PANELIST

Lt. Gen. Nina Armagno
Director of Staff, Headquarters,
U.S. Space Force

PANELIST

Dan Dumbacher
Executive Director, AIAA

PANELIST

Rob Meyerson
Founder & CEO, Delalune Space;
and Operating Partner, C5 Capital

Have you ever wondered if we, as the greater collective, are thinking big enough for space? Discover the futures that don’t yet exist, how incredible creators and visionaries bring their ideas into reality, and the value that such efforts can bring to drive progress. Because if we can’t dream it, we can’t get there. Let’s explore together how to imagine untapped opportunities and turn those dreams into tangible images of the future as a catalyst for accelerating growth and delivering greater value for the space enterprise!

Public–Private Partnerships (PPP) have been in use in the United States almost since the nation was founded and in aviation and space for decades – driving industry forward, introducing innovation, and reducing costs. At the same time, they are not a panacea and sometimes fail, leaving the government to step in to clean up the mess. NASA’s recent efforts to utilize PPPs for human spaceflight systems are modeled on success with the Commercial Crew and Cargo Program that benefitted from an existing launch market with well-established customer demand. Is this the appropriate model for PPPs under conditions of uncertain demand, in LEO or deep space? Are PPPs still a meaningful construct in those circumstances, or are the rules, incentives, and risk management approach governing the relationship more important? This session will go beyond the “PPP soundbite” to explore different models across various types of markets and incentives.

Technology is advancing rapidly and can be employed to help solve some of the challenges of managing an increasingly crowded space domain. Industry is driving innovations that improve accuracy and timeliness of information, improving the potential of direct operator-to-operator coordination and collaboration about managing potential collisions. How can the state of the technology and the pace of the innovation inform norms of behavior and rules of engagement that operator/owners should adhere to and what is the government’s role?

This discussion brings together different generations and demographics to talk exploration, inspiration, and enabling our off-world future.

• What is inspirational about space to different generations today?
• How does the space ecosystem inspire future generations while keeping those already involved engaged?
• What are driving visions and motivations for the future?
• What does off-world future mean to different people?
• What one hard problem would you want to solve today?

The recent emergence of high-throughput satellite mega constellations, combined with the lack of mobility support in DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) protocols, has caused DVB hub vendors and satellite manufacturers to further fragment the non-terrestrial connectivity ecosystem by implementing proprietary additions to DVB (or entirely proprietary MAC protocols). The result for network operators has been increased vendor lock-in, lower volume suppliers, higher systems integration costs, and higher total cost of ownership. Facebook and other members of the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) are collaborating to accelerate the development of a new hardware and software ecosystem for space communications that can leverage the supply and production scale of 5G. Learn about this exciting initiative from industry and public sector stakeholders.

Since Yuri Gagarin’s historic journey to outer space in 1961, fewer than 600 humans have followed his path to the heavens. It took nearly 20 years from Dennis Tito’s flight to the International Space Station to break down the barriers to routine citizen astronaut flights to space. A host of suborbital and orbital private commercial flights are happening in 2021, accelerating access to space for citizen astronauts who have yearned to experience the overview effect and see our planet in a whole new way. Citizen astronauts will share first-hand accounts of expectations, training, flight, and post-launch experiences. Spaceflight operators and citizen astronauts will discuss what the revolution means for the future commercial markets, astronaut training, private/space agency microgravity research, and expanding launch sites around the globe.

MODERATOR

Michelle Thaller
Science Strategist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

PANELIST

MiMi Aung
former Project Manager, Mars Helicopter Ingenuity, NASA

PANELIST

Donya Douglas-Bradshaw
Lucy Project Manager, NASA

PANELIST

Sandra Freund
OSIRIS-REx Mission Operations Manager, Lockheed Martin Space

PANELIST

Jennifer Trosper
Mars Perseverance Project Manager, NASA

Imagine we are 7-10 years in the future, and the following conditions are present:

• OSAM 1, 2, and RSGS (Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites) have successfully flown, along with other planned mission extension vehicle/mission robotic vehicle extension missions on the books
• Humans are utilizing Gateway and back on the moon’s surface
• Cislunar is an active destination
• Commercial LEO destination is well on its way to realization
• Most vehicles are now designed to be serviceable and cooperative servicing (open standards) have been adopted by the community

Given these conditions, where does the market go from here, and what are the next challenges? Customer push or pull? Technology push or pull?

MODERATOR

Carissa Christensen
CEO, BryceTech

PANELIST

Joseph Anderson
Director, Mission Extension Vehicle Services, Northrop Grumman

PANELIST

Bhavya Lal
Senior Advisor, Budget and Finance, NASA

PANELIST

Karl Stolleis
Space Robotics and Logistics Team Lead, U.S. Space Force

PANELIST

Debi Tomek
Senior Advisor, On-orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA

The dual challenges of a growing population and climate change has accelerated the need for advanced technologies that help us farm in a more sustainable way. More than ever, we need to find ways to use our resources, avoid overwatering, maximize production, and monitor our threatened species more efficiently. Explore how technologies like remote sensing, time and locations services, IoT, and satellite broadband can improve life on Earth, and also support the growth and development of our off-world future.

MODERATOR

Rei Goffer
Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Tomorrow.io

With multiple mega-constellations planned for LEO, not only from industry, but also DoD and other countries such as China, we are rapidly reaching the point where some decisions need to be made about rules of the road, best practices, and general management. The session will address the impacts of multiple mega-constellations and factors that should be considered as the community identifies solutions.

MODERATOR

Dave Goldstein
Principal Guidance, Navigation and Control Engineer, SpaceX

PANELIST

Tory Bruno
CEO, United Launch Alliance

PANELIST

Lauri Newman
Conjunction Assessment Manager, NASA

PANELIST

Mark Mulholland
Chief Engineer, Space Traffic Management & Space Situational Awareness, Office of Space Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce

MODERATOR

Greg Chavers
Acting Deputy Associate Administrator, Systems Engineering and Integration, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, NASA

PANELIST

Michelle Rucker
Mars Architecture Lead, NASA Johnson Space Center

PANELIST

Julie Robinson
Science & Utilization Lead, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, NASA

Lunar dust is one of the principal limiting factors in returning to the lunar surface for missions of any extended duration. Through its 2021 BIG Idea Challenge, NASA provided nearly $1 million in funding to seven universities for the development of unique, promising lunar dust mitigation technologies. In a Shark Tank-like pitch session, each of the seven BIG Idea Challenge awardees has five minutes to "pitch" their innovative lunar dust solutions to the audience, who will vote on the solution that has demonstrated the best enabling technology for near-term lunar missions. NASA's BIG Idea Chairman, Michael Johansen, will wrap up the session with a brief update on NASA's current investment in lunar dust mitigation strategies.

MODERATOR

Stacy Dees
BIG Idea Challenge Program Manager, National Institute of Aerospace

PANELIST

Michael Johansen
Dust Integration Manager, NASA Kennedy Space Center

MILO Space Science Institute will share their vision of providing affordable access to great space science by leveraging, learning, and growing space science and technology capabilities with new perspectives from tribal colleges and universities. This session will feature case studies and experiences with Salish Kootenai College and Navajo Technical University.

MODERATOR

Drew Grennell
Faculty, Salish Kootenai College

PANELIST

Abraham Meles
Assistant Professor, Navajo Technical University

PANELIST

Lindsay Papsidero
Chief Engineer, MILO Space Science Institute/Lockheed Martin Company

PANELIST

David Thomas
Executive Director, MILO Space Science Institute

PANELIST

Jim Bell
Professor, Arizona State University

MILO Space Science Institute will share their vision of providing affordable access to great space science by leveraging, learning, and growing space science and technology capabilities with new perspectives from tribal colleges and universities. This session will feature case studies and experiences with Salish Kootenai College and Navajo Technical University.

SPEAKER

Phil Ingle
Managing Director, Morgan Stanley

SPEAKER

David M. Van Wie
Head, Air and Missile Defense, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

MODERATOR

Debi Tomek
Senior Advisor, On-orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA

Space domain awareness, space situational awareness, or space traffic management – no matter what terminology we apply the global space community is urgently aware of the need for increased insight, management, and coordination of the multitude of objects that are being launched and inserted into orbits around our planet. It’s a good problem to have, illustrating the continuing breadth and depth of human engagement in space. But it is a problem we have to address NOW. Debates are ongoing about roles, responsibilities, technical solutions, and governance models; however, what does success look like? After we have progressed through the “storming and norming” phase of any new activity what is the steady-state vision for managing a crowded, vibrant orbital ecosystem?

MODERATOR

Nobu Okada
Founder & CEO, Astroscale Holdings Inc.

As LEO commercialization moves from cautious early entrants to a burgeoning global effort, we will need space structures built at scale – for government labs, academic research, industry R&D, and space tourism. This diversity of needs calls for architectural flexibility and opens new opportunities for next-generation habitat design. How will we build the coming generations of space architecture – the modules, spaceships, and space stations that will ensconce our spacefaring species? Can we move beyond the 20^th-century paradigm of cylindrical tubes in orbit to other structures that can protect, but also inspire, humanity for our future in the near and far reaches of space? This panel will discuss cutting-edge technology and systems ideas from the fields of space architecture, space structures design, extreme-environments construction, and iconic Earth-based architecture studios to chart a path toward humanity's centuries-old ambition of living in space habitats amongst the stars.

This panel builds on an inaugural 2020 ASCEND META session on “Space Structures at Scale” and is paired with an outcomes-focused workshop that will produce a detailed white paper and establish a special ASCEND working group in concert with the AIAA Space Architecture Technical Committee. We are modeling this after the Ensuring Economically Viable Lunar Settlements ASCENDxCo-Lab proceedings report developed in summer 2020.

MODERATOR

Ariel Ekblaw
Director, MIT Space Exploration Initiative

MODERATOR

Brent Sherwood
Senior Vice President, Advanced Development Programs, Blue Origin

MODERATOR

Shawna Pandya
Director, Medical Research, Orbital Assembly Corporation

PANELIST

Dorit Donoviel
Executive Director, Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH)

In October 2019, Air Force Space Command directed the use of the term "space domain awareness" to reflect what was previously doctrinally known as "space situational awareness" to better reflect space as a distinct domain – and a warfighting domain, no less. Just as we have domain awareness to safely maneuver and protect our ships and aircraft, our forces need space domain awareness (SDA) to safely maneuver satellites. SDA also allows us to detect threats from adversaries in space so that we can protect and defend ourselves. SDA must be both predictive and current. The Unified Data Library (UDL), first developed in 2019, now consumes, processes, and distributes millions of unique SDA data products daily originating from dozens of commercial, academic, and government organizations worldwide to a diverse user base spanning 25 countries and over 3,500 individual users. How will the increase in proliferation of objects in multiple orbits – particularly low Earth orbit – impact SDA capabilities? How can the United States, in coordination with our allies and partners, characterize adversary behavior to call out dangerous or malign activity in space and influence adversary behavior?

As the Department of Defense (DoD) is in the process of modernizing its approach to commanding military forces, Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) is DoD's concept to connect sensors from all the military services – Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force – into a single network. Space is at the heart of JADC2. The Space Force is already pursuing some of the critical capabilities needed to implement the interconnectivity the military will need in future fights with adversaries such as Russia and China. For example, the Unified Data Library (UDL) of space domain awareness data is being integrated into the Space Force’s operational capabilities using cloud-based, commercial data standards. As we now face near-peer competitors like China and Russia, is the United States postured to respond in space at speed? In other words, are the needs of space operators being included?

Hear an exciting discussion among autonomy experts on the unique challenges and opportunities of space-based autonomy. While there are billions of dollars being spent on terrestrial applications, are these relevant and transferable to the challenges of autonomy in the space domain?

Influential thinkers and emerging leaders from around the globe will be featured in a series of rapid-fire lightning talks that highlighted the most important issues surrounding safety, security, and sustainability in the context of space traffic.

The United States has long held a strategic “high-ground” military advantage over potential adversaries due to our advanced space capabilities. However, that time of superiority has passed. Our near-peer competitors, China and Russia, have not only reached parity with the United States, but are surging past us in some key space capability areas. Moreover, both have developed and are deploying increasingly advanced counterspace capabilities designed to degrade or destroy U.S. space assets. We can no longer take our advantages in space for granted, and must set a path to sustain or regain superiority in critical mission areas. Achieving this goal will not be simple nor quick, but with intellectual rigor and a continuous commitment, it is possible.