Space-Comm Expo Europe 2026 provides a welcomed platform to showcase the growing strategic partnership between the UK and Lithuanian space sectors. We look forward to welcoming a Lithuanian delegation to the show to engage with representatives across UK industry, government and academia. Lithuania has emerged as a key strategic market for the UK space sector reflecting a shared ambition to strengthen European sector capability, accelerate innovation, drive growth, and collaboratively pursue key opportunities in global markets.
The delegation will comprise of five companies: Aktyvus Photonics, Astrolight, Delta Biosciences, Novitera, and SantakaPV. Representing strengths across photonics, optical communications, space life sciences, advanced materials, and space enabled technologies, capabilities which align closely with UK space priorities covering civil and defence applications. Lithuania will exhibit with a national stand: D19, during the show, and will similarly present the Lithuanian country showcase: taking place 4 March, 10:45 – 11:25, moderated by Agnė Rudytė. UK members attending Space-Comm are warmly invited to attend the showcase and visit the Lithuanian stand to meet the delegation – we are additionally delighted to be facilitating stand tours and introducing the delegation to many our space sector members.
This engagement builds on an active programme of collaboration between ADS and the Lithuanian Innovation Agency across the last few years, with ADS Toulouse welcoming a Lithuanian delegation to the French office in 2025, including the business lead for the Lithuanian Ambassador to France, emphasising the opportunities for further bi-lateral political and industrial cooperation. This activity was followed by an inward trade mission during DSEI UK in September 2025, with ADS and UK industry joining a networking reception at the Lithuanian Embassy, to set the scene ahead of the DSEI programme, and build on the shared appetite for both defence and space collaboration.
Looking towards further engagements across 2026, ADS, working with the British Embassy in Vilnius, UK Defence Exports, and Innovation Agency Lithuania, will lead a UK Defence Trade Mission to Lithuania in March 2026, offering UK companies an opportunity to engage in a rapidly expanding defence market with strong relevance for space‑enabled and dual‑use technologies. With Lithuania planning to increase defence spending to over 5% of GDP from 2026–2030, the mission will focus on priority areas where space and defence intersect, including uncrewed and autonomous systems, ISR and EO‑enabled capabilities, secure communications, electronic warfare, AI‑enabled targeting, and protection of critical national infrastructure, while supporting partnerships around local production, co‑development, and scalable industrial collaboration.
Last month, Lithuania released a new international publication highlighting its space life sciences ecosystem: Lithuania’s biotech sets its sights on Mars with innovative space projects, with further thematic releases to follow. Looking ahead to the warmer months, ADS is delighted to be supporting Vilnius Space Days 2026, taking place 6 May in Vilnius, designed to deepen regional cooperation and industrial alignment. Poland will feature as the Guest of Honour, with members of the Polish Space Agency (POLSA) supporting the event. Poland is also a major strategic partner for the UK space sector, with previous collaboration focused on strengthening dual-use space and defence capabilities contributing to regional security across the Baltic Shield. We were similarly delighted to welcome a delegation from Poland, and facilitate a panel session with the embassy exploring these themes, during DSEI 2025.
With strong overlaps in requirements and capability goals, such as In Space Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM), and shared interests in overseas markets such as Japan and Poland, the UK-Lithuania strategic relationship is fast evolving through extensive bi-lateral collaboration, with the shared aim of strengthening Europe’s space economy.
As a UK space sector collective, we have never been so globally mobile. Fundamentally by building partnerships across the globe, the UK space sector can drive growth, deliver against national security goals and demonstrate this is a great place to do business – and a great bunch of people to do business with. ADS is delighted to be supporting and facilitating many of these collaborative initiatives, and welcomes our UK members to engage and reach out if of interest. We will be exhibiting during the Space-Comm show on stand A56 and hope to meet many of you there. For those who haven’t yet signed up for Space-Comm Europe, get 15% off here.
