MDA Space Skymaker

Canadian Space Summit Podcast on SatCan, Space Matters and AWS Ground Station

The Western University Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration crew at the Space Matters launch party at the Canadian Space Summit. Credit: CPSX.

The Canadian Space Summit provided SpaceQ an opportunity to sit down with Ryan Anderson of SatCan for an update, to learn about a new E/PO initiative called Space Matters, and to get a quick first reaction to Amazon’s new Ground Station service.

This weeks SpaceQ podcast consists of three short interviews recorded at the Canadian Space Summit in Ottawa on November 28 and 29.

Segment 1 (03:47) – In the first segment I spoke with Ryan Anderson, a co-founder of the Satellite Canada Innovation Network, known as SatCan. It was just over a year ago that I last spoke with Ryan in episode 22 about the new SatCan project. Since then, the organization tried unsuccessfully to be a part of the governments Supercluster program. However, the concept has is not dead and the founders diligently worked towards their goals and just prior to this weeks summit did announce that they had received some funding from the government. Ryan provides an update on what’s happening at SatCan.

Segment 2 (18:42) – In the second segment I spoke with Professor Gordon Osinski from Western University’s Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration about a new national educational and public outreach initiative called Space Matters.

Segment 3 (29:36) – In the last I ask SkyWatch co-founder and CEO James Slifierz on his initial thoughts of the news that Amazon had just announced a new service called Ground Station that could disrupt the current ground station model. Surprising many, the ground station offering, through Amazon’s Web Services, has Lockheed Martin as a partner. Currently available in preview mode for selected clients, the service has two ground stations managed by Lockheed Martin with an additional 10 to be added. Initial customers include Maxar’s DigitalGlobe, Spire, BlackSky, Capella Space, Open Cosmos and HawkEye 360. Ironically Jeff Bezos the founder of Amazon stands to benefit in a way many might not have thought of. Each year, according to Bezos, he sells some of his shares in Amazon to fund one of his other ventures, Blue Origin. It’s been reported he’s sold over a billion dollars of shares at various times. Now, thanks to this new AWS Ground Station offering, and in a roundabout way, those customers, using that service, will in part, it seems be helping Bezos fund the development of Blue Origin.

Listen in.

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About Marc Boucher

Boucher is an entrepreneur, writer, editor & publisher. He is the founder of SpaceQ Media Inc. and Executive Vice President, Content of SpaceNews. Boucher has 25+ years working in various roles in the space industry and a total of 30 years as a technology entrepreneur including creating Maple Square, Canada's first internet directory and search engine.

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