Opinion

Despite failing to reach orbit last April and highlighting the challenges of super heavy launch campaigns, SpaceX’s Starship will soon become a reality, owing to extensive private funding, to an unprecedented development pace, to NASA’s support through the Human Landing System contract, and even an early commercial backlog. Starship will bring unprecedented payload capacity, fairing volume and...

If, like me, you were privileged enough to attend this year’s SATELLITE Show or Aircraft Interiors Expo, you’ll have noticed the uptick in vendors showcasing flat panel antennas. In a clear admission of where the satcom hardware market is heading, well-known incumbents, notably Intellian and Hughes Network Systems, have very publicly joined the development race...

Do you ever pause to consider what’s behind the everyday world you inhabit? Have you wondered who built the bridge you are driving over, what’s going on inside your phone or computer, and where the gold in your jewelry comes from? I like to pause while walking through airports. The next time you travel, stop...

As the climate crisis intensifies, the urgency to tackle its impacts becomes paramount. Climate change, largely caused by human activities, poses severe consequences that affect metropolitan areas that are first in line not only to contribute to the broader challenge but also to ensure the livability and resilience of urban environments in the face of...

Just look around any satellite event, and you can tell instantly that the industry has a problem with diversity. The satcom industry has long been recognized as a male-dominated field, with a significant gender disparity persisting despite efforts to promote diversity. According to the UN, women account for only about one-fifth of the international space industry’s...

Sixty-five years of space activity have resulted in countless achievements that have greatly enriched life on Earth. On the flip side, this activity has also contributed to the huge amount of debris now in-orbit around the planet, and this is presenting a significant risk to satellites.  Debris is not the only danger in terms of...

In recent times, the communications world has seen an accelerated interest in reuniting technologies that were very distinct and separate operational domains not long ago, namely satellite communications (satcom) and terrestrial telecommunications (telcos). This has been primarily driven by Release 17 from the 3rd Generation Partnership Program (3GPP) in mid-2022. Release 17 focuses on leveraging...

As the global mobile communication industry eagerly awaits the next revolution in connectivity, all eyes are fixed on the goal of providing seamless coverage anywhere on the planet. 5G New Radio NTN is more than likely to become the technology that will lead us straight to an efficient and much-desired fusion of terrestrial and non-terrestrial...

The revolution of the space industry has made access to space affordable and attractive. Emerging countries in particular see space commercialization as a huge opportunity. Launching small satellites can improve their economy, utility systems, infrastructure, scientific research, environment and living standards. Among those emerging space nations are the Arab countries. Already excelling in the space...

The space investment environment could not be worse than 2022, right? Halfway through 2023, we can start to draw some conclusions. There have been plenty more challenges, not least the failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the bank for many new space companies. However, SpaceX is still being SpaceX, i.e. impressively successful. Heavy-hitters like Apple,...