NXT Communications Corporation (NXTCOMM) announced today that Jimmy Strates, lead RF engineer, has been named to Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI)’s fourth annual “20 Under 35” list of outstanding young space and satellite professionals age 35 and under.
“This year’s 20 Under 35 cohort is in the best tradition of Space & Satellite Professionals International,” said executive director Robert Bell. “They cross the lines of the many disciplines that go to make up our industry. They come from multiple sectors, companies and nations. And their hard work, ingenuity and developing skills as leaders are making outsized contributions to their companies, their industry and the power of that industry to make a better world.”
Strates and the other honorees were selected from nominations submitted by the membership and evaluated by a panel of judges made up of many of the Mentors supporting SSPI’s student outreach programs.
“We are thrilled that Jimmy was selected among such a talented group of innovators in our industry. He is an outside-the-box engineer who is driving NXTCOMM’s next-generation antenna design work,” said David Horton, NXTCOMM CEO.
Strates joined NXTCOMM in February after nine years at Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), where he served as a Research Engineer. As NXTCOMM’s Lead RF Engineer, he is designing active electronically scanned arrays (ESA) for use over satellite that enable markets at scale with greater efficiency and smaller form factor.
Strates leads a team that is responsible for the design of antennas, RF systems and components, and modeling and optimization of these antennas. NXTCOMM’s ESA works with multiple satellite orbits, including Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations now coming online and is scalable across satellite mobility use-cases. The first production units will be available in early 2022.
Before joining NXTCOMM, Strates developed RF technologies from early prototypes to maturity for multiple Department of Defense platforms and was instrumental in developing the first-ever beamforming, frequency-agile and polarization-agile antenna that remains a leading performer in software-defined antennas. Even outside of work hours, Strates is passionate about engineering. He was a frequent mentor to junior engineers in the undergraduate and graduate electrical engineering program at Georgia Tech and continues to mentor students and colleagues that he met during his time at Georgia Tech. He especially enjoys helping high school and undergraduate students develop their engineering skills while giving valuable advice on their career paths.
“I’m grateful to be included among this group being honored for their contributions to the satellite and space industry. Each individual has had such a large impact in their organization, and I’m glad they are being recognized for their achievements,” said Strates. “I’ve loved developing these cutting-edge antennas and hope to perpetually be pushing the industry into the next generation of technology.”
SSPI recognized the honorees at the Association’s 16th annual Future Leaders Celebration on Oct. 5 during the Satellite Innovation 2021 conference, produced by SatNews publishers. Full profiles of the 20 Under 35 can be found at www.20under35.com.
About NXT Communications Corporation (NXTCOMM)
NXTCOMM empowers connectivity in today’s mobile world. Led by satellite veterans who understand the technology and market dynamics, NXTCOMM is developing highly efficient antenna technology and a better implementation model to deliver breakthrough mobile, high-speed connectivity solutions for the satellite and mobility marketplace. Find out more at NXTCOMM.com
