Space Connect Episode 2 (February 2025)

Patricia Cooper is a leading expert on satellite communications, regulation and space policy, and is the founder of the space consultancy, Constellation Advisory, LLC, where she advises smart space and satellite ventures and international projects.

For six years, Cooper led Government Affairs for the Starlink satellite broadband constellation project at Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), where she secured Federal Communications Commission authorization for a record 12,000 satellites, and market access in more than 30 countries. She advocated for updates to spectrum, telecom competition and space safety regulations in the US and around the globe to support the coming generation of satellite networks. Today, Starlink serves over 2 million users worldwide with a constellation of over 6,000 satellites in over 70 countries.  

Prior to SpaceX, Patricia was an executive at geostationary satellite fleet operator Intelsat and as for nearly 7 years, President of the Satellite Industry Association (SIA), the leading trade organization representing U.S. satellite operators, manufacturers and service providers. At SIA, Patricia advocated in regulatory and national security arenas, for fair trade and competition rules internationally, and spearheaded a successful bipartisan, bi-cameral legislative initiative to reform satellite export control legislation. Previously, Patricia had served in both the U.S. Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Commerce, and led international outreach at two start-ups, CoreExpress, an Internet fiber infrastructure play and PanAmSat Corporation, a disruptor in the early satellite services market.  

Patricia holds a Master’s Degree with Distinction in International Economics from the John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science and German from Kansas State University
(summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa). 

Ruth Pritchard-Kelly is an expert on satellite regulatory policy with over 30 years of experience. She has advised governments and industry on regulatory, spectrum, and sustainable space policy, and is currently an advisor to Apple as well as a member of New America’s LEO Working Group.

Pritchard-Kelly was the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at OneWeb, and worked at O3b, SES, and American Mobile Satellite.

Pritchard-Kelly has a Master’s Degree in space and telecommunications policy from George Washington University and a J.D. from the University of Maryland. 

Ms. Pritchard-Kelly is a Board Member of the Secure World Foundation, and has served on the Boards of the US Telecommunications Training Institute, the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation, and the Commerce Department’s Spectrum Management Advisory Committee.

Dominic Hayes works at the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, as the frequency manager for the EU Space Programme in the Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space.

The EU Space Programme includes the components, Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus and now also IRIS².

He’s been part of the EU Space Programme since joining the Commission originally to work on Galileo in 2007, having previously worked for the UK communications regulator Ofcom. Although a space communications engineer by training (MSc UCL), these days that training is more directed to words rather than waves.

As Rwanda Space Agency’s Chief Technology Officer, Georges KWIZERA is responsible for the development of the Space sector in Rwanda. That includes leading space technologies development within the triple helix of industry, academia, and government, as well as the oversight of space players in the nation. He manages cross-cutting teams covering Earth Observation, Telecommunication, and Space Science.

He has a wealth of 13 years’ experience in satellite engineering and communication, spectrum management, and ICT regulation. He has assumed various leadership positions on the African Continent since 2012, from facilitating the coordination and planning of World Radiocommunication Conferences on satellite-related topics to representing Rwanda within the ITU.

He co-managed the project for launching Rwasat-1, Rwanda’s first satellite, a 3-U CubeSat for data collection and Earth Observation.

He was a member of a National Working Committee that developed a strategic plan for establishing the Rwanda Space Agency and the Rwanda Space Program.

His education background combines both Engineering and Business which gives him a unique position for analyzing different factors that influence Space sector.