Industry Upheaval Creates Urgent Need for New Engineering Solutions as Conference Doubles in Size
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, January 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — As Europe’s space industry undergoes its most dramatic restructuring in decades, SmallSat Europe 2026 has issued an urgent call for technical papers addressing the engineering challenges of a transformed sector. With only 11 days remaining until the January 23 submission deadline, organizers are seeking solutions to problems that did not exist, or were not priorities, a year ago.
The conference will take place May 26–28, 2026, at Amsterdam’s RAI Convention Centre. It reflects the scale of industry change: attendance has doubled from 1,250 in 2025 to an expected 2,500+ participants, while exhibitor count has surged from 120 to more than 200, making it the largest gathering of Europe’s small satellite community on record.
THE NEW EUROPEAN SPACE REALITY
The call for papers reads like a map of Europe’s strategic pivot. Gone are the theoretical discussions of commercial space. In their place are hard requirements for sovereign connectivity (IRIS2), defense-civil fusion architectures, alternative positioning systems independent of GPS, and cybersecurity for contested space environments.
“The last twelve months have reshaped Europe’s space sector more than any year in a generation,” the call states. “Consolidation at prime level, regulatory divergence between Brussels and London, a decisive shift toward defense, and the rise of sovereign connectivity programs have redrawn the map.”
This shift is already visible across the industry, including:
• Major European primes consolidating operations amid increased defense spending
• The UK and EU charting distinct regulatory paths, creating urgent interoperability challenges
• Acceleration of IRIS2 and other sovereign space infrastructure programs
• Sharp increases in defense-focused satellite programs following geopolitical tensions
WHAT EUROPE NEEDS NOW
The technical priorities outlined in the call for papers reveal strategic gaps Europe is racing to fill.
Defense and Sovereignty:
• Defense-civil fusion architectures integrating primes, non-space assets, and orbital systems (SDA, ISR)
• Sovereign connectivity and IRIS2 implementation
• Alternative PNT (positioning, navigation, timing) systems
• Cybersecurity for space assets in contested environments
Advanced Capabilities:
• Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and advanced sensing technologies
• On-orbit edge computing and artificial intelligence
• GEO-LEO hybrid networks
• Systems engineering for next-generation architectures
Sustainability and Responsibility:
• Orbital debris mitigation and end-of-life operations
• Sustainable space operations frameworks
“Europe’s space engineers and system architects face a structural truth,” organizers note. “The tools, assumptions, and institutional models that once defined European space no longer match the reality we now operate in.”
A CONFERENCE TRANSFORMED
SmallSat Europe 2026 reflects this new landscape:
• More than 250 expert speakers across two main stages and specialized technical forums
• More than 200 exhibitors spanning Earth observation, communications, defense, and lunar missions
• Over 2,500 attendees, including engineers, program managers, C-suite executives, defense officials, and policymakers
• Expanded focus from commercial applications to multi-domain defense-civil integration
• International participation from Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region
The conference brings together four critical constituencies: spacecraft manufacturers and operators, investors and financial institutions, government agencies and defense integrators, and universities and research centers developing next-generation space technologies.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Europe’s space sector is at an inflection point. While the United States has scaled commercial space rapidly and China has advanced both civil and military space capabilities, Europe is defining its own path, prioritizing sovereignty, sustainability, and defense readiness alongside commercial innovation.
The technical papers submitted to SmallSat Europe 2026 will offer the first comprehensive view of how Europe’s engineering community is responding. From SAR satellites supporting maritime security to on-orbit AI enabling rapid threat detection, these are not theoretical exercises. These are systems being built now.
“Your architecture, data, or mission findings could influence Europe’s future space infrastructure,” organizers emphasize. “If you have results, architecture work, mission data, or new methods to share, we invite you to contribute.”
SUBMISSION DETAILS
Deadline: January 23, 2026
Who Should Submit: Engineers, researchers, system architects, and defense technology specialists are invited to submit abstracts addressing Europe’s new space priorities. Selected papers will be presented to Europe’s largest gathering of small satellite professionals.
Submit abstracts: https://www.smallsateurope.com/call-for-papers
Simon Payne
Satnews Publishers Inc.
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