For observers of today's commercial satellite market, Gene Jilg might be seen as a canary in a coal mine. If critics of satellite operator ownership by private-equity companies are right, it's people like Jilg who could be among the first to go as part of a broad cost-cutting program. Technical evaluation teams with Inmarsat's experience are not common among commercial satellite operators. While the policy has yielded benefits for the London-based mobile satellite services operator — Inmarsat is now 10-for-10 on launches and has never had a major in-orbit failure — such an expense could be a tempting target if private-equity owners decide to reduce costs to the bare minimum. For the moment, Jilg has enough to think about besides job security.
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