Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) has announced that, on March 19, the organization will induct three new members into the prestigious Space & Satellite Hall of Fame.
The 2024 honorees are John Finney, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ALL.SPACE; Adrian Morris, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Hughes Network Systems; and Ed Spitler, Head of SATCOM at Artel LLC.
“Our 2024 inductees have each, in a different way, driven innovation in our industry with major impact on life on Earth,” said executive director Robert Bell. “Their work modernized and streamlined military communications, introduced revolutionary antenna technology in a modular, multi-function configuration, and vastly expanded internet access from space and on the ground. Their expansion of the satellite ‘toolkit’ contributes not only to the industry’s success but to the welfare of millions.”
The latest members of the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame will be inducted during the 2024 Hall of Fame Celebration, hosted by Milbank, on March 19th during SATELLITE 2024. The inductees were selected by SSPI’s Board of Directors under the leadership of SSPI Chairwoman Katherine Gizinski, CEO of River Advisers.
The Space & Satellite Hall of Fame recognizes the invaluable contributions of the visionaries who transform life on planet Earth for the better through space and satellite technology. Members of the Hall of Fame are recognized pioneers in satellite communications, earth observation, launch services, spacecraft technologies and applications, in-space operations, space law, space education and space science. They are honored for significant achievement with such lasting value as the successful introduction of new or improved technologies or services, business innovation that creates new value for users and increases the positive impact of the industry on our world, and new solutions to major economic, social and geographic challenges through imaginative application of space and satellite technology.
The 2024 Space & Satellite Hall of Fame Inductees:
John Finney
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ALL.SPACE
John Finney is a visionary entrepreneur with over two decades of trailblazing contributions to the tech industry. Throughout his 25-year career, he has pioneered initiatives that generated billions in revenue. His journey began with a distinguished military career, providing specialized communication services. This led to a transition to the civilian telecom sector, where he served as a Telecoms Advisor for One2One & T-Mobile. His entrepreneurial drive then led him to launch Huawei’s campaign in Europe, achieving the company’s first billion in annual revenue. He secured major contracts, including the BT 21st Century Network and a vital mobile network partnership with Vodafone across Europe. Additionally, he secured Huawei’s first global mobile device contract, establishing the tech giant’s presence in the device market. Continuing his ascent, he held key leadership roles at Alcatel-Lucent and Ciena, with a focus on the satellite industry. As a founding member and Chief Commercial Officer at O3B Networks, John played a pivotal role in generating a $350 million pre-launch backlog, leading to SES’s acquisition and significant shareholder returns.
In 2013, John established Isotropic Systems (now ALL.SPACE), creating a groundbreaking software-defined, electronically steerable antenna system that redefines connectivity through simultaneous connections to all available orbits from a single device. Under his leadership, ALL.SPACE has made significant progress, completing demonstrations, field acceptance tests, and securing pre-production orders from defense applications. John’s foresight and commitment to innovation have driven the evolution from dependence on GEO satellites to an advanced multi-orbit framework. Recognizing an unmet need in ground segment technology, John has directed ALL.SPACE to create a solution that surpasses traditional limitations, broadening the horizons for satellite applications worldwide. Read more about John Finney.
Adrian Morris
Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Hughes Network Systems
Over a career spanning more than four decades, Adrian Morris has solidified his reputation as a visionary in the field, pushing the boundaries of satellite technology to new heights and fundamentally transforming the landscape of global connectivity. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Trinity College Dublin and completed his master’s at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. His career began in 1977 at Ferranti Electro Optics Division, where he worked as a hardware designer. In 1982, he joined Hughes as a hardware designer, unaware that he would spend the rest of his career there.
Adrian quickly distinguished himself at the company by leading initiatives in the DYNAC, TDMA and SCPC TES product lines, as well as the Italsat SS-TDMA system, which paved the way for future generations of satellite systems. He spearheaded the design and implementation of many of the world’s most successful satellite systems. His efforts have been critical in advancing fast, reliable connectivity across the globe. Under his leadership, Hughes designed and launched SPACEWAY 3 in 2007, the first operational Ka-band satellite system to employ traffic switching and routing. Listed among Via Satellite’s “30 Events That Shaped the Satellite Industry” between 1986 and 2018, SPACEWAY 3 proved the use case for Ka-band and commercial satellite internet service over satellite. Read more about Adrian Morris.
Ed Spitler
Head of SATCOM, Artel LLC.
For more than three decades, Ed Spitler has pursued a passionate commitment to support the American warfighter by supplying best-in-class satellite communications systems to power the success of the US Armed Forces. Upon completing his military service as a Cryptographic Telecommunications and Systems Specialist, Ed went to work for the US Department of Defense Contractor, rising from Senior Technical Engineer to Regional Program Manager, OPMAS-EUR, 5th Command, where he played a pivotal role in transitioning seven Defense Communications Sites (DCS) throughout Germany from analog to digital technology.
In 2001, he joined Artel as Vice President of Managed Network Services, in which role he served as program director for more than eight critical DOD and Department of State programs and supported missions including Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan. Leaving Artel in 2012, Ed went on to hold a series of leadership positions, including COO of Vizada, CEO of Astrium Services Government and President of Satcom Services Government Division at Airbus Defense and Space. By 2017, he was back at Artel as Head of Satcom, where he led the company into a multi-orbit future that delivered resilient GEO to LEO connectivity to the government. He led development and delivery of the SPACE FORCE Pathfinder 2 program, which embedded the Pathfinder 2 payload aboard Hispasat’s Amazonas Nexus HTS. The goal was to provide dependable access to connectivity while saving money for Federal agencies compared with short-term satellite capacity leasing. The program produced savings of more than 60 percent over equivalent service. Read more about Ed Spitler.
