Ground technology leaders at SATELLITE 2025 agreed that digitization and open standards are reshaping the industry, though they differed on how quickly the transition will unfold.
Don Claussen, CEO of ST Engineering iDirect, said the company is focused on software-defined networking and open interfaces: “The ground segment is where the intelligence lives. We’re moving toward a world where the modem is just software running on COTS hardware.” He noted that virtualization allows operators to scale capacity dynamically and reduce capex.
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Joakim Espeland, CEO of Quadsat, said antenna testing remains a bottleneck: “Every new antenna design needs to be tested, and the traditional way of doing it is slow and expensive. We’re bringing drones into the equation to make that faster and more accessible.” He said the rise of flat-panel antennas is driving demand for faster, more flexible test methods.
David Gelerman, CEO of SpaceBridge, said multi-orbit networks are forcing ground system innovation: “You can’t manage a GEO/LEO hybrid with legacy tools. You need an intelligent network management layer that understands latency differences and can route traffic accordingly.”
Daniel Gizinski, CEO of Comtech, emphasized that government and defense customers are pushing open architecture: “JADC2 and other DoD initiatives are requiring interoperability. The days of proprietary stacks are numbered in the government space.”
Geoffroy Lerosey, CEO of Greenerwave, said his company’s reconfigurable intelligent surface technology can improve signal reception without mechanical steering: “We are bringing programmable radio environments to satellite. This is not science fiction — we have demonstrated it in the field.” VS
