Space ISAC’s review of 2026 threats examines how escalating geopolitical conflict, cyberattacks, AI-enabled threats, electronic warfare, supply chain vulnerabilities and increasingly contested orbits are reshaping the security and resilience of the global space sector.
NASA’s new lunar base plans could generate billions in commercial opportunities, but Artemis delays, technical challenges and continued dependence on government funding are likely to push large-scale growth of the lunar economy deeper into the 2030s.
AST SpaceMobile is accelerating its satellite deployment toward continuous direct-to-device coverage while expanding its ambitions in government and sovereign communications markets worldwide.
As Europe accelerates investment in sovereign satellite communications, IRIS², NATO’s HALO initiative and multi-orbit architectures are reshaping how governments balance resilience, security and commercial partnerships.
As rivals build resilient positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) architectures beyond GPS, experts warn the United States is falling behind due to fragmented leadership, a lack of a national backup system and slow government action.
While Europe’s HALO and IRIS² initiatives both aim to strengthen sovereign satellite communications, their ultimate success will depend on building interoperable, sovereign-controlled ground infrastructure that enables secure command, connectivity and cross-border operations.
The European Commission, ESA and the SpaceRISE consortium (SES, Eutelsat and Hispasat) have finalized the implementation agreement for Europe’s IRIS² satellite constellation, resolving months of negotiations over the program’s architecture, cost and governance.
As AI, cloud computing and cyber threats accelerate the pace of network operations, satellite communications must embrace software-defined, interoperable architectures to keep pace with modern defense and commercial requirements.
Former U.S. Air Force and Space Force General Counsel Peter Beshar explains why decades-old space treaties must evolve to address commercial space, lunar resource extraction and emerging security threats in an increasingly contested orbital environment.
