SSPI

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 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...

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, se...

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 spac...

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 N...

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 P...

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 Wi...

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...

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 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 D...

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 hol...