Steve Kitay
Senior Director, Azure Space, Microsoft
The Azure Space team has built new products and launched new partnerships to support customers with cloud and space technologies. Microsoft Azure Space is committed to enabling every person and organization to achieve more, on and off the planet. This mission has transcended various industries, including agriculture, finance, insurance and health care.
“Our mission encompasses not only commercial industries, but also empowers government missions such as the U.S. Space Force, NASA, NOAA and others,” said Steve Kitay.
Some recent achievements of the Azure Space team include advancements on the Hybrid Space Architecture for the Defense Innovation Unit, and the U.S. Space Force and Air Force Research Lab ⏤ with new partners and demonstrations that showcase the power, flexibility and agility of commercial hybrid systems that work across multipath, multi-orbit and multivendor cloud-enabled resilient capabilities.
Another recent achievement is the partnership with Ball Aerospace and Loft Federal on the Space Development Agency’s National Defense Space Architecture Experimental Testbed program, which will bring 10 satellites with experimental payloads into orbit and provide the associated ground infrastructure.
SDA NExT builds upon Microsoft’s Azure Space products and partnerships. Central to Microsoft’s solution for NExT is the combination of Azure Orbital Ground Station and Azure Government Air Gapped Clouds, which will allow SDA to do its mission work in a secure cloud environment.
Through NExT, together with SDA and the Space Force, Microsoft will securely operate a government-owned satellite constellation with Azure Orbital Ground Station’s global network for the first time. Additionally, Microsoft 365 will provide them with productivity tools to enable personnel to share information, which help ensure a coordinated response.
Microsoft Azure Government Cloud will enable SDA to extract spaceborne data insights from the cloud to the ultimate edge, and to scale innovation faster and better meet the critical needs of the Guardians and strengthen national security.
“I am most proud of the amazing diverse team I get to work with and the critical mission we are supporting,” Kitay said. “I work alongside the most passionate, innovative and collaborative teammates to build the products and partnerships that are making a difference in the world ⏤ ranging from global security supporting the U.S. Space Force to science advancement with NASA, to new startups driving novel ways to connect and derive insights across the globe.”
Why Watch
In 2023, Kitay and his team are heavily focused on delivering on Microsoft’s commitments and driving innovation. They will be building new product features, deepening partnerships, and supporting customers with new cloud-powered technologies.
For government customers, they will work to enable a hybrid space architecture that leverages the best of commercial, government and allied space systems on a secure cloud platform to provide rapid, resilient and security data connectivity and processing.
“I am excited for what’s ahead and the ways Azure Space will empower our customers and partners to achieve more, both on and off the planet,” Kitay said.