00:00Well, let's get more on this. Barry Evans is Professor of Satellite Communication Systems at the University of Surrey.
00:07Barry, thanks for joining the programme. Some analysts are saying satellites are the new space race, are they?
00:14Yes, I think they are, particularly in the communications side of the applications of satellites.
00:21As mentioned, you know, broadband, internet delivery, Starlink have over 10,000 satellites in that constellation, and Amazon Leo is
00:35a new system which already has 300 or so satellites up with a full constellation of 3,000, starts to
00:44operate this year, 2026, so it's increasing in competition.
00:51And then we've got this whole new market business of direct-to-device, so direct-to-your-smartphone.
00:59And here again, Starlink has systems already operating.
01:05Another company called AST Mobile have signed up many mobile network operators around the globe and will be starting to
01:15operate this year with smartphones.
01:17Already, for instance, Starlink is providing services in Ukraine to over 5 million customers, so this is a vibrant new
01:27market and will exacerbate the number of satellites that are launched into orbit.
01:33So, Barry, the space economy is projected to be worth around $1.3 trillion by 2035.
01:40How vital will satellite technology be to this growth?
01:45Well, I think satellites are going to be the major market in this space economy as we move forward.
01:52They already are communications.
01:55There are more communications satellites than any other applications in orbit.
02:01And what we can see is bigger and more constellations being launched, particularly into low Earth orbit, where the closer
02:11to Earth the satellites are, the more satellites you actually need to provide 24-hour coverage.
02:18So, yes, I think satellites are going to be extremely important.
02:23Reusable rockets are seen as one of the big future things in space.
02:27What about reusable satellites?
02:29Is that a possibility?
02:31Ah, I think that's probably a little bit more difficult, although satellites are becoming now more software-oriented.
02:41So, I think that it's going to be easier to actually upload and change software in satellites.
02:49So, from that point of view, you know, it might be possible to reuse hardware in space simply by updating
02:58software and changing and adapting to better service applications.
03:05Barry Evans, Professor of Satellite Communication Systems at the University of Surrey.
03:10Thanks for those insights.
03:11I'm back to you, Juliet.
03:12Pleasure, Paul.
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