Technology executives shared their expectations for SATELLITE 2020 ahead of the Washington D.C. show.
L3Harris Technologies’ Tom Campbell said small flexible satellites “can adapt to changing requirements and are coming into maturity.” He’s also interested in new government buying habits through Other Transaction Agreements and the new Space Development Agency and Space Force.
Explore the Show Daily 2020 Day 1 Issue
Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.
CPI VP Andre Jones highlighted LEO mega constellations, M&A activity, and the C-band spectrum auction as key topics. He noted SpaceX and OneWeb are expected to launch several hundred satellites in 2020 alone.
ST Engineering iDirect CEO Kevin Steen said: “I think the theme of LEO will be dominant. I’m very interested to hear what Elon Musk has to say when he delivers his keynote. I would like more clarity on LEO operators’ business models.” He said the biggest challenges remain in the area of low-profile antennas: “The industry needs technology providers that have scale.”
ThinKom CTO Bill Milroy said antennas are facing new demands: “Both Ku- and Ka-band frequencies are becoming increasingly contended between established GEO constellations, new NGSO constellations, and even terrestrial 5G users. The bulk of these added performance burdens fall squarely on the shoulders of the antenna.”
Steen also discussed the Comtech-Gilat merger: “The industry needs technology providers that have scale. I think it will actually help in terms of competition. We need to look at the bigger picture in the context of the market transformation.” VS
