Industry CTOs kicked off SATELLITE 2024 on Monday, debating game-changing technologies. Intelsat CTO Bruno Fromont highlighted software and cloud computing in space: “The chips are very close to what you get on the ground. Cloud computing will come into space. This is game-changing.” Iridium CTO Greg Pelton said the SDA is “doing the reverse of what we normally see — government leading the industry, rather than the other way around.”
On direct-to-device, Boeing’s Rachelle Radpour said D2D isn’t new but the satellite-cellular collaboration is: “With the expected profits, these issues will get solved.” Fromont added: “Our vision has to be to bring the best of telecoms into the satellite world. If you can leverage the technologies/chipsets available in mobile, you have the ability to change the costs.” Pelton cautioned: “My gut feeling if you look at cellular and broadband players, markets condense to two to three players.”
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On vertical integration, Fromont said: “You can have multiple paths to innovation. I think you need to pick your battles.” Ovzon CTO Kennet Lejnell said vertical integration from launch to service allows the company to tailor the whole system. Satcube’s Lukas Nyström noted that non-vertical integration enables more tailored solutions but at higher cost.
Boeing’s acquisition of Millennium Systems — a software-defined satellite company — has changed Boeing’s manufacturing process for payloads: “It is now a quicker, more streamlined process. We are so happy with Millennium.” VS
