SATELLITE Starts With a Bang!

We’ve now entered the final month in our mad dash to opening day at SATELLITE 2019. I hope everyone has booked their travel and is all set for an exciting week! I’d like to talk to you about what’s in store for you right away as you arrive at SATELLITE. We have created what is, in my opinion, the most exciting opening day program I’ve ever seen in my role as event chair.

We’ve already spoken about the incredible opening general session with seven (!) executives from a diverse group of top space and telecommunications companies (Lockheed Martin, Amazon Web Services, IBM, Hughes, Boeing, Isotropic Systems, and Orange Business Services) talking about the next big innovation in space. In the weeks since that initial announcement, we’ve added three new headline events to the already jam-packed day 1 line-up.

On the morning of Day 1 at SATELLITE, (Monday, May 6^th at 11 a.m.) I’ll be sitting down for a fireside chat about 3-D printing with the brilliant Tim Ellis, CEO and Co-Founder of Relativity, whose company aims to print fully equipped, payload-ready launch vehicles in a matter of days. Tim and I will talk about how Relativity is integrating machine learning, software, and robotics with its metal 3D printing technology to further increase the speed at which our industry operates. In encourage everyone at SATELLITE 2019 to attend, as these are the rare moments that shape space industry conversations throughout the week. Remember Boeing’s electric propulsion reveal, or the Orbital ATK/Northrop Grumman MEV reservicing pods presentation, or the Blue Origin first customer announcement with Eutelsat? These are the can’t-miss moments that make SATELLITE a special event.

Immediately following my fireside chat with Tim, I’ll be running upstairs to the Ballrooms to welcome our luncheon keynote speaker, Klaus Bruun Egeberg, Head of Mobility & Connectivity at A.P. Møller Maersk, one of the top three largest maritime shipping fleets in the world. Until this point, Maersk has been rather secretive about their ship connectivity needs. Mr. Egeberg wants to make SATELLITE 2019 a first, real “reach-out” event for Maersk. During his talk, he will outline Maersk’s vision for automated smart shipping fleets, and detail the connectivity requirements to realize those visions. If you service maritime or mobility customers, you need to see Klaus’ presentation. Register for the SATELLITE 2019 conference to gain access to this rare, and valuable keynote presentation.

Later that afternoon at 5:00 p.m., Washington Post Space Reporter Christian Davenport (among the industry’s best journalists and author of the fantastic book, “The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos”), will be hosting his own fireside chat with OneWeb CEO Adrián Steckel and SoftBank Managing Director Alex Clavel.  Following the operator’s successful launch of its LEO system, Mr. Steckel plans to share OneWeb’s plans for world connectivity, providing new, additional details to the business model first established by Greg Wyler at SATELLITE four years ago.

On top of all of this, day one at SATELLITE features some of our most popular conference program events – the Finance Forum hosted by NSR, the SGx Keynote series hosted by SGAC and the Future Space Leaders Foundation, Space Sustainability and 5G Standards sessions produced by ESOA, a SATELLITE 101 educational program for new expo hall attendees, and our first Startup Space Pitch Workshop – open to all startup companies and new entrants looking to connect directly with investors for feedback on their pitches. Whew!

One final note: If you’re a young professional attending SATELLITE and want to meet other young professionals in the industry over drinks, classic arcade games, and Skee-ball, sign up for the SATELLITE 2019 young professionals meet-up event at Washington D.C.’s Rocket Bar-cade the night before opening day (Sunday, May 5^th at 8pm). The meet up is free and hosted by Via Satellite’s youngest professional, Managing Editor Annamarie Nyirady. Rocket Bar is a blast! Have some fun before the big day ahead!

Register for SATELLITE, make your last-minute plans, and I’ll see you all very soon!