Paris Space Week

Attendees, exhibitors & solutions

Who this event is for

Industry trends

Key trends shaping this market and its wider industry.

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A range of accommodation options near the venue and across key areas.

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Frequently asked

Glossary

1

NewSpace

The commercially funded, privately led segment of the space industry, typically characterised by smaller satellites, faster development cycles and venture or private-equity backing rather than purely institutional budgets.

2

Upstream

Space-sector activities that build and launch hardware: satellite manufacturing, payloads, launch vehicles, ground infrastructure and the components that go into them.

3

Downstream

Products and services derived from satellite capacity or data, including Earth-observation analytics, satcom services, navigation applications and geospatial software.

4

LEO

Low Earth orbit, commonly 160-2,000 km above the surface. LEO supports imaging constellations, broadband constellations and low-latency links, but satellites pass quickly and need large fleets or tracking antennas.

5

MEO

Medium Earth orbit, roughly 2,000-35,786 km. Navigation constellations such as GPS and Galileo operate in MEO, balancing coverage and latency.

6

GEO

Geostationary orbit at about 35,786 km, where a satellite matches Earth's rotation and appears fixed over one point. Used for broadcast, weather and fixed communications.

7

SSO

Sun-synchronous orbit, a near-polar orbit timed so the satellite crosses the same latitude at a similar local solar time on each pass. Common for Earth observation because lighting is consistent.

8

CubeSat

A small satellite built from standardised 10 cm cube units. CubeSat form factors reduce launch and build cost, making them common for technology demos, education and constellation pathfinders.

9

SmallSat

A satellite commonly classified as under 500 kg. SmallSats cover a wide range from CubeSat-derived platforms to compact LEO imaging and communications spacecraft.

10

Satellite bus

The platform that carries a payload and provides structure, power, attitude control, propulsion, thermal control and data handling. The bus is often procured separately from the mission instrument.

11

Payload

The mission-specific hardware on a satellite, such as an optical imager, radar, RF sensor, transponder or scientific instrument. Payload performance usually drives the satellite design.

12

Ground segment

The Earth-based part of a space system: antennas, modems, control centres, mission planning, data processing and distribution. A strong ground segment is required to turn spacecraft signals into usable products.

13

TT&C

Telemetry, tracking and command. The TT&C link lets operators monitor spacecraft health, determine orbit position and send commands.

14

SAR

Synthetic aperture radar, an active microwave imaging technique that works through cloud and darkness. SAR satellites support disaster response, maritime monitoring, defence and infrastructure inspection.

15

Hyperspectral imaging

Imaging that captures many narrow spectral bands rather than a few broad ones, allowing material and vegetation discrimination for agriculture, mining and environmental monitoring.

16

Rideshare

A launch arrangement where multiple small satellites share a primary mission's launch vehicle and are released into compatible orbits. Rideshare lowers cost but constrains orbit and schedule.

17

Constellation

A coordinated fleet of satellites designed to work together for coverage, revisit rate or redundancy. Constellation operators need scalable ground systems and high-rate manufacturing.

18

AIT

Assembly, integration and test. The stage where spacecraft components are assembled and verified through vibration, thermal-vacuum, EMC and other qualification tests before launch.

19

Cleanroom

A contamination-controlled room used for spacecraft integration and testing. Cleanroom class, particle control and humidity matter for optics, mechanisms and propulsion hardware.

20

Delta-v

The change in velocity a spacecraft can achieve, used to budget orbit transfers, station-keeping and deorbit burns. It is a core constraint in propulsion and mission design.

21

In-orbit servicing

Robotic or crewed operations that extend, repair, refuel, relocate or inspect satellites already in space. The segment includes servicing vehicles, docking hardware and mission operations.

22

Space situational awareness

Tracking and characterising objects in orbit to avoid collisions, manage radio-frequency interference and support safe operations. SSA data is increasingly commercial as well as government-run.

23

Export control

Rules governing the transfer of sensitive space technology across borders. US ITAR and EAR regimes, plus national European controls, affect component sales, technical data and teaming arrangements.

24

Ka-band and Ku-band

Radio-frequency bands used for satellite communications. Ku-band is common for broadcast and VSAT; Ka-band supports higher-throughput broadband but is more sensitive to rain fade.

25

Launch window

The time interval during which a launch can occur to reach the target orbit or meet mission constraints such as lighting, rendezvous or range availability.

26

Fairing

The protective nose cone that shields the payload during launch ascent and is jettisoned once the vehicle is above the dense atmosphere.