Novaspace returned to CES 2026 as the exclusive content partner for space technology. For the third consecutive year, we brought our global expertise to the world’s largest tech stage, curating a half-day program focused on how space is powering the next wave of mobility, AI, connectivity, and digital transformation.
Held on January 7, the Innovations in Space Technology: Looking to the Future track brought together industry leaders, innovators, and decision-makers to examine how space capabilities are moving from orbit into real-world applications. The discussions focused on what is already being deployed, scaled, and monetized across industries, rather than on distant possibilities.
Across all conversations, one message stood out clearly: space is no longer a standalone sector. It is becoming a foundational layer of connectivity, intelligence, and resilience across the global digital economy.
Connected Cars: From Vehicles to Intelligent Platforms
The session on connected cars highlighted a fundamental shift underway in the automotive sector. Vehicles are evolving into connected, intelligent platforms, where software, data, and real-time connectivity increasingly define the user experience.
This “agentic car” model reframes how value is created. Performance is no longer measured solely in horsepower, but in a vehicle’s ability to sense, decide, and adapt in real time. Satellite connectivity emerged as a core enabler of this transformation, particularly beyond dense urban 5G coverage.
Narrowband satellite services are already supporting safety, fleet management, and operational use cases. Looking ahead, broadband connectivity will unlock richer consumer experiences and new service models. However, the primary constraint is no longer connectivity technology itself. Hardware integration, and specifically antenna design and factory-level integration at scale, will determine how quickly connected vehicle concepts translate into mass-market reality.
Direct-to-Device: Satellites Meet Smartphones
Direct-to-device connectivity was among the most closely watched topics of the track. The industry’s ambition is clear: smartphones that work everywhere, without dead zones and without dedicated hardware.
This shift moves satellites from a backup solution to a core part of the global connectivity fabric. The discussions confirmed that the D2D market will not be winner-takes-all. Multiple architectures, orbital regimes, and spectrum access models are expected to coexist, each optimized for different performance, coverage, and regulatory environments.
While narrowband services are maturing rapidly, broadband D2D will depend on constellation scale and expanded access to usable spectrum. Progress will be shaped by technical, commercial, and regulatory trade-offs, with execution determining which players reach scale first. The period between 2026 and 2028 emerged as a decisive window, when partnerships, deployments, and business models will determine whether D2D transitions from early deployments to mainstream adoption.
Inflight Connectivity: From Cost Center to Value Driver
Inflight connectivity is undergoing a similar transformation. Free or sponsored high-quality Wi-Fi is no longer viewed as a cost center, but as a driver of passenger satisfaction, loyalty, and measurable return on investment.
Improving Net Promoter Score has become a central justification for connectivity investments, supported by evolving commercial models. Hardware efficiency also plays a critical role in airline economics, with new generations of lightweight antennas delivering performance gains while reducing fuel consumption.
Looking ahead, personalization is emerging as the next monetization frontier. Tailored content, real-time updates, and proactive passenger support are turning inflight connectivity into a broader customer experience platform, reshaping how airlines think about digital services onboard.
Earth Observation and AI: From Pixels to Decisions
The Earth observation session highlighted a structural evolution of the EO market. Over the past decade, the industry has moved beyond raw imagery toward actionable intelligence.
Today, value lies less in pixels and more in timely, decision-ready insights. Advances in AI, combined with growing constellations, ground systems, and analytics capabilities, are accelerating how EO data is transformed into operational intelligence.
Broader adoption, particularly among commercial users, will depend on trust, proven accuracy, and clearer market understanding of AI-driven EO products. Governments will remain key anchor customers, relying on fast and trusted insights for national security, emergency response, and humanitarian operations.
Looking ahead, progress over the next five to ten years will hinge on overcoming technical, economic, and user-experience challenges, from on-board processing constraints and capital-intensive data upgrades to delivering AI-enabled insights that are easy to consume and operationally useful.
A Track Focused on Deployment, Not Promises
Across all sessions, a consistent theme emerged: the conversation has moved beyond concepts and visions.
The Novaspace Space Track at CES 2026 focused on deployment realities, economic impact, and strategic decision-making across mobility, aviation, connectivity, and Earth intelligence. Space technologies are no longer peripheral innovations. They are becoming embedded infrastructure shaping how industries operate, compete, and deliver value.
As these technologies scale, the differentiators will not be ambition alone, but execution: integration at scale, viable business models, and the ability to turn space-enabled capabilities into sustained operational advantage. This is where the next phase of the space economy will be defined.