SSPI

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 and startups misunderstand about each other, why Elon Musk's Martian Constitution clause is less crazy than it sounds, what the current FCC environment means for operators and investors, how to protect IP in space, and what it takes to build a career in a field that only makes sense in hindsight. Orbited is an SSPI series pairing the 2025 20 Under 35 cohort with inductees into the Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

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 to break the financial and cultural assumptions holding back commercial satellite operators, how she identified market demand before the language existed to describe it, and what she sees when she looks at the constellation economy today. Her answers are pointed: spectrum is being wasted, emerging space-faring nations are being locked out, and the industry that prided itself on opening access may be quietly closing it again. Orbited is an SSPI series pairing the 2025 20 Under 35 cohort with inductees into the Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

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 costs and when to let go of good work. They ask about cybersecurity threats then and now, about navigating defense acquisition culture, about how you build a company that stays innovative when the billionaires move in. And they close with something bigger: whether multilateralism in space can survive a world that keeps pulling toward sovereignty and silos. Hart doesn't hedge. He talks about his time as what he calls "Chief Saboteur" and what it takes to break things on purpose when stagnation sets in. These conversations are part of SSPI's Space and Satellite Futures mission, cultivating and recognizing the talent that keeps our industry moving forward.

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 leadership pipelines for a rapidly converging space and satellite ecosystem. Despina shares her five years leading WISTA International, the 2024 IMO Gender Equality Award, and her conviction that stronger industries require stronger, more diverse leadership pathways. SSPI's role in creating those pathways, through community, visibility, and cross-disciplinary dialogue, sits at the heart of this discussion. Whether you're a maritime professional, a satellite industry newcomer, or a leader thinking about the future of global connectivity, you'll leave with a sharper sense of where the industry is headed and what it demands of the people in it.

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 is no longer enough, and how AI can help orchestrate data movement across complex hybrid networks. The conversation explores multi-orbit connectivity, quality of experience, cloud-edge integration, and the emerging future of "physical AI" in connected operations.

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 shared home.

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 into 2026. Featured speakers include: Patrick Chase, Founder - Empire Space Kaylon Paterson, Founder & CEO, Patterson Aerospace Systems Maxine Hoover, Director of Communications, Mars Ocean Analog

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: Dr Alice Bunn OBE, International Director, UK Space Agency Karen Cox, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, LeoLabs Laura Stefani, Managing Partner & Founder, Trailfinding Regulatory Solutions Meagan Sunn, Senior Director of Government Affairs, Ice Miller LLP Katina Mruk, Associate Director, RKF Engineering Solutions, LLC (moderator)

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 serve your world — and what it takes to protect them for the future. Speakers include: Nick Shave, Managing Director, Astroscale Alvaro Sanchez, CEO, Integrasys Dr. Jennifer Stone, Chief Strategy Officer, River Advisers

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 of the SSPI community for several years, recognized as a 2022 20 Under 35 honoree and most recently as a 2025 Better Satellite World Award winner. In 2025, INTEGRASYS expanded that engagement by joining SSPI as a corporate member, marking a deeper commitment to the community and to contributing its experience and perspective to the future of space and satellite.

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 motivated the company to join SSPI as a corporate member. This episode is part of SSPI's Space and Satellite Futures track, highlighting the people and organizations shaping the future of the space and satellite industry.

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 meeting, Nicole Robinson, President, Gilat Datapath, Tina Ghataore, CEO, Aerospacelab North America, and Debra Facktor, Head of U.S. Space Systems at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc. and past Chair of SSPI-WISE, join us for SSPI-WISE's anniversary celebration and share their thoughts.

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 secure satellite hub for Europe and NATO allies, the influence of interoperability and coalition operations on GovSat's service design, and the challenges of maritime law and international coordination in satellite communications. Josef shares insights on the evolving European defense communications ecosystem, opportunities for joint procurement and shared infrastructure, and GovSat's participation in shaping the future of allied secure connectivity.

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 also examines how satellite connectivity supports mobility, sustainability, and critical operations, from route optimization and emissions monitoring to offshore launch platforms and future 5G and 6G non-terrestrial networks. Throughout, Europe emerges as a laboratory for collaboration, regulation, and trust in satellite systems.