Military Space Situational Awareness

Three days in London on the military side of space domain awareness, deliberately kept to a few hundred vetted participants, with the venue disclosed only after registration is approved.

DATES
4–6 May 2027
LOCATION
London, venue withheld until registration is approved
ORGANISER
SAE Media Group
SCALE
22nd annual edition, 250+ participants, 40+ speakers, 20+ nations

Definition

Military Space Situational Awareness is an annual three-day conference on space domain awareness for military and government operators, organised by SAE Media Group and held in London from 4 to 6 May 2027. It is the 22nd annual edition. The organiser expects more than 250 space professionals, over 40 senior military, government and industry speakers, and representatives from more than 20 nations, with participation from UK Space Command, allied forces, government agencies, industry and international partners. The venue is not published: confirmed and approved attendees receive the full address and hotel booking details after registration.

Why the venue is secret

Withholding a venue is unusual even in defence conferences, and the reason is the subject. Space domain awareness is the discipline of knowing what is in orbit, whose it is and what it is doing, which makes the attendee list itself sensitive: it maps who in each nation works on space surveillance and who supplies them. The organiser's response is to keep the event small, vet registrations and release the location only to approved participants.

The practical effect is a room where the conversation goes further than it would on an open stage. The cost is that this is not an event you can decide to attend at short notice, and not one where an unvetted supplier gets a hearing.

What the programme covers

The recurring agenda is space domain awareness itself, then counterspace threats and space control, which is the part that has changed most in the last five years. Civil and military cooperation appears every year because most of the world's tracking data comes from commercial and civil sensors. Space weather and debris hazards sit alongside the adversarial threats, since an operator cares about the conjunction regardless of its cause. Sensors and battle management systems, the integration of commercial data into military pictures, and the Five Eyes and European perspectives round out the programme.

Who attends

FAQ · Identity and audience

Can anyone register?

No. Registration is reviewed and approved by the organiser, and the venue is only released to approved attendees. It is not an open conference.

Is it a NATO or a UK government event?

Neither. It is run commercially by SAE Media Group, with UK Space Command, allied forces and government agencies among the participants rather than as owners.

Why is it so small?

Deliberately. At around 250 participants the event stays at a size where the discussion can be candid, which is the product being sold.

The organiser: SAE Media Group

SAE Media Group, formerly SMi Group, runs a long-established defence conference portfolio from the United Kingdom. It also organises Global MilSatCom each November, which means the same company runs both of the London defence space fixtures: satellite communications in the autumn, space surveillance in the spring.

Editorial take

Two hundred and fifty people, an undisclosed venue and a vetted guest list: the format tells you exactly how sensitive space surveillance has become.

How to register and what it costs

Registration runs through the organiser's booking portal and is subject to approval. An early booking discount of 400 pounds was published for registrations made by 15 January 2027; the full delegate rates were not disclosed on the public pages at the verification date. Approved attendees receive the venue address and hotel booking information after registration is confirmed, so travel and accommodation cannot be arranged until that point. Anyone intending to attend should register well ahead of the January discount deadline rather than close to the May dates.

FAQ · Access and practicalities

When and where does the 2027 edition take place?

4 to 6 May 2027 in London. The exact venue is not published and is disclosed to approved registrants only.

How much does it cost?

Full rates were not published. An early booking discount of 400 pounds applied to registrations made by 15 January 2027.

When do I find out where it is?

After your registration is confirmed and approved. Hotel booking information is issued at the same time.

Is there an exhibition?

The event is a conference with sponsorship positions rather than a trade show floor. Suppliers participate as sponsors and speakers.

Resources

Official website https://www.smgconferences.com/defence/uk/conference/milspace