(January 21, 2026 — Washington, DC) — Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) today announced the members of the 2026 Class of the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame: Steve Hart, Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer Emeritus, Viasat; Candace Johnson, Serial Space Entrepreneur and Investor, Chair Advisory Board and Partner, Seraphim Space; Randy S. Segal, Partner, Hogan Lovells US LLP; and Ryan Stevenson, Chief Scientist, Kymeta. The inductees will be formally honored during SSPI’s Night of Excellence in Washington, DC. The Space & Satellite Hall of Fame recognizes individuals whose signature achievements have had a lasting and transformative impact on the global space and satellite industry. Induction honors defining contributions that advanced technology, opened new markets, strengthened institutions, or reshaped how space-based capabilities serve society. The 2026 induction marks a milestone moment for SSPI. For the first time, the Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on the same stage, and during the same evening, as the recognition of SSPI’s 20 Under 35 cohort. “This year marks the triumphant return of the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame, with the induction of a truly stellar Class of 2026,” said Tamara Bond-Williams, Executive Director of SSPI. “We are deeply honored to welcome these leaders into the Hall, and to celebrate them in the same moment as our 20 Under 35 honorees. Bringing these two recognitions together creates a powerful continuity across generations, connecting the achievements that shaped this industry with the talent that will carry it forward.” The inductees will be honored at the Night of Excellence, SSPI’s premier annual celebration of leadership, legacy, and emerging talent across the space and satellite ecosystem. The evening brings together Hall of Fame inductees, rising professionals, senior executives, and partners to recognize excellence across the full arc of an industry career. The members of the 2026 Space & Satellite Hall of Fame were identified through a formal nomination and advisory review process and selected by a vote of the SSPI Board of Directors.
The 2026 Space & Satellite Hall of Fame Inductees
Steve Hart
Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer Emeritus, Viasat
 As co-founder and Chief Technical Officer of Viasat since 1986, Steve Hart has been the technical architect behind innovations that fundamentally transformed global satellite communications. His sustained leadership spans four decades of groundbreaking achievements: revolutionizing military satellite access through Demand Assigned Multiple Access (DAMA) systems, creating the foundation for modern network encryption that secures government communications from backbone to tactical edge, pioneering IP-based commercial satellite networking when the world was just beginning to adopt the internet, and developing the ground network algorithms that enabled high-capacity satellite systems delivering terabit-scale throughput. Hart's legacy of building teams, providing technical guidance, and creating fundamental algorithms exemplifies sustained technical leadership that has repeatedly advanced the industry and expanded the reach of satellite communications to millions worldwide. Read More
Candace Johnson
Serial Space Entrepreneur and Investor, Chair Advisory Board and Partner, Seraphim Space
 Candace Johnson is one of the most influential pioneers in the commercial space era, having co-founded or co-created foundational ventures that opened entirely new markets for satellite communications, direct-to-home broadcasting, and global mobile connectivity. As co-founder of SES (Société Européenne des Satellites) she helped build Europe's first privately financed, fully commercial satellite operator, pioneering the business model that made direct-to-home broadcasting ubiquitous across the continent. As Chief Architect of SES Global, she then laid the foundation for the company to spread its wings globally and develop as a satellite telecommunications operator serving civilian, military, Internet and broadcast markets. She founded Loral-Teleport Europe, Europe's first private satellite communications network, and Europe Online, the world's first Internet and satellite-based online service. Her catalytic roles in Iridium and International Launch Services (ILS) came at key inflection points for global mobile connectivity and commercial launch access. Across four decades, Johnson has repeatedly advanced new paradigms in space entrepreneurship, investment, and governance, helping establish the ecosystem that supports today's global space economy and blazing trails for women's leadership in the industry. Read More
Randy S. Segal
Partner, Hogan Lovells US LLP
 Over a 33-year career spanning the evolution of the modern space and satellite industry, Randy Segal has been a pioneering architect of the commercial, legal, and regulatory frameworks that have enabled the sector's dramatic growth and transformation. For the past fifteen years as co-leader of Hogan Lovells' space and satellite practice, she has guided more than 200 space companies and sovereigns through uncharted regulatory territory, shaping the legal foundations for commercial space stations, manned spaceflight, reusable launch vehicles, megaconstellations, hosted payloads, mission extension services, and in-orbit manufacturing. This work builds upon her foundational eighteen years as General Counsel of American Mobile Satellite Company (later Mobile Satellite Ventures, SkyTerra, LightSquared, and Ligado), startup counsel and Board member for XM Satellite Radio and Terrestar, and General Counsel for Hughes Network Systems—repeatedly translating visionary concepts into operational reality and helping nations worldwide participate in the space economy. Read More
Ryan Stevenson
Chief Scientist, Kymeta
 As a founding member and Chief Scientist at Kymeta, Ryan Stevenson achieved a transformative breakthrough in satellite antenna technology: the world's first simultaneous connection to both Ku and Ka frequency bands in a single, compact antenna. Before this achievement, interoperability between Ku and Ka bands required separate, physically distinct electronically steered antennas, making systems large, power-hungry, and costly. Under Stevenson's scientific leadership, Kymeta pioneered an antenna aperture composed of four interleaved sub-arrays (Ku transmit, Ku receive, Ka transmit, Ka receive), all integrated into a single metamaterials surface. This breakthrough paves the way for a "network of networks" where satellite connectivity is seamless across orbits and frequency bands, bringing satellite communications closer to the ubiquitous, always-on connectivity of cellular networks and establishing the foundation for resilient systems critical to both national security and commercial applications. Read More
About the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame
The Space & Satellite Hall of Fame recognizes individuals whose signature achievements have had a lasting and transformative impact on the global space and satellite industry. Inductees are honored for contributions that advanced technology, opened new markets, strengthened institutions, or reshaped how space-based capabilities serve society. The Hall of Fame celebrates leadership and innovation across the full breadth of the space and satellite ecosystem. About SSPI
Founded in 1983, Space & Satellite Professionals International is the largest, most international, and cross-disciplinary professional network serving the space and satellite industry. SSPI connects professionals across the full arc of their careers, from emerging talent to senior leaders shaping global strategy. Its members span startups, scale-ups, and established companies powering today’s space economy. Through leadership recognition, professional development, and industry storytelling, SSPI advances the people and organizations whose work enables global connectivity, economic growth, security, and sustainability. Media Contact
Auri Yates
Communications Manager
Space & Satellite Professionals International
auri@sspi.org |
