ESA · Space

Record Participation at ESA's Industry Space Days 2026

The European Space Agency (ESA) hosted a record 3100 visitors from the European space industry at its Industry Space Days (ISD) event in the Netherlands on September 16-17. This business-to-business event is a key date for the European space calendar.

Over 100 presentations provided insights into ESA's current and future activities and procurement needs across all programs. In the business-to-business zone, approximately 1500 companies, investors, and ESA representatives held nearly 10,000 scheduled and informal meetings to discuss potential collaborations and opportunities.

The Exhibition Hall featured around 240 exhibitors, including startups from ESA's Business Incubation Centre (BIC) Village, allowing companies from ESA Member, Cooperating, and Associate States to showcase capabilities and connect.

New this year was the Technology tent, dedicated to European technologies, where companies with completed ESA Technology projects pitched their engineering solutions. ESA laboratories were also open to visitors.

Organized by ESA's SME section, the ISD aims to foster cooperation within the space sector. The record participation highlights a strong demand from industry for direct access to ESA programs, procurement information, and new business partners, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises.

This was the twelfth edition of the ISD, held every two years, intended to strengthen business collaboration among European space companies and enable ESA to communicate directly with industry.

The event was sold out, indicating high demand. ESA looks forward to the next event in 2028. Presentations and photos from the event will be made available online.

AI-samenvatting op basis van de bron.