Industry Innovator Awards

The Industry Innovator Awards program was initiated in 1993 to identify and recognize outstanding new contributions to the field of satellite communications by both private-sector and public-sector organizations. Honorees are chosen for accomplishments ranging across a broad spectrum of advanced satellite technology and business applications.

2012 Awards

INNOVATION IN KA-BAND SERVICES
KA-SAT and ViaSat-1
SSPI honors two for-profit companies and strategic partners for the development and launch of transformative high-throughput satellites that seek to provide broadband Internet access to homes and small offices at rates and speeds comparable to terrestrial alternatives. More...


INNOVATION IN THE MITIGATION OF GALAXY-15 
Intelsat and SES
SSPI honors a satellite operator that forged an unprecedented collaboration with another leading operator to prevent a perfect storm of radio frequency interference over the US domestic arc. More...

INNOVATION IN INDUSTRY COLLABORATION ON THE SAFE USE OF SPACE
Space Data Association
SSPI honors an association formed by satellite operators to make operations in space safer for themselves and more reliable for their customers. More...

INNOVATION IN IDENTIFYING THE SOURCE OF INTERFERENCE 
Comtech EF Data
SSPI honors Comtech EF Data for developing, on its own initiative and at its own expense, a critical component of a long-term solution to the problem of satellite radio frequency interference (RFI). More...

2010 Awards

SERVICE DEVELOPMENT & APPLICATIONS
The US Broadcast Networks
In the for-profit sector, SSPI honors the four US terrestrial broadcast networks – ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX – for successful completion of a nationwide conversion from analog to digital over-the-air broadcasting. More...

Télécom sans Frontiéres
In the non-profit sector, SSPI honors Télécom sans Frontiéres, or Telecommunications Without Borders, a relief organization in southern France founded by Monique Lanne-Petit and Jean-Francois Cazenave. More...

SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT & APPLICATIONS
Inmarsat 4 Spacecraft
In the for-profit sector, SSPI honors Inmarsat as the creative innovator and EADS Astrium as systems engineer and project manager for the complex, multi-year effort to develop and launch the Inmarsat-4 system of spacecraft. More...

Satellite Users Interference Reduction Group and WBU-ISOG
In the non-profit sector, SSPI honors the Satellite Users Interference Reduction Group (SUIRG) and the World Broadcasting Union – International Satellite Operations Group (WBU-ISOG) for leadership over many years in the effort to reduce the impact of satellite radio frequency interference (RFI). More...

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT & APPLICATIONS
Cisco Systems Internet Router in Space
In the for-profit sector, SSPI honors Cisco Systems for developing and placing into operation a hosted satellite payload offering the ability to route IP traffic on the satellite, which eliminates the need to send the data to and from an extra ground station to implement the circuit-switched function. More...

NASA Innovations in Space Communications and Robotic Operations Related to the Deep Space Network, Mars Exploration and the Hubble Space Telescope
In the non-profit sector, SSPI honors the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for innovations in deep space communications and robotics in support of Mars exploration programs and the reconditioned Hubble Space Telescope. More...

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2008 Awards

SERVICE DEVELOPMENT & APPLICATIONS
Wildblue
In the private sector, SSPI recognizes Wildblue for the successful introduction of two-way broadband Internet service to homes and businesses across the United States via Ka-band satellite. More...

Global VSAT Forum
In the nonprofit sector, SSPI recognizes the Global VSAT Forum (GVF) for its leadership role in the successful effort to protect C-band satellite spectrum at the ITU's 2007 World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC-07). More...

SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT & APPLICATIONS
Hughes Network Systems
In the private sector, SSPI recognizes Hughes Network Systems for the development and initial deployment of the Spaceway 3 satellite. More...

Edusat and Mindset Networks
In the nonprofit sector, SSPI issues a joint award to two projects that are using satellite communications to transform education on national and international levels. More...

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT & APPLICATIONS
ATCi
In the private sector, SSPI recognizes ATCi for the introduction and successful deployment of Simulsat, the world's only true full-arc multiple antenna system. More...

Motion Picture Experts Group of ISO/IEC
In the nonprofit sector, SSPI recognizes the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) of the International Standards Organization/International Electro-Technical Commission (ISO/IEC) for the development of the MPEG digital video compression and transport standards. More...

SPECIAL AWARD: WEB ONLY
Sputnik 1 and Explorer 1
In the mid 1950s, a period of remarkable scientific and technical cooperation occurred as an outgrowth of the International Geophysical Year (IGY). More...

2006 Awards

SERVICE DEVELOPMENT & APPLICATIONS
Telenor Satellite Broadcasting
In the private sector, SSPI recognizes Telenor Satellite Broadcasting, a unit of Telenor, for continuous innovation in its primary service areas of the Nordic countries, Europe and the Middle East. More...

The American Red Cross
In the public/nonprofit sector, SSPI recognizes the Disaster Assessment/GIS and the Response Technology Units of the American Red Cross for use of VSAT-based systems to direct and manage deployment of relief teams in the US and overseas, and to provide for direct assistance to thousands of people affected by the Gulf hurricanes of 2005. More...

SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT & APPLICATIONS
XTAR
In the private sector, SSPI recognizes XTAR for introducing a new model for meeting the specialized needs of government and military customers through a commercially developed and operated satellite system operating in the X-Band rather than conventional commercial satellite bands. More...

e-Mexico
In the public/nonprofit sector, SSPI recognizes the e-Mexico Project of the Ministry of Communications and Transportation of Mexico for using satellite technology to provide that country's large rural population with Internet access and IP-based services. More...

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT & APPLICATIONS
IPSTAR
In the private sector, SSPI recognizes Shin Satellite for design and implementation of the first satellite and ground system dedicated to the next generation of broadband satellite services. More...

ViaSat
In 2006, SSPI makes a special award in the field of standards to recognize ViaSat, Inc. for its application of the DOCSIS® standard to satellite communications. More...

2004 Awards

SERVICE DEVELOPMENT & APPLICATIONS 
BBC World
In the private sector, SSPI recognizes BBC World Ltd. for the innovative use of digital technology and creative application of satellite transponder capacity to distribute global and regional TV channels to 255 million households BBC World is the BBC's commercially funded 24-hour international news and information channel and a member of the BBC's commercial group of companies. More...

Global Meterological Satellite Services 
In the public sector, SSPI recognizes the profound impact of the global network of meteorological satellites on science, commerce and the lives of citizens around the world. More...

SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT & APPLICATIONS
NDS
In the private sector, SSPI recognizes NDS for fifteen years of innovation in conditional access systems for satellite broadcasting. More...

The Global Positioning Satellite System
In the public sector, SSPI recognizes the Global Positioning Satellite space navigation network. More...

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT & APPLICATIONS
TANDBERG Television
In the private sector, SSPI recognizes TANDBERG Television for its development of compression technology that makes possible an unprecedented level of flexibility, without sacrificing quality, in satellite-based newsgathering. More...

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization
In the public sector, SSPI recognizes the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), an R&D organization owned by the Australian government, for development of its MultiBeam antenna. More...

2002 Awards

SERVICE DEVELOPMENT & APPLICATIONS 
XM Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio (joint award)
In the for-profit sector, SSPI salutes Sirius and XM Radio for their introduction of the new direct broadcast satellite Digital Audio Radio Service(DARS) into the United States market. More...

National Science Foundation and Comsat General (joint award)
In the nonprofit sector, the US National Science Foundation and Comsat General are recognized for defining and implementing a program that brought enhanced communications capabilities to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, operated by the US Antarctic Research Program. More...

SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT & APPLICATIONS
SES Astra
In the for-profit sector, SSPI recognizes SES Astra for developing and bringing to market the Broad-Band Interactive System (BBI), which was the first commercial use of the Ku-band spectrum to forward multimedia information via geostationary satellite to small dishes, and of the Ka-band spectrum to receive in the return direction similar information or to transfer files using the same satellite and dishes. More...

The Malaysian University of Sarawak and the Canadian International Development Research Council (joint award)
In the nonprofit sector, the Malaysian University of Sarawak (Unimas) and the Canadian International Development Research Council (IDRC) share an award for the E-Bario project in Malaysia, in which Internet access was provided to a generator-powered PC via a Telekom Malaysia satellite circuit in Bario, a village located in the remotest highlands of Borneo. More...

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT & APPLICATIONS
Space Systems/Loral
In the for-profit sector, SSPI salutes Space Systems/Loral for the restoration of one of the redundant command receivers aboard an SS/L LS-1300 spacecraft in orbit. More...

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
In the nonprofit sector, NASA is recognized for proving the viability of a number of first-time satellite communications technologies using the Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS), launched in September 1993 as an experimental platform. More...

2000 Awards

SERVICE DEVELOPMENT & APPLICATIONS 
NHK Japan Broadcasting Corporation
As the first broadcasting organization in the world to introduce HDTV broadcast services to subscribers by DBS satellite. More...

The National Technological University 
As the first satellite-distributed educational system to employ digital compression technology and low cost codec equipment throughout its nearly 1000 service locations in North America and the Asia-Pacific. More...

SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT & APPLICATIONS
iBeam
As the first company to develop specialized software to allow satellites to use digital video broadcast (DVB) technology to update ISP's caches and to support data streaming for corporate enterprise networks on a virtually instantaneous basis. More...

Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA)
As the first nonprofit organization to actually operate, on a systematic basis, a global micro-satellite network with low cost terminals to support national economic development and engineering for new infrastructure in developing countries. More...

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT & APPLICATIONS
COMSAT Laboratories 
For its Linkway transmission system, which allows the effective creation of mesh VSAT networks for speeds ranging from 64 kbps to 7 Mbps. More...

The University of Surrey Space Technology Center 
For its world leadership in micro-satellite technology development.  More...


HONORABLE MENTIONS
Lucent Digital Radio
For its Perceptual Audio Coder to support Digital Audio Broadcast Satellite Systems. 

Mentat
For its SkyX Gateway system that provides TCP optimized and digitally compressed transmission capabilities for communications satellite networks. 

The Spaceconnection
For its Mobile Uplink-Downlink System that supports Audio and Digital Service in both C and Ku-bands. 

 

Pre-2000 Awards