What a blast SmallSat 2026 was.
From 23–26 August, the global small satellite community gathered in Salt Lake City, Utah, for the 40th Annual Small Satellite Conference. For Anywaves, it was four packed days of customer meetings, technical discussions, new connections and insights into the satellite missions and constellations that are shaping what comes next.
It was also a milestone edition for us. Teams from Anywaves France, Anywaves Luxembourg and Anywaves USA came together in Salt Lake City, representing our combined portfolio of space antennas, RF electronics and avionics to customers and partners from around the world.
And before the exhibition even opened, we kicked off the week with around 1,400 members of the SmallSat community at our Big Steps at SmallSat opening party.
Why SmallSat matters to Anywaves
The Small Satellite Conference is much more than a US trade show.
Every year, Salt Lake City brings together satellite manufacturers, constellation operators, space agencies, technology suppliers, researchers, investors and mission teams from across North America, Europe and the wider global space ecosystem.
That makes SmallSat particularly important for Anywaves.
With operations in France, Luxembourg and the United States, Anywaves supports satellite programs internationally with technologies covering critical parts of the spacecraft RF chain. Our portfolio combines flight-proven space antennas with RF and signal-processing electronics, including software-defined radios, data downlink electronics, low-noise solutions and other avionics and payload technologies.
SmallSat gives our teams the opportunity to discuss these technologies directly with the people designing the next generation of satellites and constellations — while better understanding the technical and industrial requirements those missions will bring.
Looking “above the clouds”
The theme of SmallSat 2026 was “The Clouds Above the Clouds – Celebrating 40 Years of Collaboration”, reflecting how far the small satellite sector has evolved over four decades.
Today, increasingly capable constellations depend on much more than individual spacecraft. High-speed communications, onboard processing, reliable RF links, ground infrastructure and scalable satellite manufacturing all need to work together as part of increasingly complex systems of systems.
For Anywaves President Nicolas Capet, the technical conference program is therefore an important part of the week.
Alongside meetings with customers, suppliers and partners, Nicolas attended presentations covering upcoming missions, satellite constellations, emerging technologies and future mission requirements.
“These discussions are extremely fruitful for continuing our journey, preparing our roadmap and defining the next solutions we bring to the market,” he explains in our SmallSat 2026 recap.
One portfolio, from antennas to RF electronics
SmallSat 2026 also provided an opportunity to show the broader capabilities of today’s Anywaves.
Following the combination of Anywaves and EmTroniX under the Anywaves brand in 2026, customers can now work with one partner across a wider range of mission-critical spacecraft RF technologies.
Our teams bring together expertise in space antennas, embedded electronics, RF payload technologies and signal processing. This allows Anywaves to support missions not only with individual qualified products, but increasingly with technologies that work together across the RF chain.
For satellite manufacturers and constellation programs, that means opportunities to reduce interface complexity, improve system-level coherence and work with a partner that understands both the antenna and the electronics behind the signal.
The conversations in Salt Lake City reinforced how relevant that combination is as satellite architectures continue to evolve.
1,400 guests, one mechanical bull and a memorable start to SmallSat
Of course, not everything at SmallSat happens in meeting rooms or on the exhibition floor.
On Sunday evening, Anywaves once again joined forces with the SmallSat organisers to bring the community together before the conference week got fully underway.
Big Steps at SmallSat transformed The Gateway in downtown Salt Lake City into the “Wild Wide West” for an evening of live music, food, drinks, networking and Western-themed fun.
Around 1,400 people joined us during the evening — roughly half of the conference attendance — making it an extraordinary gathering of customers, partners, colleagues and friends from across the international space sector.
There were collector’s bandanas, stickers, plenty of cowboy hats and, for those willing to test their ability to hold on, a mechanical bull.
But the real highlight was the community itself. Hundreds of guests stayed until the end despite the threat of rain and a full conference program waiting on Monday morning.
More than an exhibition
Four days in Salt Lake City generated hundreds of conversations for the Anywaves teams: some with long-standing customers and partners, others with people we met for the first time.
That combination of commercial discussions, technical learning and informal community building is exactly why SmallSat continues to matter.
The conference gives us a view not only of what the small satellite market needs today, but also of the missions, technologies and requirements that are beginning to emerge for tomorrow.
Those insights now travel back with our teams to France, Luxembourg and the United States, where they will contribute to the technology roadmap and future solutions we develop for satellite manufacturers, constellation operators and space missions worldwide.
Thank you to the SmallSat organisers, everyone who visited the Anywaves booth, everyone who shared their projects and ideas with us — and all 1,400 of you who helped us start the week with one unforgettable party.
See you back in Salt Lake City for SmallSat 2027.
