Space Connect Episode 3 (March 2025)

Patricia Cooper is a leading expert on satellite communications, regulation and space policy, and is the founder of the space consultancy, Constellation Advisory, LLC, where she advises smart space and satellite ventures and international projects.

For six years, Cooper led Government Affairs for the Starlink satellite broadband constellation project at Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), where she secured Federal Communications Commission authorization for a record 12,000 satellites, and market access in more than 30 countries. She advocated for updates to spectrum, telecom competition and space safety regulations in the US and around the globe to support the coming generation of satellite networks. Today, Starlink serves over 2 million users worldwide with a constellation of over 6,000 satellites in over 70 countries.  

Prior to SpaceX, Patricia was an executive at geostationary satellite fleet operator Intelsat and as for nearly 7 years, President of the Satellite Industry Association (SIA), the leading trade organization representing U.S. satellite operators, manufacturers and service providers. At SIA, Patricia advocated in regulatory and national security arenas, for fair trade and competition rules internationally, and spearheaded a successful bipartisan, bi-cameral legislative initiative to reform satellite export control legislation. Previously, Patricia had served in both the U.S. Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Commerce, and led international outreach at two start-ups, CoreExpress, an Internet fiber infrastructure play and PanAmSat Corporation, a disruptor in the early satellite services market.  

Patricia holds a Master’s Degree with Distinction in International Economics from the John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science and German from Kansas State University
(summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa). 

An attorney with over 20 years of experience in the ICT sector, Ms. Hernández advises domestic and international communications companies and governments on regulatory, commercial and transactional, and trade matters in Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East.

She has extensive experience on licensing, spectrum, broadband, mobile termination rates, convergence, market access and Internet-related issues, among others. Prior to joining TMG, Ms. Hernández was a Partner of and headed the Global Telecommunications, Media and Technology Group of the international law firm, Coudert Brothers LLP.

She also worked as an attorney-advisor in the Chief Counsel’s Office of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) within the U.S. Department of Commerce and was in the Department’s Honors Attorney Program. Ms. Hernández obtained her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and her undergraduate degree with honors from Florida International University. She is fluent in English and Spanish.

Elizabeth is currently Head of Satellite Industry Engagement at Ofcom, joining the organisation in September 2017.

She engages with the UK space sector – government, industry and academia – to understand the strategic trends in the space sector and to support policy on emerging space spectrum needs.

Prior to this, Elizabeth worked for 12 years at the Royal United Services Institute, the UK’s premier Defence and Security think tank. Work at RUSI involved conducting research, organising seminars, meetings and conferences, talking to the media and briefing parliament, including giving evidence to parliamentary select committees.

Elizabeth is an engineer by training. In 2001, she took a graduate assistant position at the University of Texas A&M where she worked for two years on a DARPA project investigating collaborative underwater robotics.

Elizabeth holds an MEng in Automatic Control and Systems Engineering from the University of Sheffield and an MSc in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas A&M.

Ms. Kim Mota is an Advisor at the Superintendence of Granting and Telecommunications Resources, specializing in project management and regulatory frameworks associated with both terrestrial and satellite communication systems.

Holding a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering, she has extensive experience in spectrum and orbital resource regulation, having worked at Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) since 2015. Her role encompasses management of national spectrum and orbital resources, as well as actively representing Brazil in international forums focused on global spectrum management issues.

Ms. Mota contributed to updating the Brazilian regulatory framework for satellite system authorization and usage, playing a key role in developing and implementing the new General Regulation for Satellite Exploration. This regulatory update significantly advanced Brazil’s satellite market, aligning it with international best practices and standards.