THE THE

Jan-Feb 2009

Jan-Feb 2009

In This Issue

The Society of Satellite Professionals International

The Society of Satellite Professionals International

Satellites and The Economy

Cover • Satellite Technology Needed for Popular Sport . . . . . . . . . . . .1 • Gala 2009 Keeps You in Touch Through Turbulent Times . . . . . .1 • SSPI to Add Five Luminaries To Hall of Fame . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Industry • Space Program Expenditures At Historic High . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 SSPI Professional Views • An Interview With Yvette Dominguez . . . . . . . . . . .6 • How Bad Was It And How Bad Will It Get? . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

In this issue of The Orbiter, we turn our eye toward the economy and how it affects and is affected by the satellite industry. You’ll read various perspectives on how the global satellite industry fares in what we are reminded daily by the media is a global economic crisis. As you’ll see, there are reasons to be optimistic about the future. Turn to Robert Bell’s column on page 6 for a preview of SSPI’s theme this year, Satellite: Steps Ahead.

Satellite Technology Needed for Popular Sport Geocaching is a sport practiced throughout the world. It requires satellite technology and hand-held Global Positioning System devices and so was nonexistent before 2000, the year that the U.S. government released coordinates to the public. In this bleak economy, it may be comforting to know that this sport is growing in popularity. The Global Positioning System, or GPS, is a global (continued on page 2)

• Satellite: Steps Ahead . . . . . . . .8

• Chapter Chat . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Gala 2009 Keeps You In Touch Through Turbulent Times

People Place

By Penelope Longbottom, Gala Manager

• Satellite: The Sound of Music And the Snoring Woman . . . . . .9

• Who Won What and Who’s Going Where . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

• Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

As individuals and as companies, and as an industry, we all know the remarkable times we are facing and the incredible journey we must make over the course of the next few years to weather financial and political challenges. While the economy as a whole flounders, the satellite industry generally continues to maintain stability and even shows signs of growth in certain segments. SSPI, through its mission to

• Editorial Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

(continued on page 4)

Marketplace

Did you know that February 1, 1963 was the date that the Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT) was formed to provide international satellite services and manage the U.S. majority ownership of INTELSAT? Visit www.sathistory.com to see the entire SSPI Satellite Timeline. *All information is copyrighted and should not be used without the written consent of SSPI.

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Satellite Technology Needed

“caches”another geocacher has hidden in an interesting location such as a park, a wilderness area or a municipal building. Some caches are themed and provide an educational opportunity. One cache in Virginia takes the geocacher through the U.S. Marine Museum at Quantico. Clues inside the museum ultimately lead the searcher to a nearby cache. Anyone taking the trip through the museum learns something about U.S. military history along the way. A geocache is usually fairly small. It is hidden inside something that can weather the elements, such as a small Tupperware container. It contains a logbook that the cache finder must sign to get credit for finding the cache. It also can contain trinkets to be taken and replaced with similar items like key chains or small candy dispensers. Sometimes there are also “travel bugs,” small items taken by geocachers from cache to cache. Some travel bugs have been around the world and back. Some come with specific instructions, such as “must get to Sacramento, Calif.” Travel bugs can be any small item. An astronomer who geocaches used CDs of his astronomy presentations as travel bugs. One travel bug isn’t so small — it is an airplane propeller six feet tall that weighs 80 pounds. The hobby has grown exponentially since the year 2000, when there were about 70 caches worldwide. Geocaching.com, the official website that logs caches and visits to caches, says more than 700,000 geocaches now are in place worldwide. The U.S. state of Maryland launched a geocaching program to attract tourists in January of 2009 through the Maryland Municipal League. The league’s Linda Burrell says Maryland is the first municipal association in the United States to launch a statewide city/town geocache trail. The league took some ideas from a geotrail created to cover parts of the state of Pennsylvania. The Maryland trail is comprised of 78 city/town caches located in the 11 regions throughout the state. A collectible “geo coin” will be awarded to the first 500 geocachers who locate a minimum of 22 city/town caches, two in each region. To be eligible for the coin, geocachers must pick up a passport at a participating visitor center, use the stamp in each cache on their passports and write in the cache code word, which is also found inside the cache. Burrell says the league spent about one and one-half years preparing for the launch of the geotrail. The

(contiued from page 1)

navigation satellite system developed by the United States Department of Defense. It is the only fully functional system of its kind in the world and is often used by civilians for navigation purposes. It employs a constellation of between 24 and 32 Medium Earth Orbit satellites that transmit microwave signals. These allow those who receive GPS signals to determine their current location. The GPS latitude and longitude coordinates for individual geocaches are posted on a website and used by seekers to find caches. One statewide program in Maryland launched in January uses GPS technology to help stimulate local economies by attracting geocaching tourists. The idea is relatively simple. Geocachers find

Indy Kotche’s extreme adventure geocache was placed atop of an old train trestle buttress in the middle of the Potomac River near Shepherdstown, WV. The cache was called "Psycho Urban Cache #13: Impossible! Give Up Now!"

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Maryland Geocaching Society provided advice to municipalities about where to place caches, rules to implement and the mechanics of how to post the caches online. The league needed $5,000 for cache containers and promotion, money donated by sponsors with an interest in Maryland tourism, including a technology company, a chamber of commerce and an insurer of municipal governments. Maryland municipalities have come up with some creative ways to partner with their own business communities in developing and promoting their caches. The most common is coupons for local products and services placed inside the caches. The geocaching public represents many ages and demographic groups, says Burrell. Geocaching can be a good activity for families, Larry Potter, the public relations representative of the Maryland Geocaching Society, says. “It’s flexible, it can be anything you want — parking lots during bad weather, hikes, repelling, climbing, caving. The website will tell you whether the journey is under an hour, good for kids, if it requires snorkeling or a boat, or whether it’s around copperhead snakes … all the information you need to choose the right cache.” Potter, who works at a factory that makes products for hospitals, started geocaching as a family activity in 2003. He has found caches as near to home as a few miles away and as far away as Costa Rica and Panama. He says most people start by searching for caches and after some success create their own caches for others to find. He currently maintains 100 caches. “It isn’t really difficult,” he says, “you just have to check the logbook and make sure the cache is still there and in good condition occasionally.” Geocachers will often hold events where they meet other geocachers and share information. “I’m a very social person so I like this aspect of it,” Potter says. Indy Kotche, who works at an applied physics lab at Johns Hopkins University on a mission that will send a rocket to Mercury in 2011, got started geocaching about six years ago when a friend gave him a GPS to celebrate the publication of his guidebook on rock climbing. Kotche has created a number of caches around the themes of our solar system and interstellar space. “I scale the solar system down,” he says, “so that the distance between the caches represents the distance between planets.” One of Kotche’s favorite cache finds is a cache near Shepherdstown, W.V., in the middle of the

“The cache itself was not hard to actually find,” says Kotche. “The challenge was getting to or retrieving the cache. The cache page advertises the tower at 92 feet, but I measured it at 70 feet (I dragged a 100 foot tape measure up with me because the original claims of the tower height were 150 feet plus, and I in no way believed them, given my experiences with things vertical). Nonetheless, it remained a formidable challenge and climb to ascend.”

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Gala 2009 Keeps You in Touch (contiued from page 1)

serve satellite professionals, is committed to fostering growth in our industry at every level. Marking its 26th year, the annual SSPI Gala, synonymous with the opening night of the SATELLITE Conference presented by Via Satellite in Washington, D.C., represents the pinnacle of our industry’s social calendar. Gala attendance includes executive leadership of every major satellite builder, operator, service provider and the many related legal, financial and business services firms that underpin the industry. Networking and connections are the order of the day. We will meet in the beautifully remodeled Grand Hyatt Washington in the heart of our nation’s Capital.

A member of the communications committee of the Maryland Municipal League created this geo coin, which is given to the first 500 geocachers who find 22 caches throughout Maryland.

Potomac River. The cache is on top of a train trestle buttress, 70 feet above water. Kotche was the first person to climb the buttress to reach the cache, which was put there by helicopter. “It took two attempts to do it,” he says. “I learned how to get the ropes set up the first time, and the second time it took about five hours to climb. People from the Maryland Geocaching Society came out to help me; they wanted to see someone actually get to the top of it.” Kotche has found caches in Belize, Italy and Thailand, which is another favorite geocaching accomplishment. “This was an adventure cache that involved a small island, actually a rock. I had to kayak out to it, steering the kayak to a mushroom shaped rock, climb up the island and find the cache. The island was about 70 feet by 30 feet and stuck way out of the water. But there was no place to tie up the kayak, so I tied it up at another island 30 feet away and swam across.” If you want to pursue geocaching, first determine what you want to get out of the experience, says Kotche. “Some people are in it for the numbers, seeing how many caches they can find every week, month, year. One woman in Pennsylvania has done 25,000 caches.” Then, Kotche says, you need a good handheld GPS. “It doesn’t need to be top end, but should give you a certain level of accuracy with coordinates and allow you to download the maps.” You will need something to record your experience. Some people use handheld devices; Kotche uses paper and pencil.

For Companies The SSPI Gala is designed with corporate initiatives in mind. We know that face-to-face time with your clients, prospects and senior staff is invaluable in moving your company forward. You will have ample opportunity to reach your key contacts as you move between the multiple networking settings of the Hall of Fame Awards Reception, the Champagne Reception, the gourmet Dinner and the Dessert and Cordials Buffet. In a corporate environment where visibility is synonymous with success, SSPI’s annual Gala provides a spectrum of corporate sponsorships and underwriting packages designed to position your company with visibility and accessibility.

For Individuals Corporate buyers are responsible for most table sales, but the Gala also does a lively business in tickets for individuals, which are available to SSPI members at steeply dis4

January/February 2009

SSPI is proud to name the following individuals to the Hall of Fame, effective March 25, 2009:

counted prices. In tough times, the face-to-face environment of the Gala provides the perfect environment for individuals to make or build on important industry connections in a relaxed setting. SSPI provides a scholarship winners’ table to introduce our student members to the industry. We also seat groups drawn from our chapters, whether in the US, UK, France or Nigeria. In one of SSPI’s most visible commitments to individual professionals, its biennial Hall of Fame honors individuals who, throughout their careers, have made a unique and significant contribution to the industry, saluting a lifetime of achievement in advancing science and technology or in helping to build the industry’s political and commercial foundations.

• Dr. Denis Curtin, Chief Operating Officer, XTAR, for his influence on the industry over a four-decade career with COMSAT's Spacecraft Laboratory, as a consultant on the ArabSat system, head of engineering for Orion, and general manager of XTAR, the first commercial XBand satellite system. • Mary Frost, for a distinguished career as head of operations for ABC, in positions with PriceWaterhouse and Choice Seats, and as president of GlobeCast America, one of the most innovative organizations in the industry, as well as for volunteer leadership of numerous industry trade groups.

Full Circle Through its annual Gala, SSPI aims to support every level of the satellite industry, from the largest company to the individual professional. From whichever point of view, guests can be assured of positive returns for their attendance. Attracting nearly 1,300 guests annually, the SSPI Gala provides a unique means of personal interaction rarely available at any other satellite event during the year. The strength and value of the SSPI Gala is continually reinforced with the full-capacity turnout each and every year. This year will be no exception. As the date draws closer, we hope that everyone in the industry has taken time to consider attending. We look forward to meeting new faces and reconnecting with old friends on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 at the SSPI Gala! If you have not already done so, please make a point to visit www.sspigala.com soon. Seating is nearly always sold out by the week of the event so don’t delay — order your tickets today!

• Peter Jackson, President, Asia Satellite Telecommunications, for three decades of executive leadership with British Telecom, Cable & Wireless, and as the founding president of Asiasat, which he has grown into a diversified, publicly-traded satellite fleet operator. • Pradman Kaul, Chairman and CEO, Hughes Network Systems, for both business and technology leadership in a 25-year career with Hughes, which included development of the TDMA satellite communications system, VSAT technology, digital set-top boxes and the Internet Protocol over Satellite standard. • D.K. Sachdev, President, SpaceTel Consultancy, for a professional career devoted to innovation in satellite, first with an Indian manufacturer of earth stations, then with Intelsat and Worldspace, and finally as a professor of engineering at George Mason University.

SSPI To Add Five Luminaries To Hall Of Fame

The SSPI Hall of Fame, initiated in 1987, recognizes the invaluable contributions of the visionaries and pioneers who have made possible the age of satellite communications. Honoring individuals who, throughout their careers, have made a truly unique and significant contribution to the industry, the Hall of Fame salutes a lifetime of achievement in advancing science and technology or in helping to build the political and commercial foundations of the industry. Attendance at the Hall of Fame ceremony on March 25 is by invitation. To request the opportunity to attend, send an email to [email protected].

On March 25, at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., immediately before the Gala, SSPI will induct five new members into its international Satellite Hall of Fame. They will join more than 40 luminaries of the industry, including Dr. Arthur C. Clarke, Harold Rosen, Olof Lundberg, Eddy Hartenstein, Frederic d’Allest, Sidney Topol, Takayushi Yoshida, Mary Ann Elliott and Robert Berry. 5

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INDUSTRY

Government space programs are driven by longterm strategic national objectives which are typically less influenced by short-term economic downturns,” remarked Steve Bochinger, director, Institutional Affairs at Euroconsult. “However, governments could restrain spending on non-priority space program budget items or may find it more difficult to attract private partners to co-fund public-private-partnership projects. On the other hand, the economic slowdown may induce governments to increase their investments on infrastructurerelated programs to support their economies, as the November Ministerial Council of the European Space Agency demonstrated.” Civil space programs currently benefit from the majority of funding with nearly $33 billion spent by over 40 countries worldwide. In comparison, 10 countries invest in defense-related programs for a value of $29 billion. However, 95 percent of this spending is concentrated in the US. Global government spending on defense programs is likely to catch up to civil program spending in the next five years, with most countries’ defense spending generally trending upward. Satellite-related applications are clearly driving growth in government programs worldwide with a large number of countries committing to developing or acquiring satellite systems for their own use in specific programs.

Space Program Expenditures At Historic High World government space program expenditures were at a historical high of more than $62 billion in 2008, with planned satellite launches in the next 10 years to increase 38 percent over the previous decade, Euroconsult, an international research and consulting firm specializing in the satellite sector, announced. According to Euroconsult’s new report “Government Space Markets, World Prospects to 2017,” governments clearly have entered a new phase of investment, committing to the development of a new generation of programs worldwide. Furthermore, government space program expenditures worldwide are expected to grow at 4.5 percent per year through 2012, reaching nearly $70 billion. The development of governments’ space markets is driven by the growth of countries committing to space projects — about 40 countries in 2008, twice as much as a decade ago — as well as the expansion of governments’ nominal investments into their space programs around the world. For established government space programs security has become a key driver, pushing budgets higher and increasingly — encouraging dual use funding and/or public private partnerships. This has also led to more complex implementation schemes in the US, Europe, Japan and Russia. New leaders India and China have reached milestones in developing a new generation of systems targeting applications including space science and manned spaceflight, once reserved to the established government space programs. In the coming years they could contribute significantly to new capabilities in space exploration. After a first wave of programs focused on low-cost projects (often earth observation), many emerging government space programs are now considering their next generation programs, often implying large investment to expand capabilities in applications such as SatCom. Countries such as Nigeria and Thailand were among the first to do so, and other countries such as Venezuela and Angola are following suit.

SSPI PROFESSIONAL VIEWS

An Interview With Yvette Dominguez, Promise Award Winner The SSPI Promise Award is given to those young professionals in the satellite industry who exhibit leadership and technical qualities of excellence. The Orbiter asked Yvette Dominguez, Manager, Payload Design Section, Space Systems/Loral, and winner of a 2008 SSPI Promise Award, about her role in the satellite industry. The Orbiter: What do you love best about the satellite industry and, specifically, your role in it? Dominguez: In a global sense, it’s a great accomplishment to provide communications and entertainment for 6

January/February 2009

SSPI PROFESSIONAL VIEWS

satellite users whether it’s data, phone or television. In satellite manufacturing at SS/L, you cannot take any shortcuts. Everything you do must always be highly reliable and redundant. My role allows me ownership to provide a fully validated product. I enjoy the responsibility and the impact my work has on others.

From the Chairman

How Bad Was It And How Bad Will It Get? By Richard Wolf, Senior Vice President, Telecom & Network Origination Services, ABC Television

The Orbiter: How have you seen the industry change since you first entered it? Dominguez: I’ve worked in the industry for about 10 years now and I have seen some ups and downs. However, it is always exciting and challenging.

There is not a minute that goes by without some component of the information food chain reminding us of how bad the economic climate is. At the local, regional, national and global levels, we are bombarded with information about how financial and credit difficulties have affected all markets and created a global recession — one that we have not seen in decades. All true, I guess. But it is ironic that in the downward path the global economy took over the past several months, the year 2008 drove innovation, applications and commerce within the satellite industry beyond what we might have imagined. This may offer a glimmer of hope we can build on in 2009 and beyond. I often have a narrow view of the world (just ask my wife). But from my U.S. domestic perspective, I have come to appreciate that the incredible political events of 2008, culminating with the election of Senator Barrack Obama as our nation’s 44th president, were preceded by political conventions, primaries and caucuses that news organizations covered with a vengeance. This drove the creative use of satellite capacity to service newsgathering, along with the collection of data and information, and communication tools that enable media organizations to tell their stories, 24/7/365. Just think of the commerce these events generated! From the procurement of occasional-use and short-term leased satellite capacity, likely in the tens of thousands of hours, to the use of satellite uplink trucks and the transmission and video/audio and data equipment that are “glued-together” to enable end-to-end services to be provided — not to mention all the business that trickles down — it probably would not be a stretch to say that 2008 was a pretty good year for the media-related component of the satellite industry. Oh yeah — another little event — The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games — may have provided a fair amount of

The Orbiter: What should companies be doing to capture and keep the best talent? Dominguez: SS/L has some ongoing programs with universities that help bring in new talent. We also have great resources in terms of training and opportunities for advancement. The Orbiter: If you had one piece of advice for young people who are just entering or want to enter the industry, what would it be? Dominguez: My advice is not just to gain practical technical skills, but to also cultivate interpersonal skills with peers and management. Be open to new responsibilities and challenges early on and if possible, find a mentor. When you strive for your personal best, you’ll receive the recognition and reward you deserve personally and professionally.

Clay Mowry, CEO, Arianespace, Inc., presents Yvette Dominguez with an SSPI Promise Award.

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business too. From the “linear” television rights holders that covered the event, to information providers that service alternative media platforms, to “non-rights” holders that covered the event to help convey the story to their constituents, I would say that a fair amount of satellite business occurred in August of 2008. And what about the growth of HDTV? As television programmers offer HDTV service to their clients, driving the need for more satellite bandwidth, no matter what types of compression advances occurred, HDTV probably had a little do to with driving commerce to our satellite business in 2008 as well. So, was 2008 a bad year for the satellite industry? Like most things in life, the answer to that question is: it depends who you ask. I would venture to say that, in general, 2008 was a pretty good year for most of us who make our livelihood from the amazing and innovative components of satellite business. Are there concerns into 2009 and beyond — No question! But the “half-full” personality type that I am says that the good business that occurred in 2008 may be a catalyst to help drive further innovation and business in 2009. No matter what the guy or gal on CNBC tells me, that’s what I’ll believe.

Media Forum at CeBit 2009 in Germany, as well as at the Content Distribution Forum at the 2009 NAB Show, I will moderate a panel called "When Will the Web Kill TV?" I don't expect to see it in my lifetime, but it's coming. This discussion is not meant to depress you. I'll leave that job to the daily business news. My goal is to remind you of the relentless drive for innovation that is our industry's proudest legacy — and also its most burning future need. I hate recessions as much as the next guy, but like good medicine that tastes bad, they have a positive side. They wake us up to how quickly markets can turn against us and remind us of the need to make sure that satellite always steps ahead.

The Exaflood Recession? In the last recession (2000-2001), our industry got clobbered when it turned out that demand for Internet bandwidth was not growing fast enough to justify the enormous amounts being invested principally in fiber, but also in satellite capacity. Fast forward to 2008 when we began hearing about the "exaflood" of data traffic that was being created by — you guessed it — Internet video and audio. A September 23 report from Telegeography, however, poured cold water on the talk of the exaflood overwhelming the Internet. "Even as international Internet traffic surged by just over 50 percent from mid-2007 to mid-2008, worldwide backbone capacity grew even faster. Despite the bandwidth horror stories, average link utilization on major backbone lines fell from 31 percent to 29 percent. Even peak utilization, often trotted out as a key reason for doing traffic management, fell from 44 percent to 43 percent." Bad news for some — but personally, I'll take 50 percent annual growth any day. And the satellite industry is stepping ahead to serve the market for last-mile broadband — which remains the Achilles heel of the market, according to Telegeography — with projects from Wildblue and Eutelsat's Tooway and KA-SAT to ViaSat-1 and O3B, which aims to serve the "other three billion" people on earth who have never accessed the Internet.

PROFESSIONAL VIEWS From The Executive Director

Satellite: Steps Ahead By Robert Bell Long before there was this thing called "broadband" that traveled over copper or coax, fiber or radio waves, there was a broadband application available around the globe. It was called television, and it traveled over satellite. Today, almost all television still travels over satellite at some point — but we are beginning to glimpse a future in which terrestrial IP circuits will increasingly become both the backbone and last-mile distribution pipe for TV. No one knows how long it will take or how the evolution will proceed. But the demand for Internet video has grown explosively and shows no sign of tapering off. By recent estimates, 50 percent of all global Internet traffic is generated by peer-to-peer networks carrying video and audio files. That's why at the Digital New

Number, Please Before broadband, mobile telephony was the fastest growing technology in the world. In Africa, the market skyrocketed from 37 million subscribers in 2002 to 270 8

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million in 2007, a 48 percent compound growth rate (rather like Internet demand). In the nation of Kenya in 2007, there were only 8 Internet users per 100 people and only half of one percent was on broadband. But there were 30 Kenyan mobile phone subscribers per 100. Put it another way: a citizen of the UK in 2007 was 500 times more likely to be on broadband than a Kenyan, but only 4 times more likely to have a mobile phone. And once again, our industry stepped ahead to provide backhaul and hosted switching services via satellite to network operators across Africa, Asia and other fastgrowing markets challenged by geography. Each year at the annual Gala, SSPI introduces a theme that aims to reflect where our industry stands and how we think it is approaching the market. In 2009, a recession year if every there was one, our theme will be "Satellite: Steps Ahead." The theme is sponsored by our Gala Host, Intelsat, which throughout its history has played no small role in making sure that the satellite business steps ahead. We offer the theme not as a brag or boast, or even as a statement of faith in the future. In truth, it is more like a requirement for survival, just as it has been since the first hour Sputnik circled the globe in 1977.

er) did not move the dial. The fact that I had to explain who she was said it all. A career in the satellite business consistently ranked third after careers at: a) eBay or b) Lehman Brothers. However, things change. Today you can knock one career path off the list. There are lower and higher purposes that influence our decisions. The lower ones are related to the need to earn our daily bread and make financial decisions based on the cold, sharp-edged realities of our circumstances. Landlords and loan officers do not accept passion on the first of day of the month. Higher purposes relate to an innate sense, or a drive, that sounds like it is inevitable. Some say that it sounds like a favorite song. The voice of the lower purpose often sounds like the woman next to you in the airplane, snoring her brains out! Listening to the “song” and balancing it against practical requirements produces a constant tension. However, within the current economic crisis there is a bubbling-up of higher purpose. Reduced opportunities in financial engineering are forcing many to set aside dreams of spectacular wealth in exchange for moving closer to the voice of song. “When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose,” as Bob Dylan sang. This may be one of the rare times when we can follow the most practical promise ever given: do what you love, the money will follow. Step ahead toward your dreams. It sounds beautiful, but we know it is not always true — all of the time. I have learned, however, that it does not matter whether it is precisely or empirically true. Stepping ahead with confidence is a career launch of a different type. It is a launch into the adventure of life and work, at any age. It is taking a shot at fulfillment. In my view, there is nothing greater. As the treasuries of the world flood banks with money, the satellite industry floods the world with progress. We continue to step ahead. There are many new satellites under construction, many new launches planned, new products announced daily and new ventures from O3b, SpaceX and ViaSat well underway. Each will move ahead the current paradigm and, in ViaSat’s case, attempt to lower the cost of bandwidth and send into fixed service a second gen Ka-band satellite that will enable our industry to be a significant player in the emerging “broadband economy.” While weak hearts shrink, we are thinking big again. Sure, derivatives are clever and, sure, search engines and online merchants smashed the barriers

SSPI PROFESSIONAL VIEWS From the Director of Development

Satellite: The Sound of Music And the Snoring Woman By Louis Zacharilla There was a time not so long ago when I would ask my college-bound niece and nephew and their friends whether a career in the satellite industry might be in their cards. Although they saw me as someone who enjoyed his work and spoke passionately about the industry as one that had transformed the world, it was hard to persuade them. Even signed photographs of Prodea System’s Chairman Anousheh Ansair (the first private female space explor9

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between individuals and their thirst for knowledge and the ability to buy anything, anywhere. These are remarkable tools that helped us forge the information society. But a “song” always breaks through the linear. After rereading Dom Stasi’s account of a launch in the January-February 2008 issue of The Orbiter, it struck me again what it is that makes this industry different. Satellites ascend like music. Even better to those of us seeking to pay the bills, they make money. For those focused on higher purpose, they do great things for people. They fulfill an emerging ethical mandate to link science with conscience. We in the satellite industry are a unique blend of the lower and higher purposes. We strike the right balance. Through the work of SSPI and with your support, we will continue to allow the talented generation of the present to do business and the talent of the future to listen to the voice of inspiration. As we head toward our Gala to unveil our new Theme we need your support. It is a simple pitch and one with good ROI: you support us as corporate sponsor or underwriter at the Gala and we will make sure that you continue to have the opportunity to meet around the world (virtually and physically) while developing the next generation of talent, who will be even more focused on higher purpose. I appreciate your support and ask that you consider stepping up as we step ahead.

dle level technical management. Benefits of the forum include promoting career advancement through learning from professional resources to learning about on the job aspects of a career in the satellite industry. High profile speakers from the country and abroad address the issues and concerns that interest them as satellite professionals. Participants have opportunities to meet hundreds of other satellite professionals from different industries and various organizations. The program also involves a series of workshops to assist talented young professionals in the development of their career. They learn of affordable professional and personal development opportunities in the area of satellite technology, as well as the management of the satellite business in the emerging markets.

PEOPLEPLACE Arrowhead Global Solutions, the government services division of CapRock Communications, announced the addition of David Myers to its senior management team as executive vice president and general manager. Myers’ appointment is part of a strategic initiative to accelerate Arrowhead’s evolution as a provider of value-added managed services and advanced telecom solutions specifically for the military, intelligence and civilian government communities. Myers will leverage an industry track record of successfully launching new products and business units to oversee Arrowhead’s strategic planning, sales and marketing, product development and engineering functions. “David possesses a rich background in the satellite, telecom and IT sectors, having served in both business and technical disciplines. He is well prepared to advance Arrowhead as the government’s most trusted provider of innovative communications solutions,” said Arrowhead President Tom Eaton. “I am excited to leverage David’s proven leadership ability and his prior experience as a former CapRock Communications’ executive to strengthen the relationship we began when CapRock acquired Arrowhead in 2007.” In his newly created position, Myers is responsible for the development and market introduction of an entirely new portfolio of products and services designed to meet the emerging requirements of global government missions. Arrowhead’s global connectivity solu-

Louis Zacharilla Director of Development [email protected]

SSPI PROFESSIONAL VIEWS

Chapter Chat The Nigeria Chapter By Andrew Aroh, president [email protected] SSPI NIGERIA will begin implementation of its mentorship program during the first quarter of 2009. The mentorship forum is one of the main activities of SSPI NIGERIA. It is open to talented students, those who are just starting their professional career and those in mid10

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tions will include a variety of remote site equipment packages in fixed, rapid deployment and mobile configurations. Government clients will also benefit from a single source for all their field services, teleport services and terrestrial interconnects to public, private and government network gateways. The new product portfolio will combine Arrowhead’s proven performance in the government arena with CapRock’s unique systems integration capabilities and self-owned and operated global network infrastructure. Prior to joining Arrowhead, Myers served as senior vice president of Marketing and Corporate Development for Spacenet Inc., one of the satellite industry’s largest service providers for Fortune 1000 enterprises. During his time at Spacenet, Myers was responsible for the development and launch of a number of new lines of business including the highly successful Connexstar™ commercial satellite networking service, the company’s first digital voice over satellite service, and more recently the launch of the Spacenet International Services business unit. During his previous tenure with CapRock, Myers served as vice president of Marketing & Product Management. In this capacity he helped drive the company’s transition from a niche provider to a prominent player and brand leader in satellite communications for the energy, maritime and government markets. Myers has also held key positions in strategic planning and product development with HP-Compaq and Omron IDM Controls.

MARKETPLACE

Calendar JANUARY 29-30 IPTV WORLD FORUM LATIN AMERICA Informa Telecoms & Media Intercontinental Hotel Rio de Janeiro, Brazil www.iptv-latinamerica.com MARCH 24-27 SATELLITE 2009 Access Intelligence Walter E. Washington Convention Center Washington, D.C. www.satellitetoday.com 25 SSPI GALA Society of Satellite Professionals International Walter E. Washington Convention Center Washington, D.C. www.sspi.org 26-27 MUSA-6 Mobile Satellite Users Association Walter E. Washington Convention Center Washington, D.C. www.msua.org

Kjell Karlsen, president and general manager of Sea Launch, announced that his company and Intelsat have signed a multiple launch services contract for five missions on the Sea Launch system, scheduled for execution beginning in late 2010 through 2012. “We want to thank the Intelsat team for their continued confidence in our team and our launch system,” said Karlsen. “This agreement demonstrates the long-standing partnership that Sea Launch has developed with Intelsat over several years, featuring eight successful missions to date, most recently the flawless launch of the Galaxy 19 satellite on September 24. This award, from the industry’s leading satellite operator, represents a significant addition to the Sea Launch manifest. We are looking forward to executing these five additional missions in support of Intelsat’s fleet replacement requirements.”

25-27 IPTV WORLD FORUM 2009 Informa Telecoms & Media Olympia National Hall London, England www.iptv-forum.com APRIL 18-23 THE NAB SHOW National Association of Broadcasters Las Vegas Convention Center www.nab.org

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January/February 2009

EDITORIAL © 2009. All rights reserved. The Orbiter is published 6 times a year by SSPI.

EDITOR The New York Information Technology Ctr. 55 Broad Street, 14th Floor New York, NY 10004 USA (212) 809-5199 Fax (212) 809-0075 www.sspi.org

Linda Thornburg

DESIGNER Gary Hessberger

SSPI BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS Richard P. Wolf, Chair Vice President, Telecom & Distribution, Broadcast Operations & Engineering, ABC Clayton Mowry, President President, Arianespace, Inc. Steven Teller, Treasurer President, IOT Systems Don Flournoy, Vice President, Education School of Media Arts and Studies, Ohio University Dick Tauber, Vice President, Chapters Vice President, Transmission Systems and New Technology, CNN News Group Keith Buckley, Vice President, Corporate Sponsorship President, Trusonic, Inc. D.K. Sachdev, Vice President, Membership President, Space Tel Consultancy LLC DIRECTORS Paul Beeman, Senior Vice President, Satellite Engineering and Affiliate Relations, FOX Networks Engineering & Operations Paul Bush, Vice President, Business Development, Telesat Andreas Georghiou, CEO, Spacenet Barbara Jaffe, SVP, Advanced Technology and Operations, Home Box Office Blair Marshall, Manager, Satellite Services, SES Americom Mark Quinn, Senior Vice President, Willis Inspace Dom Stasi, Chief Technology Officer, TVN Entertainment Chris Stott, Managing Director, Mansat Dianne vanBeber, Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications, Intel

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