Breakfast Buffet & Networking

Co-Sponsor: AWS

Opening Remarks: Maj. Gen. Heather Pringle, USAF (Ret.)

Maj. Gen. Heather Pringle, USAF (Ret.), PhD, Space Foundation

Welcome Remarks: Hon. Dr. Greg Bonnen

Hon. Dr. Greg Bonnen, Texas State Representative

Featured Speaker: Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy

Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Purdy, Jr, U.S. Space Force

Fireside Chat: Cross-Agency Collaboration – Accelerating Readiness

Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Purdy, Jr, U.S. Space Force

Vanessa Wyche, NASA

Moderator:

Gwen Griffin, Griffin Communications Group

Outpacing the Adversary: Insights from Miami: Imperatives for America

Charles Beames, SmallSat Alliance

Dr. Angel Smith, SmallSat Alliance

Networking Break

Co-Sponsor: Iridium

Fireside Chat: The New Capital Stack – Blending Government, Private Equity, & Venture Funding

Moderator:

Brad Morrison, Benchmark Space Systems

Panelists:

Anita Antenucci, 3Wire Partners

Zachary Hauser, OceanFirst Bank

Jonathan Lusczakoski, AE Industrial Partners

Explore how new hybrid financing structures are shaping deals and what signals we need from the governments and markets to accelerate. 

Featured Speaker: Kevin Coggins

Kevin Coggins, NASA

A New Era of Space Communications: Building Next-Gen Space Capabilities through Industry Collaboration

Public Sector as Capital Catalyst: Government’s Role Beyond Grants

Moderator:

Mandy Vaughn, GXO, Inc

Panelists:

Francis Finelli, The Carlyle Group

Josh Hartman, Cerberus Capital Management

Diana Jack, Renaissance Strategic Advisors

Government representatives discuss strategies beyond R&D and funding—from market signals, milestone payments, anchor tenancy, and blended finance to de-risk private capital.  

Networking Luncheon

Co-Sponsor: Amazon Leo

Flash Talk: Teo Ozsan

Teo Ozsan, Renaissance Strategic Advisors

Financing the Future Space Economy An overview of where capital is flowing in space today, what's changing, and the pivotal role capital markets will play in the next decade. 

A Critical Link: Investing in the Supply Chain

Moderator:

Norman Garza, Texas Space Commission

Panelists:

Lt. Gen. David Buck, USAF (Ret.), BRPH Mission Solutions

Tracy Glende, APEX Space & Defense Systems

Ken Smith, CesiumAstro

Spaceflight mission operations depend on more than launch vehicles and spacecraft—they rely on a deep, interconnected industrial base where a single weak supplier, long-lead component, or constrained process can become a mission-stopping point of failure. As launch cadence accelerates, constellations scale, and national security and commercial programs compete for many of the same specialized inputs, resilient supply chains are no longer a back-office concern -- they are a strategic advantage. This panel examines how deliberate, well-structured capital investment can strengthen the supply chain ecosystem that enables reliable mission execution. Panelists will discuss where investment matters most—expanding qualified capacity, developing second-source suppliers, improving test and certification throughput, modernizing facilities, securing workforce pipelines, and designing contracts that share risk while rewarding performance.

Financing Dual-Use Technologies: Unlocking the National Security Market

Moderator:

Troy Thomas, Boston Consulting Group

Panelists:

Hon. Dr. John Plumb, K2 Space

Jennifer Ross, InterVallo, LLC

A look at how dual-use space technology is being prioritized, financed, and scaled for defense and commercial applications. 

Networking Break

Co-Sponsor: Iridium

Commercial Space as a Strategic Asset: Economic Growth, Diplomacy, and National Security

Moderator:

Gabe Sherman, Artemis Group

Panelists:

Tony Frazier, LeoLabs

Tim Kopra, Voyager Technologies

Chris Pearson, AGILE Space Industries

Becky Yoder, Astroscale U.S.

As commercial space rapidly evolves, it is quickly becoming a powerful strategic asset—fueling economic competitiveness, shaping diplomatic relationships, and supporting military readiness. Hear from industry leaders on how the commercial sector is central to advancing interests and growth on the global stage.

Role of Internal Research and Development (IRAD) in Major Space Systems Development

Moderator:

Debra Facktor, Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc

Panelists:

Eric Coleman, L3Harris

Shawn Jarrett, Lockheed Martin Space

Market demand for space products and services continues to grow, from satellite constellations to space exploration, and for commercial, civil space and national security applications.  Increasingly, the US government is looking for industry to invest in systems that will benefit their missions to stimulate competition, accelerate innovation and shift certain roles to the private sector. Large companies, from primes to suppliers, play a huge role in contributing to this dynamic ecosystem, investing hundreds of millions of dollars of internal research and development (R&D) towards technologies, product development, supply chain, manufacturing, processes, facilities and human capital.  Perspectives of traditional and non-traditional players will share where they are investing and what is driving their investment strategies. 

Recap of Day One: Andrew Nelson

Andrew Nelson, RS&H

Networking Reception

Co-Sponsor: PwC