Focus Will Be On “Igniting the Space Economy”

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the FAA are making plans for the 13th annual Commercial Space Transportation Conference, organized around the theme of “Igniting the Space Economy.” The conference will feature high-level speakers and panels examining all areas of the commercial space transportation sector, and how NASA and America’s commercial space firms can thrive within it.

Keynote speakers include The Honorable Raymond “Ray” LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation; The Honorable Randolph J. “Randy” Babbitt, administrator, Federal Aviation Administration; The Honorable Charles F. Bolden, Jr., administrator, NASA; Gen. C. Robert Kehler, commander, U.S. Air Force Space Command; and Ken Bowersox, vice president, astronaut safety and mission assurance, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX). The Honorable Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), U.S. House of Representatives, has also been invited to speak.

Concurrent panel sessions will feature leaders from academia, the government and industry discussing the most pressing issues facing the commercial space transportation sector, including safety-related technologies, commercial space product development, the future of COTS/International Space Station and CRS programs, and the regulatory role of enabling the space economy.

Dr. George Nield (pictured, above), FAA’s associate administrator for space transportation, and general chair of the conference, stated: “The 13th Annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference promises to be an exciting event which should be attended by all policymakers, policy implementers, and subject matter experts. Our outstanding array of keynote speakers and panelists ensures that all attendees will leave the conference with a much better understanding of the issues facing today’s commercial space transportation sector, and will be poised to continue developing the sector into a thriving and vibrant sector of the United States economy.”

The conference is planned for February 10–11 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington, VA.

FMI: www.aiaa.org/events/ast