In this Better Satellite World podcast, based on the February 2023 edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, SpaceChain CEO Clifford W. Beek and PwC Manager for Enterprise Strategy & Value, Transformation Tim Ford discuss whether or not blockchain is transforming and decentralizing commercial space already and what’s really going on in this radical decentralization of space and asset allocation and management. The episode includes a Significant Digits report from SpaceNews Senior Staff Writer Jason Rainbow and SpaceNews Silicon Valley Correspondent Debra Werner.

Cliff Beek is an accomplished executive with expertise in managing equity-backed companies, particularly within aerospace, cyber-security, defense intelligence and cloud infrastructure. He has 25 plus years of progressive experience providing leadership and strategic direction to high growth technology companies, their board of directors and senior management. Cliff joined SpaceChain from Cloud Constellation Corporation, a Los Angeles, CA based company that developed the first global satellite data security platform for governments and financial institutions.

Tim Ford is Manager of Enterprise Strategy & Value, Transformation at PwC. He has served in multiple VP and Manager positions over his career in the industry, including working as VP of Federal Programs, Product Development at OmniTeq and VP of Product Development at HyperGiant. Tim served for 9 years at Lockheed Martin Space in Business Development and eventually Innovation and Partnerships - Military Space. He also worked as Economic Analyst and Franklin Fellow at the U.S. Department of State in 2009.

SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners

In this fifth episode the Bridging the Broadband Gap podcast series, SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla interviews Richard Baldridge, Dr. Norman Jacknis and Professor Roberto Gallardo about satellites and how satellite and broadband connectivity provide rural citizens with opportunities to participate in the global economy without leaving the place they call home.

Richard Baldridge joined Viasat in April 1999, serving as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer from 2000 and as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from 2002. Mr. Baldridge assumed his current role as President and Chief Operating Officer in 2003.

Mr. Baldridge was elected to the Board of Directors of Viasat in 2016. In addition, Mr. Baldridge serves as a director of Ducommun Incorporated, a provider of engineering and manufacturing services to the aerospace and defense industries, and EvoNexus, a San Diego based non-profit technology incubator.

Prior to joining Viasat, Mr. Baldridge served as Vice President and General Manager of Raytheon Corporation’s Training Systems Division from January 1998 to April 1999. From June 1994 to December 1997, Mr. Baldridge served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for Hughes Information Systems and Hughes Training Inc., prior to their acquisition by Raytheon in 1997. Mr. Baldridge’s other experience includes various senior financial and general management roles with General Dynamics Corporation.

Mr. Baldridge holds a B.S.B.A. degree in Information Systems from New Mexico State University.

Dr. Norman Jacknis is currently Senior Fellow at the Intelligent Community Forum. His responsibilities include leading ICF’s Rural Imperative, building on the ideas he developed for the US Conference of Mayors on a future-oriented economic growth strategy for cities.

Before joining ICF, he was Director, Cisco’s IBSG Public Sector Group (the company’s open innovation and pro-bono strategic advisory group), where he worked extensively with states and local government, the National Association of Counties, the US Conference of Mayors and the staff responsible for the Federal government’s website and citizen engagement. In addition to citizen engagement, his focus was on economic growth, innovation, and the future of technology. Before Cisco, he was technology commissioner for Westchester County, New York, when it was one of ICF’s Top 7.

In addition to his regular Looking Forward blog for elected government executives and earlier articles, Dr. Jacknis has recently written articles and book chapters on “Beyond Smarter City Infrastructure – The New Urban Experience”, “A New Kind Of Public Square For Urban America, “Government’s Role In Facilitating An Innovative Economy” and “Transformation of the Local Government CTO/CIO”. He has been a frequent speaker at state/local government and technology industry events, in North America, Latin America, Europe, China, Korea and Australia. He led frequent economic partnership missions to China starting in 1998.

He received his Doctorate, Master's and Bachelor’s degrees from Princeton University. Among several leadership positions in the technology, education and library communities, he is President of the New York Metropolitan Library Council.

Roberto Gallardo is Assistant Director of the Purdue Center for Regional Development and a Purdue Extension Community & Regional Economics Specialist. He holds an electronics engineering undergraduate degree, a master's in economic development, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration. Gallardo has worked with rural communities over the past decade conducting local & regional community economic development, including use of technology for development.

He has authored more than 70 articles including peer-reviewed and news-related regarding rural trends, socioeconomic analysis, industrial clusters, the digital divide, and leveraging broadband applications for community economic development. He is also the author of the book “Responsive Countryside: The Digital Age & Rural Communities”, which highlights a 21st century community development model that helps rural communities transition to, plan for, and prosper in the digital age. Dr. Gallardo is a TEDx speaker and his work has been featured in a WIRED magazine article, a MIC.com documentary, and a RFDTV documentary. He lives in West Lafayette with his wife and two daughters.

This podcast originally aired in December 2019 as part of the Transforming the Rural Economy Better Satellite World podcast series.

This podcast series is sponsored by

The Bridging the Broadband Gap campaign is underwritten by

SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners

Before 2018, there were few structural ways for communications to be rapidly restored after a major disaster struck a community. But the satellite industry understood how vital communications are as the first response to a disaster. It established the Crisis Connectivity Charter, a collaboration between the satellite industry and the humanitarian relief community to make satellite-based communications more readily available to affected communities. The Charter established a pre-planned set of systems that allow for an immediate response at the time of a disaster.

The Crisis Connectivity Charter, which won a Better Satellite World Award in 2018, was developed by members of the EMEA Satellite Operators Association (ESOA) and the Global VSAT Forum (GVF) and their members, in coordination with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC), which was led by the World Food Programme (WFP). At the time of creation, the Charter aimed to foster efficient cooperation between the satellite industry, local governments, non-government organizations (NGOs) and the broader humanitarian community in the initial stages of a disaster, allowing for better communication planning, increased connectivity and support for emergency responses. The Charter prioritized access to bandwidth during disaster responses by allocating pre-positioned satellite equipment and transmission capacity into high-risk countries. It also provides training and capacity-building for the humanitarian community around the world.

What have been the results of this historic agreement and Charter to date? In this fourth episode of Bridging the Broadband Gap, we hear from David Meltzer, Secretary General of GVF and James Matthews, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Eutelsat Group, who discuss the Charter and its effects thus far.

David Meltzer has 30 years of experience in the satellite and humanitarian industries. Mr. Meltzer currently leads GVF which is the sole global trade association for the commercial satellite industry representing the entire ecosystem. As GVF’s Secretary General, he leads advocacy efforts on behalf of the industry with national and international regulators while providing members with benefits in areas such as online and classroom training, organizing industry conferences and online webinars, and leading industry working groups. Prior to GVF, Mr. Meltzer served as Intelsat’s General Counsel and Executive Vice President for Regulatory Affairs during a sixteen-year career at Intelsat and also served for thirteen years at the American Red Cross leading its international disaster relief and development activities and as the American Red Cross’ General Counsel for over five years.

James Matthews is Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Eutelsat, a position he took on recently after more than 20 years at the company. In his current role, he is responsible for ensuring the definition and delivery of Eutelsat group’s Corporate Social Responsibility policy. Throughout his time at Eutelsat, James has held a variety of roles, beginning as a Project Manager before being promoted to Head of Project Management & Service Monitoring and then Head of Traversal Programs and Teleport Infrastructure. Before joining Eutelsat in 2002, He served for nearly 2 years as Head of Project Management for Neos Networks.

This podcast series is sponsored by

The Bridging the Broadband Gap campaign is underwritten by

SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners

For three decades, Wisconsin-based Isotropic Networks has moved the satellite communications industry forward, pushing the speed limits of single and hybrid networks and showing the industry what network uptime should be. Today, it is deploying the most advanced network monitoring and throughput management platform around. In a complex world, they solve the complex satellite communications problems other companies cannot or will not.

In this third episode of Bridging the Broadband Gap, we hear from Hank Zbierski, CEO and Chief Catalyst of Isotropic Networks, who co-founded the company in 1992. Hank tells us a bit about Isotropic's vision of what the satellite industry can be and what the company is doing to create more robust hybrid networks to help provide broadband everywhere.

Hank Zbierski is CEO and Chief Catalyst of Isotropic Networks. He co-founded the company in 1992 with his wife Lynn. Hank has over 30 years of experience with satellite communications. As Chief Catalyst, Hank focuses on strategic technology and a client-obsessed organization that delivers “first of its kind” solutions and experiences in the satellite communications industry. Under his leadership, Isotropic has sustained a two-digit growth rate year over year since its founding. An acknowledged expert in satellite communications, aviation and all things canine, Hank is often asked to speak to industry groups and serve on advisory panels. Prior to founding Isotropic Networks, Hank was a partner in a Chicago-based commodity-clearing firm and pioneered the use of satellite communications in the financial services industry.

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The Bridging the Broadband Gap campaign is underwritten by

SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners

Hellas Sat is in a unique position to eliminate the digital divide in many areas around the world. The company received an award from the International Telcommunication Union (ITU) in 2022 and a Better Satellite World Award from SSPI in 2021 for enabling broadband connectivity to 127 public clinics and hospitals in Zimbabwe and for its efficient collection and distribution of health data to policy makers. Hellas Sat is making a difference, and it does so with a genuine passion for making the world a better place through satellite.

In this second episode of the Bridging the Broadband Gap podcast series, we hear from Ken Karantonis, Space Programs Manager at Hellas Sat, who has been with the company for nearly 20 years. Ken tells us a bit about the company’s approach to closing the digital divide in places that have particularly suffered due to lack of connectivity and how Hellas Sat makes such goals financially feasible to pursue.

Kendeas Karantonis is Space Programs Manager at Hellas Sat, a position he has held for over 7 years. In his current role, he is responsible for managing business development and technical feasibility for the company’s new satellite program. Ken also manages the company’s ESA and EU research and innovation strategic programs dedicated to space and ground systems development. He managed the Hellas Sat 4 program end-to-end, from initiation all the way through launch and in-orbit commissioning phases. Before becoming Space Programs Manager, Ken served for 11 years as Senior Satellite Operations Manager, a role in which he supervised the engineering team responsible for fleet monitoring and anomaly resolution and worked closely with support manufacturers to assist in contingency investigation and implementation of corrective actions. Prior to joining Hellas Sat, he spent 3 years as a Project Manager working on Voith turbo Variable Speed Drives systems and 3 years as an R&D Engineer for Wyle Laboratories.

This podcast series is sponsored by

The Bridging the Broadband Gap campaign is underwritten by

SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners

Broadband connectivity is only the foot of the bridge built by satellite networks. In a world shaken and stirred in ways unimaginable, connectivity has been revealed as THE primary economic enabler and the glue to a connected economy and the corporate enterprise.  The “hybrid” workforce and the rise of video and massive uses of data among even the smallest companies has made enterprise broadband increasingly essential.

 So where are the gaps and the opportunities within this sector? What changes have taken place within the company that pioneered and made consumable online access?

In this first episode of the Bridging the Broadband Gap podcast series, we take a look at the universe that Hughes created for the current and future enterprise.  We speak to executives who discuss the global trends in satellite broadband, the strategy going forward and how broadband is shaping the world’s most dynamic economy: that of the United States.

Randy Anders, Vice President of North American Sales at Hughes, leads the team responsible for the company’s enterprise sales in the U.S and Canada. In his role, Mr. Anders heads sales of the HughesON™ suite of managed services, including managed SD-WAN, as well as satellite solutions using high-throughput capacity from the Hughes JUPITER™ fleet, EchoStar fleet and OneWeb low Earth orbit satellites, to enterprises, franchisers, resellers and aeronautical service providers.

Over his 20+ year career in the satellite industry, Mr. Anders has assumed increasingly senior sales positions, working at both operator and service provider companies. Prior to joining Hughes, Mr. Anders was Vice President of Sales at Intelsat, responsible for Media, Mobility and Broadband Sales.

Mr. Anders served in the United States Marine Corps from 1984 to 1990 and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business and a Master of Business Administration degree from Mount Saint Mary’s University.

Vaibhav Magow, Vice President of the International Division at Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), leads the company’s broadband systems sales effort in the Asia Pacific, Middle East/Africa, Europe and Russia/CIS regions. Mr. Magow works closely with satellite operators, mobile network operators, and national and local government agencies to tailor and implement high performing and efficient satellite solutions to help connect the unconnected and enable enterprise digital transformations.

A satellite communications and IT professional with more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Magow has held positions of increasing responsibility in sales, product development, marketing and program management over the course of his career. Prior to joining Hughes in his regional role, Mr. Magow focused on the Indian satellite market at Hughes Communications India, Ltd. (Hughes India).

Mr. Magow obtained a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Computer Science from the University of Pune in Pune, Maharashtra, India. He speaks frequently at regional industry conferences and panels.

This podcast series is sponsored by

The Bridging the Broadband Gap campaign is underwritten by

SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners

In this podcast, based on the December 2022 edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, our guests help us to better understand how Artemis and a host of other NASA-led missions and initiatives will pave the way for public private partnerships to enlist American entrepreneurship to open up this new frontier to commercial enterprise. Our guests include Jim Free, Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters and Chris Stott, SSPI Chair Emeritus and Founder, Chair and CEO of Lonestar Data Holdings Inc.

With Artemis missions, NASA will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon while landing the first woman and first person of color using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. NASA will use what is learned on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars to maintain American leadership in exploration while building a global alliance and exploring deep space for the benefit of all.

SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners

In this podcast, based on the November 2022 edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, our guests round out a three-month conversation about the Cislunar economy, whether it is “real” or not and the best opportunities in it. The conversation features a diverse group of astropreneurs explaining why they have invested time, money and sweat equity to pursue businesses in the Cislunar economy.

Speakers include:

• Robert Conrad, Vice President, NASA & Civil Space, SpaceLink
• Mark Quinn, CEO, WTW Global Inspace
• John Rood, Chairman of the Board, President and CEO, Momentus
• Andrew Rush, President & Chief Operating Officer, Redwire
• Yossi Yamin, CEO, SpacePharma

SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners

Space really is the final frontier. Since Star Trek first crossed TV screens in 1966, we have believed that humanity’s destiny lies among the stars. And in the third decade of the third millennium, we are closer to that dream than ever before. Today, after decades of imagining the future, enterprising companies in partnership with governments are putting into place the practical foundations and critical components of a thriving space economy reaching from LEO to cislunar space. This podcast series will bring you the voices of some of these amazing partners on the journey to the final frontier. The fifth episode, based on October’s edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, features a conversation with multiple experts about cislunar opportunities and commercial space.

Following a Significant Digits report by SpaceNews, this episode features a special report from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on the introduction of the anti-satellite missile testing norm presented by USA Vice President Harris as a possible UN resolution and its potential impact on ensuring greater international security for space and the cislunar economy expansion.

Speakers include:

• Hussain Bokhari, Senior Analyst, NSR (an Analysys Mason company)
• Negar Feher, Chief Revenue Officer, SpaceRyde
• Holly Shorrock, Intelligence Analyst, Office of Intelligence and Analysis Economic Security Mission Center at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• Matthew Taylor, Associate Director, Environmental Intelligence and Civil Space, Raytheon Intelligence & Space

This podcast series is underwritten by

The Opening the Final Frontier campaign is underwritten by

SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners

In this episode of the Better Satellite World podcast, SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla and Tamara Bond-Williams speak with Actor/Producer Cas Anvar about the future of society in space and how we must strive to balance financial viability with creating a safe and open home for humanity beyond the stars.

Cas Anvar is an actor and producer who has been working in the industry for the past 20 years. He founded The Shakespeare company in Montreal, Canada called Repercussion Theatre. Cas recently finished his last season on the hit Amazon show The Expanse, in which he played Alex Kamal, a martian-born transport pilot. He has starred in a variety of other movies and TV series, including the Oscar-nominated Room & Argo and The Operative. For his roles in The Lie and How to Get Away with Murder, Cas was nominated for two Emmy Awards in 2020. He also starred in The Strain TV series.

This podcast is also available in video format:

SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners

Space really is the final frontier. Since Star Trek first crossed TV screens in 1966, we have believed that humanity’s destiny lies among the stars. And in the third decade of the third millennium, we are closer to that dream than ever before. Today, after decades of imagining the future, enterprising companies in partnership with governments are putting into place the practical foundations and critical components of a thriving space economy reaching from LEO to cislunar space. This podcast series will bring you the voices of some of these amazing partners on the journey to the final frontier. The fourth episode features a conversation with Melissa Thorpe, MSc, Head of Spaceport Cornwall and Kevin Tipton, Senior Director, Aerospace and Aviation at the Greater Houston Partnership.

Melissa Thorpe oversees the entire Spaceport Cornwall project, guiding the team to a successful satellite launch in 2022 from Cornwall Airport Newquay. Together with launch partner, Virgin Orbit, this ambitious project will offer dedicated and responsible access to space. She works across the launch environment to efficiently secure investment, regulations and the infrastructure required to launch, whilst communicating the space story to the local community. She has featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC World News and The Independent.

Originally from Canada, Melissa moved to the UK to attend the London School of Economics in 2010 where she gained her Masters of Science in Economics, focusing on aerospace markets. Since then, she has worked on several aerospace development projects, and has been part of the Spaceport Cornwall team since its inception in 2014. She lives in Cornwall with her partner and two daughters.

Kevin Tipton joined the Greater Houston Partnership (the Partnership) Economic Development Division in March 2022 as the Sr. Director, Aerospace and Aviation. The Partnership serves a 12-county region that includes NASA’s Johnson Space Center, two award-winning international airports, a world-class urban Spaceport, 35 plus municipal airports and approximately 500 aerospace and aviation-related organizations. He manages the organization’s domestic and international economic development efforts in the aerospace and aviation industry. He assists companies considering expanding, relocating or investing in the greater Houston region.

Kevin comes to the Partnership with over 25 years of experience in the aerospace and aviation industry, with in-depth expertise in business development and global marketing. Kevin understands firsthand the economic impact aerospace and aviation have on communities. Having been involved in relocating a global aerospace corporate headquarters, building a chain of fixed base operations, establishing a new regional airline, managing MRO facilities, purchasing a fleet of aircraft in support of a military training contract and sponsoring the first private space flight. He has had the opportunity to develop a business vision, implement integrated marketing and sales strategies, work globally with strategic partners and help organizations identify new business opportunities throughout his career. Kevin is a graduate of Wichita State University and holds three Masters degrees. He and his family have lived in Houston for over 25 years.

This podcast series is underwritten by

The Opening the Final Frontier campaign is underwritten by

SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners

Space really is the final frontier. Since Star Trek first crossed TV screens in 1966, we have believed that humanity’s destiny lies among the stars. And in the third decade of the third millennium, we are closer to that dream than ever before. Today, after decades of imagining the future, enterprising companies in partnership with governments are putting into place the practical foundations and critical components of a thriving space economy reaching from LEO to cislunar space. This podcast series will bring you the voices of some of these amazing partners on the journey to the final frontier. The third episode features a conversation with Steve Kaufman, Corporate & Finance Partner and Satellite Practice Co-head at Hogan Lovells and Dr. Adrian Guzman, LEO Satellite Constellation Manager at the Mexican Space Agency.

A Corporate & Finance partner and Satellite practice co-head, Steve Kaufman uses industry knowledge and versatility to negotiate and close many types of deals globally. For 18 of his 30 years at the firm, Steve served as outside general counsel for satellite clients, leading strategic joint ventures, “bet-the-company” contracts, financings, and M&A.

What Steve does best: understanding complex business issues and translating them into legal documents. If a client can describe something, Steve can draft it. Working from complicated to simple, he has many times reduced a lengthy contract into a few pages of bullet points, showing the client what it needs and how to obtain it. He has even written a business and financing model for parties in the form of an agreement. Many clients comment that the business guidance from Steve is as valuable as the legal advice.

Steve relies on his familiarity with issues common to satellite and communications companies to give him an edge in negotiations. This experience produces extra benefits when Steve deals with specialized satellite contract terms, targeted warranties, creative covenants, use of insurance to close gaps, license and spectrum issues, and even finance and accounting matters. According to Chambers Steve Kaufman is “a real authority and somebody who will always know the answer.”

In advising clients, Steve emphasizes practicality, striving to achieve the client’s business objectives for the transaction, whether economic, risk reduction, regulatory/compliance, or transaction speed. This carries over into deal management as well as negotiations, where he willingly takes the lead. Steve and Satellite practice co-head Randy Segal are regulars at the satellite conferences, making connections among clients and even adverse parties. He is listed in Chambers, Super Lawyers, and Legal 500.

Dr. Adrian Guzman is LEO Satellite Constellation Manager for the Science and Research Coordination ISS National Laboratory at the Mexican Space Agency, a position he has served in for nearly 3 years. Throughout a long career in academia and the industry, Dr. Guzman has served in a variety of consulting and teaching roles, and he still serves today as Associate Data Rockstar for Tableau Software and as a Visiting Professor in the Applied Communication Ph.D. program at Universidad Anáhuac and the Political Science and Communication Studies departments at Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. He is also a Marshall McLuhan Fellow at the University of Toronto, a position he has held for nearly 25 years.

Dr. Guzman has served as a consultant and scientist for a variety of tech companies throughout his career as well, including for Binaria by DocSolutions, Espora, Cultura Colectiva, IVOXcoin, Finastra, Mysis, ISDI and many more. He is also an entrepreneur, having founded the company Gasify that produced an app of the same name to help users control their gas consumption and Pacha & Bolom, a design and talent management company in New York City. Dr. Guzman holds a Ph.D. in Social Representations from Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, a second Ph.D. in Anthropology of Learning and Cognition from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a third Ph.D. in Information Technology and Psychology from Sapienza Università di Roma.

This podcast series is underwritten by

The Opening the Final Frontier campaign is underwritten by

SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners

Space really is the final frontier. Since Star Trek first crossed TV screens in 1966, we have believed that humanity’s destiny lies among the stars. And in the third decade of the third millennium, we are closer to that dream than ever before. Today, after decades of imagining the future, enterprising companies in partnership with governments are putting into place the practical foundations and critical components of a thriving space economy reaching from LEO to cislunar space. The Opening the Final Frontier podcast series will bring you the voices of some of these amazing partners on the journey to the final frontier. The second episode features a conversation with Nathan Orr, Chief Engineer at Momentus Space.

Nathan Orr is the Chief Engineer at a Silicon Valley company called Momentus, where he leads a talented team of engineers creating orbital transfer vehicles that provide space transportation and hosted payload services. Previously, Nathan was also Chief Engineer at a startup asteroid mining company called Deep Space Industries, where he worked on novel concepts to mine resources such as water from near-Earth asteroids and developed water propulsion technology. Nathan has over 15 years of hands-on experience in the small spacecraft industry, having played a key role in over 18 missions, and has developed highly capable avionics and propulsion systems that have accumulated many years on flight time on orbit. Nathan received a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Toronto in Canada.

This podcast series is underwritten by

The Opening the Final Frontier campaign is underwritten by

SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners

Space really is the final frontier. Since Star Trek first crossed TV screens in 1966, we have believed that humanity’s destiny lies among the stars. And in the third decade of the third millennium, we are closer to that dream than ever before. Today, after decades of imagining the future, enterprising companies in partnership with governments are putting into place the practical foundations and critical components of a thriving space economy reaching from LEO to cislunar space. The Opening the Final Frontier podcast series will bring you the voices of some of these amazing partners on the journey to the final frontier. The first episode features a conversation with Tony Gingiss, COO of Virgin Orbit.

Tony Gingiss is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Virgin Orbit where he is responsible for the day-to-day management of all operations including: Program Management/Mission Delivery, Manufacturing, Engineering, Test, Flight and Launch Operations, and Supply Chain, Security and Facilities.

Prior to his role at Virgin Orbit, Tony was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture between Airbus and OneWeb created to design & manufacture 648 satellites, at 2 per day, for OneWeb’s low earth orbit constellation and to provide low-cost, high-quality satellites to the market, revolutionizing the economics of space. Tony led the organization from late 2017 to early 2021 spanning the completion of critical design ramp up, production of 2 satellites a day and a launch of over 100 satellites.

Tony has a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Purdue University, and Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT. He has more than 30 years of experience in the Aerospace industry and prior to his current position, Tony was a Director of Strategic Integration and Programs at Boeing Satellite Systems in El Segundo, CA. He began his career at Hughes Space and Communications (now Boeing Satellite Systems) as a Mission Analyst, and subsequently worked in Ground Systems, Systems Engineering, and ultimately Program Management. He worked on both Commercial and Government programs across all phases including business development, concept, design, product development, delivery, and on-orbit support.

Tony has a passion for and has been active in corporate citizenship and outreach activities, at the local, state, and national levels throughout his career. He is also a passionate advocate for a diverse and inclusive workforce in the Aerospace industry and industry at-large.

This podcast series is underwritten by

The Opening the Final Frontier campaign is underwritten by

SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners

The risk of start up in an industry as complex as commercial space and satellite is made even more intense by the challenges that are part of our business. Yet all around the world, people are looking at the opportunities, the new space of space and making the leap. These are our innovators, and this podcast series has brought them to you. The eighth and final episode of this series features a conversation with Abhishek Malhotra, Managing Partner at TMT Law Practice.

Abhishek Malhotra is the Founding Partner of TMT Law Practice. He graduated from National Law School India University, Bangalore and went on to earn an LL.M. degree from the Franklin Pierce School of Law, USA. He is admitted to the State Bar of California and Delhi. Abhishek has nearly two decades of experience, with strong expertise in Intellectual Property, Technology, Media and Telecoms, as well as Commercial Disputes. He has advised Clients in minimizing legal risks and devising strategies for safeguarding against criminal and civil liability. Abhishek also advises several think-tanks and associations in the field of Technology, Media & Telecommunications. He has counseled the Government of India on issues of copyright, data privacy and satellite communications and is also a guest lecturer at the Indian Institute of Information Technology. Abhishek has spoken at the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal on Enforcement of Trademark Rights – Civil and Criminal Remedies, Indo-America Chambers of Commerce conference on Doing Business in India from an IP perspective and Indo-America Chambers of Commerce conference on Leveraging Intellectual Property Rights for Business.

This podcast series is underwritten by

SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners