Every satellite operator in low Earth orbit receives collision warnings. Most of them are false alarms. The challenge is not detecting threats but deciding which ones demand action, and the penalty for guessing wrong runs from a wasted maneuver burn to a debris-generating collision. Neuraspace, a Portuguese space traffic management company, has built an AI-driven platform designed to make that decision faster and more accurately than traditional methods.

CEO Chiara Manfletti leads a company that has grown from a European startup into a commercial space traffic management provider with constellation-scale customers and operations spanning Portugal and Luxembourg. Under her leadership, Neuraspace has positioned itself at the intersection of a regulatory push toward mandatory orbital safety and a commercial market that is only beginning to price the collision risk created by thousands of new satellites in low Earth orbit.

The company’s platform uses machine learning to process conjunction alerts and predict collision probability days earlier than traditional methods. Neuraspace introduced its Machine Learning Prediction Plots in March 2023, an industry first that gives operators advance warning to plan avoidance maneuvers rather than react under pressure. A 2023 partnership with Arcsec added star tracker-based debris detection to the system, enabling the tracking of smaller objects that conventional ground radar misses. And in January 2023, Neuraspace joined forces with Ienai Space and EnduroSat for Europe’s first orbital demonstration of an AI-based collision avoidance system, closing the loop from prediction to autonomous maneuver.

The customer list that followed validated the approach. Spire Global deployed Neuraspace’s platform across its 100-plus multipurpose satellites in April 2024, one of the first constellation-wide STM contracts in the commercial market. Sidus Space followed in September 2024, signing on for both space traffic management and launch and early operations support for its LizzieSat constellation. Neuraspace also launched a tiered SaaS model with SYNC, a free version of its platform, alongside a subscription-based PRO tier, a pricing structure designed to make basic collision awareness available to every operator while monetizing the advanced automation that constellation-scale customers need.

The company has expanded geographically to match its growing customer base. In April 2025, Neuraspace opened an office in Luxembourg and formalized a collaboration with the Luxembourg Space Agency, positioning itself alongside the concentration of satellite operators and financial institutions that make the Grand Duchy a center of European commercial space.

At SmallSat Europe, Manfletti joins a panel titled “The European Pulse: A 2026 Market Outlook for Smallsats” alongside ESA Director of Technology Dietmar Pilz, BryceTech founder and CEO Carissa Christensen, Astroscale US SVP Janna Lewis, and Cambridge Consultants’ Head of Satellite and Space Stewart Marsh. The session assesses whether Europe’s smallsat sector is maturing fast enough in the face of economic and geopolitical pressures.

Manfletti’s perspective on that question is shaped by what she sees from the operations side. Every new constellation launched into LEO adds to the traffic management burden; every sovereign buildout fragments the coordination challenge further. Europe’s smallsat ambitions depend not only on the ability to build and launch satellites but on the infrastructure to keep them from colliding. Neuraspace is betting that space traffic management becomes as essential to the orbital economy as air traffic control is to aviation. The market outlook panel will test whether the rest of the industry agrees.

By Faith Tng, Education & Professional Development Lead & Ian van den Broek, National Point of Contact for The Netherlands, Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC)

The small satellite sector continues to transform the global space industry, enabling faster innovation cycles, expanding commercial participation, and opening new pathways into space activities worldwide. As the ecosystem grows, one challenge remains central: connecting emerging talent with the organizations driving this new era of space development.

The Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) is therefore proud to announce its participation in SmallSat Europe 2026, where we will host a dedicated engagement space focused on mentoring opportunities and direct interaction between industry employers and the next generation of space professionals.

A Hub for Europe’s Expanding SmallSat Community

Taking place May 26–28, 2026, at the RAI Convention Centre in Amsterdam, SmallSat Europe has become one of Europe’s leading gatherings dedicated to small satellite innovation. The event convenes engineers, startups, established aerospace companies, investors, agencies, and policymakers to explore advances shaping modern space missions.

As small satellites increasingly support communications, Earth observation, security applications, and scientific research, events like SmallSat Europe play a critical role in connecting technology development with workforce growth. The 2026 edition is expected to welcome thousands of participants and a growing exhibition presence, reflecting the continued expansion of Europe’s commercial space ecosystem.

SGAC: Connecting Talent with Opportunity

The Space Generation Advisory Council represents students and young professionals to the global space community, including the United Nations, industry, academia, and space agencies. Founded following recommendations from UNISPACE III, SGAC works to empower emerging leaders and foster international collaboration in the peaceful uses of outer space.

With over 39,000 members spanning more than 160 countries, SGAC has become a unique global talent network—bringing together engineers, scientists, policy specialists, entrepreneurs, and business professionals at early stages of their careers.

Creating Direct Pathways Between Industry and Emerging Talent

At SmallSat Europe 2026, SGAC’s dedicated space will serve as a meeting point where companies and organizations can engage directly with this international talent pool.

Throughout the conference, participating companies will have opportunities to connect with SGAC members through mentoring discussions, informal networking sessions, and career-focused exchanges. The goal is simple: reduce barriers between employers and emerging professionals by creating accessible, human-centered conversations within the conference environment.

For young professionals, these interactions provide insight into industry needs, hiring expectations, and evolving career pathways. For companies, the space offers access to a diverse and globally connected community of motivated candidates actively contributing to space projects and initiatives.

Strengthening the Workforce Behind the SmallSat Revolution

The success of the small satellite sector depends not only on technological advancement but also on building a sustainable and inclusive workforce capable of supporting long-term growth.

By integrating mentoring and recruitment engagement directly into SmallSat Europe, SGAC aims to help companies discover new talent while enabling young professionals to transition more effectively into the global space industry.

Events like SmallSat Europe demonstrate how conferences can serve as catalysts not only for innovation and partnerships, but also for workforce development and community building across generations.

We look forward to welcoming attendees to Amsterdam and collaborating with industry partners to empower the people who will shape the future of the small satellite ecosystem.

Delegates can register for the event at: https://bit.ly/sgacxsmallsateu26

For queries on participation: sgac-smallsateu@spacegeneration.org

Exolaunch has been selected by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to provide satellite deployment services for the upcoming Kakushin Rising mission, as announced on April 2, 2026.

This mission, which is part of JAXA’s Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-4 program, is scheduled to launch no earlier than April 23, 2026, aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand. Exolaunch will utilize its advanced EXOpod NOVA deployers to release eight separate spacecraft once they reach their target sun-synchronous orbit.

The Kakushin Rising mission serves as an on-orbit demonstration platform for various Japanese universities, research institutes, and private companies. The eight satellites being deployed—MAGNARO-II, KOSEN-2R, WASEDA-SAT-ZERO-II, FSI-SAT2, OrigamiSat-2, Mono-Nikko, ARICA-2, and PRELUDE—include a diverse range of technological experiments. Notable among these are an ocean-monitoring satellite, a demonstrator for ultra-small multispectral cameras, and a specialized satellite featuring a deployable antenna that utilizes origami-style folding to remain compact during launch before expanding to twenty-five times its size in orbit.

These satellites were originally intended to launch on a Japanese Epsilon-S rocket, but significant delays in that program following multiple test-firing failures led JAXA to reassign the mission to Rocket Lab’s Electron. Exolaunch’s involvement goes beyond providing hardware, as the company is also responsible for end-to-end mission integration services. The final integration of the eight spacecraft took place at the University of Auckland in New Zealand before they were transported to the Māhia launch site for final preparations.

The selection of Exolaunch for this mission underscores the growing demand for flexible and reliable launch integration services as small satellite activity expands across Asia. The EXOpod NOVA deployers are particularly suited for this task, as they allow for increased satellite mass and volume compared to previous standards, enabling more complex and powerful designs. This mission marks another milestone in the collaboration between international space agencies and commercial deployment specialists, further streamlining the process of getting innovative technology into a functional orbital environment.

On March 31, 2026, Delta Air Lines announced a major new partnership with Amazon Leo, formerly known as Project Kuiper, to provide high-speed, low-latency Wi-Fi across a significant portion of its fleet. This deal marks a significant challenge to SpaceX’s Starlink, which has recently dominated the aviation sector through agreements with United Airlines, Southwest, and Alaska Airlines.

Under the terms of the agreement, Delta will initially install Amazon Leo terminals on 500 of its aircraft starting in 2028. The service is expected to remain free for all Delta SkyMiles members, continuing the airline’s commitment to gate-to-gate complimentary connectivity.

Deepening the Amazon Ecosystem Integration

Delta officials noted that the choice of Amazon Leo was largely driven by the airline’s existing, long-standing relationship with Amazon Web Services (AWS). By selecting Leo, Delta plans to integrate satellite connectivity with its cloud-based operations and artificial intelligence tools to enhance the entire travel journey, from baggage tracking to real-time flight updates.

The agreement also includes a content partnership, where Amazon-exclusive media and entertainment will be promoted through Delta’s seatback screens. Delta CEO Ed Bastian described the deal as providing the most cost-effective and fastest technology available to ensure the airline remains a leader in onboard digital experiences.

Technical Performance and Terminal Hardware

The connectivity will be powered by Amazon’s Leo Ultra antenna, a purpose-built phased array system designed specifically for the aviation market. This hardware is capable of supporting download speeds up to 1 Gbps and upload speeds of 400 Mbps, effectively bringing terrestrial-grade fiber speeds to the cabin.

Unlike traditional geostationary (GEO) satellites that orbit at high altitudes, the Amazon Leo constellation operates in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), approximately 370 miles above the planet. This proximity reduces latency by more than 50 times compared to legacy systems, enabling passengers to stream 4K video, play online games, and participate in video calls without the lag typical of older in-flight Wi-Fi.

The Constellation Race: Amazon vs. SpaceX

The Delta contract represents a critical win for Amazon as it races to meet federal deployment deadlines. While Starlink already has thousands of operational satellites and an active global service, Amazon’s Leo constellation is still in its early build-out phase.

• Current Deployment: As of late March 2026, Amazon has launched approximately 214 satellites since its first production batch in April 2025.
• Target Milestones: Amazon aims to have roughly 700 satellites in orbit by mid-2026 to achieve initial commercial service.
• FCC Deadlines: The company is currently under pressure to meet a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandate to deploy half of its 3,232-satellite constellation by July 30, 2026.

Despite recent launch delays due to weather and rocket availability, Amazon plans to double its launch cadence over the next 12 months, with more than 20 missions scheduled using ULA’s Atlas V, Arianespace’s Ariane 6, and SpaceX’s Falcon 9.

On March 29, 2026, SpaceX reported an on-orbit anomaly involving Starlink satellite 34343, resulting in a total loss of communications at an altitude of approximately 560 kilometers. Shortly after the event, the commercial space-tracking firm LeoLabs confirmed the detection of a large cluster of small objects in the satellite’s immediate vicinity, indicating a fragmentation event.

SpaceX stated that the incident poses no immediate risk to the International Space Station (ISS) or the upcoming Artemis II crewed mission. While the cause remains under investigation, industry analysis suggests the debris was likely generated by an internal energetic source—such as a battery or propulsion tank failure—rather than an external collision.

Fragmentation Event and Orbital Risks

This incident marks the second Starlink fragmentation event in less than four months, following a similar anomaly with Starlink satellite 35956 in mid-December 2025. These recurring malfunctions have intensified industry scrutiny regarding the long-term sustainability and safety of mega-constellations in low Earth orbit.

While Starlink satellites are designed to fully demise upon atmospheric reentry, uncoordinated fragmentation events create a temporary field of trackable and untrackable debris. Because this latest event occurred at 560 kilometers—a relatively high altitude within the Starlink shells—atmospheric drag is less intense than at lower altitudes, meaning fragments may persist for several months before decaying.

Comparison of Recent Starlink Anomalies

Strategic Constellation Reconfiguration

In response to growing orbital congestion and the challenges of debris mitigation, SpaceX recently initiated a massive reconfiguration of its fleet. Throughout 2026, the company plans to lower approximately 4,400 satellites from the 550-kilometer shell to a new operational altitude of 480 kilometers. This lower altitude ensures that failed satellites or debris will experience higher atmospheric drag and re-enter the atmosphere more quickly, reducing the long-term collision risk for other operators.

SpaceX has reiterated its commitment to space safety, highlighting that its fleet currently maintains high reliability across more than 10,000 active units. The company is actively working to determine the root cause of the 34343 anomaly and has pledged to implement corrective software or hardware actions across the rest of the constellation to prevent similar failures.

On March 30, 2026, WISeKey International Holding Ltd announced that its space-focused subsidiary, WISeSat.Space, successfully deployed its 21st satellite into Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

The satellite was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of a rideshare mission from Cape Canaveral, Florida. This milestone reinforces the company’s position in the rapidly growing satellite-based Internet of Things (IoT) market.

The newly deployed satellite is part of a strategic roadmap to provide secure, global connectivity for industrial and government assets. By utilizing a picosatellite form factor, WISeSat.Space is able to maintain a high-cadence deployment schedule while minimizing launch costs. The mission successfully achieved orbital insertion, and ground teams have established stable communications with the spacecraft.

Secure IoT and Cryptographic Integration

A key differentiator for the WISeSat constellation is the integration of WISeKey’s proprietary cryptographic “Root of Trust” technology. This hardware-based security layer ensures that data transmitted from IoT sensors on the ground to the satellite—and back to end-users—remains encrypted and authenticated.

The system is designed to support a variety of use cases, including:

• Maritime and Logistics: Real-time tracking of containers and vessels in remote oceanic regions.
• Agriculture: Monitoring soil moisture and crop health in areas without terrestrial cellular coverage.
• Infrastructure: Securing data transmission from remote energy grids and water management systems.
• Environmental Monitoring: Collecting data from climate sensors in polar or high-altitude environments.

Strategic Partnership and Launch Dynamics

The continued use of SpaceX for constellation deployment highlights the current reliance on high-cadence, heavy-lift providers to clear payload backlogs. As WISeSat.Space scales toward its goal of a full operational constellation, the ability to secure frequent launch slots is critical for maintaining network latency and coverage targets.

The launch also marks a deeper collaboration between WISeSat.Space and its manufacturing partners. Each successive satellite in the series features iterative improvements in power management and software-defined radio (SDR) capabilities, allowing for more efficient spectrum utilization and higher data throughput for low-power sensors.

Executive Perspective

“The successful launch of our 21st satellite is a testament to the scalability of our secure IoT platform,” said Carlos Moreira, Founder and CEO of WISeKey. “By combining our long-standing expertise in cybersecurity with advanced picosatellite technology, we are providing a unique, end-to-end secure communication channel that addresses the vulnerabilities of traditional terrestrial networks.”

Constellation Roadmap

WISeSat.Space intends to continue its phased deployment approach throughout 2026 and 2027.

On March 26, 2026, Syntiant Corp. and Novi Space announced the successful in-orbit demonstration of real-time AI object detection on a commercial satellite. The collaboration validated that ultra-low-power, quantized neural networks can perform high-accuracy computer vision tasks in the extreme resource constraints of Low Earth Orbit (LEO), where both onboard compute power and communications bandwidth are severely limited.

By processing imagery directly on the satellite, the system identifies targets such as ground vehicles and ships in real time. This “edge AI” approach eliminates the need to downlink massive volumes of raw data to Earth, significantly reducing latency and operational costs while providing actionable intelligence faster than traditional ground-based processing methods.

The in-orbit demonstration represents a critical shift in how space agencies and commercial operators manage data. By moving the “brain” of the satellite from the ground to the spacecraft itself, the partnership addressed two of the most significant barriers in modern space operations: limited communication bandwidth and the “data graveyard” problem, where 90% of captured satellite imagery is never analyzed due to high downlink costs.

Technical Breakthrough: The SP240 Space-Edge Computer

The demonstration was executed on Novi Space’s SP240 onboard computer, which features an AMD Versal adaptive SoC powered by a dual-core ARM Cortex-A72 processor. This flight-qualified hardware utilized Syntiant’s proprietary development tools to deploy a suite of quantized vision models optimized for minimal memory and power consumption.

A key differentiator of the test was the ability to retrain and redeploy AI models in less than 24 hours. This rapid-cycle capability allows satellite operators to adapt to evolving mission needs—such as switching from maritime ship detection to terrestrial vehicle tracking—without ending the mission or requiring hardware modifications.

Details of the In-Orbit Demo

The demonstration utilized a commercial satellite equipped with the Novi Space SP240 space-edge computer. This hardware is specifically designed for the harsh environment of Low Earth Orbit (LEO), featuring radiation-hardened components that prevent the “bit flips” and hardware failures typically caused by cosmic rays.

• Real-Time Inference: Syntiant’s quantized neural network (QNN) models performed autonomous object detection, identifying ground vehicles and maritime ships directly from the raw sensor feed.
• Edge Processing vs. Traditional Downlink: Instead of sending a high-resolution image (which could be several hundred megabytes), the satellite sent only the “metadata”—essentially a small text packet confirming the object’s coordinates and type.
• Model Agility: A core achievement was the ability to retrain and “hot-swap” AI models in under 24 hours. This allows a satellite to switch its mission—for example, shifting from wildfire detection to urban traffic monitoring—without needing to be decommissioned or physically altered.

Strategic Context and ‘GENIE’ Platform

Novi Space is positioning this capability as part of its open-access GENIE platform, which aims to transform satellites from simple “cameras in the sky” into intelligent, autonomous systems. By reducing the “needle in the haystack” problem of satellite data—where only a small fraction of captured imagery contains useful information—Novi and Syntiant are enabling a shift from simple Earth Observation to true Geo-Intelligence.

Syntiant, which has deployed over 100 million physical AI solutions globally, is leveraging this milestone to extend its “Edge AI” footprint into the burgeoning orbital data center market. The partnership highlights a trend toward decentralized space architectures where intelligence lives exactly where the data is generated.

Executive Perspective

“Our collaboration with Novi shows that advanced AI can operate in the highly constrained environment of space,” said Ethan Wais, GM of Federal at Syntiant. “Using our development tools, we trained and optimized multiple computer vision models and deployed them to run efficiently onboard a commercial satellite, despite the limited bandwidth in LEO.”

“By running Syntiant’s optimized AI models onboard our satellite systems, we significantly reduce bandwidth requirements while enabling faster, more informed decision-making for space-based missions,” said Michael Bartholomeusz, CEO at Novi Space. “Just as importantly, the ability to retrain and redeploy these models in less than 24 hours allows satellites to quickly adapt to evolving mission needs.”

Proliferated Edge Compute

The success of this demonstration paves the way for the fractional leasing of space-based infrastructure. Novi Space plans to expand its GENIE constellation to enable daily revisit rates anywhere on Earth by the end of 2028, offering developers and government agencies the ability to deploy their own AI-driven applications directly onto existing orbital compute layers.

On March 24, 2026, Novaspace released the 8th edition of its High Throughput Satellites (HTS) report, detailing a seismic shift in satellite communication economics driven by the rapid maturation of Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) constellations. The study projects that HTS service revenues will more than double over the next decade, rising from just under $31 billion in 2025 to $76 billion by 2034.

This growth is anchored by a fundamental redistribution of market share. While NGSO systems accounted for 36% of service revenues in 2025, they are anticipated to capture 80% of total revenues by 2034. This transition marks the end of the “Capacity Era” and the beginning of a service-centric market where vertical integration and integrated user experience are the primary drivers of value.

The Starlink Effect and Capacity Economics

The report identifies Starlink as the primary catalyst for the industry’s current structural transformation. By combining lower-cost capacity—with pricing benchmarks now falling below $0.30 per GB—with rapid global scaling, the SpaceX-owned constellation has reset competitive thresholds for both commercial and government operators.

This massive influx of supply is reflected in global demand forecasts, which are set to reach 218 Terabits per second (Tbps) by 2034. Critically, NGSO systems are expected to supply 98% of this total capacity, forcing traditional Geostationary (GEO) operators to pivot their long-term infrastructure strategies.

GEO Adaptation: Flexibility and Sovereignty

To remain competitive in a market dominated by low-latency NGSO supply, GEO operators are shifting toward software-defined payloads and lower-CAPEX Small GEO platforms. These technologies allow operators to reallocate throughput dynamically to high-value areas like Aero IFC (In-Flight Connectivity) and Maritime Satcom, where GEO still maintains a significant role in hybrid network architectures.

Beyond pure economics, the report highlights that differentiation is increasingly tied to security and sovereignty. As geopolitical tensions rise, defense and government agencies are prioritizing resilient, mission-critical connectivity that utilizes novel spectrum and hardened network architectures. This trend is accelerating a 160% projected surge in defense-aligned satellite launches through the mid-2030s.

Executive Perspective

“Starlink’s impact has been catalytic,” said Dimitri Buchs, Managing Consultant at Novaspace. “The combination of lower-cost capacity, rapid scaling, and improved service quality has set new competitive thresholds. This shift is pushing the entire satcom ecosystem to innovate, differentiate, and redefine their strategic positioning. Operators that can combine scale with flexibility will be best positioned to capture this expanding market.”

The Terabit Era and Ecosystem Coordination

The transition to a 200+ Tbps market requires a higher degree of coordination across the space and terrestrial ecosystems. Novaspace underscores that success in the next decade will depend on multi-orbit interoperability and the adoption of converged network standards like 5G-NTN.

• 2025–2027: High-growth focus on Land Mobility and tactical MilSatCom.
• 2028–2030: Plateauing of laser terminal costs enabling broader NGSO democratization.
• 2034 Target: HTS market maturation at $76 billion with NGSO-dominant supply chains.

The report concludes that the winners in this transformed landscape will be those that innovate at the terminal and user-experience layers, effectively blending satellite connectivity into a seamless global telecommunications fabric.