Jane Edwards 
SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh highlighted key themes that emerged during a fireside chat on the evolving landscape of satellite communications at the DOW Commercial Satcom Workshop.
In a LinkedIn post published Thursday, Al-Saleh discussed the convergence of government and commercial satcom and efforts to bridge the gap in new space.
He noted that cost, speed and resiliency are driving closer integration of commercial capabilities into defense architectures.
“Over the next five years, expect deeper integration of commercial capabilities into defense architectures through open standards, software-defined systems, and flexible contracting, to help accelerate on communications sovereignty,” he wrote.
To address the gap in new space, Al-Saleh emphasized the importance of connecting innovative new space companies with established space providers and government entities to foster collaboration. He also cited the potential role of SES in bridging the gap among new space companies, traditional prime contractors and the government.
The SES chief executive joined Tom Stroup, president of the Satellite Industry Association, and Rick Freeman, president of Amazon Leo Government, in Washington, D.C., for the fireside chat. The conversation also highlighted the need for resilience, innovation and collaboration across commercial and government sectors to ensure the delivery of secure satcom systems.
What Are SES’ Recent Strategic Partnerships?
SES has formed and expanded strategic partnerships to drive innovation. In November, the company teamed up with Infinite Orbits to conduct a geostationary satellite life extension mission using the Endurance spacecraft. It also extended its multilaunch agreement with Relativity Space to support future satellite deployments.
What Are Al-Saleh’s Thoughts on Intelsat Acquisition?
In his post, he said the combination with Intelsat and the company’s move to diversify into direct-to-device and other adjacent markets support SES and its transformation into a space platforms providers.
“With 120 satellites across GEO and MEO, strategic access to LEO, and the largest ground network in the industry, we’re ready to deliver resilient, flexible connectivity for government and commercial customers worldwide,” Al-Saleh noted.
In July, the Luxembourg-based satcom company closed its acquisition of Intelsat to create a multiorbit operator that offers an expanded suite of satellite-based capabilities.
