Space Business Forum: New York to Examine Private Space Travel

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Apr. 29, 2009) — The space economy, even in turbulent economic times, is growing – primarily because the industry is expanding to include a wide variety of consumer products and services. Private space travel is already an almost $40 million business with the potential to increase that amount more than 10-fold in the near future.

Two experts on the space travel business, Private Space Traveler Richard Garriott and Space Adventures President and Chief Executive Officer Eric Anderson are slated to discuss the financial opportunities of private space travel at Space Business Forum: New York, June 4 at the Hilton New York Hotel. Presented by the Space Foundation in association with Toffler Associates, Space Business Forum: New York will examine the financial outlook and opportunities in the $257 billion space industry in a setting that encourages discussion among financial analysts, investment bankers, institutional advisors, venture capitalists, insurers, and space industry leaders. Topics include historical financial performance, outlooks and trends, business models, and business opportunities, as well as a look at government acquisition processes and the role of space in national security.

About Garriott and Anderson
Garriott, who made his mark as a video game developer, traveled to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 2007, following – somewhat – the footsteps of his father, Owen Garriott, a former NASA astronaut who completed two space missions during his career. The trip to the ISS made the younger Garriott the first second-generation American in space and the sixth private astronaut client of Vienna, Virginia-based Space Adventures, Ltd., the only company currently providing opportunities for actual private spaceflight and space tourism today.

As co-founder, president and CEO of Space Adventures, Eric Anderson is a leading space entrepreneur. At the forefront of the development of commercial human spaceflight and the space tourism industry since its inception, Anderson’s vision is to “open the space frontier to all private citizens, which will enable development of space resources for the benefit of humanity.”

Founded in 1998, Space Adventures uses proven equipment and works side-by-side with professional astronauts and cosmonauts to offer commercial space travel opportunities. Its clients have cumulatively spent nearly a thousand hours aboard the ISS. Last year, Space Adventures acquired Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G), the first and only FAA-approved provider of weightless flight to the general public. ZERO-G has flown more than 200 flights, providing the weightless experience to more than 5,000 customers.

Register for Space Business Forum: New York by May 15 for a $200 Discount
Attendance at Space Business Forum: New York is limited to ensure an intimate setting. To register, go to www.SpaceBusinessForum.com/register.html or contact Space Foundation customer service at 1-800-691-4000. Participants who sign up by May 15 will receive a $200 discount and a special advance electronic version of the Space Foundation’s The Space Report 2009: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity.

Members of the media, who are invited to attend at no cost, can sign up at www.SpaceBusinessForum.com/media.html.

For complete Forum information, including the agenda, speaker list and travel information, go to www.SpaceBusinessForum.com. Additional speakers, including senior industry and financial executives, will be announced as they are confirmed. Aviation Week is the official Forum media partner.

About the Space Foundation
Founded in 1983, the Space Foundation is an international nonprofit organization advancing space-related endeavors to inspire, enable, and propel humanity. An expert in all aspects of the global space industry, the Space Foundation publishes The Space Report 2009: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity and provides three indices that track daily performance of the space industry (www.SpaceFoundation.org/spaceindex). The Space Foundation is a leader in space awareness activities, educational programs that bring space into the classroom, and major industry events. In addition to Space Business Forum: New York, the Space Foundation along with partnering organizations will sponsor an event with USSTRATCOM in Omaha, Neb., next fall and the 26th National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo., April 12-15, 2010. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, the Space Foundation 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. For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org. Follow us on Twitter: SpaceFoundation.

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