Duke IEEE Students Explore the Future of Space at SATSHOW 2026

In March, a dozen Duke Engineering students probed the final frontier while attending SATSHOW 2026, one of the world’s largest gatherings focused on satellite technology and the future of space.

The 12 students are members of Duke’s student chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a student-run, pre-professional society for electrical and computer engineering (ECE) and computer science undergraduates that aims to bridge the gap between students, faculty and industry.

The chapter attended tandem events at SATSHOW, SATELLITE and GovMilSpace, which allowed the students the ability to explore the intersection of commercial space, national security and emerging technologies at the meeting in Washington, DC.

For the students, the conference provided a rare opportunity to engage with satellite operators, launch providers, defense stakeholders and space-tech startups under one roof.

“The Duke IEEE chapter was started with the goal of providing support for undergraduates to attend conferences to explore their interests, build professional networks and gain understanding of the industries they are about to enter,” said Sanjeev Chauhan, BSE ’25, ECE master’s student and co-president of Duke IEEE. “Our time at SatShow marks an achievement of that goal.

“There is definitely strong student interest in space right now, driven largely by the rapid growth of the commercial space economy and the real sense that this generation will be the one to shape its future.”

The conference drew more than 15,000 attendees, featured more than 450 vendors and brought participants from more than 110 countries. Students spent time in technical sessions, explored the exhibit hall and spoke directly with professionals working across the space industry.

“My time at SATSHOW 2026 felt like standing at a true ‘inflection point’ for the space economy,” said Jaideep Aher, ECE master’s student. “As Jay Panchal, CEO of Aule Space, noted, we are the generation that will build lunar bases and take humanity beyond Earth. But the most exciting part was seeing the technical ‘how’ behind that vision. Through demos, it’s clear that agentic AI isn’t just a tool, it’s the backbone of the future infrastructure in the cosmos.”

One of the highlights for the students was an opening panel of CEOs. The discussion previewed many of the issues the students continued hearing about throughout the event, including the growing importance of sovereign satellite communications, the role of defense in reshaping commercial space systems, and the political and economic stakes around spectrum access.

From the lecture hall to the demo floor, SATSHOW provided the IEEE students a clearer understanding of today’s real-world challenges in space as well as the opportunities that lie ahead. 

“Going to SATSHOW was an incredible networking experience,” said Liam Williams, a senior ECE student. “We connected with professionals across the satellite industry in domains ranging from semiconductors and components to full infrastructure solutions, and we learned about the cutting-edge tech enabling LEO-MEO-GEO interconnectivity.”