Monday, October 05, 2026
SATExpo 2026
Satellite and space technology expo and summit for operators, government buyers, defence and enterprise across MEASA.
Date and Time
October 5 · 10am - October 7 · 4pm GMT+4
Location
Dubai Exhibition Centre (Expo City Dubai)
Expo Road (E77), Expo City Dubai
About This Event
SATExpo 2026 is a Telecommunication event taking place 5-7 Oct 2026 at Dubai Exhibition Centre (Expo City Dubai), Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
SATExpo is the UAE's trade exhibition and summit for the satellite communications and space technology sector, run by Dubai World Trade Centre alongside CABSAT. It brings satellite operators, ground-segment and terminal makers, space-tech startups and investors together with government, military and enterprise buyers from the Middle East, South Asia and Africa (MEASA), and moves to the South Halls of Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai for 2026.
Who attends
The show targets corporate buyers, government delegations and decision-makers who procure satellite-enabled services. The organiser says more than half of its audience comes from government, military and enterprise buying entities.
- Defence and government
- Telecom operators
- Transport and logistics
- Oil, gas and mining
- Agriculture and environment
- Disaster response units
What's on the show floor
Alongside the exhibition, SATExpo runs several programmes designed around meetings and new technology.
- SATExpo Summit: two days of strategic and technical sessions
- Satellite Innovation Showcase: payloads, antennas, terminals and ground systems
- Matchmaking programme connecting exhibitors with buyers and operators
- Startup Zone for space-tech startups
- Space-tech demos in Earth observation and AI-driven analytics
- Hosted buyers programme
SATExpo Summit 2026
The free summit runs on 6 and 7 October on the ContentVerse stage. Sessions cover AI in orbit and physical AI, direct-to-device connectivity, multi-orbit networks, space sustainability and orbital debris, sovereign Gulf space programmes, satellite security for national defence, space investment returns and the business case for deep space. Speakers include executives from Space42, Eutelsat, EDGE, AsiaSat and CNES, plus the UAE's TDRA.
Key figures
The organiser expects more than 8,000 visitors, 150+ satellite, space and connectivity exhibitors, 80+ speakers and attendees from 70+ countries.
Co-located with CABSAT
SATExpo runs alongside CABSAT, DWTC's broadcast, content and media technology show, so one visit covers both satellite and media-tech suppliers.
Tickets & passes
- Visitor Pass — Free: Free entry to the exhibition and the SATExpo Summit sessions
Agenda
Tuesday, October 6
11:00 AM – 11:30 AM
ContentVerse stage
Fireside Chat | Built to Adapt: When the Network Drops Out, Physical AI Takes Over
As space missions push further from Earth, sending intelligent physical machines that can build, repair and adapt on their own is fast becoming real. This fireside chat looks at Physical AI - machines that can sense, decide and act entirely on their own - and why it may be the missing piece of truly intelligent infrastructure. But the question remains, are we truly brave enough to trust them 100%?
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM
ContentVerse stage
Fireside Chat | Two Nations, One Bet: Inside the Malaysia-UAE Vision for a New Space Power Bloc
Space City Asia is more than an infrastructure project; it is a statement of intent from two nations betting big on their place in the new space order. This conversation asks what it really takes to turn that ambition into lasting influence, and why this partnership could become a model for how mid-sized nations compete on the global stage.
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
ContentVerse stage
Fireside Chat | Direct-to-Device: Separating the Business Case from the Hype
The D2D promise is simple: coverage everywhere, even where towers do not reach. The open question is whether it actually makes money. This session will look into whether Direct-to-Device is a genuine new revenue stream or simply an additional expensive distraction?
12:30 PM – 1:10 PM
ContentVerse stage
Fireside Chat | From Pixels to Decisions: AI's New Role in Space
Satellites are no longer just capturing the planet; they are starting to understand what they see. As AI moves onboard, operators are closing the gap between a raw image and an actionable alert, turning what used to take hours of ground processing into minutes. This session looks at how AI-enabled Earth intelligence is reshaping what's possible in orbit, grounded in a live example: Orbitworks' Altair-1, the UAE's first commercial AI-enabled satellite, which reached orbit on October 1st.
1:10 PM – 1:55 PM
ContentVerse stage
Panel Session | AI in Orbit: From Automating Operations to Trusting the Machine
Artificial Intelligence already runs the day-to-day operations of many satellite fleets, deciding routes and spotting problems faster than any person could. That raises a genuinely hard question for leadership: how much decision-making are you comfortable handing to a machine? This panel brings together operators and technologists to debate where AI earns its keep, and where human judgement still needs to stay in the loop.
1:55 PM – 2:25 PM
ContentVerse stage
Fireside Chat | Trusted Orbits: What the UAE-Japan Space Framework Means for Secure, Connected Infrastructure
As nations race to build faster, smarter space networks, the UAE and Japan are betting that trusted partnership, not just technology, is what keeps critical infrastructure both connected and secure. This fireside chat looks at how the UAE-Japan Cooperation Framework is shaping a model for intelligent space infrastructure that nations can rely on without compromising sovereignty or security.
2:25 PM – 3:10 PM
ContentVerse stage
Panel Session | The Multi-Orbit Reality: Why Businesses Are Betting on More Than One Network
Companies used to pick one satellite network and stick with it. Now, more are combining networks across different orbits, so they are not caught out if one goes down. Mixing networks sounds smart, but it also means juggling different providers, different equipment and different contracts at the same time. This panel looks at how much extra complexity is worth taking on for the sake of backup coverage, and how leading operators are managing it in practice.
3:10 PM – 3:40 PM
ContentVerse stage
Fireside Chat | The Interoperability Problem: Why Networks Still Struggle to Talk to Each Other
Different satellite operators often use different equipment and technical standards, which makes it hard for their networks to work together. For a customer, that can mean being stuck with one provider or paying extra to bridge the gap between systems that should just connect. This discussion will ask what it would take to make satellite networks as easy to combine as different mobile phone networks are today.
3:40 PM – 4:10 PM
ContentVerse stage
Fireside Chat | Space Sustainability: Understanding the Real Risk of a Crowded Orbit
Space is getting crowded. There are tens of thousands of tracked objects in orbit and many more too small to track, each one a potential collision risk to satellites worth hundreds of millions. Insurers are already pricing that risk into premiums and operators are being forced to rethink how they plan, insure and protect their assets. This session is a practical look at how big the risk really is, how liability gets decided when something goes wrong, and what it means for the cost of doing business in space.
Wednesday, October 7
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM
ContentVerse stage
Panel Session | Sovereign Skies: Can the Gulf Turn National Space Ambition Into Collective Strength?
Every Gulf nation wants to own its place in space, but the bigger prize, real regional security and influence, may only come from acting together rather than alone. This panel brings together senior GCC space and policy leaders to debate whether national pride and collective strategy can coexist, and what it would take for the Gulf to speak with one voice in the new space order.
11:45 AM – 12:15 PM
ContentVerse stage
Fireside Chat | Beyond GEO vs LEO: Building Resilient Multi-Orbit Networks for the Next Era of Connectivity
The discussion would focus on how the industry moves beyond thinking of GEO, LEO, D2D and terrestrial networks as competing technologies but rather toward an integrated and resilient communications architecture. This session will explore the engineering and strategic considerations around mission-critical connectivity, sovereignty, network resilience, interoperability, and the practical realities of taking D2D and multi-orbit connectivity from technology demonstrations into dependable services.
12:15 PM – 1:00 PM
ContentVerse stage
Panel Session | Show Me the Money: Where Space Investment Actually Delivers Returns
Billions of dollars are pouring into the space sector every year, but not every dollar is making money. Some parts of the industry, like satellites and hardware, are expensive and slow to pay back. Other parts, like data and software, are quietly generating strong, repeatable returns. Investors and operators separate what is genuinely profitable today from what is still running on promise and headlines.
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM
ContentVerse stage
Fireside Chat | Securing Satellite Communications for National Defence and Security
Military and government communications increasingly rely on the same commercial satellite networks that businesses use, which makes those networks a target. Jamming, cyberattacks and even direct attacks on satellites are now real, documented threats, not just theoretical ones. How are governments and operators building networks tough enough to keep working through a crisis, using stronger encryption, smarter threat detection, and designs built to survive an attack?
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM
ContentVerse stage
Fireside Chat | Beyond Earth Orbit: Is There a Real Business Case for Deep Space Yet?
Human spaceflight and deep space missions attract huge amounts of money and headlines, but it is fair to ask whether they attract genuine returns. Some leaders see this as the next great investment frontier. Others see it as a costly distraction from nearer-term opportunities already on the table. This closing session puts that question directly to today's most senior investors and operators, as a final gut-check before the summit ends.
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Details are collected from the organizer’s official site, satexpome.com.
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Monday, October 05, 2026
SATExpo 2026
Satellite and space technology expo and summit for operators, government buyers, defence and enterprise across MEASA.
Dubai Exhibition Centre (Expo City Dubai)
Expo Road (E77), Expo City Dubai
October 5 · 10am - October 7 · 4pm GMT+4
SATExpo 2026