SSPI

How does a space ecosystem move from an empty incubator to a globally recognized center of commercial activity? 

Stuart Martin joins SSPI Executive Director Tamara Bond-Williams to reflect on the growth of the Harwell space cluster and the model that guided the Satellite Applications Catapult: identify the barrier, build what the market needs, and move on when others can carry the work forward. 

Stuart explains why European space companies now face a sc

Satellite constellations are multiplying, orbits are diversifying, and the infrastructure needed to connect them to Earth is expanding rapidly. What does all that growth mean for the satellite ground segment? 

In this episode of the SSPI Podcast, Tamara Bond-Williams welcomes Scott Mumford, CEO of Go Global Communications, one of SSPI's newest corporate members. Drawing on nearly 30 years of experience in satellite communications, including leading Liquid Telecom Satellite Services across Africa, Scott brings an engineering and commercial perspective to the changing ground segment. 

Carol Craig did not set out to become a naval aviator, launch a company, take a space company public, or spend her career navigating one rapidly changing industry after another. Her path kept changing, and she learned how to change with it. 
In this SSPI-WISE conversation, Carol joins Lyn Chassagne to talk about the experiences that shaped her approach to leadership, from becoming one of the first women eligible to fly in U.S. Navy combat aircraft to founding Craig Technologies and building Sidus Space. 

Their conversation explores L1[resilience in the face of unexpected change, le...

What does UK space look like after four and a half years at the head of its space agency? 

Dr. Paul Bate joins SSPI Executive Director Tamara Bond-Williams for a wide-ranging conversation about what he can see now that he has stepped outside the UK Space Agency and into academia. 

Paul reflects on the UK's growing role in European and international missions, the importance of relationships when geopolitical systems are under stress, and a possible new model for collaborative, digital-first space R&D.

What does it take to build a commercial space partnership when market opportunity, national security, and regulation all cross the same border? 

In Collateral Risk, Episode 5, Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Fuhua Ni, founding and managing partner of Shanghai Zenith Law Firm, about the changing legal environment around China's commercial space sector. 

What happens when you build a career around curiosity rather than a predetermined destination?

In this episode of Why I Serve, we meet Shruti Vyas, Head of Programmes at SES and a member of the SSPI Board of Directors.

Shruti's career has moved across satellite engineering, sales, procurement, insurance, risk management and launch management. She says those moves were guided by a simple principle: a career should carry forward a storyline.

That journey eventually put her in the middle of two extraordinary industry stories. She helped navigate...

Defense of space begins long before launch. It depends on the industrial base that can deliver components, ground systems, financing, insurance, contracting, manufacturing capacity, and commercial services when national-security missions need them. 

In The Industrial Base Behind Defense of Space, SSPI and the New York Space Business Roundtable convene an in-person discussion at Milbank in Hudson Yards. Moderator Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Zack Hester of Novaspace, Quadri Bello of Empire Space, Col. Tim Trimailo of Space Systems Command, David Myers of Applied Aerospace and De

What does it take to build a space economy? 

Dr. Barbara Ghinelli has spent more than 15 years working on that question. As Director of Innovation Clusters and Harwell Campus at UKRI-STFC, she has helped develop the Harwell Space Cluster and founded the new UK Space and Defence Gateway. 

Bricks, Satellites and Space Safety 

What does a failed satellite have to do with the Space Safety Economy? 

In Episode 5 of Are We There Yet?, Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Carol Craig, Founder and CEO of Sidus Space and Founder and CEO of Craig Technologies, about how safety is designed, tested, operated and valued inside real space missions.

Europe cannot build space resilience by trying to own every element itself. Sovereignty now depends on trusted access, interoperability, and a commercial ecosystem that can adapt as quickly as the threat environment.

In Episode 3 of Collateral Risk, SSPI Executive Director Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Chiara Manfletti, CEO of Neuraspace and Professor at the Technical University of Munich, about sovereignty and self-sufficiency in a rapidly changing space sector.

Manfletti explains why civilian and military space cannot be cleanly separated; why resilience depends on the entire chain from launch and ground systems...

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. 

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...

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...

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. 

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...

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. 

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?

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:

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 in...

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...

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...

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. 

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: 

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 sustai

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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:

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...

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...

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...

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 meet...

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...

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 al...