AROSE CEO, Jason Crusan, was a featured speaker at Deloitte CONNECT 2026, joining a high-profile panel exploring the future of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and its role in connecting humanity.
CONNECT 2026 convened leaders across business, government and technology to tackle a defining question: how Australia can move beyond adaptation to become a builder and exporter of intelligence across the region. Across 18 sessions, conversations centred on scaling enterprise AI, rethinking workforce and leadership, and aligning infrastructure, energy and policy for the future.
With more than 500 of Australia’s most influential leaders in attendance, including Scott Penberthy (Global Director of Applied AI, Google DeepMind), the Hon. Jihad Dib MP (Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, NSW), and JJ Fiasson (CEO & Founder, Leonardo.Ai), the event opened a broader national conversation about Australia’s role in leading the AI era.
Speaking in the session “Space – Beyond the Horizon: Connecting Humanity through LEO”, Jason shared insights alongside industry leaders including Jason Bender (Deloitte), Annie Handmer (Optus), and Tony Sewell (Amazon LEO). The panel examined where AI breaks when connectivity is assumed, how leaders should design resilient multi‑orbit infrastructure, and what decisions Australia must make now to secure trust, sovereignty, and long‑term advantage in the AI era.
Drawing on his deep experience in the global space sector, Jason emphasised that Low Earth Orbit is rapidly becoming a foundational layer of global infrastructure, powering communications, Earth observation, climate intelligence and the digital economy.
However, as he highlighted, the transformation underway goes far beyond satellites.
“We are entering a new era of commercial human spaceflight,” Jason noted, pointing to the emergence of private space stations and commercial platforms that will expand on the capabilities pioneered by the International Space Station. “This shift will open entirely new opportunities for research, manufacturing, and international collaboration in orbit.”
Jason’s contribution to this national conversation reflects AROSE’s mission to drive knowledge exchange from space-to-ground and ground-to-space, helping to build sovereign capability and secure Australia’s role in the global space sector.
