Welcome to Small Satellites Systems and Services Symposium

Space Transformation
  

Over the years, we heard several times the terms “technology innovation”, “technology disruption”, and “technology breakthrough”. Companies have been striving to stay on the cutting edge of technology, remain competitive, and to keep the right balance between cost and performance of manufactured goods.

More recently, the word ‘transformation’ has been used by CEOs to explain companies’ strategic actions to move away from their core business to avoid being wiped out by a fast-changing economy. All the sectors seem affected: retail stores stormed by the e-commerce, car manufacturers moving to sharing cars with zero emission, hospitality business introducing the concept of shared economy. Cleaner and healthier e-bikes calls for a redesign of space dedicated to personal transportation in large cities.

Transformation of economies are driven by a change in values and accelerated by new technologies: more environmentally savvy generations, such as gen-z, and constant connectivity, are driving a transformation toward a circular economy, re-use of consumer products bought on-line from home are more fashionable than shiny new garments purchased in the store downtown.

The space sector has already been affected: large telecom satellites have been impacted by the shift from direct TV broadcasting to on-line media services. Transformations in economy are profound and may happen in a blink of an eye, pushing out of business an entire market sector. Can these events be predicted; how companies can prepare themselves? Are small satellites being affected by a transformation? Or better, what combination of mentality shift and technology innovation will induce a transformation in the small satellite business.

New Space, new minds: is gen-z bringing a mentality shift in the small satellites business? Is “clean space” pushing toward a paradigm shift? how is cloud computing, AI, large telecom constellations, in-orbit transfer vehicles, and any other new technology impacting the way we design satellites and use the data they generate? Similarly, how the access to satellite data in the range of Petabyte is transforming data exploitation and generating new possible applications? Going one step further, will space transformation also affect society? How far are we from the point that Earth’s digital twin will transform the way we live on our planet and helps reaching sustainability?

A special session will be dedicated to Space Transformation. Authors are invited to send their contribution on the topic addressing any of the questions reported above.

   Programme

Authors are invited to contribute to this year’s theme Space Transformation. As in the tradition of the 4S Symposium, the selected papers will be discussed in a dedicated session on the first day of the event. 

The programme will also cover technical sessions, such as mission and system analysis, applications such as Earth observation, science, telecommunication and navigation, new technologies at system, sub-system and component level. A special session will be dedicated to small satellites access to space, addressing launchers, in-orbit transfer vehicles and platform cross-compatibility. 

A CubeSat workshop will be held in parallel to the 4S Symposium from Tuesday until Friday. 

The 4S Symposium will also host a product Exhibition. An area for hosting more than 80 exhibitors is available to display hardware, software, and services. The programme is complemented by several events providing networking opportunities.

   Key Dates

EventKey Date
Abstract Submission Deadline15 January 2024
Notification of Acceptance08 March 2024
Publication of Programme08 March 2024
Sponsorship and Exhibitor Registration Deadline31 March 2024
Presenter Registration Deadline15 April 2024
Full Paper Submission Deadline15 April 2024
Registration Deadline12 May 2024
4S Symposium26-31 May 2024

ESA Conference Bureau