Tag: space commerce

ASCEND Announces Initial Program for November Event

June 10, 2021 – Reston, Va. – ASCEND, the interdisciplinary community focused on building humanity’s off-world future faster, today began rolling out the features of its centerpiece event program. Scheduled for 8–10 and 15–17 November, the ASCEND event will showcase a hybrid blend of live in-person and online programming. Powered by AIAA, ASCEND was launched in 2020 to Accelerate Space Commerce, Exploration, and New Discovery.

The hybrid event launches 8 November with a three-day flight of programming – five hours each day, presented only online. These days will include strategic Meta presentations and operational Micro technical papers and collaborative discussions. Registration will open in late July, with multiple options for live, virtual, and on-demand attendance.

Live from Las Vegas
The following week, 15–17 November, ASCEND will welcome attendees live and in-person at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, and online everywhere. The program will include presentations and conversations led by high-profile thought leaders and rising industry influencers. Content will focus on big challenges, pathways to success, the application of innovation, and the exponential value of interdisciplinary collaboration in space. Select activities will be open only to attendees in Las Vegas.

In addition, ASCEND will host an in-person East Coast Satellite Event in Washington, DC, on 15 November, featuring special programming and a live viewing of Las Vegas sessions. More details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Content presented at 2021 ASCEND will be available for on-demand viewing online throughout the event and the weeks following. Speakers for the visionary Macro sessions and strategic Meta presentations will be announced in the coming weeks as details are confirmed.

“The ASCEND community has stepped up to deliver more of the content and connections we’re hungry for — anywhere on the planet. In fact, we’ve added three days to the schedule to accommodate the new technical and collaborative sessions that will guide building our off-world future faster,” said ASCEND Executive Producer Rob Meyerson.

Technical Presentations Will Be Streamed
Nearly 400 Micro session technical papers will be presented online during 2021 ASCEND, in addition to about 100 collaborative sessions featuring multiple experts discussing focused topics. The international grassroots community includes authors from industry, government, and academia in 27 countries. These Micro session topics range from Accelerating the Space Economy, Space Life Sciences and Systems, and Space Automation and Robotics, to Cybersecurity and Applied Systems Engineering.

“One goal of ASCEND is to connect technical experts with business and government leaders from aerospace and adjacent industries to discuss, test, build, and solve problems together. ASCEND is unique in its ability to convene the technical conversation from the deep aeronautics and astronautics community, as well as from adjacent industries who see their future in space. Expertise can inform the economics and the policies of space exploration and drive the intentional outcomes we need to accelerate building our off-world future,” said AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher.

ASCEND Guiding Coalition Advises on Program Design
“We’re honored this year’s Guiding Coalition continues its role as a critical partner in helping us grow ASCEND as the on-ramp to space for everyone. From rockets and payloads to policy, administration and advocacy, the 33 members of the 2021 ASCEND Guiding Coalition bring an accumulated wealth of experience — millions of miles and billions of dollars invested in space — to inform and inspire the ASCEND community,” Meyerson added.

Tickets to ASCEND in-person experiences will be limited by COVID-19 protocols for safety. Detailed protocols for in-person participation will be announced when attendee registration opens in late July. “Even as we begin to feel comfortable with more face-to-face interactions in the ‘next normal,’ we are pleased ASCEND will be hybrid in nature to maximize its reach and impact,” said AIAA Managing Director of Professional Development Craig Day.

24th AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference
The 24th AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference also will be presented 15–17 November, in conjunction with the overall ASCEND experience. This leading-edge forum for exploring R&D and the technologies underpinning confidence in this fast-growing field will highlight multiple opportunities for international collaboration, including national programs from North America, South America, Australia, Europe, and Asia.

For the most up-to-date information about ASCEND, RSVP here.

AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell

About ASCEND
Powered by AIAA, ASCEND promotes the collaborative, interdisciplinary, outcomes-driven community of professionals, students, and serious enthusiasts around the world who are accelerating humanity’s progress toward our off-world future! For more information, visit ascend.events, or follow ASCEND on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

AIAA to Host Techstars Startup Weekend D.C., Space

CONTACT: Michele McDonald
703.264.7542
[email protected]

September 19, 2019 – Reston, Va. – To encourage entrepreneurial activity and promote space commerce, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is hosting the Techstars Startup Weekend D.C., Space, 22–24 October.

The event is co-located with the International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2019), held from 21–25 October at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

Techstars Startup Weekend D.C., Space will focus on space, bringing together individuals from the design, technical and business communities to create an organization aimed at commercializing space and expanding the space economy. This broad topic includes everything from solving orbital debris to outposts on the moon to asteroid mining.

No experience in the space industry is necessary, and all participants are welcome. The event is a three-day sprint to launch new products and services that solve real-world problems.

“AIAA is excited to work with Techstars to provide this fun, high-energy environment to create new ideas and solutions for space industry challenges. We are shaping the future of aerospace by bringing those with an interest in and passion for space together with the business and technical mentors they need to create and sustain a startup,” said Dan Dumbacher, AIAA Executive Director.

Techstars Startup Weekends are 54-hour events designed to provide superior experiential education for technical and non-technical entrepreneurs. This special space edition will kick off Tuesday 22 October with pitches and continue with brainstorming, business plan development, and basic prototype creation until Thursday afternoon’s presentations. Participants will create working startups during the event and are able to collaborate with like-minded individuals outside of their daily networks. All teams will hear presentations by industry leaders and receive valuable feedback from local entrepreneurs. The program is centered around action, innovation, and education.

To learn more or register for Techstars Startup Weekend D.C., Space, visit http://communities.techstars.com/usa/washington-dc/startup-weekend/15230 or contact Tobey Jackson at [email protected] or 703.264.7570.

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 85 countries, and 97 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, aiaa.org, or follow us on Twitter @AIAA.

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American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
12700 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 200, Reston, VA 20191-5807
Phone: 703.264.7558 Fax: 703.264.7551 aiaa.org

2024 AIAA David W. Thompson Lecture in Space Commerce Presented by Sir Martin Sweeting During 2024 ASCEND

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 8, 2024 – Reston, Va. – AIAA is pleased to announce the 2024 AIAA David W. Thompson Lectureship in Space Commerce is awarded to Sir Martin Sweeting, Executive Chairman, Surrey Satellite Technology, Ltd. (SSTL) and Distinguished Professor, Surrey Space Centre, University of Surrey. The lecture, “Small Satellites – The Foundation of NewSpace,” will be presented Tuesday, 30 July, 12 p.m. PT, during 2024 ASCEND, 30 July – 1 August, Las Vegas.

Sweeting’s lecture will trace 20 years of small satellites’ impact on life on Earth and look toward future developments. The emergence in the early 2000s of low cost and rapid response, yet operationally capable small satellites initiated a fundamental gear-change in the economics of space. Two decades later, small satellites are mainstream and the basis of mega constellations in low Earth orbit providing communications and Earth observation services with the private sector now playing a dominant role. Recent developments in launchers, both large and small, have accelerated this trend, often referred to as “NewSpace,” enabling far wider participation by nations and commercial companies. The next generation of launchers on the horizon will stimulate the next gear-change in space, with dramatic implications for industry and society.

In 1979, with a Ph.D. in radio engineering from the University of Surrey, Sweeting pioneered rapid-response, low-cost, and highly capable small satellites utilizing modern consumer electronics to change the economics of space. In 1985, he founded a university spin-off company, SSTL, that has designed, built, launched, and operated in orbit over 70 nano-, micro-, and mini-satellites for customers worldwide providing missions for communications, Earth observation, space science, and the demonstration of active space debris removal techniques. Sweeting was knighted in 2006 by HM the Late Queen and is a Fellow of the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Physics. He has received numerous international awards, and has been identified as one of the UK’s 20 most influential engineers. He is regarded as the “father of small satellites” that led to NewSpace.

This lectureship recognizes a prominent industry leader or senior management team who has created or grown a space-related business and generated substantial economic benefits and market value. It was endowed by Orbital ATK to commemorate the long and distinguished career of commercial space pioneer, David W. Thompson. The lecture will be delivered in person, as well as recorded and available on demand.

Registration for 2024 ASCEND is open. Press passes are available for credentialed media by request.

Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell

About AIAA
AIAA is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org or follow AIAA on X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, and visit ascend.events or follow ASCEND on LinkedIn, X/Twitter, and Instagram.