However, adds Hoeber, "The industry is at a crossroads. Congress has accused U.S. satellite companies of aiding China's missile development program, Boeing has announced billion dollar losses, Loral has declared bankruptcy, and Lockheed Martin spent all of 2002 agonizing over whether to exit the commercial satellite business." Hoeber will also look at what might be the future of communications satellites and what forces will drive the industry.
Hoeber's current responsibilities at SS/Loral include customer satisfaction, achieving program profit, schedule and performance objectives, and planning and managing SS/Loral's R&D and product development activities. Previously, he was vice president of business development for SS/Loral, which included marketing and sales.
Hoeber is an associate fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and on the board of directors of the California Space Authority. He has written extensively on the communications satellite industry and has contributed to a number of studies of export control and technology transfer. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from Cornell University.