Media

This episode comes to you from SatShow’25 in Washington, D.C., where European space companies are creating a golden opportunity for their businesses and technology development. Laura Winter speaks with Declan Ganley, CEO Rivada.

Over the past few years, subsea internet cables have been disrupted multiple times, and Western governments have pointed the finger at Chinese and Russian ships. Bad news for global comms, but good news for Rivada. “If there is a targeted attack on it to take down the internet, this is the only thing on a global basis that will keep operating,” Declan Ganley, Rivada’s Chairman and CEO, told Payload.

Rivada Space Networks plans to start deploying test satellites for its projected low-Earth constellation in 2026. The initial deployment of test satellites will be followed by launches of operational satellites beginning in 2027 for Rivada’s Outernet project that aims to create a secure, laser-linked mesh network in space that does not rely on terrestrial gateways.

At the Munich Security Conference, Declan Ganley, CEO of Rivada Space Networks, delivered a stark warning on Europe’s security landscape, urging the continent to take charge of its own defense.

Declan Ganley details Rivada’s ambitious plans to create the “Outernet,” a fully independent, enterprise-grade satellite network and how Rivada differentiates itself from traditional satellite constellations by implementing dynamic data routing in low Earth orbit, which the company says enhances security, speed, and reliability.

At Capacity Middle East, Saf Malik, senior reporter at Capacity Media, sat down with Ronald van der Breggen, CCO of Rivada Space Networks, and Joe Apa, VP of sales EMEA, to discuss how Rivada differentiates itself from major satellite players.

Unlike other satellite constellations partially dependent on fiber interconnected ground stations, the Outernet moves data across a high-capacity, totally private, and secure optically interlinked satellite network, never touching the ground. Outernet users access its satellite network directly via inter-company terminals, ensuring absolute security and protection from terrestrial fiber disruption.

This discussion centred on the key drivers of development and innovation in the satellite industry, emphasising that customer needs are the main motivators, reflecting a shift from prioritising throughput to enhancing resilience.

In Germany, the current lack of innovation and the fear of a dwindling economic power play a major role. But there is hope: A strong space cluster has been developing Bavaria for years, enabling new innovations. This article was published in ‘Starkes Land Bayern’. This is a regional business magazine that appears twice a year as a supplement in the Bavarian edition of Europe’s highest-circulation news magazine DER SPIEGEL.