CesiumAstro has teamed up with Hinrich J. Woebcken, general partner at Trousdale Ventures and former president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. Woebcken will serve a dual role, working with CesiumAstro to refine its vision for connected mobility and supporting the company’s adoption of automotive mass manufacturing best practices.
Woebcken’s 30 years of industry experience contributing to the digitization and electrification of automobiles and profound understanding of automotive manufacturing efficiencies will benefit CesiumAstro as the company builds communications payloads for space, air, and ground platforms. As senior executive advisor, Woebcken will bridge CesiumAstro and automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to support the future of connectivity.
“GPS, satellite radio, and cellular connectivity has revolutionized the consumer’s automotive experience over the last two decades,” said Woebcken. “Satellites will fuel the next leap in connectivity and CesiumAstro’s technology is well-positioned to unlock new potential in the automotive industry.”
The need for multiple layers of always-on connectivity will continue to grow as automobile-based sensors proliferate and data generated increases. As a complement to 4G and 5G wireless systems, satellite communication provides redundancy to enable greater vehicular productivity and autonomy. Accessible anywhere in the world at compelling costs compared to cellular, low earth orbit satellite constellations will combine with low latency, terrestrial connectivity to provide global infrastructure for secure access to data and decision-making.
“Secure and reliable communications are expected — and required — to enable next-generation services on-the-move,” said Shey Sabripour, founder and CEO of CesiumAstro. “Worldwide, there are 1.4 billion automobiles on the road, and they are rapidly becoming smart, software-defined systems in need of robust, redundant connectivity.”
CesiumAstro will also utilize Woebcken’s supply chain and manufacturing expertise as the company adopts best practices for commercial-scale production, the key to reducing costs and increasing access as satellite connectivity becomes commonplace.