Leading in a Contested Domain | What the Future of Space Defense Needs from Its Leaders
A Breakfast Conversation hosted by Novaspace, SSPI-WISE, and Women in Aerospace (WIA)
Co-sponsored by Astranis, with additional sponsors to be announced
Tuesday, September 15, 2026 | Queen Mary Room, Hôtel du Collectionneur, Paris
Schedule:
- 7:00 AM: Doors Open & Breakfast
- 7:15 AM: Panel Discussion Begins
- 8:00 – 8:15 AM: Panel Concludes
- 8:15 – 9:00 AM: Networking
The program is designed to allow attendees to participate in the opening sessions of both World Space Business Week (WSBW) and the Space Defense & Security Summit (SDSS) while also providing dedicated time for meaningful networking and discussion.
About the Conversation
The contested domain of space is also a contested domain of ideas, instincts, and approaches to leadership.
As the space environment becomes more complex, competitive, and consequential, the sector will need leaders who can combine technical fluency and strategic judgment with communication, trust-building, adaptability, and the ability to bring people with them. Many of these so-called soft skills remain undervalued, even when they determine whether organizations collaborate effectively, recognize risk early, and make sound decisions under pressure.
Women often bring leadership approaches that widen the field of view, surface overlooked concerns, and challenge assumptions about how authority should look and sound. Those approaches do not always receive equal weight. Effective leadership in a contested domain may therefore require more than expertise and consensus-building. It may also require sharp elbows: the confidence to insist that a different analysis be heard, the persistence to keep an inconvenient question on the table, and the judgment to know when accommodation has begun to weaken the outcome.
This panel will explore the hard and soft skills the future of space defense demands, the leadership approaches the sector may still be underestimating, and how women can ensure their perspectives shape decisions rather than merely inform them.
RSVP Required
Advance registration is required. Space is limited, and attendance will be confirmed following registration.
A portion of seats has been reserved for members of participating organizations and partner networks. Remaining places are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
RSVP is required. Due to limited capacity, registration does not automatically guarantee attendance. Confirmations will be issued as capacity permits. Attendees with reserved access codes will be prioritized within the allocated seat block.