HIGHEST VALUE CONFERENCE IN 2026 PIPELINE — 7 companies scoring 18+/30 in a single two-day event. Space-Comm Expo is dominated by satellite ground segment operators — the exact organisations that handle data flows between classified and unclassified networks.
Conference Overview
Dates
4–5 March 2026 (Wednesday–Thursday)
Venue
ExCeL London, Royal Victoria Dock, London E16 1XL
DLR
Custom House station
Website
Pre-Conference Actions
Complete these actions before 4 March 2026
Meetings to Pre-Arrange
| Company | Contact | Method | Message Hook |
|---|---|---|---|
| GMV (Stand F6) | Luis Fernando Álvarez-Gascón (Secure e-Solutions GM) | LinkedIn InMail | "We've been following GMV's CosmicGuard product — we have a complementary cross-domain solution that addresses the data transfer layer CosmicGuard doesn't cover. Would love 20 minutes at Space-Comm." |
| Telespazio UK (Stand E6) | Andy Hindley (Head of Defence and Security) | LinkedIn InMail | "We understand Telespazio operates Skynet ground systems — we have a containerised cross-domain solution that deploys directly into existing Linux infrastructure. Would value a conversation at Space-Comm." |
| wolfSSL (Stand C16) | facts@wolfssl.com | "We're developing a cross-domain security product and are interested in embedding wolfCrypt FIPS 140-3 as our cryptographic layer. Could we arrange 15 minutes at your Space-Comm stand?" | |
| BAE Systems DI (Stand A69) | Existing relationship — contact via account manager | Internal | Schedule catch-up; confirm attendance at Tony Holt's Defence Theatre session (Wed 13:40) |
Research to Complete
- Download and review GMV's CosmicGuard brochure — prepare a one-page joint solution concept
- Download Viasat's BEYOND Encryption brochure
- Download Airbus Secure Gateway brochure — understand the competitor product
- Review KSAT's Hyperion announcement (Feb 2026) — prepare questions on secure data delivery architecture
- Review Celestia STS's EAGLE-1 Optical Modem datasheet
- Prepare a TrustedFilter one-pager tailored for space/satellite ground segment audiences
- Prepare business cards and printed TrustedFilter materials (minimum 50 copies)
LinkedIn Connections to Make Before the Conference
- Kata Escott CB (Airbus UK MD) — connect before the conference to warm the relationship
- Marte Indregard (new KSAT CEO, starts 26 Feb) — congratulate on appointment, mention Space-Comm attendance
- George Gardner (Celestia Group CEO) — connect and reference EAGLE-1 QKD programme
Stand Visit Priority Summary
| Priority | Company | Stand | Score | Primary Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUST-VISIT | GMV | F6 | 26/30 | Pre-arranged meeting; CosmicGuard gap conversation |
| HIGH | BAE Systems DI | A69 | Existing Partner | Relationship development; three senior speakers |
| HIGH | Telespazio UK | E6 | 21/30 | Andy Hindley — attend his session first |
| HIGH | KSAT | B51 | 21/30 | New CEO; Hyperion announcement; strategic inflection point |
| HIGH | Viasat | C22 | 20/30 | Attend David Hill's PNT session; walk to stand together |
| HIGH | Celestia / Celestia STS | F4 | 19/30 | EAGLE-1 QKD is a direct use case; Bryan Tatman confirmed at stand |
| HIGH | Angoka Limited | B41 | 18/30 | Partnership candidate; complementary technology |
| MEDIUM | Open Cosmos | C2 | 15/30 | BAE Systems warm introduction pathway |
| MEDIUM | wolfSSL | C16 | 14/30 | Technology integration conversation; FIPS 140-3 licensing |
| INTEL | Airbus D&S | J22 | Competitor | Intelligence gathering ONLY — do not lead with TrustedFilter |
Day 1 — Wednesday 4 March 2026
Key Sessions to Attend
| Time | Theatre | Session | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:20 | Keynote | "A Vision for Space" — Anita Bernie (Airbus VP Sales) | Note key themes; engage at stand J22 afterwards |
| 10:40 | Space Data Conference | "Explainable Earth Live" — James Harding (Telespazio UK) | Introduce yourself to James Harding after the session |
| 11:40 | Defence & National Security | "Implementing Resilient PNT Architectures When Sovereignty Matters" — David Hill (Viasat) | Engage David Hill immediately after; walk to stand C22 together |
| 13:40 | Defence & National Security | "Ensuring National Security Through International Collaboration" — Tony Holt & Prof. Trichas (BAE Systems DI) | EXISTING PARTNER — sit in; engage at stand A69 afterwards |
| 15:10 | Defence & National Security | "Safeguarding the Signals: UK's Strategic Investment in Resilient PNT Infrastructure" — Martin Bransby (Telespazio UK) | Engage Martin Bransby after the session |
| 16:40 | Keynote | PANEL: "Securing Space Assets and Strategic Stability" — Andrea Thompson (BAE DI), Kata Escott CB (Airbus), UK Space Command | MUST ATTEND — senior space security leadership panel |
Morning Stand Visits
| Time | Company | Stand | Key Contact | Opening Question |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00–09:30 | GMV | F6 | Luis Fernando Álvarez-Gascón / Enrique Fraga | "We've been following your CosmicGuard product — impressive work on ground segment security. We have a complementary solution that handles the cross-domain data transfer layer that CosmicGuard doesn't cover. Are you finding customers asking about that gap?" |
| 09:30–10:00 | Celestia / Celestia STS | F4 | Bryan Tatman / David Stam (confirmed at stand) | "We understand you're supplying optical modems for the EAGLE-1 QKD mission — that's a highly security-sensitive programme. How are you thinking about cross-domain security between the optical ground station network and the key management infrastructure?" |
| 10:00–10:30 | KSAT | B51 | Pål Røsjø / Owen Hart | "Congratulations on the Hyperion in-orbit relay announcement — exciting initiative. How are you thinking about securing the data relay chain from orbit to customer?" |
Afternoon Stand Visits
| Time | Company | Stand | Key Contact | Opening Question |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:10–12:40 | Viasat | C22 | David Hill (Director, Strategic Navigation Programmes) | "We noticed Viasat's encryption portfolio covers link-layer security with your Type 1 products — we provide the content inspection layer that sits alongside Type 1 encryptors to inspect and sanitise data crossing classification boundaries." |
| 13:10–13:40 | Angoka Limited | B41 | Mark Gillan (CEO) / Shadi A. Razak (CTO) | "You're securing the communications channel with Stellar Mesh — how are you handling the content inspection and policy enforcement when data crosses classification boundaries between the space segment and ground networks?" |
| 14:10–15:00 | BAE Systems DI | A69 | Tony Holt (CTO Space) / Prof. Markos Trichas | EXISTING PARTNER — "Your talk on international collaboration is very timely — coalition data sharing is one of the strongest use cases for TrustedFilter. Are there allied programmes where you'd want to propose it as the cross-domain component?" |
| 15:30–16:00 | Open Cosmos | C2 | Aleix Megias (COO) / Florian Deconinck (VP Growth) | "We noticed your Orpheus mission involves Dstl and the US Naval Research Laboratory — that's a classic cross-domain security scenario. How are you handling data transfer from the ground station to MOD/defence consumers?" |
| 16:00–16:30 | Airbus D&S | J22 | Simon Rose / Anisha Patel | INTEL ONLY: "We're a UK cybersecurity SME focused on cross-domain security for space ground segments. We're interested in understanding how Airbus approaches cross-domain data flows in UK MOD programmes." |
Day 2 — Thursday 5 March 2026
Key Sessions to Attend
| Time | Theatre | Session | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:40 | Defence & National Security | "From the Stars to the Boardroom" — Andy Hindley (Telespazio UK, Head of Defence and Security) | PRIMARY TARGET — attend; engage Andy Hindley immediately after; walk to stand E6 together |
| 12:20 | Keynote | "Leveraging Space Capabilities for UK & NATO Defence Innovation" — Dr Michael O'Callaghan (Airbus) | Competitive intelligence on Airbus's NATO/dual-use space strategy |
| 15:20 | Keynote | "The New Age of Communications: Global Connectivity without Borders" — Anthony Spouncer (Viasat) | Engage Anthony Spouncer after the session |
Morning Stand Visits
| Time | Company | Stand | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00–09:30 | GMV | F6 | Follow-up visit — deepen conversation or make first contact; propose joint solution architecture document |
| 09:30–10:00 | wolfSSL | C16 | "We're building a cross-domain security product and we're evaluating wolfCrypt FIPS 140-3 as our cryptographic layer. We'd also love to understand your customer base." |
| 10:00–10:30 | KSAT | B51 | Follow-up — request introduction to Jan Harald Solberg (VP Government Programs) |
| 10:30–11:00 | Celestia / Celestia STS | F4 | Follow-up — request introduction to Dougie Johnman (COO) or George Gardner (Group CEO) |
| 11:00–11:30 | Angoka Limited | B41 | Follow-up — discuss specific partnership models; explore joint bid opportunities |
Afternoon Stand Visits
| Time | Company | Stand | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:20–13:00 | Telespazio UK | E6 | Walk from Defence Theatre with Andy Hindley if possible; Skynet KMF cross-domain conversation |
| 13:30–14:00 | Viasat | C22 | Follow-up — discuss partner programme application |
| 14:00–14:30 | Open Cosmos | C2 | Follow-up — explore BAE Systems introduction pathway |
| 14:30–15:00 | Airbus D&S | J22 | Follow-up — explore RED Hub and supplier programme |
| 15:00–15:30 | BAE Systems DI | A69 | EXISTING PARTNER — final catch-up; agree post-conference actions |
Post-Conference Follow-Up Plan
Complete all follow-up actions within 5 working days (by 12 March 2026).
Priority 1 — Within 48 Hours (by 6 March)
| Company | Action |
|---|---|
| GMV | Send TrustedFilter technical brief with specific reference to Galileo PRS cross-domain use case; propose joint solution architecture document (CosmicGuard + TrustedFilter) |
| Telespazio UK | Send TrustedFilter one-pager tailored to Skynet/classified satcom ground systems; request technical meeting with ground systems security team |
| KSAT | Send TrustedFilter brief with specific reference to Hyperion secure data delivery use case; request introduction to Jan Harald Solberg (VP Government Programs) |
Priority 2 — Within 5 Working Days (by 12 March)
| Company | Action |
|---|---|
| Viasat | Apply to Viasat B2B and Government partner programme; send TrustedFilter brief positioning as complement to Type 1 encryption |
| Celestia / Celestia STS | Send TrustedFilter brief with specific reference to EAGLE-1 QKD ground station security; request meeting with George Gardner (Group CEO) |
| Angoka Limited | Send partnership proposal outline — TrustedFilter as content inspection layer within ANGOKA ZTM platform; propose technical call |
| Open Cosmos | Send TrustedFilter brief; explore BAE Systems introduction pathway via account manager |
| wolfSSL | Send wolfCrypt FIPS 140-3 licensing enquiry; propose co-marketing discussion |
Competitive Positioning Notes
- Against Airbus Secure Gateway: Emphasise UK sovereignty, UK NCSC accreditation pathway, lightweight containerised deployment, and SME agility. Do not engage adversarially at the conference.
- Key differentiator throughout: TrustedFilter is a Docker/OCI container — it deploys on existing Linux infrastructure with no new hardware required. This is a significant advantage over hardware-based CDS solutions.
- Space sovereignty theme: Multiple sessions address UK sovereign space capability. Strong positioning angle for TrustedFilter as a UK-developed, UK-accredited cross-domain solution.