Introduction- Downlink 4

Quick Post-Hosted Payload and Smallsat Summit Thoughts on SATELLITE 2017

The October and November editions of the SATELLITE Show Downlink newsletter are always the most difficult for me to write. There’s so much going on at once with the launch of the program that I don’t know where to start. So, I’m going to challenge myself to cover both my notebook full of of post-Hosted Payload and Smallsat Summit (HPSS) thoughts and my pre-SATELLITE 2017 excitement in one welcome letter with a series of short, concise statements. Here goes…

HPSS 16 was a huge success thanks to our fantastic line-up of speakers and the fact that cheaper access to space is now the core of every commercial aerospace industry discussion. Obvious talking points aside, what stood out to me is that both government end-users and non-traditional aerospace investors like Coca-Cola have money to spend on the right business model. The “right” business model, according to our speakers, is a well-thought out and thoroughly researched strategy with a benefit or product that connects directly to an individual consumer. Meaning – you can’t just say that you’ll provide bandwidth or service to a large area and assume that good things will happen. Today, you need to be able to tell the whole story right down to the individual. Customers and investors are all about seeing some new business models from the commercial satellite industry.

Next up is a growing list of topics that are definitely going to see more air time at SATELLITE 2017 compared to years past. Naturally, you’ll hear a lot about the buzz over small satellites, the Internet-of-Things, 5G and the aero/maritime markets, but you’ll also notice more focus on satellite imagery/sensing, evolution of ground systems and hardware, orbital debris management/SSA, satellite servicing/repurposing and the further integration of telecom and satellite worlds into one big data marketplace. See the SATELLITE 2017 Conference Program here.

Finally, Election day has arrived and there’s not much to talk about in terms of the impact of either outcome on the space industry. Neither candidate has provided any sort of detail on how they would change or maintain the direction of the Obama administration’s expansion of commercial industry partnerships. I’ve heard whispers here and there among D.C. circles that not much would change either way considering the government’s current level of dependence. As with all things related to the U.S. government, we’ll just have to wait and see… For me, tomorrow couldn’t get here fast enough.

Best wishes,

Jeffrey Hill
Chairman, SATELLITE 2017