SSPI

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.