From microgravity manufacturing to gravitational wave discovery, the 2026 Australian Space Summit & Exhibition’s final speaker additions signal the full breadth of Australia’s space ambitions
The Australian Space Summit & Exhibition 2026 is shaping up as the most intellectually ambitious gathering in the event’s history, with organisers confirming a final wave of world-class speakers set to take the stage in Sydney on 17–18 June.
The latest additions span the full arc of the space economy, from the frontier of in-space manufacturing and nuclear science applications to planetary defence, gravitational wave astronomy, global trade and autonomous operations, cementing a program that leaves virtually no corner of the sector unexplored.
Steve Kuper, Lead - Defence & Aerospace at Momentum Media said: “This final wave of speakers reflects exactly what the summit is about – connecting the dots between frontier science, sovereign capability and commercial opportunity. These are the people doing the work that will define Australia’s place in the space economy.”
Perhaps the most striking addition to the program is Dr Ioana Cozmuta, founder and CEO of G-SPACE, who will deliver a major address on Day 1 on the emergence of low-Earth orbit (LEO) as an industrial platform.
Drawing on her work spanning NASA missions, including Stardust and the Mars Science Laboratory through to ISS commercialisation, Dr Cozmuta will map the arc of LEO’s industrial expansion and make the case for why Australia must act now to secure its place in the emerging in-space manufacturing economy, particularly with astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg qualified and ready for an ISS mission.
It is a timely and provocative framing: not space as science, but space as industry.
Tickets for the Australian Space Summit & Exhibition 2026 are available here.
Dr Ceri Brenner, director of the Centre for Accelerator Science at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), joins a speaker roster that increasingly reflects the convergence of Australia’s advanced science capabilities with its space ambitions.
Her participation underscores the growing role of nuclear science and accelerator technology in enabling next-generation space instrumentation, materials testing and radiation-hardened systems, areas of growing strategic significance as sovereign capability demands intensify.
Sharan Banagiri, Research Fellow at Monash University’s School of Physics and Astronomy and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav), will trace the explosive decade of discovery since the first direct detection of gravitational waves in 2015, highlighting Australia’s pivotal role in this research, before turning to the future of space-based gravitational-wave detectors.
It promises to be one of the summit’s most compelling addresses.
Jason Held, CEO and founder of Saber Astronautics, will join a dedicated session on autonomy, AI and space operations, exploring how artificial intelligence is being applied to mission planning and real-time decision making in environments that extend beyond human oversight, from in-orbit servicing through to lunar operations.
Kuper added: “From gravitational waves to in-space manufacturing to planetary defence, the breadth of this program signals just how mature and diverse the Australian space sector has become. The conversations happening in Sydney on 17–18 June will matter.”
Tickets for the 2026 Australian Space Summit & Exhibition and full agenda information are available here.
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