MJ Smith

In Logan, Small Satellite Conference (SmallSat) felt like a summer festival for space. You could step outside between sessions, feel the sun, and run into people you had only met online. Every booth was the same size, and it felt like we were all playing on the same field. Salt Lake City changed that. It is easier to reach, easier to stay, easier to move around. But the outdoor spaces are gone, and the booths now tell you who paid the most. The energy is still there, but the texture has shifted. The official program ends in the afternoon, but the real SmallSat continues long after. In the evening, people gather in places that are not about business cards or scheduled meetings. Newcomers find themselves talking to industry veterans over a drink, and conversations drift far from pitch decks and product slides. These moments create something the exhibition hall cannot — trust. They turn a market into an ecosystem and an ecosystem into a community. I hope we never lose this side of SmallSat. This year, SmallSat felt like two different stories. One is told by Salt Lake City itself, with its hotels, its short transfers, and the ease of moving people and equipment. The other is told by what we left behind in Logan: outdoor spaces where conversations spilled into the sunshine, a sense of equality that went beyond logos and budgets. Yet some things have not changed. The side conversations still reveal the real challenges: finding launch capacity, supporting niche orbits, managing tariffs, and chasing standardization. And the evening gatherings still weave newcomers into the fabric of the community. #SmallSat #SpaceCommunity #SatelliteIndustry #SpaceConferences #SpaceNetworking

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A Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) opportunity by AFWERX, with potential funding of up to $55 million, has been awarded by SpaceWERX to CesiumAstro. The funding selection supports the continued development of CesiumAstro’s Element satellite, a fully integrated platform designed for next-generation defense and commercial space communications, including missions aligned with the Space Development Agency (SDA)...https://lnkd.in/gs-GviBw

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New space startup ARCA Dynamics is building nanosatellite constellations designed to enhance space situational awareness (SSA) and orbital safety. By monitoring #satellite fleets and smaller space debris in low Earth orbit (LEO), the company is tackling one of the biggest challenges facing the space sector: protecting critical infrastructure in orbit. In a short time, ARCA Dynamics has established itself as one of Europe’s most promising SSA innovators. Their technology blends on-demand tracking, radio frequency detection, and space-based processing to deliver real-time orbital intelligence. To bring its nanosatellite vision to life, ARCA Dynamics relies on Creo, a PTC Technology to design lightweight satellite structures optimized for harsh orbital environments, where extreme temperature swings and orbital radiation put stress on materials. CEO and Co-Founder Daniele Luchena and Chief Commercial Officer Mariarosa Argentiero spoke with PTC about how Creo's advanced #CAD capabilities have helped ARCA Dynamics move faster, reduce development risk, and ensure its nanosatellites are mission-ready for the challenging realities of LEO. A great example of how cutting-edge product development tools and visionary engineering allow smaller #spacetech companies to build sophisticated, resilient systems that once required the resources of major aerospace primes. Read the case study here: https://lnkd.in/e_pvDpmw

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Hot take: How can #AI become a collaborator rather than a threat in #drone operations? Our CEO Nitin Gupta addressed this question at Commercial UAV News Expo's Thursday keynote on "Breaking Silos, Building Skies" alongside Chris Fleming (Cyberhawk™), Scott Lashmit (Cyberhawk), and Michelle Duquette (Duquette Consulting, former FAA). Nitin's two-category AI approach: 🔴 High-Risk AI = Direct flight control (detect-and-avoid, navigation) → Mistakes cause crashes/collisions, naturally slower adoption 🟢 Low-Risk AI = Data processing (anomaly detection, predictive insights) → Errors don't cause accidents, safest entry point Recommendation: Start with low-risk AI in shadow mode alongside human teams. This builds trust, saves analyst time, and generates operational logs regulators value. What are your thoughts on this? Full read below in comments! #DroneAutonomy #BVLOS #CommercialUAV

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🔊 Join our 7-part webinar series on Radar and Wireless Communications for Aerospace and Defense. Whether you're modeling phased arrays, exploring AI for RF systems, or deploying adaptive processing to edge hardware, this series delivers practical insights and workflows using MATLAB and Simulink. Topics include: - Trends in radar/wireless system design - Space-Time Adaptive Processing on AMD Versal™ SoCs - Antenna-to-bits modeling of wireless systems - AI for radar applications - RF propagation and mission engineering - SDRs for EMSO operations - Sensor fusion and tracking 📅 Runs Sept 30, 2025 – Jan 28, 2026 🎯 Designed for engineers in aerospace, defense, and wireless systems 🔗 Learn More: https://spr.ly/6042AbInk #RadarSystems #WirelessCommunications #MATLAB #Simulink #Aerospace

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At Energy Drone & Robotics Coalition this past week, Censys Technologies Corporation got yet another series of opportunities to discuss how we’re enabling faster inspection cycles, cost reduction practices through advanced UAS operations at scale, and of course, get in the flesh with many customers current and future. Rob K. spoke on a DRONERESPONDERS panel focused on hurricane operations pre and post landfall. His involvement in operations coordination under SGI, blue skies approvals, etc will continue to be a resource for us and anyone partaking in this years storm preparedness and response. While much more general, I spoke in the closing session on a panel comprised of heavy lift/cargo solutions like Skyways, Phenix Solutions, Inc. and Xer Technologies, covering what long endurance means to us now, and in the future. Hint: it’s not absolute. In many cases, it’s relative and use case dependent. We have a customer who regularly conducts #LiDAR scans of less than 20 miles. In that use case, when they pull their Sentaero out, it’s Long Endurance. Too often we as technology implementers (OEM’s and operators) get swept up in specs and features and forget that square pegs still belong in square holes.

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We are excited to announce that Parry Labs Labs will be joining our Aerial Logistics Connector team. Parry’s proven digital system integration expertise – specifically UAS command and control interfaces – will help ensure the Airbus MQ-72C will be able to conduct unmanned operations in austere environments and redefine how the United States Marine Corps counters the threats of tomorrow. https://lnkd.in/eFR5iRmQ #UAS #MQ72C #ALC

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