Seeking New Ground for New Space
Recognizing the amount of change that the New Space movement delivered to the aerospace industry, ST Engineering iDirect wants to cultivate that same level of disruption in the complex world of ground systems. The company, which exists as the result of several merged legacy ground technology brands, is throwing its support behind a “New Ground” movement, which it hopes will catch on at the SATELLITE 2021 show in September. ST Engineering iDirect CTO Frederik Simoens has seen ground-based space technologies evolve from gigantic physical structures to virtual programs in the cloud. The ground systems he oversees must work with satellites in multiple orbits, operating in multiple bandwidths. His customers expect these technologies to constantly evolve and become smaller, lighter, cheaper, and easier to operate. Achieving these things all at once, in today’s 24/7 connected environment, has never been more difficult. And that’s perhaps why Simoens feels that the timing is perfect for a New Ground movement. In this episode of Via Satellite’s On Orbit podcast, Simoens explains why and how ST Engineering iDirect wants to change the way our industry approaches ground systems technology, and what it hopes to achieve by building the foundation for a New Ground movement. This episode is sponsored by Blue Sky Network - a supplier of satellite tracking and communication solutions for the aviation, land mobile and maritime industries.