Saying Goodbye to 2023

Can it really be the end of 2023 already? As we wind down another tumultuous year in the industry, we start looking to the year ahead, and wondering what 2024 will bring for the satellite industry. Will we see any more massive pieces of consolidation? Will we see satellite impact new markets? What will be the main talking points of SATELLITE 2024?

In this last edition of 2023, we bring you a new feature in our '10' series — 10 Tech Trends that will Impact the Satellite Industry in 2024. We know this is an industry that loves its technology and this feature will examine the best of new technology and put a satellite/space twist on it. Writer Vivienne Machi is one of the industry’s best journalists and she has done a great job looking at what these technology trends might be.

It is almost two years now since Russia invaded Ukraine. It seems hard to believe, but as that conflict rages on, we take a look at what happened to Ukraine’s space industry and how it is looking to function and prosper as war goes on around it. We are delighted to welcome back Tereza Pultarova back to write this feature and talk to some of the key people in Ukraine’s space industry. It is fascinating story about what it is like to get investment and figure out logistics when a war is going on.

We also welcome for the first time writing for Via Satellite, Viktoria Urban who contributes an article on the future of laser communications, another much talked about topic in the satellite industry.

As we end the year, I want to say a big thank you to the team at Access Intelligence and Via Satellite for helping put together a series of great editions this year. I especially want to thank the editorial team of Rachel Jewett and Jeff Hill for their stellar contributions to Via Satellite this year. Even though we are not the biggest team, I think we have a great team, and we don’t take for granted the opportunity this industry has given us.

We hope you have all had a good year on a personal and professional level. We have enjoyed seeing you all in Washington, D.C., Paris and other locations around the world, and even though it is somewhat of a cliché right now, this is genuinely one of the most exciting times to be a part of the space industry. It is dynamic, forward thinking, and going to play a key role in the communications evolution we will see taking place. We wish you all the best for 2024.