Breaking Barriers Together at AIAA SciTech Forum 2026

We had an incredible time at the AIAA SciTech Forum 2026 in Orlando, the world’s largest aerospace research and technology event, where thousands of engineers, scientists, and innovators came together under the theme “Breaking Barriers Together: Boundless Discovery.”

Across five action packed days, the agenda spotlighted the cutting edge of aerospace research and development. Topics ranged from artificial intelligence and autonomy, high speed propulsion, and quantum computing, to deep dives into fluid dynamics, guidance navigation and control, hypersonics, and spaceflight mechanics. Thousands of technical presentations reflected both the breadth and depth of innovation driving the industry forward.

A particularly strong theme throughout the forum was space exploration and the growing focus on building sustained infrastructure beyond Earth. Conversations and sessions explored what it will take to establish long term capabilities on the Moon, including power generation, communications, surface mobility, in situ resource utilization, and the test and validation challenges that come with operating systems in extreme and remote environments. The emphasis is clearly shifting from one off missions to repeatable, scalable architectures that support continuous lunar operations.

At our booth, we showcased STAR-GOAT alongside the JKI Security Suite and had great conversations with satellite designers, ground test engineers, and aerospace engineers from across the ecosystem. It was energizing to see how many teams are actively thinking about secure, scalable software and test infrastructure, and how those capabilities can accelerate development while reducing long term risk.

One thing that came up again and again was LabVIEW. A steady stream of engineers stopped by specifically to talk about their LabVIEW based aerospace applications, from ground test and hardware in the loop systems to satellite integration labs and long lived research platforms. The LabVIEW community is clearly strong at SciTech, and it was encouraging to hear how teams continue to rely on it for complex measurement, control, and test challenges across civil, commercial, and defense programs.

Beyond the technical sessions, SciTech delivered a strong mix of plenary talks from industry and government leaders, hands on discussions, and opportunities to connect across disciplines. The forum continues to do an excellent job of bringing together academic researchers, commercial organizations, and government teams to tackle shared challenges and explore new approaches.

What stood out most this year was the collaborative spirit. Conversations at the booth were about tools, features, programs, constraints, and challenges. From satellite design and ground test to secure deployment and operations, the discussions reinforced why this community continues to push the boundaries of what is possible.

We left SciTech 2026 energized by the people, the ideas, and the momentum across the aerospace industry. Thank you to everyone who stopped by the booth to share their work and perspectives. We are already looking forward to continuing the conversations.