Space Situational Awareness – Panel Focus at Strategic Space and Defense 2008

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sep. 22, 2008) — Space and space-enabled systems have fundamentally altered the ability and manner in which the military understands and conducts operations around the globe.  Space Situational Awareness (SSA), the ability to monitor and predict threats in space, is essential to mission success and protection of space assets as well as troops on the ground. “Space Situational Awareness – The Key to the Protection of Critical Assets,” a panel at Strategic Space and Defense 2008, will explore the intricacies involved in maintaining critical SSA. Presented by the Space Foundation and Space News, Strategic Space and Defense 2008, the global security conference for space and defense professionals, is set to take place at the Qwest Center Omaha Convention Center and Arena in Omaha, Neb., 6-8 October. The SSA panel will take place at 1100 hrs on Wednesday, 8 October.   

“The growing reliance of U.S. military forces – not to mention the entire U.S. economy’s dependence on commercial satellite services – has made Space Situational Awareness a matter of great priority,” said Mr. Lon Rains, vice president, editorial, trade publishing, Imaginova Corp. and editor, Space News. “This panel will explore what has been done and what still must be done to make sure we understand the environment around these critical assets.”

This integrated panel from both government and industry perspectives will examine the interconnected nature of U.S. military, allies, and commercial space assets and how to coordinate efforts to protect those assets. Rains will moderate the panel. Panelists are Air Vice Marshal Geoff Brown, RAAF, deputy chief, Australian Air Force; Brig. Gen. Jeffrey C. Horne, USA, deputy director for Mission Support, National Reconnaissance Office; Mr. Frederick L. Ricker, sector vice president and general manager, Military Systems Division, Northrop Grumman Space Technology; and Peter M. Wegner, Ph.D., director, Operationally Responsive Space Office.

This noteworthy panel is part of a program agenda of government and industry leaders addressing the most pressing issues facing the space and defense sectors today. Keynote speakers include The Honorable Ellen O. Tauscher, chairwoman, Strategic Forces Subcommittee, House Armed Services Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; The Honorable Ben Nelson, senator, U.S. Senate; Mr. Gary E. Payton, deputy under secretary of the Air Force, space programs, USAF Headquarters; Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, USAF, commander, United States Strategic Command; Lt. Gen. Kevin T. Campbell, USA, commander, Space and Missile Defense Command/ARSTRAT and commander, JFCC Integrated Missile Defense, United States Strategic Command; Vice Adm. Carl V. Mauney, USN, deputy commander, United States Strategic Command; Lt. Gen. William L. Shelton, USAF, commander, 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic), Air Force Space Command and commander, JFCC-Space, United States Strategic Command; Maj. Gen. Thomas F. Deppe, USAF, vice commander, Air Force Space Command; Mr. A. Thomas Young, chairman, Independent Assessment Panel and former executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Corporation; and Mr. David McGlade, chief executive officer, Intelsat, Ltd.

The program will incorporate two full days of featured speeches and panel sessions, the Welcoming Reception and Exhibit Center Opening, co-sponsored by the Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership; breakfasts co-sponsored by the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce and Booz Allen Hamilton; The Strategic Space and Defense Cocktail Reception, co-sponsored by Raytheon; The Strategic Space and Defense Dinner, co-sponsored by Northrop Grumman; the Reception in Honor of the Men and Women of U.S. Strategic Command, co-sponsored by Integral Systems, Inc.; the Congressional Luncheon; and an exhibit center luncheon. More than 2,000 participants are expected to attend Strategic Space and Defense 2008. 

Other co-sponsors for Strategic Space and Defense 2008 are Analytical Graphics, Inc., Arrowhead Global Solutions, ATK, Computer Sciences Corporation, ITT, NASA Nebraska Space Grant, Orbital Sciences Corporation, and Space X.

Online registration and more information are available at www.StratSpace.org.

About the Space Foundation
Founded in 1983 and celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the Space Foundation is an international nonprofit organization advancing space-related endeavors to inspire, enable, and propel humanity. A leader in space awareness activities, major industry events, and educational enterprises that bring space into the classroom, the Space Foundation is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo.  It conducts research and analysis and government affairs activities from its Washington, D.C., office, and has field representatives in Houston, Texas, and Cape Canaveral, Fla.  The Space Foundation also conducts the National Space Symposium, the premier gathering of the global space community. The 25th National Space Symposium will take place March 30 -April 2, 2009, at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.  For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org.

About Space News
Space News International, a division of Imaginova Corp., is the premier business-to-business media company dedicated entirely to the commercial, civil, and military space and satellite communications’ businesses. The company’s products include Space News, a weekly business-to-business newspaper; SpaceNews.com; Space News TV; and Space News Early Bird Newsletter. For more information, visit www.space.com/spacenews.

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