In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell secured his place in history by inventing the telephone. But you know that already. What you might not know is that four years later, he pioneered an idea far ahead of its time: free-space optical communication. Bell’s ‘photophone’ transmitted sound using light. It was ingenious but impractical, hampered by a lack of technology to shield light from environmental interference. Fast forward nearly 150 years, and free space optical communication is no longer an idea confined to the laboratory. It has become one of the most exciting forms of technology in our era and is poised to reshape how we connect in a world that grows more interconnected by the day.

Brad Bergan began work on SpaceX: Elon Musk and the Final Frontier during the dark days of the pandemic. The book, which is richly illustrated with images of rocket launches and landings, is an eloquent overview of the ongoing history of space exploration and commercialization from the early days of the space race to Elon Musk’s phenomenal success with SpaceX. We sat down with Bergan to find out how and why he put this must-read chronicle together.

The satellite industry is undergoing a huge transformation as demand for reliable, highspeed connectivity continues to grow across the globe. A critical component of this transformation is the industry’s ability to carry out rigorous and cost-effective testing of antennas. Consequently, the approach taken to testing is having to evolve in-line with the new satcom landscape. While some antenna tests happen in dedicated test ranges, it’s becoming increasingly important to be able to test in-situ because this provides operators with a more accurate picture of how the antenna will perform, or is performing, in its operational environment.

Satellite communications are now considered critical national infrastructure (CNI) and vital to global security and economic stability. As cyberattacks grow more sophisticated and threat actors become more nefarious in their methods, managing commercial space operations and understanding the security protocols required to defend them has never been more important.

Comtech is further enhancing its leadership position in the satellite and space communications sector. In addition to moving its headquarters to Chandler, Arizona to accelerate innovation, the company recently launched a new Digital Common Ground modem product line for DoD and coalition customers with additional mission critical solutions soon to be introduced. We sat down with Roly Rigual, Comtech’s Executive Vice President of Business Development and Sales, to find out more about emerging industry initiatives and Comtech’s strategy to align with those priorities.

When I founded NewSpace Capital with the aim of building a private equity firm that invested in growth-stage, deep-tech space companies solving global problems, it was obvious to me and my co-founders where we should base ourselves. Though I grew up in Estonia and studied in England, and though the members of our founding team have a very international background, we chose to set up in Luxembourg, a place known as a historic crossroads in Europe.

As you travel through the lanes of Llanbedr, along the coast of Snowdonia with its changing autumnal colors, it’s hard to believe that just meters away there is a space center in the making. This stunning stretch of coastline, between Harlech and Barmouth, boasts a unique location that will see it emerge as a testing hub for the UK space industry.

Space is becoming ever more congested and contested, making space domain awareness (SDA) essential for mission success. Kratos has created a global radio frequency (RF) sensor network managed by a network operations center and supported by the company’s state-of-the-art software platform. The RF SDA network operates in all-weather, day-and-night, and provides precise tracking for close space operations, communication signals linking satellites with Earth, and ground infrastructure. We interviewed Greg Caicedo, Vice President of Space Domain Awareness and Space Superiority at Kratos to find out more about how this technology protects space assets and adds additional value beyond traditional radar and optical systems.

Natural disasters continue to cause widespread devastation across the world. In 2023, there were 398 notable incidents produced – a staggering US$380 billion worth of economic losses – 22 percent greater than the average for this century. In natural disasters, power and communications are among the first services to fail, just when flooding, high-velocity winds, and storm surges make these services critical to survival and recovery. This has a ripple effect on recovery efforts: first responders need uninterrupted communications to coordinate life-saving operations, and a critical outage can severely hamper their efforts.

Advanced real-time communications and continuous situational awareness play a pivotal role in making high-pressure decisions in the toughest emergency situations. When a natural disaster destroys the existing communications infrastructure or if the emergency scenario is in a remote area beyond the reach of terrestrial networks, satellite communications is the only tried and tested method for maintaining this crucial connectivity. It becomes a lifeline in these critical situations.

In recent years, satellite tracking has started to unearth some of the worst emissions offenders with measures put in place to both pinpoint and monitor the sheer amount of global greenhouse gas emissions. But understanding where the issues lie is just the start. Satellite tracking coupled with the Internet of Things (IoT) will take the fight against climate change a giant step further.

The global human population is growing at a rate of one percent a year. In November 2022, it hit eight billion. This poses challenges, including to our ability to feed the planet. Technologies enabled by a flexible satellite infrastructure can help but we need to embrace those developments and support innovators with generous and sustained funding. This starts with trusting in the power of technology to help us grapple not only our current problems, but also the problems that will inevitably arise in the future.