Enterprise Strategy & Value, Transformation Tim Ford discuss whether or not blockchain is transforming and decentralizing commercial space already and what’s really going on in this radical decentralization of space and asset allocation and management. With a Significant Digits report from SpaceNews Senior Staff Writer Jason Rainbow and SpaceNews Silicon Valley Correspondent Debra Werner.

Clifford W. Beek, Spacechain CEO
Tim Ford, PwC Manager for Enterprise Strategy, Value, and Transformation

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Planet was founded in 2010 as Cosmogia by former NASA scientists Will Marshall, Robbie Schingler and Dr. Christopher Boshuizen. The three scientists-turned-entrepreneurs had a singular vision: to image the entire Earth every day to make changes visible, accessible and actionable. They were the first to deploy cubesats in a commercial capacity, and over the past decade, they succeeded in revolutionizing the Earth observation (EO) industry and expanding access to satellite-based data far beyond the traditional defense, intelligence and agricultural sectors.

The co-founders planned to design and build their own cubesats called Doves for launch into low Earth orbit. Their first satellite was built in the archetypal California garage. Successful fundraising permitted them to launch two demonstration satellites, Dove 1 and 2, in April 2013 and two more in November, by which time the company had announced plans for a 28-satellite constellation called Flock-1. The flock was launched from the International Space Station in 2014. The Doves on-orbit service would be initially be relatively brief due to atmospheric drag, but the low cost of manufacturing and rideshare launches would make possible rapid iteration of new generations. This iterative approach allowed Planet to rapidly improve the spacecraft capabilities and reliability while simultaneously serving customers, which was a wholly new approach in the industry. Latter generation Doves would be launched into higher orbits and see normal service lifetimes.

More Flocks followed, including a recording-breaking launch of Flock 3p which consisted of 88 Dove satellites. From the total of over 500 spacecraft launched in the last decade, roughly 200 are currently active, representing continuous evolution in capabilities made possible by a cadence of 2-3 launches per year.

By May 2015, Planet had raised a total of $183 million in financing, and used it to acquire Blackbridge, operator of the RapidEye five-satellite EO constellation. Its assets grew again in 2017 with the purchase of Terra Bella and its SkySat constellation of 15 EO cubesats from Google. The Skysat constellation was to grow over the next three years to a design total of 21 spacecraft, all of which are now operational and capturing 50cm data. Combined with the whole-Earth scanning of the Dove fleet, Planet can find an identify any change on the surface of our Planet.

By imaging the entire Earth every day, Planet provides a revisit rate never before achieved. The imagery and data drawn from it is used to monitor farmers’ fields, manage crops and improve yields. It enables defense and intelligence agencies to understand events, anticipate their impacts and respond effectively. Governments use it to map land use, manage resources and monitor urbanization. As our climate changes, it guides decision-makers in responding to drought, wildfire, flooding and climate-induced migration. The company’s immense image archive also provides a global window into the past to illuminate the present and help predict the future.

The remarkable success in less than a decade of the company founded by Marshall, Schingler and Boshuizen has helped inspire explosive growth in new Earth observation technologies, as well as space data analytics and new companies including ICEYE, Capella Space, Orbital Insight and Descartes Labs. Each successful innovation is adding to our understanding of the planet and better equips humanity to ensure a sustainable future. https://spacebq.org

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The co-founders planned to design and build their own cubesats called Doves for launch into low Earth orbit. Their first satellite was built in the archetypal California garage. Successful fundraising permitted them to launch two demonstration satellites, Dove 1 and 2, in April 2013 and two more in November, by which time the company had announced plans for a 28-satellite constellation called Flock-1. The flock was launched from the International Space Station in 2014. The Doves on-orbit service would initially be relatively brief due to atmospheric drag, but the low cost of manufacturing and rideshare launches would make possible rapid iteration of new generations. This iterative approach allowed Planet to rapidly improve the spacecraft capabilities and reliability while simultaneously serving customers, which was a wholly new approach in the industry. Latter generation Doves would be launched into higher orbits and see normal service lifetimes.

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This episode features a roundtable conversation with Richard Baldridge, President and Chief Operating Officer at Viasat, Dr. Norman Jacknis, Senior Fellow at the Intelligent Community Forum and Professor Roberto Gallardo, Assistant Director of the Purdue Center for Regional Development and a Purdue Extension Community & Regional Economics Specialist.

Richard Baldridge joined Viasat in April 1999, serving as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer from 2000 and as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from 2002. Mr. Baldridge assumed his current role as President and Chief Operating Officer in 2003.

Mr. Baldridge was elected to the Board of Directors of Viasat in 2016. In addition, Mr. Baldridge serves as a director of Ducommun Incorporated, a provider of engineering and manufacturing services to the aerospace and defense industries, and EvoNexus, a San Diego based non-profit technology incubator. Learn more.

Dr. Norman Jacknis is currently Senior Fellow at the Intelligent Community Forum. His responsibilities include leading ICF’s Rural Imperative, building on the ideas he developed for the US Conference of Mayors on a future-oriented economic growth strategy for cities.

Before joining ICF, he was Director, Cisco’s IBSG Public Sector Group (the company’s open innovation and pro-bono strategic advisory group), where he worked extensively with states and local government, the National Association of Counties, the US Conference of Mayors and the staff responsible for the Federal government’s website and citizen engagement. In addition to citizen engagement, his focus was on economic growth, innovation, and the future of technology. Before Cisco, he was technology commissioner for Westchester County, New York, when it was one of ICF’s Top 7. Learn more.

Roberto Gallardo is Assistant Director of the Purdue Center for Regional Development and a Purdue Extension Community & Regional Economics Specialist. He holds an electronics engineering undergraduate degree, a master's in economic development, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration. Gallardo has worked with rural communities over the past decade conducting local & regional community economic development, including use of technology for development.

He has authored more than 70 articles including peer-reviewed and news-related regarding rural trends, socioeconomic analysis, industrial clusters, the digital divide, and leveraging broadband applications for community economic development.

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Before 2018, there were few structural ways for communications to be rapidly restored after a major disaster struck a community. But the satellite industry understood how vital communications are as the first response to a disaster. It established the Crisis Connectivity Charter, a collaboration between the satellite industry and the humanitarian relief community to make satellite-based communications more readily available to affected communities. The Charter established a pre-planned set of systems that allow for an immediate response at the time of a disaster.

The Crisis Connectivity Charter, which won a Better Satellite World Award in 2018, was developed by members of the EMEA Satellite Operators Association (ESOA) and the Global VSAT Forum (GVF) and their members, in coordination with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC), which was led by the World Food Programme (WFP). At the time of creation, the Charter aimed to foster efficient cooperation between the satellite industry, local governments, non-government organizations (NGOs) and the broader humanitarian community in the initial stages of a disaster, allowing for better communication planning, increased connectivity and support for emergency responses. The Charter prioritized access to bandwidth during disaster responses by allocating pre-positioned satellite equipment and transmission capacity into high-risk countries. It also provides training and capacity-building for the humanitarian community around the world.

What have been the results of this historic agreement and Charter to date? In this fourth episode of Bridging the Broadband Gap, we hear from David Meltzer, Secretary General of GVF and James Matthews, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Eutelsat Group, who discuss the Charter and its effects thus far.

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For three decades, Wisconsin-based Isotropic Networks has moved the satellite communications industry forward, pushing the speed limits of single and hybrid networks and showing the industry what network uptime should be. Today, it is deploying the most advanced network monitoring and throughput management platform around. In a complex world, where broadband has become an essential utility, they solve the complex satellite communications problems other companies cannot or will not. In this third episode of Bridging the Broadband Gap, we hear from Hank Zbierski, CEO and Chief Catalyst of Isotropic Networks, who co-founded the company in 1992. Hank tells us a bit about Isotropic's vision of what the satellite industry can be and what the company is doing to create more robust hybrid networks to help provide broadband everywhere.

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Hellas Sat is in a unique position to eliminate the digital divide in many areas around the world. The company received an award from the International Telcommunication Union (ITU) in 2022 and a Better Satellite World Award from SSPI in 2021 for enabling broadband connectivity to 127 public clinics and hospitals in Zimbabwe and for its efficient collection and distribution of health data to policymakers. Hellas Sat is making a difference, and it does so with a genuine passion for making the world a better place through satellite.

In this second episode of the Bridging the Broadband Gap podcast series, we hear from Ken Karantonis, Space Programs Manager at Hellas Sat, who has been with the company for nearly 20 years. Ken tells us a bit about the company’s approach to closing the digital divide in places that have particularly suffered due to lack of connectivity and how Hellas Sat makes such goals financially feasible to pursue.

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Broadband connectivity is only the footof the bridge built by satellite networks. In a world shaken and stirred in ways unimaginable, connectivity has been revealed as THE primary economic enabler and the glue to a connected economy and the corporate enterprise.  The “hybrid” workforce and the rise of video and massive uses of data among even the smallest companies has made enterprise broadband increasingly essential.

So where are the gaps and the opportunities within this sector? What changes have taken place within the company that pioneered and made consumable online access?

In this episode of the Better Satellite World Podcast we take a look at the universe that Hughes created for the current and future enterprise.  We speak to executives who discuss the global trends in satellite broadband, the strategy going forward and how broadband is shaping the world’s most dynamic economy: that of the United States

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In this podcast, Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters Jim Free, SSPI Chair Emeritus and Founder, Chair and CEO of Lonestar Data Holdings Inc. Chris Stott, SpaceNews Senior Staff Writer Jason Rainbow and SpaceNews Silicon Valley Correspondent Debra Werner explore to better understand how Artemis and a host of other NASA led missions and initiatives will pave the way for public-private partnerships to enlist American entrepreneurship to open up this new frontier to commercial enterprise. Speakers include:

Jim Free, Associate Administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate
Chris Stott, Chairman Emeritus of SSPI, Executive Chairman of Mansat, and Founder of Lonestar Lunar Holdings

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In this Making Leaders podcast, we hear from Steve Bates, Director of Systems Engineering at Maxar Technologies and the 2022 SSPI Mentor of the Year. In his current role, he is responsible for managing a team of systems engineers and developing the safety roadmap for Maxar. Steve draws on his deep experience in aviation safety from a long and impressive career in the industry to help Maxar ensure that the company meets the demanding safety requirements for a crewed NASA spacecraft as part of the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) for Gateway, a vital part of NASA’s Artemis program. He is also responsible for preparing Maxar engineers to safely execute new missions as part of the company’s business development strategy.

Steve began his career in the U.S. Marine Corps where he worked primarily in electronic engineering. He went on to become an Engineering Manager at Boeing, where he led technical groups responsible for integration and architecture development of large networked systems, including developing and implementing Network Security requirements. While working at Boeing, Steve served as the FAA-approved Safety and Airworthiness Manager with complete responsibility for Flight Deck design and requirements on the 737 and 757. Learn more about Steve.

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In this Making Leaders podcast, we hear from Chiara Cocchiara, Systems Operations Engineer for the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). In her current role at EUMETSAT, she is responsible for operations preparation for future satellite missions with a particular focus on Earth Observation. Chiara manages the mission Reference Operations Plan and Handover Plan to Operations as part of this work. Since joining EUMETSAT, Chiara has held many different roles, each of which gained increased responsibilities over the previous role. She acted as the Launch and Early Operations Phase (LEOP) Service Manager for the launch of Metop-C satellites, a position in which she also needed to cover the work for a missing role in her team. Chiara initiated and led procurement of an improved solution for electronic logbooks for the Mission Control Center by writing up the requirements and analyzing the proposals from external contractors to determine the best fit technically and financially. She also wrote the requirements and oversaw development and implementation of the newest User Notification System at EUMETSAT. Chiara has a Master of Science degree in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the Università di Bologna, a Master of Business Administration from the Rome Business School and is a graduate of the Space Economy Academy, and she is currently working on her PhD in Space Economy at the University of Palmero. She received a Promise Award from SSPI in 2022. Learn more about Chiara.

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In this Making Leaders podcast, we hear from Dr. Anthony Yuen, Specialist Consultant at McKinsey & Company in the Boston office and Chair of the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC). Until recently, he was a practicing physician and Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Throughout his 10+ years medical career, he has advocated passionately for the use of space technology to benefit health on Earth, including the use of satellite technology for telemedicine, satellite imagery for disaster response and Earth observation data to inform public and population health.

Some of Anthony’s recent healthcare work includes a research project on the use of satellite and ground-based pollution data to predict COVID-19 caseloads using machine learning. He also performed a systematic review with the NASA Exploration Medical Capability Group on the impact of elevated ambient carbon dioxide levels in spacecraft on the stability of medications in space. Anthony served as Co-Director of the Weill Cornel – OweF Tele-Simulation Day, in which tele-simulation was used to train analogue astronauts and their medical ground crews to respond to simulated real-life emergencies during an analogue mission. He is a member of the Working Group on Space and Global Health at the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. Anthony also served as the Director of the Simulation-based Discharge Program at the New York Presbyterian Hospital, a multidisciplinary project focused on the use of simulation technology to enhance discharge education and preparation for caregivers of children with medical devices. Anthony received a Promise Award from SSPI in 2022.

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In this Making Leaders podcast, we hear from Donya Naz Divsaler, Co-Founder and CEO of Caidin Biotechnologies, a startup that aims to improve human health and performance in extreme environments, such as outer space, through biomedical advancements. Under her leadership, Caidin Biotechnologies was accepted into Canada’s First Lunar Payload Accelerator for a product that monitors and improves astronaut health on long-term spaceflight missions. Donya also serves the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) as a Canadian Space Ambassador and also as a consultant for the Science and Technology Expertise Development in Academia (STEDIA) group. She obtained her Bachelors of Science in Health Sciences from Simon Fraser University (SFU) after attending Debrecen Medical School in Hungary and is currently working on her Master of Science in the Aerospace Physiology Laboratory at SFU. Her graduate studies focus on examining the effects of microgravity on physiological responses in the human body. Also as part of her studies, Donya was the lead for an ESA project looking at centrifugation-induced artificial gravity as a mitigation tool for the physiological downsides of long-term spaceflight. She received a Promise Award from SSPI in 2022.

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In this podcast, based on the November 2022 edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, our guests round out a three-month conversation about the Cislunar economy, whether it is “real” or not and the best opportunities in it. The conversation features a diverse group of astropreneurs explaining why they have invested time, money and sweat equity to pursue businesses in the Cislunar economy. Speakers include:

Robert Conrad, Vice President, NASA & Civil Space, SpaceLink
Mark Quinn, CEO, WTW Global Inspace
John Rood, Chairman of the Board, President and CEO, Momentus
Andrew Rush, President & Chief Operating Officer, Redwire
Yossi Yamin, CEO, SpacePharma

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In this Making Leaders interview, we hear from Frank DiBello, President and CEO of Space Florida and one of six inductees to the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame in 2022.

Over a 50-year career in the business of space, Frank DiBello has served in a wide variety of roles, all of them dedicated to guiding and strengthening the aerospace industry in America. In his 13 years with Space Florida – an Independent Special District of the State of Florida – he was instrumental in the state’s recovery from the retirement of the Shuttle in 2011 and its subsequent rise to even greater heights as the thriving commercial space operations and manufacturing cluster it is today. Frank’s leadership and contributions to the advancement of the aerospace industry in Florida has positioned the state as the clear leader in a rapidly transforming aerospace market, which has set an example to many other states, such as New Mexico, Virginia, Alaska, Texas and Georgia to improve their capabilities in the marketplace as well. Read more about Frank.

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In this episode of the Better Satellite World podcast, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla and Tamara Bond-Williams speak with Actor/Producer Cas Anvar about the future of society in space and how we must strive to balance financial viability with creating a safe and open home for humanity beyond the stars.

Cas Anvar is an actor and producer who has been working in the industry for the past 20 years. He founded The Shakespeare company in Montreal, Canada called Repercussion Theatre. Cas recently finished his last season on the hit Amazon show The Expanse, in which he played Alex Kamal, a martian-born transport pilot. He has starred in a variety of other movies and TV series, including the Oscar-nominated Room & Argo and The Operative. For his roles in The Lie and How to Get Away with Murder, Cas was nominated for two Emmy Awards in 2020. He also starred in The Strain TV series.

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Space really is the final frontier. Since Star Trek first crossed TV screens in 1966, we have believed that humanity’s destiny lies among the stars. And in the third decade of the third millennium, we are closer to that dream than ever before. Today, after decades of imagining the future, enterprising companies in partnership with governments are putting into place the practical foundations and critical components of a thriving space economy reaching from LEO to cislunar space. This podcast series will bring you the voices of some of these amazing partners on the journey to the final frontier. The fifth episode, based on October's edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, features a conversation with multiple experts about cislunar opportunities and commercial space.

Following a Significant Digits report by SpaceNews, this episode features a special report from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on the introduction of the anti-satellite missile testing norm presented by USA Vice President Harris as a possible UN resolution and its potential impact on ensuring greater international security for space and the cislunar economy expansion.

Speakers include:

Hussain Bokhari, Senior Analyst, NSR (an Analysys Mason company)
Negar Feher, Chief Revenue Officer, SpaceRyde
Holly Shorrock, Intelligence Analyst, Office of Intelligence and Analysis Economic Security Mission Center at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Matthew Taylor, Associate Director, Environmental Intelligence and Civil Space, Raytheon Intelligence & Space

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Space really is the final frontier. Since Star Trek first crossed TV screens in 1966, we have believed that humanity’s destiny lies among the stars. And in the third decade of the third millennium, we are closer to that dream than ever before. Today, after decades of imagining the future, enterprising companies in partnership with governments are putting into place the practical foundations and critical components of a thriving space economy reaching from LEO to cislunar space. This podcast series will bring you the voices of some of these amazing partners on the journey to the final frontier. The fourth episode features a conversation with Melissa Thorpe, MSc, Head of Spaceport Cornwall and Kevin Tipton, Senior Director, Aerospace and Aviation at the Greater Houston Partnership.

Melissa Thorpe oversees the entire Spaceport Cornwall project, guiding the team to a successful satellite launch in 2022 from Cornwall Airport Newquay. Together with launch partner, Virgin Orbit, this ambitious project will offer dedicated and responsible access to space. She works across the launch environment to efficiently secure investment, regulations and the infrastructure required to launch, whilst communicating the space story to the local community. She has featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC World News and The Independent.

Kevin Tipton joined the Greater Houston Partnership (the Partnership) Economic Development Division in March 2022 as the Sr. Director, Aerospace and Aviation. The Partnership serves a 12-county region that includes NASA’s Johnson Space Center, two award-winning international airports, a world-class urban Spaceport, 35 plus municipal airports, and approximately 500 aerospace and aviation-related organizations. He manages the organization’s domestic and international economic development efforts in the aerospace and aviation industry. He assists companies considering expanding, relocating, or investing in the greater Houston region.

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Space really is the final frontier. Since Star Trek first crossed TV screens in 1966, we have believed that humanity’s destiny lies among the stars. And in the third decade of the third millennium, we are closer to that dream than ever before. Today, after decades of imagining the future, enterprising companies in partnership with governments are putting into place the practical foundations and critical components of a thriving space economy reaching from LEO to cislunar space. This podcast series will bring you the voices of some of these amazing partners on the journey to the final frontier. The third episode features a conversation with Steve Kaufman, Corporate & Finance Partner and Satellite Practice Co-head at Hogan Lovells and Dr. Adrian Guzman, LEO Satellite Constellation Manager at the Mexican Space Agency.

A Corporate & Finance partner and Satellite practice co-head, Steve Kaufman uses industry knowledge and versatility to negotiate and close many types of deals globally. For 18 of his 30 years at the firm, Steve served as outside general counsel for satellite clients, leading strategic joint ventures, "bet-the-company" contracts, financings, and M&A.

Dr. Adrian Guzman is LEO Satellite Constellation Manager for the Science and Research Coordination ISS National Laboratory at the Mexican Space Agency, a position he has served in for nearly 3 years. Throughout a long career in academia and the industry, Dr. Guzman has served in a variety of consulting and teaching roles, and he still serves today as Associate Data Rockstar for Tableau Software and as a Visiting Professor in the Applied Communication Ph.D. program at Universidad Anáhuac and the Political Science and Communication Studies departments at Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. He is also a Marshall McLuhan Fellow at the University of Toronto, a position he has held for nearly 25 years.

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Space really is the final frontier. Since Star Trek first crossed TV screens in 1966, we have believed that humanity’s destiny lies among the stars. And in the third decade of the third millennium, we are closer to that dream than ever before. Today, after decades of imagining the future, enterprising companies in partnership with governments are putting into place the practical foundations and critical components of a thriving space economy reaching from LEO to cislunar space. This podcast series will bring you the voices of some of these amazing partners on the journey to the final frontier. The third episode features a conversation with Steve Kaufman, Corporate & Finance Partner and Satellite Practice Co-head at Hogan Lovells and Dr. Adrian Guzman, LEO Satellite Constellation Manager at the Mexican Space Agency.

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Space really is the final frontier. Since Star Trek first crossed TV screens in 1966, we have believed that humanity’s destiny lies among the stars. And in the third decade of the third millennium, we are closer to that dream than ever before. Today, after decades of imagining the future, enterprising companies in partnership with governments are putting into place the practical foundations and critical components of a thriving space economy reaching from LEO to cislunar space. This podcast series will bring you the voices of some of these amazing partners on the journey to the final frontier. The second episode features a conversation with Nathan Orr, Chief Engineer at Momentus Space.

Nathan Orr is the Chief Engineer at a Silicon Valley company called Momentus, where he leads a talented team of engineers creating orbital transfer vehicles that provide space transportation and hosted payload services. Previously, Nathan was also Chief Engineer at a startup asteroid mining company called Deep Space Industries, where he worked on novel concepts to mine resources such as water from near-Earth asteroids and developed water propulsion technology. Nathan has over 15 years of hands-on experience in the small spacecraft industry, having played a key role in over 18 missions, and has developed highly capable avionics and propulsion systems that have accumulated many years on flight time on orbit. Nathan received a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Toronto in Canada.

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Space really is the final frontier. Since Star Trek first crossed TV screens in 1966, we have believed that humanity’s destiny lies among the stars. And in the third decade of the third millennium, we are closer to that dream than ever before. Today, after decades of imagining the future, enterprising companies in partnership with governments are putting into place the practical foundations and critical components of a thriving space economy reaching from LEO to cislunar space. This podcast series will bring you the voices of some of these amazing partners on the journey to the final frontier. The first episode features a conversation with Tony Gingiss, COO of Virgin Orbit.

Tony Gingiss is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Virgin Orbit where he is responsible for the day-to-day management of all operations including: Program Management/Mission Delivery, Manufacturing, Engineering, Test, Flight and Launch Operations, and Supply Chain, Security and Facilities.

Prior to his role at Virgin Orbit, Tony was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture between Airbus and OneWeb created to design & manufacture 648 satellites, at 2 per day, for OneWeb’s low earth orbit constellation and to provide low-cost, high-quality satellites to the market, revolutionizing the economics of space. Tony led the organization from late 2017 to early 2021 spanning the completion of critical design ramp up, production of 2 satellites a day and a launch of over 100 satellites.

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The risk of start up in an industry as complex as commercial space and satellite is made even more intense by the challenges that are part of our business. Yet all around the world, people are looking at the opportunities, the new space of space and making the leap. These are our innovators, and this podcast series has brought them to you. The eighth and final episode of this series features a conversation with Abhishek Malhotra, Managing Partner at TMT Law Practice.

Abhishek Malhotra is the Founding Partner of TMT Law Practice. He graduated from National Law School India University, Bangalore and went on to earn an LL.M. degree from the Franklin Pierce School of Law, USA. He is admitted to the State Bar of California and Delhi. Abhishek has nearly two decades of experience, with strong expertise in Intellectual Property, Technology, Media and Telecoms, as well as Commercial Disputes. He has advised Clients in minimizing legal risks and devising strategies for safeguarding against criminal and civil liability. Abhishek also advises several think-tanks and associations in the field of Technology, Media & Telecommunications. He has counseled the Government of India on issues of copyright, data privacy and satellite communications and is also a guest lecturer at the Indian Institute of Information Technology. Abhishek has spoken at the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal on Enforcement of Trademark Rights – Civil and Criminal Remedies, Indo-America Chambers of Commerce conference on Doing Business in India from an IP perspective and Indo-America Chambers of Commerce conference on Leveraging Intellectual Property Rights for Business.

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The risk of start up in an industry as complex as commercial space and satellite is made even more intense by the challenges that are part of our business. Yet all around the world, people are looking at the opportunities, the new space of space and making the leap. These are our innovators, and this podcast series will bring them to you. The seventh episode of this series features a conversation with Carol Craig, Founder and CEO of Craig Technologies and Sidus Space.

A self-described accidental entrepreneur and Unconventional CEO™, Carol Craig is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Craig Technologies and Sidus Space, headquartered in Cape Canaveral, FL. Growing Craig Technologies from one person in 1999 to over 400 associates today with steadily increasing revenues, Craig leads nationwide operations with employees in over 20 different states.

Craig Technologies, a subsidiary of Sidus Space, was listed as one of Florida’s Best Companies to Work For in 2011 and 2013 by Florida Trend magazine. As CEO, Carol oversees corporate operations to ensure quality service-delivery for her commercial and government customers, offering multi-disciplinary engineering and integration, software development, training and courseware development, information technology, modeling and simulation, logistics, and launch support.

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The risk of start up in an industry as complex as commercial space and satellite is made even more intense by the challenges that are part of our business. Yet all around the world, people are looking at the opportunities, the new space of space and making the leap. These are our innovators, and this podcast series will bring them to you. The sixth episode of this series features a conversation with Per Norén, CEO of Ovzon.

Per Norén is the Chief Executive Officer at Ovzon, a position he has held for nearly 1.5 years. Before joining Ovzon, Per served in a variety of roles over 4 years at Global Eagle, where he led all customer, industry, market and product and commercial activities. He was named President of Global Eagle in November 2018 and served in that role for 2.5 years. Prior to his time with Global Eagle, Per worked in Information Services, Air Traffic Management and Environmental Strategy at Boeing before becoming Vice President of Digital Solutions and then finally Vice President & Chief Customer Officer for Digital Aviation. He is also a proven entrepreneur, having founding and led Carmen Systems as CEO for nearly a decade. Per has served on several industry boards throughout his career, including Carmen Consulting, Vikom, CybercomGroup, Icomera, Admeta and Chalmers University of Technology.

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The risk of start up in an industry as complex as commercial space and satellite is made even more intense by the challenges that are part of our business. Yet all around the world, people are looking at the opportunities, the new space of space and making the leap. These are our innovators, and this podcast series will bring them to you. The fifth episode of this series features a conversation with Chris Stott, Founder, Chair and CEO of Lonestar Data Holdings, Inc.

Chris Stott is the Founder, Chair and CEO of Lonestar Data Holdings Inc., the Lunar information, technology and communications company. Chris is also the Founder and Non-Executive Chair of ManSat, the world’s largest commercial provider of satellite spectrum.

Chris serves as the Chair Emeritus, alongside the late Sir Arthur C. Clarke, of the Space and Satellite Professionals International (SSPI), the largest professional association in the global space and satellite industry, which also named him Satellite Industry Mentor of the Year for 2015.

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The risk of start up in an industry as complex as commercial space and satellite is made even more intense by the challenges that are part of our business. Yet all around the world, people are looking at the opportunities, the new space of space and making the leap. These are our innovators, and this podcast series will bring them to you. The fifth episode of this series features a conversation with Chris Stott, Founder, Chair and CEO of Lonestar Data Holdings, Inc.

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The risk of start up in an industry as complex as commercial space and satellite is made even more intense by the challenges that are part of our business. Yet all around the world, people are looking at the opportunities, the new space of space and making the leap. These are our innovators, and this podcast series will bring them to you. The fourth episode of this series features a conversation with Lisa Kuo, Vice President of Strategic Sales at Ramon.Space.

Lisa Kuo is currently the VP of Strategic Sales for Ramon.Space, a leader in Space-resilient computing infrastructure with an impressive in-orbit success track record to date. As part of her current role in a dynamically growing new market of space computing infrastructure, she is channeling her energy and creativity into building an ecosystem to enable further utilization of computing resources in space.

Her extensive background in various spectrum of the space industry – anywhere from troubleshooting a satellite, evaluating cutting-edge propulsion technologies, designing a future military communication architecture, to helping customers implement a success-oriented business model, makes her an ideal panel moderator and speaker with a serious track record to boot.

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The risk of start up in an industry as complex as commercial space and satellite is made even more intense by the challenges that are part of our business. Yet all around the world, people are looking at the opportunities, the new space of space and making the leap. These are our innovators, and this podcast series will bring them to you. The fourth episode of this series features a conversation with Lisa Kuo, Vice President of Strategic Sales at Ramon.Space.

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The risk of start up in an industry as complex as commercial space and satellite is made even more intense by the challenges that are part of our business. Yet all around the world, people are looking at the opportunities, the new space of space and making the leap. These are our innovators, and this podcast series will bring them to you. The third episode of this series features the second part of a conversation with Alex Fielding, co-founder and CEO of Privateer.

Alex Fielding is the co-founder and CEO of Privateer. Privateer is a data and intelligence platform empowering the future of space sustainability.

As CEO and chairman of Privateer, Alex is responsible for supporting the leadership, vision and execution of Privateer. With decades of experience in innovation and growth in the tech sector, he is poised to lead the team in its launch of the first highly accurate space traffic map that aggregates multi-source data on Earth orbiting space objects, as a means to power the new space economy and make space exploration safe and sustainable.

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The risk of start up in an industry as complex as commercial space and satellite is made even more intense by the challenges that are part of our business. Yet all around the world, people are looking at the opportunities, the new space of space and making the leap. These are our innovators, and this podcast series will bring them to you. The third episode of this series features the second part of a conversation with Alex Fielding, co-founder and CEO of Privateer.

Alex Fielding is the co-founder and CEO of Privateer. Privateer is a data and intelligence platform empowering the future of space sustainability.

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The risk of start up in an industry as complex as commercial space and satellite is made even more intense by the challenges that are part of our business. Yet all around the world, people are looking at the opportunities, the new space of space and making the leap. These are our innovators, and this podcast series will bring them to you. The second episode of this series features the first part of a conversation with Alex Fielding, co-founder and CEO of Privateer.

Alex Fielding is the co-founder and CEO of Privateer. Privateer is a data and intelligence platform empowering the future of space sustainability.

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The risk of start up in an industry as complex as commercial space and satellite is made even more intense by the challenges that are part of our business. Yet all around the world, people are looking at the opportunities, the new space of space and making the leap. These are our innovators, and this podcast series will bring them to you. The second episode of this series features the first part of a conversation with Alex Fielding, co-founder and CEO of Privateer.

Alex Fielding is the co-founder and CEO of Privateer. Privateer is a data and intelligence platform empowering the future of space sustainability.

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The risk of start up in an industry as complex as commercial space and satellite is made even more intense by the challenges that are part of our business. Yet all around the world, people are looking at the opportunities, the new space of space and making the leap. These are our innovators, and this podcast series will bring them to you. The first episode of this series features a conversation with Kranthi Chand, Head of Strategy & Special Projects at Dhruva Space.

In his position at Dhruva Space, Kranthi is responsible for market research and strategic planning for corporate development, including bid management for government tender opportunities. He builds relationships with strategic government and defence clientele in India and overseas for the company and has established global partnerships in the ground station networks, remote sensing and in-space transportation areas.

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In this third year of our Summer Fun podcast series, we again talk with industry leaders and some of space and satellite’s most interesting people to find out something about them you may not know. This year’s question is: “What did you learn about the commercial space & satellite industry that you didn’t learn in school?” For the final episode of the series, we hear a conversation based on the July edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, focusing on meditation and the insights it has brought to industry greats.

Our guests include:

Lon Levin, Vice President of New Ventures, Lockheed Martin Space
Nicole Stott, Astronaut and Author: Back to Earth
Frank White, Author: The Overview Effect, The New Camelot, The Cosma Hypothesis
Steven Wolfe, President and Co-founder, Beyond Earth Institute; and Partner, CWSP International
Jason Rainbow, Senior Staff Writer, SpaceNews
Debra Werner, Silicon Valley Correspondent, SpaceNews

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In this third year of our Summer Fun podcast series, we again talk with industry leaders and some of space and satellite’s most interesting people to find out something about them you may not know. This year’s question is: “What did you learn about the commercial space & satellite industry that you didn’t learn in school?” For the sixth episode of Summer Fun – School’s Out, we hear from Meredith Garofalo, Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and Science/Space Journalist for News 12 New York.

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In this third year of our Summer Fun podcast series, we again talk with industry leaders and some of space and satellite’s most interesting people to find out something about them you may not know. This year’s question is: “What did you learn about the commercial space & satellite industry that you didn’tlearn in school?” For the fifth episode of Summer Fun – School’s Out, we hear from Chris Stott, Founder, Chair and CEO of Lonestar Data Holdings, Founder and Non-Executive Chairman of ManSat, SSPI Chair Emeritus and the 2015 Mentor of the Year.

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In this third year of our Summer Fun podcast series, we again talk with industry leaders and some of space and satellite’s most interesting people to find out something about them you may not know. This year’s question is: “What did you learn about the commercial space & satellite industry that you didn’t learn in school?” For the fourth episode of Summer Fun – School’s Out, we hear from Sydney Hamilton, Structures Stress Manager at Boeing and a 2021 Promise Award Recipient.

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In this third year of our Summer Fun podcast series, we again talk with industry leaders and some of space and satellite’s most interesting people to find out something about them you may not know. This year’s question is: “What did you learn about the commercial space & satellite industry that you didn’t learn in school?” For the third episode of Summer Fun – School’s Out, SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla speaks with Lon Levin, Vice President of New Ventures at Lockheed Martin Space.

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In this third year of our Summer Fun podcast series, we again talk with industry leaders and some of space and satellite’s most interesting people to find out something about them you may not know. This year’s question is: “What did you learn about the commercial space & satellite industry that you didn’t learn in school?” For the second episode of Summer Fun – School’s Out, we hear from Bob Collum, Integration Lead on the Mars Reconnaissance Team in the Planetary Science Division at NASA HQ.

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In this third year of our Summer Fun podcast series, we again talk with industry leaders and some of space and satellite's most interesting people to find out something about them you may not know. This year's question is: "What did you learn about the commercial space & satellite industry that you didn't learn in school?" For the first episode of Summer Fun - School's Out, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with Randy Segal, Partner at Hogan Lovells US LLP and the 2018 Mentor of the Year.

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In this Making Leaders podcast, originally released in December 2021, SSPI Executive Director Robert Bell speaks with Donna Potter, Former Senior Executive Director of Research and Development at Maxar Technologies, now retired, and the 2021 Mentor of the Year. Donna shares insights about mentorship, managing a team and the leadership lessons she has learned throughout her career and continues to learn even in retirement.

Until her retirement in 2019, Donna Potter served as Senior Executive Director of Research and Development at Maxar, after she originally took on the position at Space Systems/Loral (SSL) in 2011. She managed the research and development portfolio for SSL and later Maxar, furthering the technologies the company needed to remain competitive in the GEO communication satellite market. Donna’s responsibilities included crafting strategy for new technology development and driving progress and productivity on a wide array of technical projects. Along the way, she also helped employees develop critical project management and technical leadership skills, which resulted in multiple researchers publishing technical papers and earning patents under her leadership. She was instrumental in SSL’s transition from working exclusively with commercial customers to executing government contracts, including the Spider program for in-space robotic assembly of spacecraft and the Psyche mission to explore an asteroid.

Donna has consistently made time throughout her career to mentor others both within her companies and the industry as a whole, even taking time out for them after her retirement. As a manager, she provided frequent opportunities for her subordinates to learn more about leadership, including organizing a book club to read and discuss The Ideal Team Player. Donna has served as a role model for many women seeking to improve their leadership skills and rise through the ranks and went the extra mile with several mentees to help them adopt strategies to be taken more seriously in positions of authority. Donna was chosen as SSPI’s 2021 Mentor of the Year. Learn more about Donna at www.sspi.org/cpages/ma-potter.

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Billy Joel was in a New York State of mind and he made the world want to be here in it too. Today the commercial space industry would LIKE to be in a New York space of mind. Or would it? States like Florida, Texas and Virginia are all beginning to attract investment and investors to the rich space and satellite ecosystems that they have built by bringing together universities, local governments and innovators of all kinds to pan for the new gold and explore the millions of opportunities of the new frontier. It’s serious business. And New York has the ways and means. But it does it have the vision and the political intelligence? You'll find out in this podcast, based on the June 15 New York Space Business Roundtable. We’ll be getting real with Wall Street and the State of New York about why it is that the state which built the Erie Canal and the Empire State Building is not the state where space is flying.

Featuring guests:

Vinnie Esposito,Empire State Development Finger Lakes Regional Director
Patrick Chase and Evan Lerner, Co-founders, Empire Space
Will Porteous,General Partner and COO, RRE Ventures
Jason Rainbow, Senior Staff Writer, SpaceNews
Debra Werner, Silicon Valley Correspondent, SpaceNews

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In this Making Leaders podcast, we hear from Steve Spengler, Former CEO of Intelsat (now retired). Over a 36-year career in the space and satellite industry, Steve Spengler has dedicated himself to providing critical services to places in the world and people on the move where other telecommunications technologies cannot reach. He joined Intelsat in 2003 and served in a variety of executive roles, including sales, marketing, strategy and business development. Appointed CEO in 2015, he assumed leadership at a major inflection point for the world’s first satellite company. He oversaw the 2016 launch of the first satellite in the global Epic fleet that brought high-throughput architecture to C-, Ku- and Ka-bands, vastly increasing Intelsat’s capacity to meet exploding needs for satellite data. Through strategic investments and alliances, he expanded the company into flat panel antenna technology, LEO communications, in-flight broadband and other verticals. After years of fighting the mobile industry over access to spectrum, he changed course and proposed the sale of C-band frequencies to mobile carriers, igniting a complex regulatory and political process that led to the current C-band repack in the US. His final act before announcing his retirement was the emergence of Intelsat from Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a newly capitalized company that had shed a substantial portion of the debt heaped on it by former private equity owners and is prepared for its next wave of growth.

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In this Making Leaders podcast, we hear from Professor Robert Twiggs, Emeritus Professor – Astronautics at Morehead State University. Prof. Twiggs is best known in the space and satellite industry and academia as the “Father of the CubeSat” for his co-development of the CubeSat reference design and P-Pod Deployer for miniaturized satellites at Stanford University, alongside Professor Jordi Puig-Suari of California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo. His design has become the de-facto industry standard for Pico satellites since its development in 1998, with over 1,600 successful launches to this day. Prof. Twiggs has also developed and co-developed other original concepts, including the CricketSat, CanSat, ThinSat and the PocketQube for educational applications in space. Learn more about Prof. Twiggs at https://www.sspi.org/cpages/hof-twiggs

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The bombs falling in Ukraine have raised major geopolitical issues in Asia. One in particular will seriously impact the future of the commercial space industry. Taiwan’s significance to the world’s supply chain, high-value technology base, microprocessors and the civil life and laws upon which democracy depends are not always considered when we casually ask, “If Taiwan Goes, What Else Goes With It?” Could the industry be a casualty of a Chinese invasion? In this podcast, based on the May 2022 edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, our guests describe what is really at stake. The conversation is moderated by SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla and NY Space Alliance Founder Joseph Fargnoli, with a special report by SpaceNews reporter Jason Rainbow.

Guests for this podcast include:

Dr. Ting-Jung (TJ) Liang, Principal Engineer, Long Range Communications Technology, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Taiwan
N. Darius Sankey, PhD., Managing Director, Innovation Acceleration Capital
Dr. Robert Spalding, Co-CEO, Q-Networks, author, STEALTH WAR: HOW CHINA TOOK OVER WHILE AMERICA’S ELITE SLEPT (Portfolio; 2019)
Thomas Yen, CEO & Co-Founder, Tensor Tech

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How do satellites support supply chains for humanitarian efforts? Satellites can help to facilitate the communication that enables humanitarian agencies and regions to establish corridors and logistics chains, while monitoring the effort, managing data, chronicling refugee flight and resettlement. In this fifth episode of the Untangling the Supply Chain podcast, David Myers, President and CEO of UltiSat, and David Meltzer, Secretary General of Global VSAT Forum, join SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla to continue the discussion of how satellites have and continue to support supply chains in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, after major disasters and in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

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How do satellites support supply chains for humanitarian efforts? Satellites can help to facilitate the communication that enables humanitarian agencies and regions to establish corridors and logistics chains, while monitoring the effort, managing data, chronicling refugee flight and resettlement. In this fourth episode of the Untangling the Supply Chain podcast, David Myers, President and CEO of UltiSat, and David Meltzer, Secretary General of Global VSAT Forum, join SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla to discuss how satellites have and continue to support supply chains in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, after major disasters and in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

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Communication and earth observation satellites play an essential but too-little-known role in managing the world’s supply chains. The solutions call on spacecraft in every orbit, carrying every payload and operating in every commercial frequency band. They also call on the ingenuity and determination of experts in engineering, manufacturing, operations and analytics to provide the crucial data and communications that help their customers keep the world supplied.

In this podcast, based on the May 12 Webinar: Satellite Solutions for Supply Chain Woes, SSPI's Robert Bell is joined by Matt Desch,CEO, Iridium Communications, Inc.; Nicole Robinson,President, Ursa Space Systems; and Jean-Michel Rouylou, Head of Enterprise and Broadband, ST Engineering iDirect to discuss satellite’s vital role in world trade and the global opportunities the industry’s unique technologies are able to tap.

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As the manufacturing of rockets and spacecraft moves from one-at-a-time craft work to rapid iteration and assembly-line production, it is changing the talent needs of employers. What changes are taking place? What new career paths must be laid out to attract the best-qualified workers? And how does the company itself need to be re-imagined for a new world? In this second episode of Untangling the Supply Chain, Brad Laird, VP of Engineering at NXTCOMM and Damon Tolley, Director of Human Resources at Airbus OneWeb Satellites join SSPI’s Robert Bell to explore the shifting role of talent in a fast-changing business.

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When Airbus OneWeb Satellites began mass production of the OneWeb satellite constellation, it had to develop and manage a global supply chain that could operate at unprecedented speed to make possible the manufacturing of two satellites per day. In this podcast, Airbus OneWeb Satellites Chief Supply Chain Officer John Meikle joins SSPI's Robert Bell to explore how that chain was linked together and kept running – and how it copes with the major disruptions of 2020.

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The fourth episode of the Satellites & Ukraine podcast series features a conversation with Nick Reese, Deputy Director for Emerging Technology Policy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In a conversation with SSPI Director of Development Louis Zacharilla, Nick shares his view of where we are in the current climate of war, cyber-threats and the future of government’s relationship to the space & satellite community.

Nick Reese is the Deputy Director for Emerging Technology Policy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He is the founding supervisor of a new policy team focused on emerging technology issues in the geopolitical context. Before this role, he served for 1.5 years as a Senior Cyber Policy Analyst for the DHS. Nick began his career as a Supervisor and Operations Specialist in the U.S. Navy, a position he held for 9 years. He went on to serve as a consultant for the Strategic Intelligence Group and a National Security and Technology Expert and Branch Manager for the U.S. Intelligence Community. Nick is a graduate of Saint Leo University and Old Dominion University, where he received his Master’s degree in International Relations and Affairs.

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The third episode of the Satellites & Ukraine podcast series features a conversation with Nick Burrett, Senior Sales Manager at Speedcast. In a conversation with SSPI Director of Development Louis Zacharilla, Nick discusses the role satellites have played in maintaining vital communications during wartime in Ukraine.

Nick Burrett is Senior Sales Manager at Speedcast, a position he has held for 4 years. Before joining Speedcast, he spent 5 years as a Sales Manager at SES. Nick has held senior sales positions at CETel GmbH and Telesat Canada, and served as Senior Account Manager for both Telia International Carrier and GlobeCast. He began his career in the industry at Taran Microsystems United, where he spent 4 years as Account Manager, before moving on to Sales Manager at ntl Broadcast. Nick has a degree from the University of Bedfordshire.

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The second episode of the Satellites & Ukraine podcast series features a conversation with Warren Ferster, Strategic Communications Consultant and Former Editor-in-Chief for SpaceNews magazine. In a conversation with SSPI Director of Development Louis Zacharilla, Warren discusses the role satellites have played in coverage and informing policy during the war.

Warren Ferster is a Strategic Communications Consultant, Writer and Analyst with 25 years of experience reporting on and analyzing global space industry and policy issues. He previously served as Editor-in-Chief for SpaceNews magazine for nearly a decade after 8 years as Deputy Editor and nearly 6 years as a National Affairs Reporter. Before joining SpaceNews magazine, he spent 3 years as a Space Industry Reporter for Defense Daily. Warren earned his Masters degree in National Security Policy Studies at George Washington University.

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The first episode of the Satellites & Ukraine podcast series features a conversation with Peter B. de Selding, Co-Founder and Chief Editor of SpaceIntelReport and a Member of the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame. In a conversation with SSPI Director of Development Louis Zacharilla, Peter discusses the role satellites have played in coverage of the war.

Peter B. de Selding delivered more than 20 years of incisive coverage of the commercial space and satellite industry as Paris bureau chief of SpaceNews before co-founding SpaceIntelReport and becoming Chief Editor. His reporting has broken many major stories in the industry and never hesitated to tackle controversies, reveal conflicts of interest and hold business leaders accountable for their decisions. That quality led SSPI, in 2015, to present Peter with a Better Satellite World Award in recognition of his role in making a better industry. Since its founding in 2017, SpaceIntelReport has delivered some of the most accurate, reliable and insightful reporting in the business. In 2021, Peter was inducted into the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame for his achievements.

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Is the market for commercial space financing ventures and growth overheated? Are you in the early stages of a revolution or are you late to the party for financing? Why aren’t you getting financing? Or why did you? (And can you get more?) Where are we in the cycle of financing for various types of commercial space company ventures?

While some get financing easily, others struggle. How DO you get financing for space and satellite ventures? What is the reality for financing in this market? Does space financing have a different character? In this podcast, based on the March 16 edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, we ask people who provide funding and those seeking it. Hosted by NYSA’s Joseph Fargnoli and SSPI’s Louis Zacharilla, the podcast’s speakers include:

Keith Buckley, CEO of Federos (now an Oracle company)
Noel Rimalovski, GH Partners LLC

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Are SPAC-fed space companies headed for a disaster? SPACs have been a dynamic and transformative funding vehicle. An innovation say many. But commercial space may not be the right place for them, or a perfect one. In February’s New York Space Business Roundtable, we ask the questions: Is an IPO the right model for a space company? Can any space company scale fast enough to satisfy most SPACs when we are talking light years and not next year? The NY Space Business Roundtable takes an objective look at the economic viability of companies fueled by SPAC financing and asks if they are destined to flop or a sustainable way to go?

This podcast is based on the February 16 edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable. Hosted by NYSA’s Joseph Fargnoli and SSPI’s Louis Zacharilla, the podcast’s speakers include:

Phil Friedman, Senior Advisor, Perella Weinberg Partners
Steven Kaufman, Partner, Hogan Lovells LLP
Claude Rousseau, Research Director, Northern Sky Research
Sita Sonty, Partner & Associate Director, Aerospace & Defense, Boston Consulting Group

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Beginning in June 2021, UltiSat partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide satellite communications services in support of the emergency operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The DRC is host to one of the largest internally displaced populations in Africa, with more than 92,000 refugees seeking asylum in its northern region after fleeing post-election conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR). The displacement has placed tremendous strain on the region, prompting the UNHCR’s humanitarian efforts to provide much-needed shelter, food and access to medical services for the refugees and the local population attempting to support them. Coordinating such a huge effort requires reliable communication services, and UltiSat stepped up to offer them. UltiSat has a long history of supporting humanitarian and disaster relief organizations working on-site by providing satellite network services, equipment, life-cycle operation, installation, maintenance and logistics support.

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Speedcast has a long history of providing humanitarian aid and NGO connectivity solutions. Recently, the company partnered with the non-profit organization Willka Yachay to provide connectivity to the Q’eros tribe in the Andes Mountains of Peru. The Q’eros are some of the last living descendents of Incan tribes, and they live a difficult, isolated life without access to modern education, health and technology services. In 2010, an American student named Hannah Rae Porst traveled to Peru and spent time living with the Q’eros for a university project. Some time after leaving the mountain community, she founded the Willka Yachay non-profit organization to give back to those who had accepted her and taught her so much during her time in Peru. Willka Yachay raised funds to build and launch a school for the Q’eros, and Hannah moved to Peru to oversee the project. The organization also founded Kidnected World, an NGO dedicated to bringing interactive education to indigenous civilizations throughout South America and Africa. Speedcast became Kidnected World’s primary partner on the project, providing communications services and advice on solutions needed to best serve such remote communities. The company also donated a year of connectivity service for the charity and deployed Speedcast field engineers to conduct antenna systems installations in the Q’eros community. Speedcast and Willka Yachay received a Better Satellite World Award in 2021.

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Over the course of a more than 25-year career in space and satellite, Christodoulos Protopappas has promoted satellite communications and connectivity across Europe, the Middle East and parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. He founded Hellas Sat, the national satellite operator of Greece and Cyprus, in 2001 and has served as its CEO for 20 years. Today, Hellas Sat operates a fleet of three geostationary (GEO) satellites that serve locations across Europe, the Middle East and parts of Africa. The company has been fundamental to the development of the Greek Space Agency and has contributed to Greece’s space infrastructure as a whole, including serving as a facilitator for collaboration between the Agency, academia and local industries. Hellas Sat also provided the first major opportunities for young engineers in the region to work in the area of space and satellite in both Greece and Cyprus. While serving as CEO, Christodoulos founded the company’s Space Centre in Cyprus, which boasts more than 35 large antennas with DTH transmission and other satellite managed services. Christodoulos received a Better Satellite World Award in 2021.

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In this seventh and final episode of This Planet’s on Fire, we hear from Dr. Heather Lynch, Professor of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University in New York and Chris McCormick, Founder and Chairman of PlanetiQ/Global Weather & Climate Solutions. Dr. Lynch and Chris join SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla to talk about how satellites are used as tools for a range of important aspects of the climate, including weather and ecology, which are the main focus of the conversation.

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In this sixth episode of This Planet's on Fire, we hear from Dr. Joel Kimmelshue, Principal Scientist and co-founder of Land IQ. Land IQ provides solutions to challenging agricultural and environmental problems throughout the world. Dr. Kimmelshue joins SSPI's Lou Zacharilla to talk about the role of satellites in managing water and describes what it feels like for farmers to be working in drought conditions when their livelihoods depend on water.

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In this fifth episode of This Planet's on Fire, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with Nicole Stott, author and retired NASA astronaut. Nicole talks about her new book: Back to Earth: What Life in Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet - and Our Mission to Protect It and how when she first saw Earth from space, she realized how interconnected we are and knew she had to help protect our planetary home.

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In a conversation hosted by NYSA’s Joe Fargnoli and SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla, Paul Gloyer, President of Gloyer-Taylor Labs LLC; Douglas Helmuth, Remote Sensing Scientist and Former Principal Investigator at Lockheed Martin SSC (now retired); and Sanjay Wagle, co-founder and Managing Director of The Lightsmith Group, talk about what meaningful business cases can be made for sustainable technologies in space and satellite. This podcast is based on the recent New York Space Business Roundtable conversation, conducted on January 19, 2022.

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In a conversation with SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla, Wade Barnes, co-founder and CEO of Farmers Edge; Prateep Basu, CEO of SatSure (a Better Satellite World Award recipient in 2020); and Sanjay Wagle, co-founder and Managing Director of The Lightsmith Group, talk about the major risks in agriculture today, business models and innovations that use satellite-based information to transform agricultural practices and the impacts of climate change on agriculture and investment.

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In a conversation with SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla, Dr. Steven Hamburg, Chief Scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund, talks about MethaneSAT, which locates and measures methane emissions from oil and gas operations around the world with precision and at a scale never achieved, providing valuable data for making decisions on climate change. In his role at EDF, Dr. Hamburg works to ensure that EDF’s advocacy is based on the best available science.

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In this first episode of This Planet's on Fire, we hear an overview of what the satellite industry has done and is currently doing in the fight against climate change. Can we engineer our way out of this crisis? Probably not. But what we are doing as a technology and an industry is helping people realize the steps that need to be taken. NASA Division Director of the Earth Science Division Dr. Karen St. Germain and ESOA Secretary General Aarti Holla-Maini join SSPI's Lou Zacharilla to bring a global perspective to this issue.

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Raven joined Ball Aerospace in early 2020 as a Systems Engineer and currently serves as lead for the Electrical Power Distribution Subsystem (EPDS) on NASA’s SPHEREx program, which will conduct the first near-infrared all-sky spectral survey to study the cosmic origins of the universe and galaxies. Her contributions to the EPDS on the SPHEREx program have already proven invaluable in her 14 months spent on the project. In her first 6 months on the project, She was responsible for researching and procuring the solar array technology that will power the SPHEREx spacecraft and quickly realized that the original design exceeded the system’s mass allocation. Raven discovered a novel technology that is more efficient, smaller, lighter and more powerful for less cost than the established baseline, thereby getting the project back on track seamlessly and with added benefits. She consistently provides valuable feedback for deliverables, researches options for spacecraft components and contributes design ideas.

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Sydney began her career at Boeing in 2014 as a Structural Design Engineer, a role in which she supported projects like the 777 Automated Floor Drilling Equipment Elimination & Floor Redesign project and the 777X Folding Wing-Tip Mock-Up. She also worked in the Commercial Aircraft Operations Center as a Service Engineer before moving on to become a Mechanical Systems Engineer designing, analyzing and managing projects for additively manufactured parts for space and launch systems. Sydney next took on the position of Responsible Engineering Authority (REA) for satellite reflectors, in which she led a cross-functional team to develop reflectors for multiple commercial and government programs, demonstrating rapid problem-solving skills and the ability to consistently meet aggressive deadlines and cost targets. In her current role of Structures Stress Engineering Manager, she leads a high-performing team of 18 engineers that perform critical technical analyses for all 3 major Boeing Divisions: Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) and Boeing Global Services (BGS). While Sydney’s primary organization within the company is in BCA, her leadership spans beyond BCA products to include BDS products such as the CST-100 Starliner reusable spacecraft capsule, Space Launch System and Wideband Global SATCOM.

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Kelsey joined Planet in February 2020 after completing a series of internships at the Paris Observatory and NASA Jet Propulsion Lab. In her current role at Planet, she is responsible for identifying, triaging, root causing and resolving satellite anomalies and performing fleet-wide health check-ins for the largest Earth Observation satellite constellation in the world. Kelsey also has extensive experience in using Python to develop tools for autonomous satellite operations and in creating and aggregating performance metrics to provide insight into constellation health and productivity. While working at Planet, Kelsey also serves as a Paris Observatory Researcher and Summer School Lecturer, a position she has held since 2018. She is enrolled to begin her Ph.D. in Autonomous Intelligent Machines and Systems at the University of Oxford in October 2021.

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How can new space companies manage their relationships with their workforce, the societies in which they operate, and the political environment? This is the central question behind the “S” in ESG investing — the social aspect of sustainable investing and business management. A number of social factors can affect a company’s performance, ranging from short- to long-term challenges. Social factors to consider include a company’s strengths and weaknesses in dealing with social trends, labor, and politics. A focus on these topics can increase profits and corporate responsibility.

It would be challenging to find an industry which touches the aspirations of humanity more than the space and satellite industry. But as it becomes more diverse and society takes the turns that we have been taking, we ask if we are doing enough on the social scale to accommodate this vision of a single planet which is populated by a single humanity?

As we navigate questions of culture, gender, nationality, mores and morals, how should management respond? What is the value of giving so much emphasis to the “S” of ESG? What will be the impact on the brand and the overall “health” of companies? Will taking the right steps increase value for investors? Are Social Factors universal? Or are they in themselves a new form of control by a few? Is more nuance needed?

SSPI and the New York Space Business Roundtable are pleased present the third entry in this regular series.

Speakers include:

Sabrina Alam, Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) and Sustainability, SES Satellites
Douglas Jarl, Investment Banker, Barclays, Aerospace, Defense & Government Services
Richard Morrison, Competitive Enterprise Institute
Anthony R.G. Nolan, Partner, K&L Gates
Joseph D. Fargnoli, Co-Founder, New York Space Alliance (host)
Louis Zacharilla, Director of Development and Innovation, SSPI (host)

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We encourage you to share your questions, thoughts, ideas, on this important topic as it relates to the space and satellite industry!

To participate visit: https://cutt.ly/SSPIPodcast_New3P

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In this Making Leaders interview conducted at the Hall of Fame Celebration, we hear from Steve Collar, CEO of SES and one of the three inductees to the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame in 2020.

In 2011, Steve Collar became CEO of O3b Networks, the company founded four years earlier by Hall of Famer Greg Wyler. The impact of his leadership soon made itself felt. Within two years, the company launched the first four satellites of its pioneering MEO constellation and added another eight the following year, and later bringing the number of O3b satellites launched to 20 in 2019. By 2016, O3b had built a firm backlog of $350 million with more than $100 million in current-year revenue, making it the fastest-growing satellite operator in history.

SES was one of the company’s early investors and, in 2016, it exercised its option to acquire O3b Networks. The deal created the first communications satellite operator with spacecraft in both GEO and MEO orbits. Steve was appointed CEO of SES Networks, the newly-formed data-centric business unit of SES, in May 2017. Less than a year later, he became CEO of SES. Behind his fast rise was a major transformation in the marketplace, which demanded aggressive response from the company. Video distribution and contribution had long provided most of SES’s revenue, but the explosive growth of online streaming triggered what soon became an accelerating decline in that business, with impacts across all the major satellite operators. With its significant exposure to that decline, SES needed a fast-growing source of replacement revenue, and SES Networks looked set to deliver it.

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In this Making Leaders podcast, Robert Bell speaks with Tory Bruno, President & CEO of United Launch Alliance and one of the three inductees to the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame in 2020.

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In this conversation, the final of a four-part series on mentorship, SSPI Director of Development and Innovation Lou Zacharilla speaks with four of the youngest and brightest stars of the future in the commercial space & satellite industry. Clémentine Decoopman, Sajit Jumani, Jomya Lei and Jeremy Turpin are all members of the 2019 “20 Under 35” cohort, chosen for their initiative, creativity and problem-solving skills that has led to outstanding achievements in the industry before the age of 35.

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In this conversation, the third of a four-part series on mentorship, SSPI Director of Development and Innovation Lou Zacharilla speaks with two men whose careers have taken them to the top of their respective professions at some of the industry’s largest corporations. They share with us the unique advantages and challenges of mentorship “inside a giant.” Airbus is an international company and a leader in designing, manufacturing and delivering aerospace products. And with 133,671 employees, it certainly qualifies as a giant. Its US Space & Defence Group is led by Chris Emerson. Chris has served as president of the group since 2019, where he oversees the operations and strategy of all its companies in the USA. He also serves as Chairman of the Board. Founded in 1948 by David Ogilvy, this ad agency can be found in 132 offices in 83 countries around the world. Adweeks’ Agency of the Year in 2016, Ogilvy’s client list is long and ranges from American Express to Ikea to Samsung. Ben Levine serves as Executive Partner and Head of Global Partnerships from Ogilvy’s main office in New York. He is responsible for developing and growing strategic relations across the Ogilvy Group, its parent company WPP and external networks to find greater value for its clients. Ben also serves as Global Client Leader for the agency.

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In this conversation, the second of a four-part series on mentorship, SSPI Director of Development and Innovation Lou Zacharilla speaks with three women mentors and leaders of the industry. Dr. Jennifer Dawson is the Staff Functional Safety Engineer with the Toyota Research Institute. Before that, she worked at Space Systems Loral as the Technical Director for Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites, as Head of Safety and Technical Program Manager at Nuro and as a researcher at Stanford University, where she developed a cryogenic test facility, conducted experiments on a superconducting position sensor, defined requirements, and fabricated and tested customized electrical connectors. Dr. Dawson received a Promise Award from SSPI in 2016 and was also responsible for nominating the 2019 Mentor of the Year, Rob Lyon, whom you heard from in Episode 1. Penelope Longbottom is a member of the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame who has devoted her career to explaining satellites as one of the industry’s premiere public relations executives. She served in a variety of jobs, from Director of Communications and later Vice President at Hughes to Senior Marketing Communications Executive with Lockheed Martin Intersputnik, Lockheed Martin Space & Strategic Missiles and XM Satellite Radio. While at Hughes, Penelope was key to the promotion of DirectTV and America’s first Mobile Satellite System. She founded Longbottom Communications and merged the company with Sage Communications one decade later. Penelope has been a relentless advocate for more space for women in the industry and has been a mentor to dozens. Nicole Stott was seen recently in super bowl commercial with Busy Philipps and Lilly Singh riding the first Olay rocket! It was her third mission to space. Nicole is a retired NASA astronaut who performed two important missions on the International Space Station, where she served as flight engineer for Expeditions 20 and 21. She was a Mission Specialist on Space Shuttle Missions 128 and 133. Nicole began her career as a Structural Design Engineer with Pratt & Whitney. She was the first astronaut to have a picture taken with the SSPI logo from space.

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In this conversation, the first of a four-part series on mentorship, SSPI Director of Development and Innovation Lou Zacharilla speaks with three people who are considered world-class mentors and have been responsible for nurturing diverse talents to success. Dr. Peter Plumley is the Chief Program Officer for the Museum of Science & Technology and a research professor of civil & environmental engineering at Syracuse University. Peter has an extremely broad portfolio of research and interests related to the environment of the Earth and space. His current research is focused on the man-made world and the impact of technology on our drive to invent and explore the impact of technology on society and civilization - as well as its overall impact on the environment. Tim Deaver is the Director of US Space Systems at Airbus Defence & Space. Tim manages all US government space-related program management and customer liaison. Tim is a satellite industry veteran, having worked for SES, where he led business and product development and was responsible for securing many high-end contracts. He served in the US Air Force for over 20 years and holds degrees from the Universities of Nebraska and Colorado. Rob Lyon is the Executive Director of Flight Assurance at Maxar. Rob decides when each of the spacecraft built is ready for launch. He began his career at the USA’s naval academy where – among other tasks – he qualified people to run nuclear reactors to eventually become the top operations officer in the pacific submarine fleet. Rob is a highly sought-after mentor in his company’s program. He earned his advanced degree in Electrical & Electronics Engineering and Physics at the naval academy. Rob has had a distinguished career of nearly 15 years at Maxar, and in June of last year, he was named the space & satellite industry’s Mentor of the Year at SSPI’s annual Future Leaders Dinner in Silicon Valley, where he was introduced by Tim Deaver.

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In this Better Satellite World episode of the SSPI podcast, Director of Development and Innovation Lou Zacharilla speaks with Abhas Maskey, Project Manager for the international collaboration BIRDS Satellite Project, about his work with the project and how it has led to the establishment of a brand new space agency in his home country of Nepal. Abhas Maskey was singularly responsible for igniting a national space program and enthusiasm for space and satellites in Nepal. Thanks to his efforts with BIRDS, Nepal has established and funded its first space agency. Abhas joined SSPI in London for the Better Satellite World Awards Dinner in 2019, where he accepted an award on behalf of the BIRDS Project.

The Joint Global Multi-Nation Birds Satellite (BIRDS) Project was initiated in 2015 by the Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan with the help of over ten partner institutions. It was envisioned by Dr. Mengu Cho, Professor at Kyutech, who became Principal Investigator for the Project. The BIRDS Project trains graduate students from many developing countries in using innovative and cost-effective systems engineering during the course of a two-year satellite project. The BIRDS project was selected by the Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC) as the winner of the 2017 GEDC Airbus Diversity Award for diversity in engineering. The Project has provided training for students from many countries including: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Egypt, Ghana, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Paraguay, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, and Turkey. One BIRDS project is begun each year, with 2019 marking the fourth generation (BIRDS-4) since the Project’s inception. The yearly projects are carried out by graduate students enrolled at Kyutech for a masters or doctoral degree, and such projects are supervised by four Kyutech faculty members.

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In this Better Satellite World episode of the SSPI podcast, Director of Development and Innovation Lou Zacharilla speaks with David Hartshorn, CEO of Geeks Without Frontiers, about why he decided to become Head Geek, how he uses his deep expertise in the satellite industry to make positive changes and how developing countries are able to create sustainable business models through his work.

David Hartshorn is no stranger to the Better Satellite World. He has led two critical industry campaigns for the preservation of spectrum rights. He led the Global VSAT Forum for two decades, where he helped transform disaster preparedness worldwide and was a recipient of the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award. David’s primary responsibilities included enabling expanded access to satellite-based solutions through financially sustainable business models, regulatory & policy advocacy, spectrum coordination, training & education, technology validation, and engagement with private and public sector satellite stakeholders in all nations. Eighteen months ago, he went to Washington to accept a position as the CEO of Geeks Without Frontiers.

Geeks Without Frontiers (Geeks) is a platform for global impact. A technology neutral nonprofit, Geeks’ mission is to bring the benefits of broadband connectivity – health, education, poverty reduction, gender equality and the other UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) – to the estimated 3.5 billion people who remain unconnected. Sponsored by government and private-sector stakeholders, Geeks has developed a commercially sustainable, satellite-based connectivity model, designed to help address forced labor and human trafficking in the commercial fishing industry. In addition to addressing Human Rights concerns via vessel geo-positioning and providing connectivity to the crew, the model has commercial benefits for vessel owners including the ability to transmit catch reports, monitor weather, conduct safe navigation and send distress signals. The same model can also be used to better address Illegal Unreported and Unregulated fishing, overfishing and seafood fraud. The Geeks model supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), particularly in the areas of innovation, industry, infrastructure, life below water, peace, justice, strong institutions, and partnerships.

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"In this Better Satellite World episode of the SSPI podcast, Director of Development and Innovation Lou Zacharilla speaks further with Chris Lee, Chief Scientist at the UK Space Agency, about the UK Space Agency's International Partnership Programme, which won a Better Satellite World Award in 2019. Chris Lee oversees the UK Space Agency's International Partnership Programme (IPP). He holds a degree in space science, with his primary concentration on missions supporting astronomy, planetary sciences and earth observation. In 2014, Dr. Lee was invited to join the newly formed UK Space Agency as its very first Head of International Space Policy in order to enact a first-time strategy focused on satellite data services as a showcase for the capabilities of the United Kingdom's science and technology. The UK Space Agency’s International Partnership Programme (IPP) is a five-year, £30M/year ‘space for development’ programme established in 2016, and currently the largest undertaking of its kind in the world. It focuses on utilising the UK space sector’s research and innovation capabilities to deliver sustainable economic and societal benefits to emerging and developing economies around the world. IPP has so far grant-funded 33 projects in 44 countries across Africa, Asia-Pacific and South America, which are run by a large variety of UK and international organisations across industry, academia and non-profit entities. These projects address a variety of critical issues, including reducing deforestation, climate/disaster resilience, remote learning, land-use monitoring, reducing maritime problems, health and renewable energy. The projects generally take between two and five years to be delivered, and range from £500k to £15M in grant value plus match funding. IPP’s portfolio of partners now include 122 space sector organisations and 132 international organisations."

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In this Better Satellite World episode of the SSPI podcast, we hear from Stewart Sanders, Executive Vice President of Technology at SES Networks. In his current role at SES Networks, Stewart is responsible for O3b mPOWER program development, ensuring that all technical and commercial aspects are aligned and running smoothly. His responsibilities also include ground and space engineering, procurement, and technical innovation and product development. Prior to SES Networks, Stewart was CTO of O3b Networks, which has now merged with SES’s data business to form SES Networks.

In his previous role at SES, Stewart was Senior Vice President of Planning & Procurement, making him responsible for satellite and launch vehicle procurement activities, satellite fleet technical planning and innovation program management. His team also performed technical risk analysis as well as support of fleet launch and in-orbit insurance placement activities. In a prior role as Senior Vice President of Customer Service Delivery at SES, Stewart also supported O3b activities. Throughout his career, Stewart has served in various satellite and payload operations roles for BTI, Intelsat, ICO, NEW SKIES SATELLITES and SES. One of the highlights of his career before SES Networks was as a team member of the Intelsat/NASA satellite re-boost mission in 1992. Stewart was instrumental in forming the Space Data Association for which he was the founding Chairman; the unique industry data-sharing organization won both SSPI and World Space Risk Forum innovation awards in 2012.

In a conversation with SSPI's Director of Innovation and Development Lou Zacharilla, Stewart talked about how a lack of broadband connectivity in remote areas leaves many out of the modern economy and how SES Networks' mPOWER aims to provide the solution - connectivity for even the hardest-to-reach areas of the world via the most powerful and flexible satellite network in the world

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In this Better Satellite World episode of the SSPI podcast, we conclude the conversation with Mike Safyan, VP of Launch at Planet. Mike began his career in the space industry at NASA Ames, where he worked on the PhoneSat project, developing low-cost CubeSat platforms that use smartphone technology. In 2011, he joined the eight-person founding team at Planet Labs as a systems engineer. As the company grew from the initial eight employees to a global organization of over 450 people, Mike moved through a wide range of roles, from export regulatory licensing & compliance, overseeing Planet’s global ground station network to managing Planet’s launch strategy, the position he holds today.

In his early career at Planet, Mike was responsible for obtaining the company’s FCC Operational License, the first ever obtained for commercial CubeSats. Since then, he has been involved in the launch of over 300 satellites across twenty different launch attempts, helping Planet’s fleet grow to the largest in the world. Mike has served as an advocate for the SmallSat community as well as for Planet throughout his career, speaking at multiple conferences and workshops and negotiating with satellite operators including Orbcomm, DigitalGlobe, Spire, and NASA to establish fair and equitable spectrum and orbital sharing agreements. In 2017, Mike oversaw Planet’s record-breaking launch of 88 Dove satellites on India’s PSLV. The launch allowed Planet to achieve its Mission One: imaging the entire Earth every day from space. Mike was a member of SSPI's inaugural 20 Under 35 list in 2018 and was a Promise Award winner in that same year. He is also a member of SSPI's Board of Directors.

In this podcast, Mike spoke with SSPI Director of Development and Innovation Lou Zacharilla about Planet's mission, its Dove constellation and how Earth imaging contributes to a better world for us all.

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