Space Connect Episode 1 (January 2025)

With over three decades of leadership experience in global telecommunications policy, Ms. Bogdan-Martin has emphasized the need for digital transformation to achieve economic prosperity, job creation, skills development, gender equality, and socio-economic inclusion, as well as to build circular economies, reduce climate impact, and save lives. Her historic election by ITU Member States in S​eptember 2022 made her the first woman ever to head the nearly 160-year-old organization. Known for mobilizing innovative partnerships, she aims to promote meaningful connectivity, intensify cooperation to connect the unconnected, and strengthen the alignment of digital technologies with inclusive sustainable development.​​

​​​Full biography
​Video i​nterview

Mr. Mario Maniewicz was elected Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2018 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He took office on 1 January 2019. 

Mario Maniewicz is an electronic engineer specialized in telecommunications. He has been with the ITU for over 30 years, where he has served in high-level management positions in the Radiocommunication and Development Sectors as well as in ITU Regional Offices. 

As Director, Mr. Maniewicz is responsible for the management of the Radiocommunication Bureau, which organizes and co-ordinates the work of the Radiocommunication Sector whose aim is to ensure the rational, equitable, efficient and economical use of the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits.​

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). 

Carissa Bryce Christensen is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of BryceTech, LLC, based in Alexandria, VA. She previously co-founded defense contractor The Tauri Group, acquired by LMI in 2019, and quantum computing software firm QxBranch, acquired by Rigetti Computing in 2019. She is an active tech investor and has served on several early-stage boards.  

Ms. Christensen is an internationally recognized expert on the satellite and space industry, known for rigorous analysis and innovative, data-driven strategy. She is a Senior Advisor to the annual US Space Force Schriever Wargame. She serves on the Senior Advisory Council of the Aerospace Corporation Center for Space Policy and Strategy, serves on the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Space, and chairs the US board of the UN-affiliated Space Generation Advisory Council. She is a founding member of the Future Space Leaders Foundation and chairs its Advisory Board. Ms. Christensen previously served on the National Research Council Space Technology Industry-Government-University Roundtable, which advises NASA, and served on the Space Committee of the Defense Innovation Board.

Ms. Christensen is a Harvard Business School Entrepreneur-in-Residence. She guest lectures at universities including Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy. She has testified before Congress and Parliament committees on the space industry. She publishes extensively, is often cited by major media outlets, and has appeared in commercial space documentaries by The Financial Times, Bloomberg and HBO.  

Ms. Christensen is a graduate of Harvard University’s Kennedy School, where she specialized in science and technology policy. She attended the London School of Economics and was a Douglass Scholar at Rutgers University. She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Ms. Christensen was named 2023 Executive of the Year (Up to $75M) at the Greater Washington GovCon Awards.

Tim Maclay is the President of Celestial Insight, a consulting company he founded in 2003 to provide space engineering and policy support to commercial and government customers. Core areas of expertise include astrodynamics, systems engineering, constellation design, satellite development, and space operations, with particular emphasis on the technical and policy aspects of orbital debris and space sustainability.

Tim’s experience includes more than 30 years in commercial space and spans the entire lifecycle of satellite systems, from design, development, and deployment to mission operations and ultimate decommissioning and disposal. He’s been involved in the development and operation of more than 135 LEO satellites and 14 launch campaigns that include two generations of Orbcomm’s data communications constellation and the initial deployments of OneWeb’s internet constellation. Most recently, Tim served as the Chief Strategy Officer and US Managing Director for ClearSpace, an In-Orbit Services company focused on space debris removal and the creation of a more circular space ecosystem.

Throughout his career, Tim has been a staunch advocate for the adoption of responsible design and operational practices in space. His work has helped shape the current dialogue and direction of national and international sustainability standards and best practices, and his service on committees and boards includes CONFERS, ECSS, AIAA, IAA, the NRC, NASA’s Engineering Safety Center, the Hypervelocity Impact Society, the Space Safety Coalition, and the World Economic Forum. Tim earned PhD and MS degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado, and a BS in Physics and Mathematics from Bucknell University.

John Pahl has over 30 years’ experience of the radio communications industry and was a founder Director of Transfinite Systems Ltd. He led the team that developed the Visualyse Professional simulation software, which is the leading tool to analyse interference between radio communication systems.

He has extensive experience of the ITU-R framework, including involvement in the cycle from WRC-97 to WRC-2000 that developed the equivalent power flux density (EPFD) limits in Article 22 that facilitates development of non-GSO systems while protecting GSO networks in Ku and Ka band. He was also involved at WRC-19 in the development of the associated regulatory framework in Resolution 770 that is applicable to parts of Q/V band.

A particular area of expertise is the algorithm in Recommendation ITU-R S.1503, its implementation in software and the associated regulatory framework. He led the team that developed the EPFD validation software tool for the ITU and chairs the discussions within WP 4A that have agreed revisions to this Recommendation.

He has supported the work of many non-GSO operators including providing consultancy and undertaking studies for their coordination tasks. He has been active in WRCs such as WRC-15, WRC-19 and WRC-23 including chairing drafting groups and acting as CEPT coordinator.

John has a master’s degree in mathematics from Cambridge University and is the author of the book “Interference Analysis: Modelling Radio Systems for Spectrum Management” published by Wiley in 2016.