Launch is Top of Mind as We Start 2023

Welcome to our first edition of Via Satellite in 2023. As always, we start the year with a huge optimism for the year. Last year was characterized by some huge deals as a number of players look to reposition themselves for the decade ahead.

This year has already started with lots of news. Firstly, as someone who is based in the United Kingdom, it was sad to see Virgin Orbit’s first attempt to launch satellites from Cornwall end unsuccessfully. There was so much excitement in the lead-up to this, that it is heartbreaking that the launch didn’t work out. Sadly, anomalies are a fact of life for launches, and we can often take rockets launching satellites into space for granted. Space is hard, and it will continue to be hard. We hope Virgin Orbit bounces back soon and we will start to see successful launches from the U.K. soon. Arianespace also had a launch failure at the end of last year with its Vega C rocket, and we wish them all the best too.

In this edition of Via Satellite, we start the year with a range of big topics. Marisa Torrieri looks at the potential of the space economy which is sure to be a huge topic throughout the year. Adrienne Harebottle takes a look at how improving standards and interoperability in the ground segment could lead to a huge boost overall for the industry. With so much investment going on in satellite, Rachel Jewett talks to investors about what trends we might see in space investment in 2023.

Next month, we have our eagerly-awaited 10 Hottest Companies in Satellite where we unveil our latest list of what we see are the 10 hottest companies in satellite. However, in this edition, we unveil a new feature, “10 Defining Moments in Satellite and Cybersecurity in 2022” where we pick 10 huge moments in the cyber arena over the course of the last 12 months.

The team at Via Satellite wishes our community all the best for what should be a fascinating year ahead, and we are honored to work with you and bring a strong, vibrant, fresh content focus as the industry gears up to make good on many exciting business plans. With SATELLITE just around the corner, we look forward to seeing you there. These are exciting times.