Sixty Years of Satellites – from Sputnik to Space X

Brought to you by The Wireless Heritage Group

At this event you will revisit sixty years of technical innovation in the satellite industry with presentations from four companies at the leading edge of a new era of space based communication - and a tour of the Science Museum.

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About the event

On October 4th 1957, the 40th anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution, the USSR launched the first artificial satellite in space, Sputnik 1.

Sixty years on, satellites have become an essential part of everyday life, delivering our TV, telephone and broadband data and telling us where we are with a precision which would have seemed extraordinary just a few years ago.

In this second event this year at the Science Museum and as a follow on to the satellite session at the Cambridge Wireless International Conference (CWIC) in July, the Cambridge Wireless Heritage Group revisits sixty years of technical innovation in the satellite industry and hosts presentations from four companies at the leading edge of a new era of space based communication.

The event follows the same informal format as ‘Time for Telecoms’ (March 16th).

Starting with tea in the second floor café at 4pm, a visit to the satellite and space exhibits in the Information Age Gallery hosted by Abbie MacKinnon, Assistant Curator for Technologies & Engineering followed by four twenty minute presentations in the Dana Centre and networking and drinks, finishing at 8.00pm.

There is no cost to attend though delegates are encouraged to donate an optional £5.00 to the museum as they arrive.

We aim to use the event to test the level of interest in establishing a Satellite Industry Special Interest Group within Cambridge Wireless.

You can follow @CambWireless on Twitter and tweet about this event using #CWHeritage.

Agenda

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The information supplied below may be subject to change before the event.

15:45

Mustering and muttering

Meet in the 2nd floor café next to the clock museum

16:00

Tour of the satellite gallery

A visit to the satellite and space exhibits in the Information Age Gallery hosted by Abbie MacKinnon, Assistant Curator for Technologies & Engineering.

17:00

Geoff Varrall, RTT Online - ‘Sixty years of technical, commercial and regulatory innovation’

Over the past sixty years, technical and commercial innovation has been closely coupled with regulatory innovation to meet the changing social and economic and political realities of a fast changing world and has provided the basis for a remarkable network of geostationary satellites that are now being upgraded to meet the global communication needs of the next sixty years. In parallel unprecedented investment in new high satellite count low earth and medium earth orbit constellations could potentially disrupt existing industry business models and enable a closer coupling with terrestrial 5G networks.

17:30

Nigel Wall, Climate Associates - ‘The Making of Madley’

First commissioned in 1978, Madley is BT’s sole operational UK satellite ground station, with over 65 antennas ranging in diameter from 90cm to 32m. Madley provides continuous access to more than 15 satellites (ranging from 66 degrees East to 314 degrees East), spanning two thirds of the planet. As part of the original build team, Nigel revisits the engineering challenge of designing and constructing the Madley communications centre.

18:00

Dr Chris Brunskill, Head of Access to Space, Satellite Applications Catapult - ‘Cube SATS’

Over the past 15 years, ultra-compact small satellites have been developed and launched into low earth orbit to meet a wide range of communication needs including global IOT connectivity. The UK has ambitious plans to roll out new launch capacity and UK based companies are in the forefront of this fast developing satellite sector.

18:30

Matthew Stuttard, Airbus Defence and Space Advanced Systems- Space Systems Engineering - ‘Next Stop- the Sun’

While the main focus remains on developing near space satellite platforms, some spectacular deep space missions are promising to provide unique insights into our solar system including the Sun. Matthew provides ’ under the bonnet’ technical insights into the Solar Orbiter mission including the comms systems and highlights the differences between the Orbiter mission and the recently launched Parker Solar Probe.

19:00

Networking over drinks

20:00

Event closes

Speakers

Chris Brunskill

Dr Chris Brunskill is an electronics engineer specialising in small satellite systems and mission design. He obtained a Masters of Engineering degree in electronics and satellite engineering from the University of Surrey and a PhD in space robotics from the Surrey Space Centre. His work focuses on the development of new satellite applications that utilise small satellite platforms for demonstration of novel technologies and new mission concepts. Chris is passionate about open, innovative technology development in the space sector.

Matthew Stuttard - Advanced Concepts Architect for Space Systems, Airbus

Matthew Stuttard joined what is now Airbus Defence and Space in 2006 and is currently the Advanced Concepts Architect for Space Systems in the UK. Until 2013 he was head of Future Programmes in Science and Planetary Exploration. Before Airbus he worked for Logica (now CGI) and two small companies, accumulating 20 years’ experience in satellite imaging applications and geospatial information systems. Following a degree in geography from Sheffield University, Matthew started in Earth observation at what is now Cranfield University where he was a lecturer in Applied Remote Sensing. He moved to the commercial world in 1989 and has gained wide experience of space applications and systems. His past activities have included making the first global vegetation fire map, checking farm subsidy claims using satellite imagery, modelling the water level of lakes in the Kenyan rift valley, rural development projects in the Himalayan foothills, future rovers for Mars exploration and telescopes to detect and study Earth-like planets around stars. Today he is concerned with bringing new types of space system into being, looking 5 to 10 years ahead on a range of topics including small launchers, space weather, space debris, space radar, radio-frequency sensing, new telecoms satellite architectures and in-space manufacturing.

Geoff Varrall - Director, RTT Online

Geoff Varrall joined RTT in 1985 as an executive director and shareholder to develop RTT's international business as a provider of technology and business services to the wireless industry. He co-developed RTT's original series of design and facilitation workshops including 'RF Technology', 'Data Over Radio', 'Introduction to Mobile Radio', and 'Private Mobile Radio Systems and developed 'The Oxford programme', a five day strategic technology and market programme presented annually between 1991 and 2005. Geoff has been running in depth technology and market workshops for the industry for over 33 years, spanning five generations of mobile cellular technology. A co-author of the Mobile Radio Servicing Handbook (Heinemann Butterworth, UK), Data Over Radio, (Quantum Publishing, Mendocino, USA and 3G Handset and Network Design (John Wiley, New York). Geoff's fourth book, Making Telecoms Work – from technical innovation to commercial success (John Wiley) was published in early 2012 followed by 5G Spectrum and Standards published by Artech House in July 2016. His latest book 5G and Satellite Spectrum Standards and Scale is now available from Artech House and can be ordered from http://uk.artechhouse.com/5G-and-Satellite-Spectrum-Standards-and-Scale-P1935.aspx. As a past Director of Cambridge Wireless, Geoff is actively involved in a number of wireless heritage initiatives that aim to capture and record past technology and engineering experience and is a patron of the Science Museum In his spare time he plays Jazz trumpet semi-professionally and is a marathon and ultra-runner.

Nigel Wall - Director, Climate Associates Ltd

Nigel has been involved with connected vehicle research since 1992 when he led BT’s mobile data research team – initially using modems on first generation analogue TACS mobile phones! Since 2001 he has provided consultancy complex-systems, with a primary specialism in connected vehicles. He acted as the Monitoring Officer for twelve of the Connected and Autonomous Vehicle research projects supported by Innovate UK and the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles. Climate Associates provides consultancy on delivering pragmatic sustainable systems and services, based on life cycle assessments where wholesale replacement of current systems with lower footprint solutions may not be the most sustainable option.

SIG Champions

Stirling Essex - Director, Espansivo

Stirling Essex has over 25 years of product development, product management, strategic marketing and business development experience in many areas of wireless technology, and has been intimately involved in the development of test systems for GSM, CDMA (IS-95), 3G (W-CDMA) and LTE. He founded Espansivo, a technology consultancy specialising in helping organisations with their technology, product and business decisions, in 2005. Stirling was previously a co-champion of the CW Future Wide Area Wireless Special Interest Group and and was a member of the CW Board from 2004 to 2015.

Andy Sutton - BT Fellow & Principal Network Architect, BT

Andy Sutton is a BT Fellow and Principal Network Architect for Wireless Access. The wireless access domain includes 4G/5G RAN architecture and mobile backhaul/xhaul, along with microwave and millimetre wave radio systems, and satellite communications. Andy holds an MSc in Mobile Communications from the University of Salford and has over 35 years of experience within the telecommunications industry. Andy’s current research interests include advanced RAN coordination techniques, including C-RAN and OpenRAN, optical fibre and radio based backhaul/xhaul, along with LEO satellite communications and High-altitude Platform Systems (HAPS), all in the context of building resilient heterogeneous networks. Andy holds the post of Visiting Professor of Telecommunications at the University of Liverpool and the University of Salford, he is a Chartered Engineer and holds Fellowships from the IET, ITP and BCS. Andy sits on the editorial board of the ITP Journal and is a CW SIG Champion for eMBB and Wireless Heritage.

Geoff Varrall - Director, RTT Online

Geoff Varrall joined RTT in 1985 as an executive director and shareholder to develop RTT's international business as a provider of technology and business services to the wireless industry. He co-developed RTT's original series of design and facilitation workshops including 'RF Technology', 'Data Over Radio', 'Introduction to Mobile Radio', and 'Private Mobile Radio Systems and developed 'The Oxford programme', a five day strategic technology and market programme presented annually between 1991 and 2005. Geoff has been running in depth technology and market workshops for the industry for over 33 years, spanning five generations of mobile cellular technology. A co-author of the Mobile Radio Servicing Handbook (Heinemann Butterworth, UK), Data Over Radio, (Quantum Publishing, Mendocino, USA and 3G Handset and Network Design (John Wiley, New York). Geoff's fourth book, Making Telecoms Work – from technical innovation to commercial success (John Wiley) was published in early 2012 followed by 5G Spectrum and Standards published by Artech House in July 2016. His latest book 5G and Satellite Spectrum Standards and Scale is now available from Artech House and can be ordered from http://uk.artechhouse.com/5G-and-Satellite-Spectrum-Standards-and-Scale-P1935.aspx. As a past Director of Cambridge Wireless, Geoff is actively involved in a number of wireless heritage initiatives that aim to capture and record past technology and engineering experience and is a patron of the Science Museum In his spare time he plays Jazz trumpet semi-professionally and is a marathon and ultra-runner.

Nigel Wall - Director, Climate Associates Ltd

Nigel has been involved with connected vehicle research since 1992 when he led BT’s mobile data research team – initially using modems on first generation analogue TACS mobile phones! Since 2001 he has provided consultancy complex-systems, with a primary specialism in connected vehicles. He acted as the Monitoring Officer for twelve of the Connected and Autonomous Vehicle research projects supported by Innovate UK and the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles. Climate Associates provides consultancy on delivering pragmatic sustainable systems and services, based on life cycle assessments where wholesale replacement of current systems with lower footprint solutions may not be the most sustainable option.

Event Location

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Location info

Science Museum, , Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, SW7 2DD

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