World Space Week is a global marathon of space-related events aimed at strengthening the connection between space and society through public education, participation, and dialogue concerning the future of space activities. This year, World Space Week 2023's theme is "Space and Entrepreneurship," acknowledging the ever-growing significance of the commercial space sector and the increasing opportunities for space entrepreneurship, as well as the new benefits derived from space endeavors led by space entrepreneurs.
At RedRadix, we nurture the entrepreneurial spirit, supporting leading companies and ambitious startups in their digital transformation journey to success. Among the industries we collaborate with, aerospace stands as one of our strongest accounts. We've been actively involved in projects related to software development for satellite control and monitoring for over eight years. However, we've recognized that the digital product approach remains relatively uncommon in the space industry, historically dominated by government agencies and large consortium projects, which often left little room for agility.
During the panel, as Product Director for Space Account and co-founder of DiSC, I shared our approach to digital product development, provided insights into our work, and offered reflections on the state of the industry. I was accompanied by a distinguished panel of industry experts:
- Joel Freedman, Head of Innovation Services at Satellite Applications Catapult, an innovation hub based in the UK, which assists organizations in leveraging and benefiting from satellite technologies. They bring together multidisciplinary teams to generate innovative ideas and solutions in an open innovation environment.
- Ana María Curiel Sánchez, Division Head of Galileo Second Generation Ground Segment at GMV, a leading Spanish-based company in the aerospace sector with a global presence. GMV is a prime contractor for Galileo, Europe's Global Navigation Satellite System.
What we have learnt?
This online event provided a unique platform for these experts to discuss the creation of digital products for space, highlighting key insights that are currently reshaping the industry:
- Joel explored the evolution of space eras and highlighted the importance of not only demonstrating space technologies but also understanding the best ways to use satellite data and space technologies to address pressing challenges on Earth. He showcased environmental projects at Catapult that exemplify user-centricity and collective innovation in space data application.
- I delved into the product creation process at RedRadix, where the UX and Development teams work collaboratively within the Dual Track framework. This framework allows the UX team to define product functionalities together with stakeholders and end-users in the Definition Track, while the Production Track transforms that vision into tangible product features delivered in regular cycles (sprints). I shared selected examples of RedRadix's projects and reflected on the challenges of innovating in the space industry, emphasizing that a change in mindset is crucial for a successful industry transformation.
- Ana María provided a concise yet insightful presentation on GMV and the Galileo program, which serves as a prime example of successful Scaled Agile Framework implementation in a large, multi-stakeholder project. This implementation led to the evolution of traditional concepts, significantly reducing Time to Market, increasing flexibility in initial requirements, and improving overall operational efficiency.
The panel discussion concluded with a round of questions addressing the challenges around digitalisation faced by companies in the new space era and the current opportunities available for smaller enterprises.
Stay tuned!
If you missed this fascinating and much-needed discussion on digital product creation for the space industry, don't worry! You can watch the recording :)
Stay tuned for more engaging content and events from RedRadix.