Amsterdam Space Symposium 2026 Takes Place Next Week with Welcome Address by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte Confirmed
- Industry NLSpace
Kacia Rutkoŭskaja
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The Amsterdam Space Symposium 2026 will take place on 3–4 March 2026 at Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam, welcoming more than 750 participants from government, defence, EU institutions, industry and research.
The organisers confirm that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will deliver a recorded welcome address on 3 March, concluding the opening morning of the symposium.
The opening morning programme will feature keynote contributions from the European Space Agency (ESA), the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), and the International Military Council on Climate and Security. Together, the speakers will highlight the growing strategic importance of the space domain for security, economic resilience and climate change mitigation.
Immediately following the Secretary General’s message, Lieutenant General Dick C. van Ingen, Netherlands Military Representative to the NATO and EU Military Committees, will deliver a follow-up address.
The symposium programme centres on two interconnected themes: Space for Security and Defence and Space for Climate. As space-based systems underpin secure communications, positioning and navigation, early warning capabilities and climate monitoring, discussions throughout the event will examine how these capabilities translate into operational resilience across civil, defence and environmental domains.
Organised by SpaceNed, the Amsterdam Space Symposium follows an Inspire • Explore • Act structure. Plenary sessions frame strategic developments, while masterclasses and workshops address capability gaps, regulatory translation and implementation challenges.
With more than 50 confirmed speakers, the 2026 edition focuses on the practical implications of security and climate policy for space systems and industry, providing a forum for dialogue between policymakers, defence representatives, researchers and commercial actors.
Further details on the programme and registration are available on the Amsterdam Space Symposium website.
