Space activity across the Americas is increasingly shaped by fragmentation. Indeed, when layered atop an expanding web of bilateral and multilateral agreements, the pace of change is considerable: the FCC’s Part 100 reforms in the US are reshaping domestic licensing and orbital debris requirements, Canada’s Bill C-28 signals a recalibration of its own regulatory approach, and Brazil’s 2024 space law has established the region’s most comprehensive legal framework to date – even while other national efforts remain stalled.

This high-level opening session brings together senior policymakers, space agency leaders, and international organisations to take stock of this shifting landscape. Panellists will examine how governance and policy are evolving across the region — where frameworks are converging, where they remain stubborn, and what that means for operators working across borders. In doing so, the session will ask if collaboration is possible, or whether we’re seeing the emergence of a two-tier regulatory environment.

• What impact are recent regulatory reforms having across the Americas? Which emerging policy and regulatory frameworks are likely to have the greatest influence on the region’s future space ecosystem, and are they driving greater alignment or deeper fragmentation?
  
• With the United States, Canada and Brazil leading major regulatory reforms, are we at risk of creating a two-speed space ecosystem, with only a handful of countries setting the regulatory agenda? How can the wider region keep pace?
• Can the current patchwork of national space laws across the Americas evolve into a more coherent regulatory environment, or does it require deliberate policy coordination?
• What role should regional and international organisations play in fostering greater coordination, harmonising approaches where appropriate, and reducing unnecessary regulatory complexity?
• Which areas offer the greatest opportunity for practical regional collaboration over the next five years, whether in Earth observation, satellite connectivity, space sustainability, launch capabilities, or capacity building?
• As global competition in space intensifies, what should be the Americas’ collective vision, and how can stronger regional governance help the region become a more influential player in the global space landscape?

As access to space becomes increasingly important to national security, economic resilience, and technological competitiveness, governments across the Americas are placing greater emphasis on strategic autonomy. While sovereign launch capability is often seen as the cornerstone of space sovereignty, true autonomy extends beyond launch to encompass manufacturing, supply chains, critical infrastructure, and the ability to develop and operate national space capabilities.

As those across the region weigh their options, this session will examine what space sovereignty means in practice, using launch as a starting point to explore the wider capabilities required to build resilient and competitive national space programmes. Panellists will discuss how governments can balance strategic autonomy with regional cooperation, commercial investment, and international partnerships.

• What does space sovereignty mean in practice, and which capabilities are most critical for countries across the Americas to develop independently?
  
• Is sovereign launch capability a strategic necessity, or just one element of a broader sovereign space ecosystem that also includes satellites, manufacturing, infrastructure, and data? What about the launch bottleneck here?
  
• What should we expect of the several spaceports being developed and discussed, i.e. Peru, Dominican Republic and Ecuador? 
• How can countries build greater strategic autonomy and where should governments invest to strengthen sovereign space capabilities? What impact might a sovereignty-by-design approach have on efforts in the region?
  
• Can countries across the Americas collaborate to strengthen collective resilience and capability without compromising national sovereignty? With a rapidly expanding footprint, what impact does China have in this discussion?
  
• As global competition intensifies and third party ventures grow – i.e. Spailsail’s investment in Brazil – how can the Americas position itself as a leader in sovereign and commercially competitive space capabilities?

Satellite connectivity is entering a new phase across the Americas. Driven by next-generation constellations, direct-to-device services, advances in non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), and increasing convergence with terrestrial infrastructure, satellite is becoming an integral part of the region’s connectivity ecosystem. As preparations for WRC-27 gather pace, decisions on spectrum, regulatory frameworks, and international coordination will be critical to ensuring the next generation of satellite and terrestrial networks can coexist, scale, and meet growing demand for connectivity.

This session will explore the key trends redefining connectivity across the region, examining how governments, regulators, satellite operators, mobile network operators, and technology providers can work together to deliver resilient, affordable, and ubiquitous connectivity for citizens, businesses, and critical infrastructure.

• How has satellite connectivity evolved from a complementary technology to a core pillar of the Americas’ communications infrastructure? How can it complement terrestrial networks to deliver truly ubiquitous, resilient, and, crucially, affordable connectivity across the Americas?
  
• How can policymakers strike the right balance between enabling innovation, ensuring efficient spectrum use, and creating a predictable regulatory environment for investment?
  
• As satellite, 5G, and future 6G networks become increasingly integrated, what are the biggest technical and commercial challenges that must be overcome?
  
• What opportunities will LEO constellations, direct-to-device services, and integrated terrestrial-satellite networks create for governments, businesses, and consumers?
  
• How can stakeholders support spectrum policies that enable satellite innovation while ensuring the efficient coexistence of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks? Can we achieve regional consensus ahead of WRC-27?
  
• How can governments, operators, and industry work together to ensure satellite connectivity supports key sectors such as education, healthcare, disaster response, agriculture, and critical infrastructure?

The promise of direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity is rapidly becoming a commercial reality, but policy and regulation, not just technology, will determine how quickly and fairly it scales across the Americas. Spectrum allocation, cross-border licensing, and the pace of regulatory approval vary significantly across the region, and these differences are already shaping which markets move first and which risk being left behind.

As deployments gather pace, this fireside chat will explore the policy choices needed to scale D2D services successfully and sustainably, drawing on lessons from more developed markets. From spectrum sharing and licensing frameworks to cross-border coordination and the regulatory conditions needed to attract investment in underserved areas, the conversation will examine what governments and regulators across the region need to get right to unlock the full potential of ubiquitous connectivity.

• With national frameworks diverging across the Americas, what are the key regulatory trends shaping D2D connectivity in the region, and what lessons can other markets draw from these approaches?
  
• How can operators, satellite companies, and mobile providers build commercially viable D2D services across diverse markets in the Americas, from highly connected economies to underserved communities?
  
• What regulatory frameworks are needed to support cross-border D2D services and ensure satellite connectivity can reach underserved and remote communities across the Americas?

Earth observation has become one of the most valuable applications of space technology. Providing the data and insights needed to address some of the world’s most pressing environmental, economic, and societal challenges, the region is a leader in it’s use and development.

As demand for timely, high-quality geospatial information continues to grow, this panel will explore how governments, industry, academia, and international organisations can maximise the value of Earth observation data. Discussions will examine opportunities to improve data accessibility, strengthen regional collaboration, harness advances in artificial intelligence and analytics, and ensure that space-derived information translates into better policy, stronger resilience, and sustainable economic development.

• How can countries across the Americas better harness Earth observation data to support climate resilience, disaster response, environmental protection, and sustainable development?
  
• What are the biggest barriers to improving access to, and effective use of, space-derived data, particularly for governments and developing economies across the region?
  
• How can advances in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and commercial Earth observation services unlock greater value from satellite data for public and private users alike?
  
• What role should regional and international collaboration play in expanding data sharing, improving interoperability, and strengthening Earth observation capabilities across the Americas?
  
• Looking ahead, which emerging Earth observation applications are likely to have the greatest strategic and economic impact on the region over the next decade?

Building a competitive space economy demands sustained investment, resilient industrial capacity, and access to both public and private capital. Yet, while established markets continue to attract significant investment, many emerging space nations face challenges scaling domestic companies, developing supply chains, and building the manufacturing capabilities needed for long-term growth. 

This session explores how governments and stakeholders across the value chain can build the financial and industrial foundations for a globally competitive regional space sector. Session questions will discuss investment models, manufacturing capability, and the policies required to attract capital while building strategic resilience.

• What is the state of funding across the Americas’ space sector today, and how diverse is it – across countries, across company stages, and across sources?
  
• Is the goal for each country in the Americas to build a full, sovereign space industrial base, or is the more realistic and valuable outcome a regionally integrated ecosystem where countries specialize and depend on each other?
  
• How do we de-risk investment, and what policies have proven most effective at attracting capital into national space sectors?
  
• What is the right balance between public and private capital? What role should public funding, development finance institutions, export credit agencies, and government procurement play in accelerating commercial growth?
  
• Looking ahead, where should the Americas focus investment over the next decade to become a globally competitive and strategically resilient space region?

The region’s commercial space sector is transforming at an unprecedented pace. From the Northwest Territories to the Southern Cone, opportunities are establishing across satellite services, launch, Earth observation, in-orbit operations, and downstream applications – positioning the region as a growing hub for commercial space activity as a result.

This panel will therefore examine the actions needed to accelerate the growth of a competitive and sustainable commercial space sector. Participants will explore how policymakers can foster innovation, unlock new commercial applications and use cases, strengthen public-private collaboration, and create an enabling regulatory environment that allows businesses to scale and compete in an increasingly competitive global market.

• Where are the greatest commercial opportunities for the Americas’ space sector over the next decade, and which markets are best positioned to capture them?
  
• How can governments create regulatory, procurement, and policy frameworks that encourage innovation while providing the certainty businesses need to invest and scale?
  
• What more is needed to help emerging space companies move beyond the startup phase and become globally competitive commercial leaders?
  
• How can greater collaboration between established aerospace companies, startups, academia, investors, and government accelerate innovation and strengthen the region’s commercial space ecosystem?
  
• Which emerging applications, including satellite connectivity, Earth observation, in-orbit services, AI, and space-enabled data services, offer the greatest potential to create new markets and drive sustainable economic growth?

Space has become an openly contested domain. As work accelerates on space-based missile interceptors under the Golden Dome programme, the United States has confirmed for the first time that it has weapons in orbit. For some, this is a necessary deterrent against rivals’ counterspace capabilities; for others, a destabilising step that risks an orbital arms race and strains existing norms.

This panel will examine what an increasingly weaponised space environment means for the Americas. Speakers will consider how governments, militaries and industry can strengthen resilience and protect critical capabilities; the growing role, and exposure, of commercial operators in national security; civil-military cooperation; and whether partnerships, norms and confidence-building measures can keep pace with the technology.

• How is the strategic role of space evolving? Does the open deployment of weapons in orbit strengthen deterrence, or make conflict in space more likely?
  
• What are the greatest threats to the resilience and security of space-based infrastructure, and how can governments and industry work together to address them?
  
• How can the region strengthen cooperation on space security while balancing national sovereignty and international partnerships – namely those with China?
  
• What role should commercial space capabilities play in supporting defence and national security missions, and how can governments best leverage this growing ecosystem?
  
• As space becomes an increasingly contested domain, what practical steps should the Americas take to promote responsible behaviour, resilience, and long-term stability in outer space?

13:15 – Exploration of the Chilean National Space Center (CEN)  Los Cerrillos Air Base – Santiago