research activities
Orbital Data Infrastructures : emerging paradigms in global connectivity. Sirius Spacetalks' 26
Research - Theme
Orbital Data Infrastructures : emerging paradigms in global connectivity. Sirius Spacetalks' 26
on the December 4, 2026
Arsenal
Amphithéâtre Maury-E
The SIRIUS Workshops are organised every year by the SIRIUS Chair, a corporate chair bringing together Toulouse Capitole University, Toulouse Business School and three European industrial partners: CNES, Airbus Defense and Space and Thales Alenia Space.
Sirius SpaceTalks'
The Sirius workshops provide researchers from the SIRIUS Chair (associate or affiliated researchers) with an opportunity to present their work alongside external speakers associated with the Chair, on a topical issue likely to attract the attention of the academic and industrial communities in the space sector.
Orbital Data Infrastructures: Emerging Paradigms in Space Connectivity
Space connectivity is entering a new phase. Satellite constellations increasingly do more than transmit signals: they collect and process data, connect users and systems across borders, and support services on which public authorities, businesses and communities rely. Proposals for orbital data centers may extend these functions further. Together, these developments invite us to think of space systems as orbital data infrastructures and to ask how their growing importance should shape law, governance and industrial strategy.
SIRIUS Space Talks’26 will bring together researchers, legal specialists and industry representatives to examine that question from a complementary perspective. The symposium will begin by exploring how orbital data infrastructures can be defined and governed. Low Earth orbit constellations raise questions about the regulation of critical infrastructure, while orbital data centers test the relationship between international space law and European data protection rules. The ownership and protection of Earth 0bservation data add another dimension to the discussion.
The program will then turn to sovereignty, accountability and regulatory oversight. Commercial mega-constellations and distributed satellite systems involve multiple actors, jurisdictions and technical functions. Identifying who controls an activity, who must comply with applicable rules, and who bears responsibility when harm occurs is therefore becoming more complex. These issues matter to operators and data providers as well as to the states that authorize and supervise them.
An industry roundtable on orbital data centers will connect these legal questions with the choices facing companies developing the next generation of space infrastructure. Later sessions will consider how space-based data is used in practice, including maritime environmental compliance and insurance markets. They will also examine how experts interpret early signs of disruption in the space data economy and how emerging European regulation may affect the supervision of space activities.
Across these discussions, the symposium will address a shared challenge: how can governance keep pace as space connectivity becomes a foundation for data-intensive services? Answering it requires attention to technical architecture, commercial relationships and the distribution of legal responsibilities throughout the value chain. By placing those perspectives in dialogue, SIRIUS Space Talks’26 aims to clarify the choices that will shape orbital data infrastructures and their role in the wider economy.
SIRIUS Space Talks’26 will bring together researchers, legal specialists and industry representatives to examine that question from a complementary perspective. The symposium will begin by exploring how orbital data infrastructures can be defined and governed. Low Earth orbit constellations raise questions about the regulation of critical infrastructure, while orbital data centers test the relationship between international space law and European data protection rules. The ownership and protection of Earth 0bservation data add another dimension to the discussion.
The program will then turn to sovereignty, accountability and regulatory oversight. Commercial mega-constellations and distributed satellite systems involve multiple actors, jurisdictions and technical functions. Identifying who controls an activity, who must comply with applicable rules, and who bears responsibility when harm occurs is therefore becoming more complex. These issues matter to operators and data providers as well as to the states that authorize and supervise them.
An industry roundtable on orbital data centers will connect these legal questions with the choices facing companies developing the next generation of space infrastructure. Later sessions will consider how space-based data is used in practice, including maritime environmental compliance and insurance markets. They will also examine how experts interpret early signs of disruption in the space data economy and how emerging European regulation may affect the supervision of space activities.
Across these discussions, the symposium will address a shared challenge: how can governance keep pace as space connectivity becomes a foundation for data-intensive services? Answering it requires attention to technical architecture, commercial relationships and the distribution of legal responsibilities throughout the value chain. By placing those perspectives in dialogue, SIRIUS Space Talks’26 aims to clarify the choices that will shape orbital data infrastructures and their role in the wider economy.