9 New Faces for SATShow Week 2026

Every year, SATShow Week brings together the newsmakers of the satellite industry all in one place. Now with GovMilSpace in its second year, the program features more military speakers and more defense-focused programming. This year’s program features a number of new faces in the investment arena, new C-suite leaders, and founders of startups on the rise.

Ellen Chang, Managing Director, CapZone

Ellen Chang, managing director of CapZone Impact Investments, brings an investment perspective that encompasses maritime, space, and energy sectors. At CapZone, she spearheads the firm’s initiatives that align with the theme of “reindustrialization.” In a recent piece, Chang points out that the ground component of space infrastructure is just as important to realizing the future space economy, such as launch sites, power grids and computing infrastructure. “The success of space ventures over the next decade will depend at least as much on what we build on Earth as what we launch into orbit. If we want the space economy to move from hype to durable value, we need a parallel focus on terrestrial infrastructure,” Chang wrote. She will dig into this issue on a panel alongside investment experts from aviation, space, and digital infrastructure. — Building the Foundation: Terrestrial Infrastructure Financing for Space, Monday 9:30 a.m., Room 145 A/B

Ian Cinnamon, Co-founder and CEO, Apex

Scale is currently the hottest word in satellite manufacturing. How does the industry scale manufacturing to keep pace with proliferated constellations? Apex was founded with a focus on this question. The startup has been working to scale for national security demand — last year Apex opened its new Factory One in Los Angeles and introduced the Comet bus aimed at architectures like Golden Dome. Interestingly, Apex is planning to actually deploy multiple prototype missile interceptors in orbit in a commercially-funded mission. “Apex isn’t waiting for handouts or contracts; we are developing this Orbital Magazine technology on our own dime,” CEO and co-founder Ian Cinnamon said at the time. Apex has a lot of momentum, the company had an eye-catching fundraising streak last year as investors poured $400 million into the company to fuel its manufacturing build-out. Cinnamon will appear on a Tuesday panel focused on bus manufacturing for defense and national security programs. — Spacecraft Buses for Defense and National Security: Vertical Integration or Productized, Monday 2:35 p.m., Room 146 BC

Robin Dickey, Director of Policy and Government Affairs, Slingshot Aerospace

The complexities involved with integrating a next-generation sensor architecture for missile defense will be one of the key topics of discussion during this year’s GovMilSpace program. Robin Dickey, director of Policy and Government Affairs at Slingshot Aerospace, will speak to this topic alongside experts from Northrop Grumman and L3Harris. Dickey is an internationally recognized expert in national security space policy and norms of behavior for space. She has deep policy experience through her previous work as a military legislative assistant for a member of Congress, and work with The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy. — Integrated Sensors for National Missile Defense, Monday 9:30 a.m., Room 147 A/B

Jean-Francois Fallacher, CEO, Eutelsat

Eutelsat CEO Jean-Francois Fallacher will be the new face on this year’s Tuesday Opening General Session, in his first appearance at SATShow Week alongside the CEOs of other top satellite operators. Before joining Eutelsat less than a year ago, Fallacher had a long career with French telecom Orange. He worked with Orange subsidiaries across Europe and served as CEO of Orange France for two years, and his appointment signals Eutelsat aligning closer with the telecoms industry. After Fallacher became CEO, Eutelsat completed a large capital raise with the French government taking a larger share in the company. Eutelsat is investing in its Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) future with OneWeb, now with 440 satellites on order to refresh the constellation. It will be interesting to hear from Fallacher for the first time at SATShow on his views for the future outlook of the French operator. — SATShow Week's Tuesday Opening General Session: Industry Leaders Forecast, Tuesday 9:00 a.m., Ballroom A, Level 3

Brig. Gen. Nick Hague, Assistant Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, U.S. Space Force Headquarters

Over the past six years since its inception, the U.S. Space Force has been on a journey from concept to readiness. Yet the Space Force is not necessarily widely understood by the public or even parts of the space industry that don’t work closely with the Space Force. At the same time, its work is ever more important as space is now recognized as a decisive, warfighting domain. Space Force Brig. Gen. Nick Hague, who serves as assistant deputy chief of space operations for Operations, will be a part of a discussion about how the U.S. Space Force has evolved, the roles and responsibilities of the service’s various commands, and what it means for space to be considered a warfighting domain. In his role, Hague is responsible for the development and implementation of policy for all U. S. Space Force global operations, sustainment, training and readiness. He is also known for his experience as an astronaut. During his astronaut career with NASA, Hague flew on two spaceflight missions where he spent a total of 374 days in space, including multiple spacewalks. Former NASA Administrator Jim Birdenstine will moderate the discussion, which also includes retired Col. Lee Rosen, now CEO of ThinkOrbital. — Illuminating the U.S. Space Force, Monday 10:45 a.m., Room 147 A/B

Luis Mayo, CEO of Hispasat

When Spanish defense and tech conglomerate Indra Group acquired the majority stake in Hispasat last year, the company appointed Luis Mayo to lead Hispasat. Mayo is the former director of Indra Space. He has deep experience in European space programs and previously served as CEO of the GMV Group and as president of Galileo Sistemas y Servicios, where he helped develop Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system. Hispasat is at an interesting juncture under Mayo’s leadership, as Indra Group plans to expand its role in Europe’s space sector and provide end-to-end capabilities across the value chain, ranging from civil-military products for secure satellite communications, observation, and navigation. Mayo, who is on the GSOA governance team, will appear on a Tuesday panel hosted by GSOA Director General Isabelle Mauro, alongside other speakers from Ovzon, ST Engineering iDirect, and Kratos. — Innovating at Speed - Keeping Pace with Space Race, Tuesday 1:45 p.m., Room 147 A/B

Barbara Pareglio, Senior Technical Director for Smart Mobility, GSMA

With more than 20 years of experience in the mobile industry, Barbara Pareglio is well versed in the tech evolution of mobile networks, and how satellite connectivity plays a role. She currently has a focus on connectivity to support unmanned aircraft and aviation in general, and has served as technical lead in key areas like 5G, IoT, and automotive. GSMA has worked more closely with the satellite industry in recent years as satellite has been adopted into 3GPP standards. Pareglio and colleague Dr. Michael Charitos, technical director for GSMA, will share practical insights from the GSMA NTN Community, exploring where satellite-enabled NTN stands today and what is required to scale and commercialize it successfully. — Opportunities and Challenges in Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), Monday, 3:15 p.m., Room 146A

Lisa Pataki, Chief Financial Officer, SES

Lisa Pataki joined SES as CFO as it was closing the acquisition of Intelsat, midway through last year. She joined at a critical juncture, amid the complex integration of two large satellite operators, each with a global business presence. She joined SES from Aerojet Rocketdyne, previously served as CFO for the Comet Group, and had a 10-year career in finance roles across RTX Corporation. Pataki brings extensive experience in finance for the aerospace and defense industry and has completed several M&A finance integrations. That experience could come into play as CEO Adel Al-Saleh recently previewed SES will be pursuing some vertical integration. Pataki will speak alongside other satellite CFOs in a VIP session. — VIP Session: CFO Forum: Factors that Shape Pricing Forecasts, Wednesday 4 p.m., Room 145 A/B

Robert Sayegh, Vice President, Bain Capital

As Vice President at Bain Capital, Robert Sayegh focuses on growth and private equity investments in the aerospace, defense, and technology sectors. He played a leading role in the firm's investment in Redwire Space. He was also formerly a senior member of the investment team at New Vista Capital, where he deepened engagement with the space and defense ecosystem. He is recognized for his insight into dual-use technologies, public-private collaboration, and the evolving role of private capital in enhancing national resilience through aerospace innovation. Sayegh will moderate a finance and accounting discussion with speakers from Baker Tilly, Traxyl, Sidus Space, and CSC Leasing. — Money Mechanics: Tax, Credit, and Capital Strategies, Monday 10:45 a.m., Room 145 A/B VS

Money Mechanics: Tax, Credit, and Capital Strategies, Monday 10:45 a.m., Room 145 A/B