Shadows and Light

July 24th, 2023
Picture of Mark Holmes
Mark Holmes

SpaceX continues to cast a giant shadow over the industry with its dominance. As well its hold on the launch market, Starlink continues to strike eye-catching deals, that previously would have been seen as the domain of big, traditional operators. The latest one sees John Deere choose to partner with Starlink as it looks to take its connected agriculture strategy to the next level. This contract is a huge win, even for Starlink. It has been one of the most talked about RFPs and potential contracts. The fact that SpaceX wins the deal yet again is further evidence of its ability to reach a level of price and performance that others struggle to match.

Just two months after our hugely successful CyberSatGov event in Reston, we return with a popular feature: ‘10 Defining Moments in Satellite and Cybersecurity,’ which looks at events in cybersecurity in 2023 in terms of how they could have the most impact on the satellite sector. Given how every satellite event has a cybersecurity component nowadays, we shine a light on some pretty major events in the cyber world.

We have been in the New Space era for many years now. However, we put the spotlight back on the OGs (originals) of New Space and find out what happened to the companies that really kicked off this era. Marisa Torrieri writes a great feature for us here looking back at what happened.

It seems we start every year by saying it is going to be a pivotal year for the launch sector. But, this year with so many key debut launches, I think it safe to call 2024 a pivotal year. Vivienne Machi takes a look at the big launches this year and how they could ease the current launch bottleneck. The year is already off to a strong start with ULA’s Vulcan rocket debut.

We start a new year with new optimism and nowhere will this be more present than at SATELLITE in March. It is already looking likely to be an amazing show. Via Satellite will be doing a number of sessions at the event. We will be doing two end user sessions focused on telcos and maritime and aviation. We have speakers from the likes of Telstra, Orange, T-Mobile, Delta, Air Canada, and Carnival among others taking part in our sessions. Stay tuned for more information on those. On behalf of Via Satellite, we wish you a prosperous 2024 and look forward to seeing you all soon.