SSPI Space & Satellite Professionals International

In this Better Satellite World podcast, based on the May edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, you'll hear the first AI talk at the Roundtable. It’s the gamechanger and it’s here and moving fast. How fast and where is it going to land in the commercial space sector?
In this conversation, we bring AI into the house and to space and satellite to find out where it is doing a makeover on commercial space. We look for answers from the government sector, too, and talk about how AI can help smaller companies get contracts, financing and customers.
And we ask if AI is really a friend to the industry or just smiling to our faces while wanting to take our place? Will AI help us get further out there or take over things down here first?
Our speakers include:
Matteo Cuccorese, Co-founder & CEO, SPAICE Sapna Rao, Senior Systems Engineer, Lockheed Martin, 2023 20 Under 35 Honoree Hanna Steplewska, President and COO, Cognitive Space

In this Better Satellite World podcast series, we ask the question: “What would you do if you had the power to make the world a better place during your career?” Joining SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla to answer that question in the fifth episode are 3 members of the “20 Under 35” cohort of 2023: Neha Lin, Space Systems Engineer at Iridum, Armando Loli, Project Engineer at Boeing and Asad Malik, Founder, Chairman and CEO of iRocket.
Neha Lin is a Space Systems Engineer at Iridium. She joined the company in 2017 as a Satellite Payload Computer Engineer, during a pivotal time when Iridium had just begun retiring its older satellites and launching Iridium NEXT satellites with entirely new payload hardware and software, as well as hosted services. As soon as she took on this role, Neha was confronted with a multitude of challenges with on-orbit payload hardware and software issues and integrating the new satellites into the existing Iridium satellite constellation without disrupting service for customers. She investigated each issue and developed appropriate responses and procedures to minimize service impact. Neha also actively guided the Operations team in efforts to recover the computers with as little disruption as possible. Before joining Iridium, Neha began her career as a Reliability Test Engineer at Microchip Corp., where she carried out rigorous flash endurance cycles on PIC microcontrollers. She transitioned into a role as an RTL Design Engineer at Microchip Corp. before moving on to join Iridium.
Armando Loli is a Project Engineer at Boeing. He joined the company initially as an Industrial Engineer, a role in which he supported F-15, F/A-18 and 777x aircraft. From there, Armando transferred to Kennedy Space Center to work on Boeing’s Starliner Crewed Spacecraft. He was selected as a key member of the Pad Team that assists NASA astronauts into the Crew Module on Launch Day and also granted security clearances to help integrate Production Engineering initiatives across Boeing’s entire Space and Launch portfolio. In his current position, Armando developed the requirements and initial design for a Spacecraft Production System Digital Model/Twin and demonstrated optimized build flows and flexible scaling to meet different build rate scenarios. He is currently managing 3 major projects for Boeing’s Space Production, Test, Launch and Recovery Engineering Core Team. While working at Boeing, Armando created and now manages an initial Immersive Development Center for the company’s space programs that provides Mixed Reality technologies, which help with manufacturing, production, test and operations.
Asad Malik is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of iRocket. He founded iRocket at the age of 28 with the vision of bridging the “digital divide” by launching satellites designed to enhance 5G high-speed Internet access, autonomous vehicles, telemedicine and online education. The company’s slogan, “Launch More. Wait Less,” articulates its commitment to providing low-cost, responsive launches with a fully reusable launch vehicle powered by clean, sustainable propellants. iRocket also plans to provide point-to-point cargo delivery services, which can be used for national security and humanitarian missions, such as those dealing with natural disasters. Asad is a graduate of the Tandon School of Engineering at New York University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He worked at M&J Engineering Group, a diversified provider of engineering, environmental, construction and technology services, for 12 years, eventually serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. While working at M&J, Asad developed MARQUS, an FEA error-checking and design optimization tool for submarine hull structure design, and helped deliver $2 billion in constructed value projects for the Department of Defense with exceptional CPARS ratings. Asad still serves on the Board of Directors at M&J while leading iRocket today. I

In this Better Satellite World podcast series, we ask the question: “What would you do if you had the power to make the world a better place during your career?” Joining SSPI’s Lou Zacharilla to answer that question in the fourth episode are 2 members of the “20 Under 35” cohort of 2023: Aysha Alharam, Acting Head of Satellite Design and Development at the Bahrain National Space Science Agency and Laura Cummings, Regulatory Affairs Counsel at Astroscale U.S.
Aysha Alharam is the current Acting Head of Satellite Design and Development for the National Space Science Agency (NSSA) of Bahrain. She began her career in 2018 when she was selected as one of the nine first members of the Bahrain Space Team, a position that had over 4,000 other applicants. As the first Bahraini space engineer leading the team, Aysha served as project manager, idea innovator and software developer for the “Aman” payload project, which won the prestigious Payload Hosting Initiative – organized by the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) in 2022 – out-competing space agencies, companies, universities and research centers from over 100 countries. The Aman payload project showcases Eng, which focuses on securing satellite data through a novel cybersecurity encryption algorithm based on FPGA and parallel processing technology. Aysha personally developed the idea of the AI-based image processing system that will be onboard the first Bahraini satellite, “AlMunther,” the first of its kind in the Middle East region. She completed her education with two Masters degrees, one in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a concentration in space technology from Khalifa University in the UAE and one in Information Technology and Computer Science from the University of Bahrain.
Laura Cummings is Regulatory Affairs Counsel for Astroscale U.S., a position in which she is responsible for identifying and helping to create the regulatory framework to authorize In-Orbit Servicing, Assembling and Manufacturing (ISAM) for spacecrafts such as Astroscale’s Life Extension In-Orbit (LEXI) missions. These satellite missions require knowledge and expertise in multiple legal frameworks, orbital regimes and technical innovations, with only a handful of precedents that can be considered examples by regulators. In addition to her work on the ISAM regulatory framework, Laura represents Astroscale U.S. in a variety of industry associations, including the Commercial SmallSat Spectrum Management Association (CSSMA) – of which she is President and a Board Member – and the Consortium for the Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing (CONFERS), where she helps the industry to shape policies and communications standards for ISAM missions. Before joining Astroscale U.S., she served as a Regulatory Intern at SES Satellites and a FAA Legal Honors Intern at the Federal Aviation Administration. Laura received her Bachelor of Arts in International Regulations and Affairs, Astronomy from the University of Colorado Boulder, her Doctor of Law in Space Law and International Law from the University of Denver – Sturm College of Law and her Juris Doctor in Space Law from Georgetown University Law Center. While earning her degrees, she held major roles in the Space Law Society at both Georgetown University Law Center, where she served as Vice President and then President, and at Denver University, where she served as Executive Director.

In the fifth and final episode of Invisible, Indispensable Infrastructure, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with Jonathan Baliff, Chief Financial Officer at Redwire Space. Redwire, based in Florida, is a new leader in mission-critical space solutions and high-reliability components for the next generation space economy. On April 24, Redwire received the 2024 Business Award from the Luxembourg-American Chamber of Commerce, becoming the first space and satellite company to receive this honor.
Jonathan Baliff has been a leader in the aerospace, energy and infrastructure sectors for over 25 years as both a public company senior executive and investment and commercial banker. Mr. Baliff has served on the Redwire Board of Directors and as Chair of the Audit Committee since September 2021. Mr. Baliff also serves on the Board of Directors and Audit Committee of Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc (NYSE: TCBI). Most recently, Mr. Baliff was the President of Genesis Park Acquisition Corporation, the special purpose acquisition corporation that merged with Redwire.
Previously Mr. Baliff served as Chief Executive Officer of Bristow Group (NYSE: BRS), the world’s largest commercial helicopter and industrial aviation company serving the energy and government sectors. He served as Bristow’s Chief Financial Officer from 2010 to 2014 until his appointment to Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Bristow Group in 2010, Mr. Baliff was the Executive Vice President for Strategy at NRG Energy, where he led the development and implementation of NRG’s overall strategy. Before joining NRG in 2008, Mr. Baliff was a Managing Director in Credit Suisse’s Global Energy Group, where he advised energy infrastructure companies on over $50 billion in merger and acquisition assignments and project and corporate financings starting in 1997. Mr. Baliff started his business career with J.P. Morgan’s Natural Resource Group in 1995 after nearly a decade flying F-4 Phantom fighter aircraft in the US Air Force, including the first combat missions during the first Gulf War.

It’s an exciting time to be a part of the space and satellite industry. Launches are happening every day from New Zealand to Florida. The ground systems are going virtual. We have software-defined satellite. And all of these changes are coming together to impact the way satellites interact with infrastructure. As an industry, we are now in a place where we are augmenting and sometimes even supplanting terrestrial infrastructure.
In the fourth podcast of the Invisible, Indispensable Infrastructure podcast series, we explore this topic in-depth with a panel of five women experts from SSPI-WISE (SSPI Women in Space Engagement). This episode is based on the recent SSPI-WISE online conversation, Satellites as Infrastructure, that took place on April 25, 2024.
Our expert panel includes:
Toni Lee Rudnicki, Fractional COM/Founder, TLR Consulting LLC and Elevating Women Working Group Co-Chair (moderator) Haley Bauser, Senior Product Engineer, Varda Space Industries Beatrice Mok, Corporate Development Director, Kacific Caroline Reid, Spacecraft Operations Engineer, Rocket Lab Sarah Tulaimat, Senior Account Manager, Appliot

In the third episode of Invisible, Indispensable Infrastructure, we take a look at how satellites ensure safety and keep things moving down the road every day with Martin Jefferson, Commercial IoT Data Services Manager - North America at Globalstar.
Martin Jefferson currently serves as the Commercial IoT Data Services Manager for Globalstar, a position he has held for 15 years. With over 30 years of experience as an experienced senior technical sales executive, he helps drive the satellite IoT business for the brand and acts as key liaison for Globalstar’s Value-Added Manufacturers and Resellers. Globalstar is an American satellite communications company operating a low Earth orbit satellite constellation for mobile voice and data communications. The company provides business and recreational communications for industries, government and individual customers located in remote areas. Before joining Globalstar, Martin served as General Manager and Owner of Kelcom, Inc.'s Hamilton branch, as Director of Sales - Eastern Canada for Glentel, Inc. and as Vice President and General Manager at Digital Mobile Systems, Inc. He received his Bachelors of Science in Microbiology from the University of Toronto.