FreeFall Aerospace is traveling to Salt Lake City to attend the 40th Annual Small Satellite Conference, which will be held from August 23 to 26, 2026.

For four decades, SmallSat has united people from industry, government, and academia to investigate the technologies, partnerships, and ideas shaping the future of small satellite missions. This year’s conference will mark the 40th anniversary of those collaborations and highlight innovations leading to constellation success and the next generation of space capabilities.

We at FreeFall are proud to be taking part in that discussion.

At the conference, FreeFall will be working with Arizona State University in the booth, emphasizing Arizona’s increasing leadership in aerospace research, technology development, and commercialization.

University partnerships have always been a key element of FreeFall’s approach. By working with researchers, teachers, and students, FreeFall links outstanding academic research with practical industry knowledge and real space applications.

Attendees of the SmallSat event are invited to visit the ASU stand to connect with the FreeFall team, learn more about current technology work, and discuss new possibilities in advanced satellite communications.

On Wednesday, August 26, at 11:30 a.m., Aman Chandra, PhD, a researcher at the University of Arizona, will be giving a presentation sharing information about FreeFall’s advanced inflatable antenna systems.

Deployable, large-scale antenna apertures operating at millimeter and submillimeter-wave frequencies remain a formidable engineering challenge. Large apertures that can be reliably deployed and operated at frequencies above Ka-band and into the terahertz regime could enable high-capacity radio communications, high-resolution Earth observation from geostationary orbit, and multispectral microwave sounding from small satellites.

Freefall Aerospace and the University of Arizona have developed technologies that improve the feasibility of inflatable reflectors at high frequencies, creating a scalable architecture and a pathway toward large apertures deployable from small satellites. These advances could support higher data rates, improved communications performance, and greater mission flexibility while satisfying the stringent mass and volume constraints of small spacecraft.

The importance of these capabilities continues to grow across commercial, civil, and defense applications. As governments and defense agencies evaluate widely distributed satellite constellations and more resilient space-based communications systems, lightweight and scalable antenna technologies could enhance connectivity, increase mission adaptability, and enable reliable communications in contested, remote, or rapidly changing environments.

This presentation highlights the value of combining university research with industry expertise to address complex challenges in satellite communications and remote sensing.

Arizona hosts a strong mix of research universities, aerospace and defense companies, experienced space professionals, and up-and-coming technical talent. FreeFall Aerospace works with universities throughout the state and assists in developing technologies with real-world potential.

These partnerships ensure ongoing innovation in satellite communications for missions such as commercial connectivity, scientific research, Earth observation, emergency response, and national security.

Arizona’s space community can help develop communications technologies that are more adaptable, scalable, and resilient by combining academic research with engineering expertise and industry insight.

SmallSat 2026 offers a chance to showcase what can be achieved when Arizona’s academic, commercial, and defense communities come together. FreeFall’s partnership with ASU at the conference, along with our ongoing support for technology developed at the University of Arizona, demonstrates the power of statewide collaboration.

FreeFall looks forward to reuniting with industry colleagues, meeting new partners, and taking part in discussions about the future of small satellites and space-based communications.

Attending SmallSat 2026? Visit FreeFall Aerospace at the ASU booth and add the Advanced Technologies 3 presentation to your conference schedule.

40th Annual Small Satellite Conference

Salt Lake City, Utah
August 23–26, 2026

Advanced Technologies 3 Presentation

“A Hybrid Architecture for Scalable High-Frequency Inflatable Reflectors for Small Satellites”
Aman Chandra, PhD
Wednesday, August 26 at 11:30 a.m.