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SATELLITE Conference & Exhibition
Awards were presented Wednesday, March 20 during the Via Satellite Awards Luncheon at SATELLITE 2024 Conference and Exhibition where Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General, ITU, delivered welcoming remarks.
Washington, DC – March 21, 2024 – Via Satellite, the leader in global connectivity coverage, announced Mike Greenley, CEO of MDA Space winner of the prestigious 2023 Satellite Executive of the Year Award; GSOA, ESA, EchoStar, Thales, Inmarsat, Intelsat, and Individual Contributors – 3GPP NTN Standards winner of the 2023 Satellite Technology of the Year Award; and TrustPoint winner of the 8th Annual Startup Space Competition during the Via Satellite Awards Luncheon at SATELLITE 2024.
In August, MDA won a $2 billion contract from Telesat to build its much talked about Lightspeed LEO constellation, in a surprise manufacturer swap. A constellation of 198 satellites with the potential for another 100 more, it is the largest order in MDA’s history. It instantly catapulted MDA CEO Mike Greenley into the conversation for Satellite Executive of the year.
“MDA Space had a phenomenal year in 2023, with strong financial growth. Its deal with Telesat was one of the most impressive wins in recent times, given the odds were long for MDA to get this deal not that long ago,” says Mark Holmes, Sr. Editorial Director of Via Satellite. “Mike Greenley has led MDA Space into uncharted territory and 2023 was a year where the company made industry-wide headlines for all the right reasons. It is because of this transformative year that Greenley wins Satellite Executive of the Year for 2023.”
“This is a recognition of MDA Space, and what we’ve gone through in the last four years with all that growth, and the position that we’re starting to fill within the space community, which is awesome and exciting,” Greenley said in his acceptance speech. “It’s recognition of Luigi Pozzebon and the Satellite Systems team and the tremendous growth we’re going through right now [with our] new digital satellite product MDA Aurora. I’m very happy to accept this award in recognition of all their efforts.”
The Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA), working with the European Space Agency (ESA), EchoStar, Thales, Inmarsat, Intelsat, and individual contributors played a central role in the expansion and adaptation of the 3GPP standards to incorporate non-terrestrial networks (NTN) starting with Release 17. The standards enable full interoperability between satellite and terrestrial including mobility procedures across both network components, allowing mass-market smartphones and IoT devices to connect seamlessly with both terrestrial mobile networks and NTN-based satellite networks when out of range of terrestrial connectivity. This is a key development in satellite direct-to-device connectivity.
“The Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA) and a number of satellite players worked tirelessly to incorporate non-terrestrial networks (NTN) into 3GPP standards starting with Release 17. This is a huge deal for the industry to be part of these major telecom standards, as satellite looks to be fully integrated into the 5G ecosystem,” says Holmes. “Their work could reverberate for years to come, influencing many future technologies.”
“We’ve worked relentlessly to be integrated into 5G and 6G as satellite-based systems, with our members. This award is fantastic, we are so grateful,” Isabelle Mauro, Director General of GSOA said, accepting the award. “I do believe that the convergence of the mobile and the satellite industry will help connect the 2.6 billion [unconnected] people that Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the ITU, mentioned.”
Patrick Shannon, Co-Founder and CEO of TrustPoint, was named as the winner of the 8th annual Startup Space Competition. Shannon competed against nine other global startups in a five-minute pitch contest judged by the most active investors in space. TrustPoint is a secure Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) service provider which is developing technology to enhance the performance, security, and reliability of GPS navigation. The company is the first GPS/GNSS company to win Startup Space.
Shannon’s pitch explained how the company was providing better accuracy, quicker “Time to First Fix,” anti-spoof, and anti-jam capabilities to US Government customers. As the grand prize winner, TrustPoint will receive guaranteed pitch meetings with more than a half dozen leading space investor firms, a trip to Paris to compete in Euroconsult’s pitch contest at World Space Business Week, an appearance on the GuideForce and Via Satellite podcasts, and more.
“The GNSS market is ripe for disruption and TrustPoint intends to lead that revolution with our microsatellite-based commercial infrastructure and innovative positioning and timing services,” says Chris DeMay, Co-Founder of TrustPoint.
The May 2024 issue of Via Satellite will honor Mike Greenley as Satellite Executive of the Year and 3GPP NTN Standards as Satellite Technology of the Year in a special awards issue.
About Via Satellite
Via Satellite provides essential news and expert business analysis on the global satellite communications marketplace, including current and evolving applications, infrastructure issues, technology, and business and regulatory developments around the word. Via Satellite reaches the most engaged community of satellite professionals and qualified industry decision makers.
About SATELLITE 2025
SATELLITE unites a diverse community of aerospace and connectivity thought leaders, entrepreneurs, executives, engineers, end-users and enthusiasts from around the world for the largest and most important global space and satellite technology event of the year. The SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition will take place on March 10-13, 2025 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (801 Mt. Vernon Place NW, Washington, DC 20001). For more information, please visit www.SATShow.com.
