News
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Better Satellite World Podcast: Personalities of the Space & Satellite Industry, Episode 2: A Conversation with the ESA's Antonio Franchi
The United Kingdom’s robust and ambitious space sector has many personalities. In this podcast series, we introduce you to three whom the UK Chapter of SSPI is considering for its prestigious Personality of the Year Award in 2024. One of these three finalists will be named the 2024 Satellite Personality of the Year live at the Better Satellite World Awards Dinner in London on 2 December. Click here to join us there! Each of the three finalists is a star who has made significant contribution to the UK and global satellite industry and whose career is a study of performance and excellence at the highest level. In the second episode, we learn a bit about Antonio Franchi, Head of the 5G/6G NTN Programme Office at the European Space Agency (ESA). Antonio Franchi works at the European Space Agency as the Head of the 5G/6G NTN Programme Office in the Connectivity and Secure Communications Directorate. Antonio has over 30 years of experience in the satellite telecommunications industry. Prior to ESA, Antonio worked for over 20 years with Inmarsat, a major global satellite operator, spearheading a new generation of satellite communications systems. Antonio received an MSc in Electronic Engineering from the University of Rome and an MBA from the London Business School. He is author of 30+ articles and papers published at international conferences and professional magazines, and he holds six international patents in the satcom field. SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners -
Making Leaders Podcast: A Mentor for Life - A Conversation with Joan Tang Mancuso, 2024 Mentor of the Year
In this special Making Leaders and SSPI-WISE Presents podcast, we hear from Joan Tang Mancuso, Marketing & Business Development Consultant (now retired), who was selected as SSPI’s 2024 Mentor of the Year. Joan has provided expert guidance, mentorship and support to young people in the space & satellite industry throughout her more-than-30-year career and long after retiring from full-time work. As a member of the SSPI Mid-Atlantic Chapter Board, she spearheaded the creation, promotion and implementation of a scholarship program to help inner city high school students with STEM education. An inaugural participant in SSPI-WISE’s Mentorship program, Joan mentored four different women across three countries, guiding them through career development, job changes, promotions and professional and personal challenges. Of particular note, she guided one mentee through a successful career transition from a technical role to a managerial position and helped another advance her career while navigating a difficult international relocation. Joan has also provided her insights and expertise to broader groups of women and industry professionals through a number of SSPI-WISE panels and online discussions. Read more about Joan. You can watch the interview in video format here: The Promise and Mentor Honoree podcasts are sponsored by SSPI’s Making Leaders campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners -
Andre Jones, Hughes/Microsoft/Colombia’s MICT and Speedcast Named Recipients of the 2024 Better Satellite World Awards
(28 October 2024 – New York City & London) – Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) announced today the recipients of the industry’s tenth annual Better Satellite World Awards. The awards honor established companies along with disruptive innovators who make the world more prosperous, healthier, better-educated, more sustainable and more inclusive. An international jury selected Andre L. Jones, Hughes, Microsoft and Colombia’s MICT – Juntas de Internet: Connectivity Communities program and Speedcast as recipients of this year’s awards. They will be honored at the Better Satellite World Awards Dinner on 2 December in London along with the SSPI UK chapter’s Personality of the Year, who will be announced live at the Dinner. The selection of recipients was made by an international jury consisting of a broad cross-section of industry thought leaders and distinguished professionals. “Once again, we witnessed the growing influence and capabilities of space and the satellite industry to help regions and societies achieve key social and economic goals and stabilize places struck by disaster. Each of this year’s recipients are commercial enterprises, or people who have served in the industry, who turned their formidable expertise and resources toward the common good. It is what makes the often-misunderstood technologies of satellites a primary tool for a better world,” said Louis Zacharilla, SSPI’s Director of Innovation and host of the Better Satellite World Awards Dinner since its inception. The Better Satellite World Awards Celebration, a festive networking event and dinner, will be held at Whitehall Place on 2 December. (www.bswdinner.com) It is produced by SSPI and its UK Chapter. The UK Chapter is chaired by Betty Azzarelli, CEO & Founder, AB5 Consulting. The 2024 Better Satellite World Award Recipients: Andre L. Jones Andre L. Jones co-founded WANSAT Networks, Inc. to provide connectivity to underserved and unserved areas in his birth country of Guyana. Born in one of the poorest regions of the nation, he witnessed firsthand the challenges that rural communities faced due to their isolation. When oil was discovered in Guyana, for example, the nation experienced rapid economic expansion, but the benefits did not reach many rural areas. Andre turned the years of expertise in the satellite communications industry he had developed as a successful businessman in the United States toward the problem, securing vital partnerships with leading companies operating in the region like Intelsat, Viasat and Telefonica. Through these partnerships, WANSAT was able to deliver connectivity to remote regions unreached by fiber and terrestrial networks, providing those isolated communities with access to essential services and communication options. WANSAT has installed satellite terminals in remote communities throughout Guyana, allowing previously unconnected citizens to access the government’s telemedicine program, including remote consultations and general healthcare access. This connection is a lifeline for remote villages, providing timely diagnoses and medical advice that were previously out of reach. WANSAT connectivity also facilitates distance learning, enabling rural students to participate for the first time in programs such as the government’s GOAL initiative. Students in remote areas now have access to educational resources and opportunities that were once unimaginable, leveling the playing field and fostering a brighter future for these communities. Guyana’s gold mining industry has been another major beneficiary of WANSAT connectivity. Miners, who often face prolonged isolation from their families, now benefit from satellite internet that keeps them connected to their loved ones. This connectivity not only enhances social cohesion, but also improves workplace safety and personal security, mitigating the extreme hardships that come with long separations. To ensure that WANSAT’s connectivity offerings continue to benefit communities throughout Guyana, Andre has established training programs to equip local youth and former defense personnel with the knowledge of how to install and maintain satellite systems. He actively collaborated with Guyana’s largest telecom provider, GTT (now One Communications), to ensure sustainable development and increased regional participation in the nation’s rapid economic growth. For Andre, WANSAT is not simply about technology, but about ensuring that no one is left behind in Guyana’s economic transformation. Hughes, Microsoft and Colombia’s MICT – Juntas de Internet: Connectivity Communities Hughes, with Microsoft and the Colombian government, brought internet access to some of the most isolated communities in Colombia through Juntas de Internet – Comunidades de Conectividad (Internet Connectivity Communities). According to the Wireless Broadband Alliance, more than four billion people globally remain without internet access, including 80% of households in poorer countries and 75% of students in rural areas. The Colombian government laid the groundwork for Juntas de Internet in July 2023 with the backing of the country’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MinTIC). The program was established to both enhance existing networks and build new ones. Internet implementation, connection, and maintenance is a joint effort between connectivity communities and regional internet service providers (ISPs). Connectivity communities are non-profit organizations whose income is exclusively used for the administration, operation, and maintenance of fixed community internet service. Hughes, serving as a regional ISP, partnered with Microsoft on Juntas de Internet. Regions such as Villa del Río in San Juan del César, Chilvicito in Tumaco, and Domingodó in Chocó have long struggled with minimal or no internet connectivity, resulting in high unemployment, increased violence, and economic and labor inequalities. In the initial phase of the program in Villa del Río, Hughes trained community members to install fixed internet connections in all 50 households, providing access to roughly 160 people as of early 2024. In April 2024, Hughes completed the second site survey in Chilvicito while the third site, in Domingodó, became fully operational in June 2024 incorporating solar panels due to the region’s lack of reliable electricity. As of mid-2024, nearly 485 people from the three regions now have internet access, providing new opportunities for work, study, and entrepreneurship. Additionally, Microsoft provided Office 365 licenses for 20 computers at the Villa del Río Educational Institution to enhance educational options and digital literacy for students and their families. While the tangible end goal of the program is internet connectivity and infrastructure, Hughes and its partners have focused on improving the quality of life and long-term success of these communities. Juntas de Internet involved members of each community, designating a group of four-to-ten representatives to participate in the process. They are trained in topics including taxes, network monitoring, antenna pointing, and cybersecurity so that they can support the program. In addition to receiving a Better Satellite World Award, Hughes, Microsoft and Colombia’s MICT were also finalists for the “Bridging the Digital Divide” category of the Leading Light Awards in 2024. Speedcast Speedcast has consistently demonstrated a commitment to humanitarian aid and disaster response efforts by providing essential connectivity solutions during crises. In areas affected by natural disasters, the company has delivered reliable communications as a vital lifeline for both the affected communities and first responders working to aid them. In May 2024, Speedcast contributed to disaster response efforts in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, when the region experienced catastrophic flooding. Rio Grande do Sul received an entire year’s worth of rain in a matter of hours, leading to widespread landslides, the collapse of a key dam and many deaths. Speedcast took quick action to donate and deliver Starlink terminal kits and airtime to the Brazilian government, providing necessary connectivity to police, hospitals, the Brazilian army and various local and state government departments, which dramatically improved disaster response efforts. These quick-to-deploy solutions from Speedcast proved instrumental in reaching isolated areas and supporting recovery operations. In August 2023, Speedcast supported local crisis response teams battling wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, providing essential hardware and connectivity, including dozens of Starlink kits. The company’s immediate support allowed the teams to establish critical connectivity within days, improving emergency response efforts and enabling more efficient coordination. Speedcast’s global network, combined with in-region teams and deep expertise in disaster recovery and remote engineering, has enabled the company to respond swiftly to major crises worldwide. Speedcast is the world’s leading authorized Starlink integrator, with more than 9,000 kits sold since adding the service to their connectivity portfolio in late 2022. Starlink’s high-capacity, low-cost service, paired with its automated, self-aligning terminals, has made it an invaluable tool for disaster response, enabling internet connectivity in mobile and remote sites. Recognizing the need for rapid deployment, Speedcast introduced a new Rapid Deploy Kit designed for on-the-go connectivity and critical disaster response. This portable solution, which hosts a Starlink Flat High Performance Kit and a network device, is packaged in an airline-checkable case, making it an ideal choice for first responders, remote workers, NGOs and humanitarian aid organizations. About the Better Satellite World Campaign Working with partner associations and supporting companies around the world, Space & Satellite Professionals International’s Better Satellite World campaign (www.bettersatelliteworld.com) is changing the global conversation about satellites and their influence on the economy, business and societies everywhere. The campaign was launched in Washington, DC during SATELLITE 2015. It has since become a cornerstone and a viral effort that is successfully communicating the incredible power of satellites for human good. SSPI has published a series of stories and videos that dramatize the immense contributions of the “invisible infrastructure” of satellite to life on Earth, which are widely shared by individuals, companies and the media. The Better Satellite World campaign is available for repurposing by any organization or person who wishes to use the content to help promote the industry at www.bettersatelliteworld.com and through the Twitter hashtag #bettersatelliteworld. About SSPI Founded in 1983, Space & Satellite Professionals International (www.sspi.org) is on a mission to make the space and satellite industry one of the world’s best at attracting and engaging the talent that powers innovation. The space and satellite business has never seen a time of greater experimentation and disruption than we see today. Investment is the fuel for transformation, but people are the engine. SSPI helps the industry attract, develop and retain the talented people it needs to keep the engine turning. People who connect through high-profile events and gain recognition from prestigious awards. People who rely on SSPI for a broader understanding of the industry as much as for individual networking and career mentoring. From young people seeking a career path to industry veterans with wisdom to share, SSPI connects them all. Talent, investment and opportunity flow to industries that make a difference. SSPI is the only organization that also promotes the enormous value of space and satellite through dramatic stories of our technologies and companies making a better world. Those stories overturn misconceptions about the industry that hold it back. They inspire our people and attract new ones to the industry. They help justify investment and give new customers a reason to care about our services and products. Through the stories we tell and the people we serve, SSPI inspires the growth of the $1 trillion space economy of the future. For More Information Victoria Krisman Communications Manager Space & Satellite Professionals International vkrisman@sspi.org -
SSPI Names Mackenzie Mason, Paige Webster and Bradley Williams as the 2024 Promise Award Winners at the Future Leaders Celebration
(October 22, 2024 – New York City) – Last night at the Future Leaders Celebration in Silicon Valley, Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) presented the 2024 Promise Awards to Mackenzie Mason of Boeing, Paige Webster of ATLAS Space Operations and Bradley Williams of NASA. The Promise Awards honor the three top-ranked members of the annual “20 Under 35” list of space & satellite employees and entrepreneurs age 35 and under who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the early stages of their career. The three recipients were honored at the 19th annual Future Leaders Celebration in Mountain View, California, in conjunction with Silicon Valley Space Week, produced by SatNews publishers. “Every year we present these remarkable 20 people to our industry,” said executive director Robert Bell, “I walk away thinking I really need to relive my life over again. But then, I realize that the future of our industry is in the very safe hands of innovators dedicated to a bold future.” The “20 Under 35,” Promise Award winners and Mentor of the Year are selected by a jury of industry executives who donate their time and expertise to reviewing dozens of nominations received from around the world. Starting this year, the jury includes members of the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame. The 2024 Promise Award Winners: Mackenzie Mason Engineering Manager for Space Mission Systems Structural Dynamics, Boeing Mackenzie Mason began her career at Boeing in 2014 as a Structural Dynamics Engineer. Her early contributions to the company were pivotal to the development of the 702MP/MP+ spacecraft, as she provided crucial recommendations to program management offices and customers and led numerous innovations in dynamic loads analysis and testing. Mackenzie spearheaded the dynamic shaker table move at Boeing’s El Segundo site, a project in which she had to overcome numerous challenges, including excavation of the structural test floor, removal of a vacuum chamber and reduction of the structural test lab footprint while adhering to an accelerated schedule. Her strategic planning and oversight ensured that multiple satellites completed testing on the new dynamic shaker table with 100% success, completing a $5 million investment. While working at Boeing, Mackenzie also authored a white paper documenting updated NASA methodologies for predicting shock on composite honeycomb structures based on Boeing’s actual spacecraft-level shock measurements. Her white paper is now a critical reference for resolving requirement and verification disagreements in new satellite programs. Mackenzie was instrumental in the successful vibration, shock and acoustic qualification of hardware for Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, which ensured the successful launches of Orbital Flight Tests 1 and 2 (OFTs). She developed a validation tool that significantly reduced cycle time and errors, enhancing the effectiveness of spacecraft environmental validation efforts. Mackenzie’s work has been reviewed and approved by NASA, contributing to the success of both OFT2 in 2022 and the anticipated Crew Flight Test in 2024. In 2021, Mackenzie was promoted to Engineering Manager for the Space Mission Systems Structural Dynamics department in 2021, where she now leads a team of 16 high-performing engineers. Under her leadership, the team has constantly exceeded expectations, optimizing processes to reduce testing schedules, including a 30% acceleration in the sine vibration test for the Viasat3 F3 spacecraft. Mackenzie has earned multiple accolades for her leadership, including the Satellite World Class Engineer Award in 2019 and 2023. Mackenzie is a key contributor to the 702MP product line, a medium-power variation of the Boeing 702 high-power satellite that offers an affordable and technically adaptable design for the medium-sized satellite market. She was appointed the management focal by Integrated Design Engineering Director to lead the 1000+ engineer large organization on knowledge transfer across multiple sites and programs. In this role, Mackenzie establishes lunch and learn meetings and leads management discussions on skill development and knowledge capture. Outside of working hours, Mackenzie has served as a Senior Design Project Industry mentor for the California State University, Los Angeles College of Engineering for over six years. She guides students through their capstone projects and helps them develop technical and professional skills. She also serves as a mentor for Boeing’s Mentoring on Rotation Experience (MORE) and as a new hire mentor for engineers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Mackenzie also participates in multiple community service activities, including beach clean-ups, assisting at the LA Food Bank and contributing to park beautifications efforts. Paige Webster Director of Customer Solutions, ATLAS Space Operations Paige (Cooley) Webster joined ATLAS Space Operations in November of 2021 as a Technical Sales Engineer in Client Solutions after completing three internships at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Her keen eye for identifying process improvements led her to spearhead the development of a new role that aligned the Operations, Integrations, Engineering and Client Solutions teams to create a more streamlined approach to customer relations. Paige’s exemplary performance in this new role she helped create led her to be promoted to her current position of Director of Commercial Solutions, a position in which she focuses primarily on sales and business development, developing ground station solutions for a wide variety of unique missions. She has a unique talent for explaining complex topics in a way that is accessible to diverse audiences, allowing her to bridge the gap between engineering and sales. As a Director of Commercial Solutions, Paige led ATLAS’ effort to design the ground station solution to support Blue Origin’s DarkSky-1 and follow-on Blue Ring missions. Simultaneously, she oversaw the solution development for more than 12 customer campaigns and managed ATLAS’ commercial contracting, resulting in great customer satisfaction. Since joining ATLAS in 2021, Paige has quickly become a significant contributor to the company. She has closed approximately 40% of 2024’s current revenue, and is on track to close more than 70% of ATLAS’ Commercial and Fed Civil sales by the end of 2024. Before her time at ATLAS, Paige contributed to multiple flagship missions at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, implementing rigorous flight system and payload verification and validation procedures on the Mars 2020 and Europa Clipper programs. Her work on Europa Clipper ensured that the suite of more than 10 sensors and science instruments onboard were fully tested so they perform and adequately meet their mission objectives once on orbit. Paige was published in the 2021 and 2022 IEEE Conference on Aerospace proceedings as part of her work on the mission, and launch of the project is currently scheduled for October 2024. During this time, Paige also worked at the University of Michigan as a Graduate Student Research Assistant, where she researched magnetic modeling of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa while supporting active NASA mission proposal efforts. Her achievements prompted a former professor from Principia College, where Paige completed her Bachelors of Science in Engineering Science, to ask her to teach a full course load in the Mechanical Engineering department for the 2023-2024 academic year, which Paige did while continuing full time work at ATLAS. She has since been asked to return for the 2024-2025 academic year. Paige also holds a Master of Engineering in Space Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of North Dakota. Outside of work, Paige mentors undergraduate engineering students, advising them in their professional career preparation and assisting with internship placement. Additionally, she teaches a review course for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam, preparing students to successfully pass the exam upon graduation. Paige is also a competitive triathlete, who races on the local, national, and world stage, including at the 2023 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. Bradley Williams Acting Associate Director for Flight, Heliophysics Division, NASA Science Mission Directorate Bradley Williams began his career in aerospace at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, where he served as a Project Manager and Systems Engineer collaborating with faculty and research teams to identify proposal opportunities and develop spaceflight proposals for NASA. He went on to serve as the Director of Civil Space Programs at Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems (now Terran Orbital Corporation, LLAP), a role in which he led the development of project/program management processes that prepared the company for trading on the New York Stock Exchange. While at Tyvak, Bradley led the NASA Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator CubeSats project, which included the TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) payload achieving a groundbreaking 200 Gigabits per second optical communications downlink. He also provided critical leadership during the design and integration phases of the CAPSTONE mission, a landmark project that continues to operate in cislunar space. Upon joining NASA, Bradley was a vital member of the OSIRIS-Rex Camera Suite (COAMS) team, contributing to both development and launch successes as a member of the systems integration and test team, management team and later as the ALTO lead and primary inte4rface to the spacecraft team. Following the OSIRIS-Rex launch, Bradley served as Deputy Payload Manager on GUSTO, a first of its kind, balloon-borne observatory selected as a Mission of Opportunity out of NASA’s Astrophysics Division. GUSTO completed the longest duration flight from Antarctica on a long duration balloon after its launch in 2023. In his current position at NASA, Bradley has worked on significant projects such as the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), the Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS), the HelioSwarm mission and the Solar Cruiser solar sail technology project. He also serves as Senior Program Executive for the NASA Space Weather Program. In 2023, Bradley led the complete overhaul of a mission that was facing intense technical and schedule scrutiny as well as momentous project management challenges at the mission level. He was able to rapidly evaluate performance, identifying gaps and weaknesses in the mission implementation, and established an incremental approach to regaining confidence in the mission development plan. This ultimately resulted in a successful replan and continuation of an Explorers mission, which is on track to launch in 2025. Bradley’s success also enabled the NASA Heliophysics Division to expand its pool of small satellite providers that can and will design, build and integrate spacecraft for exploration of the Sun-Earth connection. Outside of working hours, Bradley is a member of SSPI and a Senior Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), having served in several leadership positions, including as a leadership council member in the Tuscon section and Orange County section, a Region VI Deputy Director and the Communications Committee Chair in the Young Professionals Group. He served on the Commercial Advisory Board to the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group at the Lunar & Planetary Institute and as a member of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council, and he is currently a Fellow at the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership. Bradley frequently donates his time as a speaker inspiring the next generation to work in space and STEM fields. He gave a TED Talk in 2024 on his path to NASA and finding his place in space at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum, which was attended by hundreds. About SSPI Founded in 1983, Space & Satellite Professionals International (www.sspi.org) is on a mission to make the space and satellite industry one of the world’s best at attracting and engaging the talent that powers innovation. The space and satellite business has never seen a time of greater experimentation and disruption than we see today. Investment is the fuel for transformation, but people are the engine. SSPI helps the industry attract, develop and retain the talented people it needs to keep the engine turning. People who connect through high-profile events and gain recognition from prestigious awards. People who rely on SSPI for a broader understanding of the industry as much as for individual networking and career mentoring. From young people seeking a career path to industry veterans with wisdom to share, SSPI connects them all. Talent, investment and opportunity flow to industries that make a difference. SSPI is the only organization that also promotes the enormous value of space and satellite through dramatic stories of our technologies and companies making a better world. Those stories overturn misconceptions about the industry that hold it back. They inspire our people and attract new ones to the industry. They help justify investment and give new customers a reason to care about our services and products. Through the stories we tell and the people we serve, SSPI inspires the growth of the $1 trillion space economy of the future. For More Information Victoria Krisman Communications Manager Space & Satellite Professionals International vkrisman@sspi.org
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Featured Video
Joan Tang Mancuso, 2024 Mentor of the Year
In this special Making Leaders and SSPI-WISE interview, we hear from Joan Tang Mancuso, Marketing & Business Consultant, now retired, and the 2024 SSPI Mentor of the Year.
Featured Podcast
BETTER SATELLITE WORLD
Personalities of the Space & Satellite Industry
The United Kingdom’s robust and ambitious space sector has many personalities. In this podcast series, we introduce you to three whom the UK Chapter of SSPI is considering for its prestigious Personality of the Year Award in 2024. One of these three finalists will be named the 2024 Satellite Personality of the Year live at the Better Satellite World Awards Dinner in London on 2 December. Click here to join us there! Each of the three finalists is a star who has made significant contribution to the UK and global satellite industry and whose career is a study of performance and excellence at the highest level. In the second episode, you’ll learn a bit more about Antonio Franchi, Head of the 5G/6G NTN Programme Office at the European Space Agency (ESA).