Where is Space’s Place in this New World?

The SATELLITE show is over for another year and what a show it was. There was such a strong energy about the event this year. There is a sense that we are living in strange times and how this all shakes out for the space industry is to be determined. It was hard to ignore the political events and the impact it could have on the space industry, from trade wars and tariffs, to potentially increased government spending and more sovereignty in space. I couldn’t help but think how dizzying the pace of change has been.

Against this backdrop, we are seeing turmoil and instability in U.S. government organizations with a lot of people losing their livelihoods due to the drive for more government efficiency. This brought a very different backdrop to SATELLITE 2025 than we have seen in recent years. Everybody knows the space industry is in a buoyant phase, with huge investments and strategic bets taking place. However, there is not peace in the world and while there are signs that perhaps we might see a ceasefire soon between Russia and Ukraine, natural allies are no longer natural allies and the delicate equilibriums in geopolitics are on the verge of being torn apart.

These conversations will no doubt continue this month at Space Symposium in Colorado Springs and GEOINT in St. Louis in May. Catch up on all of Via Satellite's content from SATELLITE 2025 in our content hub.

On a separate note, I would like to congratulate Emile de Rijk, CEO of SWISSto12 for winning the 2024 Satellite Executive of the Year award, and for Slingshot Aerospace for winning Satellite Technology of the Year. We would also like to congratulate Femi Ishola of Phemotron Systems for winning the 2025 Startup Space competition.