Generation Next: Patrick Shannon, SpaceQuest
Patrick Shannon, vice president of SpaceQuest, a manufacturer of small satellites and satellite components, grew up reading the science fiction works of legendary authors like Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. Their creativity in displaying what they saw as not only science fiction, but in some ways the potential of man, attracted him to the space industry at an early age.
“Science fiction: it’s entertainment, it’s fun — some people blow it off as just pomp and circumstance — but it really is a look into where could we go. It’s a dream, a vision, and translating that into a personal mission is something that came very natural to me,” says Shannon.
Following graduation from MIT in 2009, Shannon joined the satellite industry as a systems engineer at Orbital Sciences. After about four years with the company, he moved to SpaceQuest, where he helps lead business development. Well versed but still relatively green, Shannon says he has learned a lot about spacecraft in particular from working with other engineers that have many more years of experience.
“I think what my generation in particular is looking for is tangible impact. You can talk about Millennials all day, everyday, and everyone has their theory, but it really is tangible impact. They want to go out and do something and see the results from it,” he says. Shannon adds that sometimes that impact can be seen more clearly in other industries such as software with its rapid development cycles or clean energy for which there is a global impetus, but quickly cautions against underestimating the satellite industry. He highlighted companies like Planet Labs and Skybox Imaging as players that are quite visibly making the aerospace industry competitive with other fields.
Shannon anticipates trends such as globalization and the CubeSat revolution will have a heavy influence on the satellite industry going forward. He also expects the way government agencies acquire technologies and services to move forward in a more meaningful way. As for his motivation, the satellite industry is bringing the realms of Clarke and Asimov a little closer each day. After all, “the only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible,” as Arthur C. Clarke said. “Dreaming big is powerful to me, and space offers many different ways to do that,” says Shannon.