SSPI

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.