Having been involved within the Engineering industry over the last 8 years I am always amazed at how quickly things can change. From the structure of a team, the idea of the most effective process or the acceptance of best practise, everything is always prone to change.
Working with Engineers has provided me with an insight into how their minds work to find a way to improve whatever is in front of them, constantly looking for the little nuances of ineffectiveness to understand where improvements can be made.
It’s of no surprise that we see these clear shifts of ideologies and transformations in different industries across their timeline. Innovative technology has driven the mobile phone from an 80’s style brick that I only saw in TV’s shows as a child, to being an off the shelf product available for anyone to buy for less than a bottle of wine. Television has developed from 5 channels only to over 400, as well as the 50+ ways of streaming entertainment accessible from a half an inch thick piece of kit. And the Space industry? Well, we’ve gone from having the rare satellite in orbit to launching 100+ a month.
I’m very lucky to work in the area I do and have the experience of being embedded within different companies and their quest to innovate. The innovation within the space industry is spectacular, but what I love to see is that many companies are doing this by understanding how similar industries have revolutionised in the past. From producing ‘one off’ products to mass manufacturing, there is one name that dominates the history books: Ford.
I know I am simplifying something incredibly intricate, but this is how my un-engineering mind looks at what is happening to our industry. The incredible advancements and application of industry 4.0 are transforming the way companies operate such as with Space X and Oneweb Satellites and you can’t help but think how much inspiration they took from Ford. Ford made the automotive industry accessible and that’s what’s happening with the space industry as we speak. The huge improvement in manufacturing the satellite bus and integration capabilities means that the application industry has also had to innovate. From earth observation, telecommunication, IOT etc. we are creating a market bigger than we can comprehend and we are only at the start of this journey.
I have no idea what the future holds for the space industry. With the privatisation of space becoming ever popular and companies producing more and more outlandish ideas about the future, there is really no telling how far we can push the boundaries. One thing I will tell you with completely certainty though, is that I am all in for this trip.
Bring it on.
