European Space Forum 2026 Returns to Brussels at a Defining Moment for Europe’s Space Ambitions

The European Space Forum will return to Brussels on 30 June–1 July 2026 for its sixth edition, bringing together senior policymakers, industry leaders, regulators, investors, and international stakeholders for two days of high-level discussion on the future of Europe's space sector.

Moving from Vision to Execution in European Space Policy

The global space sector is undergoing a profound structural transformation, driven by commercial launch market disruptions, accelerating low-Earth orbit constellation deployments, and intensifying geopolitical competition. As space infrastructure shifts from a purely scientific pursuit to a critical asset underpinning economic resilience, digital sovereignty, and security, the European space policy agenda has entered a critical implementation phase. The fundamental challenge facing the continent is no longer defining its long-term ambitions, but ensuring it can deliver the financial resources, industrial capacity, and governance frameworks required to execute them.

To assess this transition from strategy to impact, the 6th Annual European Space Forum will convene senior stakeholders, industry executives, regulators, and international partners on 30 June–1 July 2026 in Brussels, Belgium. Operating under the central theme "Urgency and Ambition: Europe at a Crossroads," the platform provides an objective environment to examine the entire space value chain at a pivotal moment for regional autonomy.

Core Strategic Pillars of the 2026 Dialogue

The high-level proceedings will be organised around three urgent regulatory and industrial axes:

Governance and the Legislative Landscape: Panel sessions will examine the current state of play of the proposed EU Space Act. Lawmakers and legal experts, including Elena Donazzan MEP, Rapporteur on the EU Space Act, will assess how to balance harmonised safety and sustainability requirements with commercial innovation.

Financing Competitiveness: Dialogue will evaluate whether Europe’s financial ecosystem can adequately support its industrial scale-up. Participants will look at the alignment of public and private capital across flagship initiatives like Copernicus, Galileo, and the proposed European Competitiveness Fund.

Autonomous Operational Capabilities: Focused discussions will address secure multi-orbit connectivity infrastructures, such as GOVSATCOM and IRIS², alongside an evaluation of the steps required to secure sovereign, reliable access to space via European launcher capabilities and strategic spaceport infrastructure.

Strategic Foresight from Institutional Leaders

To provide baseline context across these pillars, the forum will feature keynotes and strategic interventions from prominent institutional figures. Expected speakers include Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy at the European Commission; Lorena Boix Alonso, Deputy Director General, DG DEFIS, European Commission; Aarti Holla-Maini, Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA); Rodrigo Da Costa, Executive Director of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA); and Eric Morel de Westgaver, Director of Strategy, Legal and External Matters at the European Space Agency (ESA).

Additionally, international perspectives will be provided by NOAA's Taylor Jordan, the UK Space Agency's Rebecca Evernden; the Republic of Korea's Hwang Jun-shik; and Ayman Maghrabi of Saudi Arabia's Communications, Space and Technology Commission, ensuring a comprehensive assessment of the global space economy.

Delegate Participation and Registration

The 6th Annual European Space Forum represents an essential gathering for stakeholders looking to participate in the execution of Europe's space ambitions.

To view the complete agenda, review the full list of confirmed speakers, and secure your delegate placement, visit the event website: www.euspaceforum.com