Program

Welcome to the SATELLITE 2024 Conference Program!

Since 1981, SATELLITE has remained at the epicenter of innovation in the satellite and space community, where conversations spark action and deals between strategic partners are forged.  We’re committed to continuing this legacy of bringing you unparalleled value with your SATELLITE registration and expanding your access to the leaders in the satellite community.

Explore the Program

You can filter sessions by type, by registration pass, or by content topic with the options on the left. The sessions displayed will be a part of at least one option, so the more you select, the more you will see.

Monday, March 18

Jean-Philippe Gillet
Vice President & General Manager, Networks
Intelsat US LLC
Roughly 2.7 billion people - nearly one-third of the world's population - remain unconnected to internet services, due mostly to lack of availability and affordability. Connecting the unconnected is a mission that lies at the very core of global satellite operators, who continuously invest large sums of money, research and development into providing the unconnected with enhanced access to education, medical care, economic opportunities, connection with distant family, and more. In this session, satellite operators leading these efforts will report on the progress they are making in various regions, and share how they are taking different approaches to overcome new and long-standing challenges that stand in the way of achieving these goals. The discussion will include understanding cultural connectivity needs, working with local businesses and governments, and investing in infrastructure and training.
Bruno Fromont
CTO
Intelsat US LLC
Greg Pelton
Chief Technology Officer
Iridium Communications
Satellite industry CTOs are constantly planning for the unknown - dedicating research and development resources to systems that support applications and markets that, in some cases, may not even exist for another decade. This discussion brings CTOs from a variety of space companies together to share strategies to stay innovative in a constantly changing environment, where new "game-changing" technologies appear every other week. The group will also explore the role of satellites in delivering a constantly expanding menu of future space applications, views on AI, the expansion of satellite infrastructure in space, exploring new bandwidths, and the impact of increasing interaction with terrestrial networks and consumer devices.
Session description coming soon. Produced in partnership with Defense Daily.
Anton Monk
Dr.
Viasat
The satellite industry is embracing the notion of delivering space-based connectivity direct-to- devices- creating a new kind of ubiquitous mobile connectivity by filling in the gaps for terrestrial providers. The concept has dramatically increased interest in the past two years, with several satellite industry players claiming they can offer such a service. But what is the status and are there plans to move beyond emergency texting in the U.S. alone to creating a global offering of voice, text and data connectivity? This panel will explore potential business models for offering ubiquitous roaming mobile coverage on a global scale and answer the questions: What combination of satellite and terrestrial spectrum will it take to enable this technology? And when will we get to the longer-term vision, beyond emergency data? What types of devices will be compatible out of the gate, and when will we be ready for 5G/6G, let alone 4G and 3G?
Explore the technological breakthroughs happening in AI-powered space data processing that will enable a flood of new applications across the satellite communication and imagery/sensing industries - from dynamic mapping to space-situational awareness to connectivity beyond 5G. Panelists will explain how they are using autonomy and AI to optimize the building blocks of satellite networks to accelerate and secure data delivery through the pipeline. The discussion will also include practical implications and ethical and security considerations for AI deployment.
Aslan Tricha
VP of Automation & Orchestration
ALL.SPACE
Join us for an insightful discussion on the transformative capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) in the satellite ecosystem and its potential to revolutionize defense strategies and bolster national security. AI-powered satellite communication systems hold promise in providing enhanced situational awareness, faster response times, and proactive decision-making, contributing to a safer world while maintaining ethical practices and enhancing satellite communications' resilience and security. During this session, speakers will share how defense agencies can gain unprecedented situational awareness by integrating AI technology and utilizing applications such as intelligent routing, interference mitigation, mapping, and more.
Moderator
Bradley Kalgovas
Mr
Detecon
Matt Desch
Chief Executive Officer
Iridium Communications
Omar Qaise
Founder & CEO
OQ Technology
The proliferation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites is predicted to lead to a significant expansion of enterprise Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity based on satellite technology. This surge can be attributed to several key factors, such as the decreasing costs of equipment and connectivity, improved coverage, and a more practical form factor. The emerging trend suggests an ever-growing focus not just on connecting people, but on interlinking IoT devices through a trend known as Satellite-Enabled Massive IoT. During this session, executives from a variety of mobility sectors will outline the factors driving this growth, including 5G, 3GPP, control over spectrum, end-user demands, and terrestrial providers' increasing reliance on non-terrestrial resources. Service providers will explain how their companies are developing systems and services that take full advantage of this upcoming wave of growth.
Session description coming soon. Produced in partnership with Defense Daily.
As new entrants continue to join the space industry, there are ways that all suppliers and companies can leverage strengths to deliver new space and satellite technology that can play a pivotal role in the evolution of many industries. Building on mission legacy and scale as well as extensive experience in other markets, Mike can share insights on the opportunities and advantages of a larger productization strategy and how to make/buy decisions for companies at all stages of the business lifecycle. In this session, perspectives from multiple leaders will highlight important trends for investors and business owners alike on how to explore partnerships and partner with companies to help scale.
Moderator
Stewart Marsh
Head of Aerospace
Cambridge Consultants
Brad Bode
Chief Technology Officer
ATLAS Space Operations, Inc.
Brandon Davis
Vice President of North America
Paradigm
Could the fusion of AI and satellite technology help the industry deliver on promises for a connected future? When deployed responsibly, do the benefits of AI outweigh the risks? During this discussion, speakers will showcase how AI can play a central role in elevating satellite operations, data analysis, and decision-making processes, driving the advancement of space and ground systems technology and unlocking countless possibilities for future growth. The panel will also discuss how the industry is investing and collaborating in AI research, developing standards, integrating AI with ground systems technology and utilizing AI for workforce training.
Erik Halvorson
Chief Solutions Officer
Kythera Space Solutions
Future enterprise-level, next generation SATCOM architectures will include not only multi-orbit, multi-constellation designs within an individual satellite operator, but also the integration of each operators own enterprise offering into other operators' architectures, requiring a new set of standards to ensure interoperability from the Space to the Ground segments. Speakers on this tech forum panel will share what they've learned in the process of developing these types of standards, and outline standard interface definitions for interoperability across multiple baseband systems and platforms.

Tuesday, March 19

Moderator
Mark Holmes
Senior Editorial Director
Via Satellite
Eva Berneke
CEO
Eutelsat
Mr. Daniel S. Goldberg
President and Chief Executive Officer
Telesat
Mr. Ruy Pinto
CEO
SES
David Wajsgras
CEO
Intelsat
A global surge in demand for satellite services across multiple markets has created a growth opportunity for satellite operators and manufacturers. Now locked in a race to build the network infrastructure needed to meet this demand, satellite industry executives find themselves in a position where spending money to make money is the only way to keep pace with industry leaders. Are the days of defensive cost-cutting and playing it safe over? During our marquee Tuesday Opening General session, Via Satellite Editorial Director Mark Holmes asks our industry's most influential executives how they are scaling up and going on the offense with strategic investments in technology and new customer acquisition.
Chris Insall
Head of Maritime Market Development
ST Engineering iDirect
Assuring connectivity at sea presents its own unique set of challenges. Whether you are a cruise operator, sailing thousands of passengers on what is essentially a floating city, or a merchant shipping company looking to streamline operations and look after its crew, assured communications underpin the entire business. In a world where a living-room-like connectivity experience is expected anywhere, assuring Quality of Service and honouring Service Level Agreements is essential. But how is this achieved? During this panel session, we address how connectivity is being used onboard and how reliable and consistent connectivity is achieved to give peace of mind to vessel operators.
Noelani McGadden
VP
Senet
In this session, audience members will learn why sensor and application companies are flocking towards the LoRaWAN protocol and the ecosystem that has been developed by the LoRa Alliance, and why satellite companies should be paying attention to this trend. Speakers will highlight specific LoRaWAN protocol use cases that apply to the satellite industry and will outline suggestions for satellite companies and their customers to take in working with the protocol.
The satellite industry is entering a critical phase marked by rapid technological advancements and changing market dynamics. With the convergence of multi-layered satellite and terrestrial network systems that integrate air, sea, and land networks with satellite-enabled communications, the landscape is becoming increasingly complex. No longer can satellite companies afford to operate in silos; they must forge strategic alliances and partnerships for mutual benefit and long-term sustainability. In this session, we explore new forms of collaboration that are becoming essential to industry players' long-term success. We examine various case studies to demonstrate how partnerships offer advantages such as shared resources, risk mitigation, and accelerated innovation. Learn how collaboration is not just advantageous for satellite companies--it's a critical component for survival and growth. Those who successfully adapt to this paradigm shift will likely emerge as industry leaders in this transformative era. Produced in partnership with the Satellite Industry Association (SIA).
Mr. Thomas Scott Jensen
CEO
Gatehouse Satcom A/S
Ken Peterman
Chairman, President & CEO
Comtech
The battle for market share in the 5G non-terrestrial networks (NTN) sector is already underway, where satellite operators, MNOs, handset and equipment vendors all vying for a position in it. However, many challenges remain, even as the ecosystem for this nascent market is evolving. The panel will explore how to overcome these challenges, the use cases driving mass uptake, and issues surrounding the ownership of the end customer.
With new constellations coming on-line in the next few years, the possibility of "frequency collisions" happening, in addition to actual in-orbit collisions, is something that needs to be planned for and mitigated where possible. The FCC and ITU have rules for adjacent channel interference, but when it comes to in-channel overlap, self-regulation and mitigation between satellite operators on a "first come first served" basis is not sufficient for long term success of the industry. Plus, an additional layer of complexity and risk arises when terrestrial operators propose to use the same frequencies for their ground-to-ground links as those being used for ground to satellite links. This panel will discuss new technologies, such as digital beam steering and optical connectivity, to address the spectrum challenges faced by the entire satellite industry. Produced in partnership with the Satellite Industry Association (SIA)
Amir Yafe
VP Mobility and Global Accounts
Gilat Satellite Networks
As the travel industry continues to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, passenger traffic is increasing at a faster rate than anyone anticipated. With the growing demand for mobile satellite services worldwide, passengers now expect high-performance and uninterrupted connectivity throughout their journeys, regardless of location or duration. This session explores the service-level requirements of today's discerning travelers on commercial airlines and the technology necessary to meet their needs.
Miguel Angel Vazquez
Dr.
Centre Tecnologic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya
While the telecommunications industry is still in the very early stages of 5G development, some are already preparing for the "next G." How will the 6G concept evolve and what does this development mean for the satellite industry? Speakers on our 6G panel will share their visions of how an integrated 6G network of networks will function, as well as the results of early research on the concept. The discussion will also include technical requirements for 6G, architecture aspects, native AI, and security. The speakers will also highlight the technical and business/ecosystem challenges related to integrated mobile and satellite communications from both research and standardization perspectives.
Darren McKnight PhD
Senior Technical Fellow
LeoLabs Inc
This panel will encourage debate on the "critical needs" and the "nice-to-haves" when ensuring a spacecraft stays safe throughout its mission life cycle. This includes debating the value of specific onboard hardware and software to maintain safe operations, including onboard propulsion systems. Do the costs associated with building these systems outweigh the risks of on-orbit collisions? In addition, we'll discuss the debates regarding insurance requirements, the FCC's 5-year-rule for de-orbiting, international ephemeris sharing, and more.
The growth of hybrid and converged networks is driving the demand for layered zero trust security architectures that can quickly put-up additional protections around critical data. The most effective cybersecurity solutions aren't just about hardware, systems, and software, they provide an end-to-end view into the security layers required to keep an operation safe today and well into the future. As communications infrastructures continue to mesh, cybersecurity and secure data transmission must also evolve to meet the incredible amount of information these networks will handle and transfer on daily basis. In this session the panel will explore the importance of public private partnerships, impacts of AI/ML on future cyber dynamics and whether the satellite industry needs to support cybersecurity standards. Produced in partnership with the Satellite Industry Association (SIA)
Session description coming soon. Produced in partnership with Defense Daily.
Designing satellites for longevity and reusability as well as planning for their end of mission disposal are critical tools for controlling the growth of the orbital debris environment and maintaining safe operations. The rapid increase in the number of satellites on orbit in recent years along with changes in the design and operations of many satellites has led to revisiting existing post-mission disposal rules with these changes in mind. As the FCC recently proposed changing the 25-year disposal requirement for LEO to 5-years for many satellites, this leads to questions about the need for stricter post-mission disposal requirements. Additionally, there needs to be a discussion about how easily new satellites and launch vehicles can accommodate changes. This panel will discuss how satellites can be designed for greater longevity and reusability as well as the current post-mission disposal guidelines, recent proposals on changing satellite post-mission disposal rules, and practical challenges both for implementation and for not implementing changes. Produced in partnership with the Satellite Industry Association (SIA)
Mariana Curdoglo
Product Manager, PlanetScope
Planet Labs PBC
As the effects of climate change sweep the globe, it's become clear we're in a crucial moment for the growth of sustainable tech. Public and private sectors alike are looking to new technologies to mitigate and prevent environmental threats. During this session, we'll explore how a variety of businesses and industries have adopted EO data to make critical environmental decisions, including those that involve change detection, crop forecasting, and natural disaster planning. Learn how the development of historical EO data sets gives users greater insight into the cause of climate events and how to prepare for them in the future.

Wednesday, March 20

Moderator
Nicole Robinson
Chief Growth Officer
Comtech
Hamid Akhavan
President & CEO
EchoStar
Mark Dankberg
Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and Co-Founder
Viasat
Matt Desch
Chief Executive Officer
Iridium Communications
For decades, satellite operators and terrestrial connectivity service providers were conveniently siloed by geography, customer location, and application. The boundaries between these two worlds have rapidly eroded over the past two years through new application-enabling partnerships, merger and acquisition activity, and explosive growth in 5G and advanced IoT networks. Is satellite and cellular convergence a passing trend, or the natural evolution of connectivity infrastructure? Are we about to witness the birth of a new class of global hybrid satellite/cellular connectivity providers through m&a? During our headline Wednesday Opening General session, executive leaders with insights into both satellite and cellular worlds share their perspectives in an open and honest discussion on the pros and cons of convergence.
Session description coming soon. Produced in partnership with the Satellite Industry Association (SIA)
Moderator
Alexis Sáinz
Partner
Hogan Lovells
Robert Lightfoot
Executive Vice President, Lockheed Martin Space
Lockheed Martin Space
You've heard it referenced in financial analysis reports as the "Future Space Economy" - a trillion-dollar opportunity for commercial space and satellite companies to bring more industries off Earth. The world's space-faring nations are locked in a race to capture opportunities in this economy, paced by the threat of being left behind. This panel of commercial space leaders will discuss how industry can respond to this sense of urgency and expand the space economy through strategic partnerships, new business models, start-up investments, and non-traditional contracting - a "gig" economy. Speakers will share lessons learned from other industries in how to create alignment across companies and allied nations to accelerate innovation and ensure leadership in the new space race.
The next generation of satellites will be defined by software, to serve a market in which IP content is the dominant traffic for satcom, broadcast and earth observation. Total traffic volume is exploding, waveforms multiplying and thousands of LEO and MEO spacecraft are demanding sophisticated gateways able to handle thousands of connections without interference. Digital transformation in the sky is creating immense pressure for a similar transformation on the ground at a time when hardware-based and analog systems fill every teleport. In this session, engineering and operations executives assess the progress being made in the digital transformation of the ground segment and what it will take to accelerate change this vital link in the satellite communications chain. Produced in partnership with WTA.
Moderator
Steve Jordan Tomaszewski
Senior Director, National Security Space
Aerospace Industries Association
The defense industrial base is constantly seeking better ways to harness innovation from commercial remote sensing companies for applications in the Department of Defense and intelligence community. Learn about how new technologies are adding capacity, tasking, storing, and streamlining analytics to provide and enhance resilience in national security space architectures. This topic will cover the regulatory advancements needed to balance national security interests with cutting-edge commercial remote sensing applications. The utilization of these innovative remote sensing systems is especially pertinent to the Department of Defense concept of Joint All-Domain Command and Control. Steve and panelists will discuss the critical role that space-based reconnaissance assets assist front-line joint warfighters and how commercial remote sensing integration can serve as a bridge between government and industry.
Moderator
Curt Blake
Attorney and Strategic Advisor
Wilson Sonsini
With a significant share of the small satellite launch market, SpaceX is increasingly selling direct to customers, often providing integration services, as well. Does this leave any more room for brokers/integrators? Due to their smaller size, launch vehicles such as Rocket Lab's Electron, NSIL SSLV, Firefly Alpha, and ABL can sell direct and provide their own integration. This leaves Arianespace Vega, Roscosmos Vega, and NSIL PSLV as the mid-size players. This panel will discuss if there is still a role for brokers/integrators, and, if so, what strategies should they employ to remain relevant.
Software Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) architecture allows networks to combine different transport services into a virtual wide area network that adapts to changing availability and throughput. Widespread in terrestrial communications, it is being greeted in the satellite communications business as a potential game-changer. But implementing SD-WAN is not only technically complex - it forces ground segment operations to adopt a digital-first mindset. In this session, engineering and operations executives share tips, tricks and use cases that demonstrate the near-term value and long-term potential of SD-WAN to drastically improve overall throughput, conserve bandwidth and improve quality of service. Produced in partnership with WTA.
Earth's orbit is busier than it's ever been. Not only do we have the most satellites circling our planet than ever before, but we also have the highest amount of debris floating in orbit. This reality makes the need for space sustainability more important than ever. Mike and panelists will discuss the state of space situational awareness (SSA) today and what the future holds for government and companies when it comes to space traffic management. Learn about the latest innovative technologies and commercial services that aid in managing and mitigating orbital debris through public-private partnerships. Plus, gain a deeper understanding of the transition of SSA capabilities from the Department of Defense to the Department of Commerce, as well as the latest the Administration and congressional activity on space sustainability.
Successful teleport operators are masters of the pivot: adapting their business models to the needs of changing markets. The bare-bones uplinks of the Eighties evolved into outsourced broadcast and data centers, as well as specialist providers of cruise and maritime services, business networks, secure military satcom and internet trunking. Today, explosive growth in the space business is confronting the industry with its biggest pivot yet. Bare-bones uplinking for LEO gateways is back, while digitization and virtualization make serious inroads on analog technology. Some predict the complete consolidation and commoditization of teleports while others expect the industry to carve out new niches offering new value. In this session, senior executives of teleport and technology companies share their forecasts for the industry and describe the moves they are making today to prepare for a more complex and challenging future. Produced in partnership with WTA.
Jeremy Bennington
Vice President of Position, Navigation, & Time (PNT) Assurance
Spirent Communications
Recent developments in 3GPP have introduced a satellite component to traditional terrestrial cellular 5G systems. The purpose of non-terrestrial network (NTN) access is to provide coverage to remote areas that are otherwise unreachable with a cellular network, especially in mission-critical environments. Standard land mobile communications have been tested against realistic propagation conditions for years; they are a fundamental design criterion of any wireless system and non-terrestrial networks are no exception. In this session, speakers will summarize the 3GPP specification TR38.811 entitled, "Study on New Radio (NR) to support non-terrestrial networks," which details channel models used for large-scale parameters such as shadowing, outdoor-to-indoor (O2I) loss, clutter loss, path loss, and small-scale parameters specific to satellite applications. The panel will also discuss the key features of a radio channel emulator that enables effective 5G NTN testing to address the new set of challenges for satellite transceiver performance.
Moderator
Ms. Audrey Allison
Senior Policy Analyst
Aerospace
This Panel will discuss the latest battlegrounds over spectrum -- that invisible resource that is essential to all of our missions and business plans. We will address the current challenges and FCC proceedings facing our diverse panel of operators and representatives -- including any impacts from the decisions of the World Radio Conference. The discussion will also focus on how these issues impact various commercial satellite companies, what those companies need to do about those issues, and what new bandwidth-related issues may arise in future.
Kevin O'Brien
CEO
Orbital Insight
Brian O'Toole
Chief Executive Officer
BlackSky
Executives from geospatial data companies gather to discuss how satellite imagery data has become the world's most important storytelling technology - informing the public on how the world around them is changing. This role comes with the incredible responsibility of providing accurate, timely, and secure data at speeds fast enough to make life-saving decisions, while setting prices that are affordable and sustainable for business. Learn how the leaders in the geospatial industry are balancing these responsibilities while developing new capabilities and more impactful data sets for their global customers, and investing in business development efforts to reach new markets.
In recent decades, sustainability has emerged as a key driver for many multinational firms and institutions. With increased awareness amongst both private and public players on threats to Earth and Space and the critical role played by space products, the space industry is currently experiencing a fundamental shift that makes it necessary to assess the environmental footprint of this sector more accurately. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a quantitative tool to evaluate the environmental impacts and resources used over a product's life cycle. On a broad scale, this encompasses the acquisition of raw materials, phases of manufacturing and usage, and end-of-life management. In this session, SES and its partners will share findings from its recent LCA and explain how these findings can be integrated into business decisions and identification of levers for environmental footprint reduction. Speakers will also address the challenges to undergoing an LCA and how to overcome these challenges as a space ecosystem.
Moderator
Jeffrey Hill
Executive Chairman
SATELLITE 2024
Connectivity is the cornerstone of today's global economy and it will certainly be the case for the Future Space Economy, with even more complex, data-centric applications. We spent decades building the global satellite connectivity infrastructure around Earth, is it possible to replicate Earth's satellite connectivity infrastructure on the Moon, or on other planets? During this LIVE webcast taking place at SATELLITE 2024, our panel will discuss what deep space satellite networks will look like, and how they will be built to perform in extraordinary environments. We'll also discuss the history of deep-space exploration and research satellites and what we've learned from those missions.

Thursday, March 21

Bradley Cheetham
CEO
Advanced Space
Learn about the fascinating development of new satellite services in Lunar Communications via satellite. This session will explore business opportunities, infrastructure and system requirements, and the standardization approach for all mission communications and the advantages of a broadband space exploration. Speakers will also discuss whether or not the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) approach is a new paradigm with broad applicability to space exploration activities.
Moderator
Jonathan Swanson
Director, Security Strategy
Krebs Stamos Group
With the increasing reliance on satellite technology for critical commercial and military functions, ensuring the resilience of these systems has become a paramount concern. Satellite network operators and related organizations up and down the space supply chain are finding themselves in the crosshairs of well-resourced nation-state threat-actors. This executive-level panel will dive into the critical issue of safeguarding satellite networks from ever-evolving cyber threats and the unique challenges they face doing it. This panel of industry experts and veterans will tackle the topics of emerging threats in satellites and space, private-public sector collaboration, emerging standards and best practices, the convergence of IT & OT security, and securing the space supply chain.
The panel will examine the greatest risks to AI systems used in satellite missions, including both ground and space segments, and then discuss mitigation measures including frameworks for ensuring mission success. With AI becoming more part of everyday life, including in the satellite industry, this panel gets to the heart of the discussion and talks about what could happen if AI starts to go wrong in space.