Constellations talked to the Space ISAC team about what to expect from the 2026 Value of Space Summit, what’s new about the event and what they most love about the location.

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 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.

As software-defined networking reshapes terrestrial communications, virtualization has become an essential and increasingly accepted foundation for the future of satellite ground infrastructure.

DIFI PlugFest USA 2026 will test the latest version of the DIFI standard in more realistic, end-to-end network environments, helping advance interoperability, certification and digital transformation across next-generation multi-orbit satcom systems.

AST SpaceMobile is accelerating its satellite deployment toward continuous direct-to-device coverage while expanding its ambitions in government and sovereign communications markets worldwide.

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.

As direct-to-device services evolve beyond basic coverage, balancing terrestrial and mobile satellite spectrum and navigating a complex regulatory landscape will be critical to unlocking the technology's long-term commercial potential.

Orion Space Solutions President Gregg Burgess discusses the architectural, operational and legacy-system challenges facing the U.S. Space Force as it works to integrate space capabilities across air, land, sea and cyber domains to support faster, more effective military operations.

At the 2026 Satellite Show, Constellations spoke with Blane Boynton of SES, Andrew Cavalier of ABI Research and Greg Quiggle of Kratos about developing long term 5G NTN strategies, the competitive forces driving ground system evolution and how early 5G implementations signal growing commercial readiness.

The growing shift toward virtualized, software-defined ground systems is accelerating adoption of interoperability standards like DIFI, enabling satellite operators to reduce dependence on proprietary hardware while supporting scalable multi-orbit networks, 5G NTN integration and future AI-native architectures.

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.

Univity’s proposed broadband and direct-to-device constellation reflects a new approach to satellite connectivity by putting telecom operators—not satellite providers—at the center of the value chain through a shared, wholesale space infrastructure that seamlessly extends terrestrial 5G networks into space.

ABI Research’s Rachel Kong examines how a SpaceX IPO could reshape the satellite industry, accelerating investment in next-generation constellations, direct-to-device services, orbital computing, and the convergence of satellite, telecom, cloud and AI ecosystems.

As direct-to-device satellite services move toward commercial scale, operators, regulators and mobile carriers are grappling with how spectrum rights, licensing frameworks and cross-border interference will shape the future of global connectivity. How hybrid use of terrestrial and MSS spectrum is emerging as the most practical path forward, even as questions around sovereignty, regulation and customer control remain unresolved.

Novaspace’s Nathan de Ruiter shares why the industry is moving past speculation toward real-time execution in areas like sovereign connectivity and multi-orbit strategies. Read the full interview to understand how operators are navigating a fragmented landscape defined by local regulation and the convergence of satellite and terrestrial networks.