Symposium Sessions
Building a Map to the Moon
Over the next decade, dozens of robotic landings and a handful of crewed landings are anticipated to build an enduring presence on the lunar surface. Beyond the race for international prestige upon a successful landing, there are multiple benefits for returning to the Moon: national security, potential resource utilization, a gateway for missions deeper into…
Rapid Research Expected to Bring Change to Orbit
Artificial intelligence, rapid prototyping, and lightning-fast test programs in orbit will dominate the landscape as the Space Force looks to boost its research, development and testing budget to an unprecedented $40 billion proposed for 2027, panelists told an audience at the 41st Space Symposium on Thursday.
The Next Great Economy: The Moon
The surface of the Moon will be far less barren in the coming years. At two featured discussions at the 41st Space Symposium on Thursday, NASA officials, commercial partners and scientists explained the rapidly growing opportunities on the lunar surface. With an ambitious launch schedule described during NASA’s Ignition Day, more commercial partners will be heading to the Moon than ever before.
Space Symposium Panelists: Education, Industry and Government Must Align to Grow Space Workforce
A tsunami of job opportunities is fast approaching the U.S. space sector but coordinated efforts and new approaches are needed to create and connect skilled workers with employers. In two Thursday sessions at the 41st Space Symposium, educators, company executives and workforce officials detailed the current crisis of finding skilled workers. They also addressed what…
Panel: New Rules, New Defenses Could Bring Order to Booming Growth in Orbit
Maintaining access to space in a more crowded and contested environment will require new infrastructure, manufacture of new launch vehicles, and a clear set of “red line” rules to keep rogue actors in line, a panel of experts told a 41st Space Symposium audience Thursday.
NASA, SWFT Programs Set to Launch New Workforce Initiatives
Elaine Ho, associate administrator for NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, and Mel Stricklan, executive director of Space Foundation’s Space Workforce for Tomorrow (SWFT), on Wednesday convened a roundtable with a few dozen executives and education leaders at the 41st Space Symposium.
Air Force, Space Force Chiefs Say Acquisition Speed Now Must Shift to Production Speed
Space Force acquisition is on a wartime footing, with cash already flowing to encourage companies to deliver capability at mass-production scale, Space Systems Command’s Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant told an audience at the 41st Space Symposium on Wednesday. Speedy simplicity in satellite design is the priority over the complex perfection once sought by the Pentagon,…
Commercial Space Stations Underscore the New Route to Orbit
Four new space stations are in a race to orbit. Commercial space station executives told an audience at the 41st Space Symposium on Wednesday that their companies are eager to scale up on the capabilities that the International Space Station has proven for more than 25 years. As the ISS faces a planned retirement and deorbiting in the early 2030s, four planned commercial…
Saltzman Reveals Space Force Roadmap for 2040 Requirements
The Space Force will need thousands of additional Guardians, hundreds of new satellites, and a suite of new capabilities to fight and win as the space domain grows more contested in the next 15 years, Chief Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman told a crowd at the 41st Space Symposium on Wednesday. Saltzman debuted Space…
Meink Promises Rapid Technological Change for Space Force
Rapid procurement, lower launch costs, and game-changing technologies will put more capabilities in the hands of Space Force Guardians in months rather than years or decades, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told a capacity crowd gathered at the 41st Space Symposium on Wednesday. “This is the moment when the Space Force comes of age,” Meink said. The secretary is the…