The PERASPERA In-Orbit Demonstration (PERIOD) project is a combined effort coordinated by the Horizon2020 Project and funded by the European Commission which tests live prototype technologies in
space to illustrate the potential for in-orbit applications. We spoke to Dr Stéphane Estable, PERIOD project Coordinator and System Architect for Airbus Defence & Space, about the project’s aims, action plan, and how its success could change the industry.

When Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz developed the modern binary system 350 years ago, the digitization of the modern world was set into motion. Most enterprises on Earth have long embraced “digital transformation” to advance their business operations and benefit from the replacement or augmentation of physical devices with virtual functions. However, due to the nature of working in space, the satellite industry has been one of the last to fully adopt today’s most widely spoken language: zeros and ones.

Over the past few years, stagnating revenues in the TV and radio broadcast market have led GEO satellite operators to consider a change in their market approach. Most of them have identified internet for maritime and aeronautical customers requiring governmental and civil services as key market drivers. With the arrival of services exploited by NewSpace ventures in the same market space, traditional operators must quickly adjust their commercial and technical orientation to compete. Hence, the only way forward is “full speed ahead.”

The numbers are impressive. 2021 was a record year for investment in the satellite and space segment. According to a report issued by Space Capital, venture capital firms invested more than US$17 billion into 328 companies and the private investment market poured close to $15 billion into the segment in Q4, with a total of $46.3 billion invested across all space technology stacks. The question is: who will win and who will lose?

On January 31, 2022, Comtech unveiled its breakthrough VSAT technology solution, Comtech ELEVATE. We reached out to Dr. Vagan Shakhgildian, President of Comtech Satellite Network Technologies Corp in Montreal, Canada, to ascertain how the new platform fits into the company’s near and long-term business goals.

The promise of global connectivity, smart cities, vehicles that are themselves dynamic nodes, intelligent agriculture, industrial IoT, and much more can only be achieved by integrating non-GEO constellations with the terrestrial 5G ecosystem by means of a more sophisticated ground infrastructure. Efforts to achieve this lofty goal are already afoot, but there is still a long way to go.

Last August, ST Engineering iDirect initiated its New Ground campaign. Since then, the company has led the way in facilitating impactful collaboration between the ground segment infrastructure, the 5G ecosystem and the constellations of small, software-defined satellites that define NewSpace. We asked Frederik Simoens, Chief Technology Officer of ST Engineering iDirect to give us a progress report.

Q-Tech Corporation is the leading manufacturer of radiation-tolerant crystal oscillators for use in space. With its products now flying on satellites in all orbits as well as vehicles in deep space, we queried Scott Sentz, Director of Sales & Marketing, about what’s going up next.

Spire Global, now publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange, provides space-based Earth data and analytics to myriad commercial and government organizations. With the Earth observation market on track for rapid growth, we asked Joel Spark, Co-Founder and VP of Space Systems at Spire Global about the company’s current strategy to solidify its position in the NewSpace economy.

The recently announced European UN:IO 400 constellation claims it will serve as a powerful sovereign communications network for Europe by making use of dynamic optical technologies to laser-link its satellites together to reach newfound throughput. The news comes at a time when constellation strategy is being carefully interrogated for feasibility and the work of NewSpace pioneers is now informing newcomers.

Data leaks seem to have become increasingly commonplace in recent year – or possibly we’re just hearing more about them. In either case, such leaks are extremely serious for the safety and wellbeing of personnel across the globe. New, more effective working practises are needed to keep people safe.

As in every workplace the world over, training is a vital part of the job for new and existing recruits. While live fire exercises remain a vital part of the training ecosystem, simulated options are increasingly offering a viable alternative.