SATELLITE and GovMilSpace 2026 brought together 14,738 senior leaders and decision-makers and 515 exhibitors for SATShow Week 2026 from March 23-26, 2026, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The conference and expo, which celebrated its 45th year, reinforced its role as the industry’s most influential gathering for space stakeholders, uniting commercial innovators, government and military decision-makers and end-users from around the world.
“As we completed our 45th edition, it was evident that SATShow Week 2026 remains the premier global gathering for our industry, and we witnessed meaningful connections, strategic business alignments, and new partnerships forged across the global space ecosystem,” said Jeffrey Hill, Executive Chairman of SATELLITE and GovMilSpace. “We introduced expanded programming and new conference tracks that attracted a high concentration of senior leadership from both commercial and government stakeholders, and the combination of public-private representation created a high-value environment for all participants. We’re grateful to the entire satellite community for helping build and shape this incredible event, and we look forward to continuing the momentum, supporting innovation and investments and fostering long-term growth throughout the industry.”
SATShow Week 2026 convened organizations across satellite communications, defense and space infrastructure, while also drawing increased participation from adjacent, high-impact sectors including aviation, telecommunications, energy, financial services and cloud infrastructure, highlighting the growing role of space-enabled capabilities across the global economy. This cross-section of the industry was on display in the exhibit hall, where 515 companies represented 36 different countries between SATELLITE and GovMilSpace, showcasing the latest technologies and innovations. Among them were 117 first-time exhibitors.
The 2026 audience reflected a highly targeted and mission-focused global space ecosystem, with 39 percent of attendees in C-suite and executive leadership and 34 percent representing government and military agencies. Notably, 23 percent of attendees were international, spanning more than 100 countries. The event also demonstrated strong market renewal and pipeline expansion, with 41 percent first-time attendees and 24 percent emerging professionals. This balance of established leadership and next-generation talent supports ongoing innovation, investment and long-term industry growth.
With 273 different speakers, the expanded 2026 agenda and enhanced exhibit hall programming, along with curated activations, contributed to increased engagement and more meaningful interactions. The Opening Day Keynote Luncheon featured Amazon's Vice President of Leo Business Chris Weber, who talked about next-generation satellite broadband and space-enabled connectivity and preparations for launching their megaconstellation. At the Opening General Session of SATShow Week on Tuesday, commercial satellite leaders covered geopolitical concerns, the speed of innovation and key markets for growth. Wednesday's opening keynote speaker, Mr. Taylor Jordan, Director of the NOAA Office of Space Commerce, discussed industry-wide standards and mission authorization processes. And new this year was the addition of a Thursday Closing Keynote, during which Bridgit Mendler, CEO and Co-Founder of Northwood Space, talked about satellite ground infrastructure built for rapid deployment.
Lunchtime sessions also brought critical conversations to the forefront. During Monday's Fireside Chat, Doug Abts, Chief Commercial Officer of Astranis, delved into sovereign satellite communications. Tuesday's Opening Fireside Chat welcomed SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh and Lynk Global CEO Ramu Potarazu to the stage who discussed booming demand in the direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity market. And in Wednesday's Fireside Chat, Dr. Minh Nguyen, Deputy Associate Administrator, Commercial Space Transportation for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), discussed enabling growth in the commercial space industry.
GovMilSpace also continued to strengthen its position as a central forum for defense, intelligence and national security space, convening government leaders and commercial partners to address mission-critical challenges and accelerate collaboration. The GovMilSpace Opening Keynote was delivered by U.S. Space Force Chief Master Sgt. Ron Lerch who discussed the threats to space systems. Military officials also shared visions on the future of the U.S. Space Force in a conversation with Lee Rosen, Ret. Col. and President of ThinkOrbital, and Brig. Gen. Nick Hague, U.S. Space Force Assistant Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, which was moderated by former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
The annual Via Satellite Awards Luncheon remained a highlight on the agenda, announcing this year’s recipients of Satellite Executive of the Year and Satellite Technology of the Year, plus the winner of the 10th Startup Space Pitch Competition. The 2025 Satellite Executive of the Year was Adel Al-Saleh, CEO, SES, who has created a new brand identity for SES and championed innovative space companies across the space ecosystem. The 2025 Satellite Technology of the Year award went to Blue Ghost Lunar Lander, Firefly Aerospace, which became the first private company to successfully land on the lunar surface. And the 2026 Startup Space grand prize winner was Matteo Vismara, CEO and co-founder of SatEnlight, a high speed and secure optical satellite communications technology company based in Milan, Italy. SatEnlight addresses the challenge of unprecedented volumes of data collected by today’s satellites by developing a new optical communication system to enable faster, scalable, resilient and more secure communication systems.
Coverage of SATShow Week 2026 and stories on many of the conference conversations can be found at Via Satellite and watch key sessions and interviews from the show online.
SATShow Week 2027 – SATELLITE and GovMilSpace – will be back at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., from March 8-11, 2027. More information is available at satshow.com.
