On June 18th, 2021, 1-3 PM UTC, we had a very exciting session with the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), in support of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications. SGAC is a global non-governmental, non-profit organisation and network which aims to represent university students and young space professionals to the United Nations, space agencies, industry, and academia. SGAC has a clear purpose to connect, inspire, engage and advocate; it works to raise awareness among the next generation of space professionals on a global scale. The SGAC network currently represents over 15 000 members across 150 countries - the world's largest network of students, young professionals and alumni in the space industry. SGAC's core purpose is to be the voice of the “Space Generation” to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and other international organisations through its Observer Status within the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS). The Commercial Space Project Group of SGAC conducts research concerning developing space economies and its enabling factors, holds idea acceleration programs, and partners with commercial companies for capacity building projects. It counts with circa 60 volunteering members worldwide.

Programme (UTC):

1:00 PM. Opening, João Bentes, AIR Centre
1:05 PM. Welcome and speaker introductions by the moderator, Andrew Kurzrok, Co-Lead for the Commercial Space Project Group (CSPG).
1:10 PM. The Space Generation Advisory Council: Overview of a worldwide organization for the next generation of space leaders, Davide Petrillo, Executive Director of the SGAC.
1:30 PM. The Commercial Space Project Group: Overview of the activities carried out by the group focusing on space assets and entrepreneurial endeavours, Andrew Kurzrok.
1:50 PM. Space Faring Africa initiative: Identifying key factors that attract investment and evaluating the business readiness level within the African space ecosystem, Imane El Khantouti, Project Manager of the Space Faring Africa initiative, CSPG
2:10 PM. Pre-Accelerator initiative: Pushing novel space business and technical ideas for today’s and tomorrow’s problems within SGAC while capacitating our members to thrive within acceleration schemes, Alina Vizireanu & Harlee Quizzagan, Project Managers of the Pre-Accelerator initiative, CSPG
2:30 PM. Q&A, moderated by Andrew Kurzrok.
2:55 PM. Closing remarks, by Andrew Kurzrok, Davide Petrillo & João Bentes.
3:00 PM. End of the Webinar

Relevant links

General SGAC-related info: info@spacegeneration.org
CSPG and project-related info: commercialspace@spacegeneration.org
CSPG webpage
CSPG Facebook

Speakers

Davide Petrillo

The Space Generation Advisory Council: Overview of a worldwide organization for the next generation of space leaders Davide has currently been appointed as Executive Director of the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC). Davide holds a M.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Padova (Italy). His professional experience brought him to London (UK) as a Business Manager for Alten Ltd and previously in Milano (Italy) as a Business Analyst for Accenture, global management consulting company that provides strategy, consulting, technology and operations services. Previously, he was the Team Leader of FELDs Experiment selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the Drop Your Thesis! 2014 programme. FELDs tested a tethered electromagnetic soft docking technology in microgravity conditions at the Drop Tower of the Centre of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) in Bremen, Germany. In 2015, he won the “Hans Von Muldau Team Award” for the best team project that took place in Jerusalem at the 66th International Astronautical Congress (IAC). Davide joined SGAC in 2016 and has been appointed as part of the 3rd E-SGW organizing team, the SGC 2018 organizing team specifically focused on the organization and management of the Special Track “Bridging the Space Divide” Working Group, Space Generation Congress 2019 Deputy Manager (Washington D.C., USA) and Space Generation United Manager.

Andrew Kurzrok

The Commercial Space Project Group: Overview of the activities carried out by the group focusing on space assets and entrepreneurial endeavours Andrew Kurzrok is an entrepreneur and technologist. As a Business Manager at Amphenol Times Microwave Systems, he leads a design and manufacturing team that helps the world’s leading spaceflight and research organizations solve their hardest RF communications and power challenges. His spaceflight interests include on-orbit servicing, orbital debris, and community-built cubesats. He is a proud alumni of NASA’s Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program and the Caltech Space Challenge. Prior to Times Microwave, Andrew designed, implemented, and evaluated policies to stop the spread of nuclear weapons as a Research Scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. He holds a BA and MBA from Yale University and outside the office enjoys hiking, transcontinental road trips, and watching the ISS fly over.

Imane El Khantouti

Space Faring Africa initiative: Identifying key factors that attract investment and evaluating the business readiness level within the African space ecosystem Imane El Khantouti is a Space Systems engineer and R&D projects manager developing two CubeSat Payloads currently in “Centre Spatial Universitaire de Grenoble (CSUG)” In University Grenoble Alpes, France. She is also the National Point of Contact for Morocco for the Space Generation Advisory Council. She is one of the 10 under 30 best Africans in the Space industry and one of the six most innovative young Arabs. Her aim is to find solutions for the African socio-economic issues (Drinkable water, disaster management and land management, Education) through space applications, entrepreneurship in addition to making Africa a Space faring market.

Alina Vizireanu

Pre-Accelerator initiative: Pushing novel space business and technical ideas for today’s and tomorrow’s problems within SGAC while capacitating our members to thrive within acceleration schemes Alina Vizireanu is a Senior Geospatial Analyst and a strong advocate of education, gender equality, diversity and inclusion in the Geospatial and Space sectors. She holds a Masters degree in the field of Geomorphology and Cartography from the University of Bucharest, Romania, active in the private geospatial industry since 2006. Currently, Alina develops AVINTERRA, a startup focused on creating educational Geospatial & Earth Observation (GEO) programs and offers Mentoring and Career Coaching services, technical speeches, training, and workshops. In tandem, Alina is also the Membership Manager at the Space Generation Advisory Council.

Harlee Quizzagan

Pre-Accelerator initiative: Pushing novel space business and technical ideas for today’s and tomorrow’s problems within SGAC while capacitating our members to thrive within acceleration schemes Harlee is a BSc Physics graduate from the University of the Philippines. Currently serving as the NPoC for The Philippines of SGAC, he also leads and participates in several SGAC projects in commercial space, space education, and space exploration. Most of his current work is in space activities primarily in promoting and developing strategies for "emerging space nations" to participate in the global space activities. With a background in designing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and traffic prediction, his work now is in space technology and ML/AI. With interests primarily resting in the future of technology, he is also leading a tech startup that combines satellite imagery and AI. His other interests for applications of ML/AI are in urban development, renewable energy, smart cities, and public health.

Acknowledgements

We thank very much José Pedro Ferreira, Commercial Space Project Group Co-Lead at SGAC, and João Bentes, AIR Centre, for their fantastic support during the ideation and organization of this Networking Friday session. We will continue with the Networking Fridays during the next months. More information about future sessions as well as presentations and videos from previous sessions can be found here. Twitter Hashtag: #netfridays. Expect some very exciting afternoons, or mornings or evenings, depending on where you are… If you need any additional information please send an email to Jose Luiz Moutinho. Networking Friday with Simonetta di Pippo (UNOOSA), Director of UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), who discussed “#buildbackbetter: Space technology for economic development”. This session was moderated by Miguel Belló. Networking Friday Special Thematic Session on Nanosatellites with Roger Walker, Milton Kampel, Stewart Bernard, and Ernest Teye Matey. This session was moderated by André Oliveira. Networking Friday with Alfred Ng (Canadian Space Agency) and Luis Gomes (AAC Clyde Space). The moderator was Anna Guerman, (University of Beira Interior, Portugal)