Women in Space Engagement

by Elisabeth Tweedie

Los Angeles, September 5, 2022--You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to recognize that the space and satellite industries are predominantly a male enclave.  According to data from the United Nations, “the number of women employed in the international space industry represents just 20-22% of the workforce, roughly the same proportion as 30 years ago.”  The difference is, that now women are becoming more visible.  30 years ago, when I joined Hughes, industry conference rooms were a sea of dark suits, alleviated by the odd splash of color, from the few women in the industry that were senior or important enough to attend conferences.  Things have changed. 

Women may still be very much the minority, but we are becoming a much more visible minority, as many women now occupy senior leadership roles.  Not only are there more splashes of color in the conference rooms, some of those can now be seen on stage, as well as in the audience, something totally unheard of, 30 years ago.

It is against this backdrop that SSPI-WISE (Women in Space Engagement) was founded in December 2020.  Some may argue that it was long overdue, but in many ways, it was the perfect time to create such an organization.  The pandemic confined most people to working from home, and suddenly video meetings became the norm.  This made it possible to create a global platform, where, time zones permitting, ladies from across the globe could meet each other on a regular basis.  In the words of Nicole Robinson, President, Ursa-Space Systems, Inc., and the Founding Chair of the organization.  “When we founded SSPI-WISE, nearly two years ago, it was with the spirit of empowering engagement by women from across the space and satellite industry, so that not only their true potential, but also the reality of the impact that women are having in the industry and in the communities in which space serves, would be revealed. 

Coming out of a pandemic that has disproportionately impacted women in the workforce, it is increasingly important for their influence and impact to be heard and felt.  The fire that has been ignited by these dynamic women is nothing short of amazing.  What an honor it is to see this initiative continue to propel forward.”

New connections and friendships were forged as women came together, not only to help and support each other, but also to recognize each others’ achievements, and to increase their exposure to and knowledge of different segments of the industry.  At the same time, efforts were instigated to reach outside, in order to encourage more young women to join the industry.  

Five, very active, working groups have been formed to further these goals. One of the goals is to get more women on stage in conferences.  So, the Elevating Women Group is working with conference and webinar organizers to try and do just that.  The group has compiled a file, of the women in the industry who have both the knowledge and experience to take a more active role in industry events, either as presenters, panelists or moderators, and would like to do so.  There are currently 48 highly competent ladies available who can cover topics ranging from space financing and investing, policy and legislative affairs to prototyping and experimentation. 

The Mentoring Group, has done a wonderful job of connecting women from all over the world who want to be mentored, with women who are willing to share their experience and be a mentor.  In the first round, which started last July, 14 pairs were created and have worked together for over a year now.   Applications for the second round closed at the end of August and a further 20 pairs are being created.  Feedback from the first group of mentees speak to the success of the program.  “My mentor has been great about connecting me with people in her network whose work aligns with my interests. She has also had good advice about how to take advantage of my time in grad school and suggestions on how to tailor some of my research/projects to my overall career goals.”  And “As someone who is new to the space industry, I couldn’t imagine having better direction, education and leadership than I am receiving first hand through the mentoring process. Many thanks to SSPI-WISE for making this possible.”  Just two of the many comments that were received.

Now that life in the industry is returning to normal, the Networking Group has forged ahead with organizing social get togethers at conferences. 

The inaugural in-person meeting was held at Satellite last year (see photo on the left).  That event was repeated, but on a much larger scale, this year.  Coming up, is a breakfast at World Satellite Business Week in Paris this month, and drinks party hosted by ST Engineering iDirect at IBC.  Registration is required, and invitations for both of these will be posted shortly.  Social events, in common with bi-monthly virtual events, are open to everyone who supports the goals of SSPI-WISE, regardless of gender.

With such a global presence, social media is key to promoting and connecting members, and of course to get the news out about upcoming events.  SSPI-WISE has a LinkedIn group and a Twitter (@SspiWise) account and will shortly be using Instagram as well.  One of the ongoing campaigns, is to post “WISE” words) from ladies in the industry.  These are short pieces either describing what they enjoy most about working in the space and satellite industry or what prompted them to join the industry.  

Given that the group is comprised of women at all stages of their careers, from senior CEOs to new entrants, it is no surprise, that there is also a focus on events and topics that interest and impact everyone regardless of gender or job position.  The social media group publishes blogs from time to time.  The last two covered the impact of the war in Ukraine on the supply chain for the launch and satellite industries; and, how satellites help in the ongoing battle against climate change.  There will be one out shortly on orbital debris.  

Bi-monthly virtual meetings, are open to everyone, and feature distinguished speakers from both inside and outside of the industry.  The next open meeting is at 14.00 eastern time, on September 22nd and features Lori Garver, former Deputy Administrator, NASA, and author of “Escaping Gravity: My Quest to Transform NASA and Launch a New Space Age.”  Ms. Garver will be talking about the challenges she encountered whilst succeeding in that quest.  Previous speakers have included, Mary Frost, CEO Power to Change and former CEO Globecast, Erin Bown-Anderson, PhD, Director of Community Innovation, Geeks without Frontiers, Julie Kramer, Executive Search Consultant and Claudia Vacarrone, former Director of Global Market Research and Customer Experience at Eutelsat, to name but a few.
The STEM Outreach group, having created a database of educational and space organizations, is now establishing relationships, and connecting with educational institutions at all levels; from primary through tertiary education.  It is also actively searching for groups, companies or organizations that will sponsor scholarships for students to attend industry conferences.  The first scholarship resulting from this effort, came courtesy of the Mid-Atlantic chapter of SSPI, which sponsored a student from George Mason University, to attend Satellite 2022.

Recently, a sixth group, Sustainment and Infrastructure has been formed, with the aim of putting in place measures to ensure that SSPI-WISE continues on its successful trajectory. 

Membership is open to all women in the industry and there is no fee to attend any of the meetings.  As an added incentive, anyone who volunteers to become an active member of a working group, is given a year’s free membership of SSPI, courtesy of Hughes.

The last words about SSPI-WISE belong to Debra Facktor, SSPI-WISE Chair and Head of U.S. Space Systems, Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc.: “Last year we set a goal of building sustainability into the dynamic grassroots energy that launched SSPI-WISE, I look forward to collaborating with the incredible SSPI-WISE leadership team to build on our efforts and create a connected community of women across our space and satellite industry.”      

Elisabeth Tweedie has over 20 years experience at the cutting edge of new communications entertainment technologies. She is the founder and President of Definitive Direction (www.definitivedirection.com), a consultancy that focuses on researching and evaluating the long-term potential for new ventures, initiating their development, and identifying and developing appropriate alliances. During her 10 years at Hughes Electronics, she worked on every acquisition and new business that the company considered during her time there. She can be reached at etweedie@definitivedirection.com