The NewSpace era is reaching a key inflection point. Huge amounts of financing have gone into new companies with ambitious business plans. The question is the levels of success we will see from this new wave of companies, and whether this movement is built to last. It would not be the first time that there has been a feeling of optimism in the satellite sector that wasn’t matched by reality. I believe we are approaching a critical phase of the next two to three years and it will be interesting to see what the legacy will be of this first wave of NewSpace companies.

What is interesting is while there is naturally a lot of focus at what goes on at Silicon Valley, the NewSpace movement is global, and innovations are happening in other places around the world. In this edition, our Assistant Editor Kendall Russell looks at some of the highest profile European NewSpace companies and some of their ambitious plans. Europe has always been a vital space hub and there are new space companies emerging there which want to become key global players.

Also in this edition, we look at the hot topic of small satellites and the latest innovations as the movement to launch more satellites at a faster pace continues to go unabated. We are also delighted to welcome a new columnist to Via Satellite, Natalya Bailey, the CEO of Accion Systems, who gives interesting views on the state of the cubesat market, as well the launch market.

We hope you enjoy our full, committed coverage of the NewSpace market and we look forward to continuing this exciting area of the satellite market. VS