Exclusive Q&A with Northern Sky Research Released Ahead of Small Satellites Conference

London, United Kingdom, March 12, 2020 –(PR.com)– The Small Satellites conference 2020 will be held in London on 27 – 28 April 2020. The meeting will bring together highly curated leading commercial solution providers developing cutting edge cube and nanosatellites, including leading UK industrial partners to collaborate and explore the evolving space market where key topics will be dissected regarding the small satellite revolution and its impact on future space.

For those interested in attending, register at: http://www.small-satellites.com/prcom5.

Ahead of Small Satellites 2020, SMi Group are delighted to release an exclusive speaker interview with Ms Shagun Sachdeva, Senior Analyst, Northern Sky Research (NSR).

Shagun will speak on Day One of the event and present on “Small Satellite Market Trends & Opportunities for The Space Industry” covering:

• Technology demonstrations and orbit missions set for 2020 and beyond.
• How to ensure infrastructure keeps pace in a rapidly developing market.
• Manufacturing and launch considerations for small satellite mega-constellations moving forward.
• STM and SSA for the next generation of space capability.
• Where next? Anticipated market developments and future opportunities.

A snapshot of Shagun’s interview from Northern Sky Research:

Q) The launch industry is lowering the barrier for entry for small satellite operators. Where do you see rideshare programmes moving forwards?

A) “Rideshare programmes have a been crucial in easing the launch bottlenecks in the small satellite markets and will continue to be a major part of the industry going forward. Programs such as SpaceX’s dedicated rideshare makes this solution even more attractive.

“That said, small satellite market is diverse with varied customer priorities, such as the target orbit, altitude, time to orbit and cost. While rideshare programs, such as those offered by players including SpaceX, ISRO and Arianespace serve a part of this market by offering highly competitive prices, scheduling delays and sub-optimal orbit insertion in many cases makes this option less than ideal to adequately support all the players in the small satellite market. Operators looking for quicker launch options that allow the satellites to be inserted in the required orbital position opt for dedicated launch solutions like those offered by Rocket Lab and a growing number of other players.

“There is no one-size-fits all solution and all the launch options – rideshare, dedicated and dedicated rideshare – have their own place in the market and these trends are expected to continue moving forward, with the market share dominated by rideshare launchers.”

Q) As more novel launch approaches such as balloon utilisation become more widespread, what impact will this have on reaching polar and other non-traditional orbits?

A) “High Altitude Platforms (HAPs), including balloons have been proposed as a quickly deployable, long endurance alternative and/ or complement to satellite connectivity and are seen as crucial to enable broadband communications in remote regions, particularly in mountainous, coastal and desert areas.

“However, there are significant challenges to overcome if HAPs and balloons specifically are to become commercially viable in the global broadband connectivity market. While in some cases the cost of a high-altitude balloon for communications is comparatively low, balloons are limited in capabilities in terms of platform reusability and coverage area and are not ideal for wide area communications. Additionally, the maintenance of such a network has its own challenges, driving the operating costs higher.

“Regarding launch services using balloons, there are still significant challenges to overcome – technically and financially. According to the plans currently in place (and publicly announced), these services offer very low capacity, limiting the addressable market, and in most cases at costs higher than other launch options currently available in the market. This further decreases the market capture, making the business case quite challenging to close.”

Visit the event website to view the full speaker interviews and download the conference brochure: http://www.small-satellites.com/prcom5

Small Satellites Conference
27th – 28th April 2020
London, UK

Sponsored by: CONTEC

For delegate enquiries, please contact James Hitchen on +44 (0) 20 7827 6054 or email jhitchen@smi-online.co.uk.

To sponsor or exhibit at the conference, please contact Alia Malick on +44 (0) 207 827 6168 or amalick@smi-online.co.uk.

About SMi Group: Established since 1993, the SMi Group is a global event-production company that specializes in Business-to-Business Conferences, Workshops, Masterclasses and online Communities. We create and deliver events in the Defence, Security, Energy, Utilities, Finance and Pharmaceutical industries. We pride ourselves on having access to the world’s most forward-thinking opinion leaders and visionaries, allowing us to bring our communities together to Learn, Engage, Share and Network. More information can be found at http://www.smi-online.co.uk.