In this edition of Via Satellite, we move a step closer to announcing our Satellite Executive of the Year for 2015. We have six nominees for the award this time around. It is an honor to be a nominee so my congratulations go out (in no particular order) to Steve Collar, Greg Wyler, Elon Musk, Michel de Rosen, Masood Sharif Mahmood and Stephane Israel for being nominated for the award. As usual, they have made the judges’ choice difficult. The industry is full of success stories and there are many examples of companies performing strongly in 2015. The stories seem to be getting more diverse and the industry is attracting some very bright entrepreneurial minds to get the most of space-based assets.

WRC-2015 ended the year on a high for the satellite industry. In this edition, our Assistant Editor, Caleb Henry takes an in-depth look at the aftermath of the conference with commentary from key figures in both the wireless and satellite industries. I would also like to single out Aarti Holla-Maini, the secretary general of the European Satellite Operators Association (ESOA), who made a significant contribution to the satellite industry’s success in the conference and has been one of the key forward thinkers pushing the industry’s message across. Of course, there are others who have also worked tirelessly on the industry’s behalf, but it does seem as though the industry has mobilized itself even better this time around compared to previous WRC events.

Also, in this edition we look at the Middle East satellite landscape where we have the first interview we have done with the head of the new UAE space agency, Dr. Mohamed Al Ahbabi to talk about the UAE’s space ambitions.

So, we start the year on a high with the results of WRC-2015 better than expected. The feel-good factor around the industry is strong right now. Let’s hope that trend continues.

_{Mark Holmes is the editorial director of Via Satellite and Avionics magazines.}