The €15.6B Signal: Why Sovereign Space Programs Are Now Buying Flight Heritage, Not Just Satellites
IRIS2, Europe’s sovereign satellite connectivity constellation, just moved into implementation with a budget that grew well past its original €10.55B target, and buried inside the new structure is a detail nobody was talking about a year ago: a dedicated VLEO segment. The same week, a SpaceNews op-ed built around interviews with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s leadership argued that national security doesn’t need more maps or imagery, it needs measurement. Neither piece mentions the other, but put next to each other they’re a fairly precise description of where defense and sovereign space procurement is heading, and of who gets left out of it.
IVS2026 Wraps in Kyoto: 13,000 Attendees, Space Quarters Takes LAUNCHPAD
IVS2026, Japan’s largest startup conference, wrapped after three days in Kyoto under the theme “Japan is Back,” per the organizing committee’s closing release . Some numbers from the recap: 13,000 attendees, more than 4,000 meetings booked through the event’s matchmaking system, and over 360 official side events across the city.
IVS2026 Event Report Features SATELYX's Orbital Validation Pitch
Kepple’s recap of IVS2026 in Kyoto, three days, 13,000 attendees, 340 startups, singled out SATELYX among the LAUNCHPAD international finalists. The report covers what we pitched: helping private space companies get through the valley of death between a technology that works on paper and one that’s actually flown, by offering satellite-based testing as a service. Our first satellite launch, using Japanese propulsion, is targeted for late 2027.
Bnext's IVS2026 Trends Report Cites SATELYX Among Global Finalists
Meet/bnext’s wrap-up of the IVS2026 LAUNCHPAD finals in Kyoto, written by 曾令懷 (convener of Meet’s startup desk), pulls out three trends in Japan’s startup ecosystem: international participation up to roughly 60% of teams from around 10% in prior years, a shift from blockchain and Web3 toward physical AI and deep tech such as robotics for cleaning, logistics and construction, and continued focus on social issues like elderly care.
SATELYX Named a LAUNCHPAD Finalist at IVS2026
SATELYX was named one of 15 finalists for IVS2026 LAUNCHPAD, the pitch competition at Japan’s largest startup conference, selected from more than 500 applicants for the program’s 20th-anniversary edition. We were one of only four international finalists, alongside Tofuchan, HiStranger, and Ryp Labs, in a field otherwise made up of Japanese startups.