Beginning With a Sad Reflection on Our Industry’s Loss…

By Marin Jarrold
 
London, UK, March 3, 2022--I begin my column this month with a brief statement of sadness. For those of you reading this who do not already know, on 24 February the satellite community – the industry and its stakeholder users – lost a valued friend with the sudden passing away of Simon Gray, Eutelsat’s Senior Vice President for Civil Government, and member of GVF’s Board of Directors.
 
GVF, and the entire satellite industry, sends its deepest condolences to Simon’s family. Simon passed away shortly after representing the

IN MEMORIAM

Simon Gray

Senior VP-Civil Government, Eutelsat and Long-standing member of the Board of Directors, GVF

industry, and Eutelsat specifically, in a webcast on a subject about which he cared passionately – humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR).

 
Many of us knew of Simon’s commitment to HADR.  Perhaps his commitment is partly captured by his participation in the REDCON Asia HADR webcast which took place just hours before his sudden passing. You can view the webcast, which is linked to an upcoming emergency telecommunications disaster-response conference, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEuxuTEh6H8.
Simon had worked in the satellite industry for over 25 years. He served as a member of the International Telecommunication Union Advisory Board for developing disaster communications strategy worldwide, and was chosen by the other satellite fleet operator (and other) signatories to coordinate the United Nations Crisis Connectivity Charter, linking the World Food Program-led Emergency Telecommunications Cluster, representing all UN and NGO entities, with the satellite industry. Simon represented the satellite industry on the ETC plenary board. For Simon’s In Memoriam notice from GVF please visit https://gvf.org/in-memoriam/.
 
The Washington SATELLITE Show is on this month’s horizon. The 2022 conference program features two GVF-organized panels scheduled for Tuesday 22 March. David Meltzer, GVF Secretary General, will moderate discussion of ‘Interference Prevention in a Crowded Multi-Orbit Environment’ with Alvaro Sanchez, CEO, Integrasys; Paul Isaac, Director, RF Products, Kratos; Joakim Espeland, CEO, QuadSAT; and Ralph Brooker, President, SatProf.
 
A dialogue between Dr Teresa Segura, Senior Manager, Emerging Capabilities Investments, Boeing Applied Innovation, Boeing; Dr Vagan Shakhgildian, President Comtech Satellite Network Technologies, Commercial Group, Comtech Telecommunications Corp; Brian Pemberton, Vice President Sales & Marketing, Omnispace; Glenn Katz, Chief Commercial Officer, Spacenet; and Dr Girish Chandran, CTO, Viasat, and moderated by Dallas Kasaboski, Consultant, NSR, will examine ‘Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Accelerating Innovation’. Further information on these panel sessions can be seen at https://www.satshow.com/program/#session-a0F3b000018Mzu8EAC.
 
GVF’s contribution to the SATELLITE show this year features not only an opportunity to find out more information from GVF Training personnel at SatProf, Inc., about our expanding training program – which is based on realistic, online, interactive simulations of key skills, which offers 30-plus courses, and which has served more than 20,000 students worldwide (https://gvftraining.org/) – but draws attention to the details of two new initiatives.
 
The objective of the first of these new initiatives – the GVF Marketing Working Group, GenSpace, with the LinkedIn and Twitter hashtag #GenSpaceGVF – is to increase awareness of satellite industry innovation and to correct misperceptions about satellite connectivity. GenSpace is leveraging the combined marketing power of GVF member organizations, not to promote company proprietary messages, but to foster greater understanding of common and pan-industry trends in, for example, software designed satellites in the space segment, multi-orbit antennas/modems in the ground segment, Cloud-based partnerships in delivering applications, and standards-based networks in enabling infrastructure deployments. GVF member companies will share facts and stories showcasing the power of satellite innovations that help meet the ever-increasing global demand for connectivity. Follow #GenSpaceGVF and join #SatRevolution.
 
The second of the new initiatives returns us to the topic of training, or perhaps more accurately, education. As will be announced at SATELLITE 2022, it too involves GVF’s partnership with SatProf, but also another partner in Space & Satellite Professionals International, SSPI. This partnership is now introducing the new industry qualification – the SBQ – the achievement of which by satellite industry personnel will confer the status of Space Business Qualified.
 
What is the Space Business Qualification? Why Space Business Qualified?
 
The SBQ is an online qualification. Its creation has arisen from a recognition by the three development partners that the space and satellite industry has demand for a broad range of skills, from engineering in all its disciplines to finance, marketing, sales, advanced manufacturing, legal and regulatory, government relations, information technology, and human resources. Those skills are put to work in manufacturing, launch, fleet operations, ground segment operations and service delivery. The complexity of doing business in space requires that specializations be narrow and expertise high within them. 
 
In assignment after assignment, however, those specialized employees and contractors need a broader understanding of the industry to achieve success, from understanding how their customers make money to knowing how laws and regulations shape engineering decisions. Traditionally, people have built that understanding through on-the-job experience over years or high-cost graduate level education. The SBQ program shortcuts the process through online learning. The program will increase the effectiveness of people working at every level and in every discipline of the industry and enhance their ability to rise in their profession. Obtaining certification will demonstrate their comprehensive understanding of the industry.
 
The program will be structured as a series of online courses, with exams, leading to certification in the focus areas of Satellite Communications and Broadcast Business, Earth Observation, Navigation, and Science Business, and Launch and Spacecraft Business.  Courses will be taught in an on-line, self-paced format, containing interactive tutorials, video lectures, animations, and graphics. In-course testing will validate comprehension and reinforce learning, and each focus area will conclude with comprehensive certification exam. 
 
Course content will be at the concept and business level rather than depending on knowledge of mathematics, physics or engineering.  Students are assumed to have a college-level business, liberal arts, or engineering education. The online courses will cover the fundamentals of launch, design, manufacturing, services, financing and other key issues.  They will also address leadership development and the impact of space and satellites on the world.
 
How will SBQ benefit you?
 
SBQ will bring benefits to your space and satellite business professional life in multiple ways, including:
 
• Filling critical gaps in your understanding of the space and satellite business to increase your value to employers and grow your career long-term.
• Stimulating your creativity on the job by learning how individual or company specializations fit into the broad trends of the space and satellite industry.
• Building your business and financial skills to supplement technology expertise, or your technology understanding to support business and financial experience.
• Enabling your understanding of long-term technical and market trends which are shaping the near future of the industry.
To find out more about GVF Training, GenSpace, and the SBQ, visit the GVF booth (#547) at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 21-24 March. Remember that GVF members get 20% discount using the code GVF4SAT22 when registering for SATELLITE 2022.

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Martin Jarrold is Vice-President of International Program Development of GVF. He can be reached at: martin.jarold@gvf.org