I would like to start this note by offering a big congratulation on behalf of the Via Satellite editorial team to Gwynne Shotwell of SpaceX, our 30th Satellite Executive of the Year. Shotwell is a richly deserved winner having guided the company to new heights (no pun intended) last year. She has worked tirelessly to help build SpaceX and, in 2017, the company launched satellites at a furious pace while gaining a significant amount of new business. The word “disruption” is used a lot in modern business-speak but I sometimes think it is overused. However, when you think of disruptive companies within the space industry, it is really hard to look beyond SpaceX as a perfect definition. We will be delighted to present Gwynne with the award at SATELLITE 2018 in Washington, D.C. in March.

This edition is always one of our biggest of the year as we get set for SATELLITE 2018, the world’s biggest meeting place for the satellite industry. We probably say it every year, but this year’s SATELLITE show feels more pivotal than ever with the industry on the verge of historic and probably lasting change over the next few years. The discussions about how new constellations will play into this changing era of satellite communications will be fascinating

Besides our in-depth interview with our new Satellite Executive of the Year, in this edition we also bring you a fascinating interview with the CISO of a major telco, KPN, discussing how the telecoms world views the cyber threat. In our connected transportation feature, we talk to European ferry company, Stena, about how it will use satellite technology going forward. We also have a very thought-provoking column from Tom Choi who has frequently been one of the most direct and controversial speakers in our industry.

But, I will end as I began. This edition is all about Gwynne Shotwell and SpaceX, and we salute them both. VS