Via Satellite announced the 2020 Satellite Executive of the Year (SEOTY) and Satellite Technology of the Year (STOTY) winners in April during the LEO Digital Forum: SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell and Northrop Grumman’s Mission Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV-1).
Gwynne Shotwell — a two-time SEOTY winner — was recognized for SpaceX’s blockbuster 2020, which saw the return of human spaceflight to the U.S. with the Commercial Crew Demo-2 mission, the world’s most active launch business, and Starlink growing into the world’s largest satellite fleet. “2020 — what a weird, and I would normally say, terrible year,” Shotwell said. “SpaceX was able to operate and do extraordinary things last year. I’m going to accept this award — not for myself — but for the extraordinary people at SpaceX.”
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Shotwell said Starlink’s design is complementary to terrestrial networks: “It’s just too expensive to take fiber to every house in rural locations. But Starlink satellites fly over every part of the globe every day, so it’s no more expensive to serve someone in a rural community than it is to serve someone in a city.” She expects Starlink service to be available on commercial planes in three to five years. Shotwell will speak at the SATELLITE general session on Sept. 8 in “The Future of Global Satellite Connectivity.”
Northrop Grumman’s MEV-1 — the first-ever commercial on-orbit docking system — made in-orbit satellite servicing a commercial reality. The same week it won STOTY, MEV-2 successfully docked with Intelsat 10-02. Business development VP Joe Anderson said: “It just makes economic sense to use your assets to their full potential. Now that is changing very rapidly. We have really overcome that hurdle with the technology.” The next generation, Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV), will install Mission Extension Pods on existing GEO satellites and is expected to launch in 2024. VS
