SSPI

What happens when astronauts, spacecraft, or future lunar settlers need help and there's no communications network to call on? 

 

In Episode 3 of Are We There Yet?, Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Toni Spatola, Chief Commercial Officer of Filtronic, about the communications and navigation infrastructure that may enable safe operations beyond Earth orbit. 

 

Using the Artemis II communications blackout as a starting point, the conversation explores how governments and industry are building the communications, positioning, and navigation systems that future lunar missions may depend upon. 

 

If communications infrastructure is a prerequisite for safe operations, it may also become one of the foundational investments and service sectors of the emerging Space Safety Economy. 

 

Sponsored by the American Space Exploration Children's Trust Fund.

Artemis has returned human spaceflight to the Moon. Attention is now turning to what follows — how activity between Earth and the Moon develops, where opportunity begins to take shape, and how safety and operational readiness influence participation.

This rebroadcast of the May edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, brings together perspectives from industry, finance, and policy to examine what is forming now, what signals matter to investors and operators, and how organizations are positioning themselves in response.
This session explores:
Where early opportunity is taking shape
What signals matter to investors and operators
How safety and reliability influence decision-making
How organizations are positioning themselves for what comes next
Featured speakers include:
Shatel Bhakta, ESDMD SAO Lunar Architecture Team Lead, NASA
Stephen Eisele, CEO, Lonestar Data Holdings
Jessica Gregory, VP, Civil Space Programs, Voyager Technologies
Zack Hester, Head of U.S. Office, Novaspace
Paolo Pino, Co-Founder & CTO, Volta Space Technologies

Before livestreaming became ordinary, satellite communications transformed how humanity experienced the world.

In this episode of Movers…In Our Orbit, SSPI Executive Director Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Robert M. Patterson, founder of The SPACECONNECTION, about the rise of satellite television and the communications revolution that made live global broadcasting possible.

Inspired by the Apollo 11 broadcast, Patterson went on to help pioneer satellite sports distribution, HDTV broadcasting, digital transmission techniques, and transportable uplink systems that reshaped television infrastructure worldwide.

The conversation also explores what today's NewSpace generation can learn from earlier cycles of communications innovation, industry transformation, and technology hype.

How is satellite data evolving from passive observation into real-time decision-making?

In this episode, BlackSky: How Is BlackSky Turning Space Data Into Real-Time Decisions?, we welcome new SSPI member BlackSky and explore how speed is redefining the value of space-based intelligence.  

Joined by Katelyn Fobes, the conversation unpacks how BlackSky combines high-frequency satellite imagery with AI-driven analytics to detect anomalies and deliver actionable insights within hours, and sometimes minutes, of collection. From tracking aircraft and maritime activity to supporting disaster response, the focus is on operational relevance… not just data.  

We also explore how commercial space is reshaping government missions, the role of human-in-the-loop decision-making, and why workforce, mentorship, and community are central to how BlackSky is showing up as a new SSPI member.

Who are the leaders helping guide the future of the space and satellite industry, and why do they choose to serve? 

In this episode of the SSPI podcast, Why I Serve, we meet Daniel Gizinski of Comtech and a member of the SSPI Board of Directors. 

Daniel shares his journey from engineering to executive leadership and reflects on how companies like Comtech contribute to connectivity, resilience, and the broader space ecosystem.

In this conversation: 

how he entered the satellite and space industry 
where Comtech plays a role today  
what excites him about the future 
what challenges the industry needs to address 
and why he chose to serve on the SSPI Board  


This episode is part of SSPI's Space and Satellite Futures track, focused on leadership and the next generation of the industry. 

If you are interested in satellite communications, the space economy, industry leadership, and the future of global connectivity, this conversation offers a clear and grounded perspective.