Demo missions have been successful—so, what’s next?
Small sat companies now face the daunting task of bridging the gulf to larger, more complex missions. This transition raises a series of critical questions:
Small sat makers are at a pivotal moment. To succeed, they must balance innovation with increased complexity, scale while maintaining agility, and build partnerships that can support larger ambitions.
This panel will explore the strategic moves needed to bridge this gap, offering insights that will inspire and challenge the audience.
Stewart Hall
Stewart is Sales Director for Telespazio in Germany. Graduating with a degree in Systems Engineering in 1992, Stewart trained and worked as a software engineer and ground systems architect until 2014, helping develop ground segment systems for many well-known space programmes, including: Rosetta comet chaser, Mars Express and Beagle 2, Galileo FOC, Meteosat Third Generation and OneWeb. From 2019 until 2024 he was Deputy Head of Strategy and Sales at Thales Alenia Space in the UK.
Mariarosa Argentiero
Mariarosa Argentiero is an Aerospace Engineer and a former Air Force Officer, qualified as a military Satellite Engineer. She also contributed to the birth and development of the Italian Space Operations command. Mariarosa started working in the Space Industry as Institutional Sales Manager for Thales Alenia Space Italia, then being National Technology Programme Manager for STARION Italia S.p.A. Mariarosa now covers the role of Vice President sales & Marketing for Arca Dynamics thanks to her mature background in Satellite Operations and Space Domain Awareness market both from an institutional and commercial perspective. In 2021, she was also selected as a mentor for the UNOOSA Space4Women Mentorship Program.
Walter Ballheimer
After graduating from the prestigious Technical University of Berlin in 2011, Walter Ballheimer quickly made his mark on the space industry through key leadership roles and groundbreaking aerospace projects.
In 2014, Walter founded German Orbital Systems, assuming responsibility for the company’s first product generation. Under his leadership, the company developed and produced 11 satellite. Simultaneously, Walter served as CTO of sister company EXOLAUNCH, where he successfully launched over 100 customer satellites into orbit from all major launch sites.
In 2021, Walter left these positions to co-found Reflex Aerospace and become CEO. Reflex was founded with a clear vision: to enable lightningfast innovation in space by manufacturing the next generation of
payload-centric, high performance satellites.
At Reflex, Walter advances a bold vision for the future of space—a fusion of NewSpace flexibility and Classic Space customizability—he calls NextSpace.
Daniel Martin
Director and the Chief Technology Officer of Third Planet Orbital Ltd, a company providing reliable and trustworthy building blocks for space technology users, deliberaly focusing on the robustness and trustworthiness of its products.
Daniel is a senior engineer with 12 years experience on a variety of space projects, including ESA Technology Research Programmes, bespoke calibration equipment and launch of sixteen nanosatellites into Low Earth Orbit.
Alex da Silva Curiel
“The Original New Space Renegades“, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) is still at the forefront of space innovation delivering customisable complete mission solutions.
Alex has been leading small satellite projects at SSTL since 1989, including being Head of R&D and Technical Director. Â A mine of knowledge about the Smallsat market, applications, technologies and capabilities.