Karu Esselle is a distinguished professor in electromagnetic and antenna engineering at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and was crowned the overall winner at both the Australian Space and Defence Industry awards. In total, he has taken home a remarkable four trophies in the last year. Here, he speaks to host Adam Thorn about his career, including his groundbreaking work on internet solutions from space. They also discuss the state of the industry, and how Australia can compete on the global stage.