Release courtesy of the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium
LAS CRUCES, NM – The International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS) is a ‘go’ at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum from October 20 through 21 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The symposium will feature industry experts and renowned speakers discussing the current state and future developments in the growing commercial space industry.
New Mexico Space Grant Consortium (NMSGC) Director Dr. Pat Hynes said, “We are excited about this year’s symposium since we are at a critical time in the growth of the commercial space industry. The purpose of ISPCS is to bring key industry stakeholders together in New Mexico. Throughout the world, New Mexico is becoming a well-respected leader for this growing industry.”
The ISPCS event is not only important for the commercial space industry, but also for the city of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Along with establishing the city as a hub for commercial space activity, the event will have tremendous economic impact and bring a greater level of international awareness to the community.
ISPCS has an extensive list of speakers scheduled for this year:
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20
8:45 a.m. Keynote Address – Neil Sheehan, Pulitzer Prize winner and Author of A Fiery
Peace in a Cold War
10:00 a.m. Past is Prologue: The Future of the Space Industry From the Perspective of
Those Who Helped Get It Started
Jeff Greason, Guruswami Ravichandran, Neil Sheehan, Bill Campbell, Rick Sturdevant, Fredrick Bachtel
11:00 a.m. Closing the Credibility Gap: The Role of Suborbital Testing as a Pathfinder to
Orbital Markets or as an End Market in Itself
Debra Facktor Lepore, Jeff Greason, Julia Tizard, Neil Milburn
1:30 p.m. Establishing the Commercial Space Market: Matching Business Strategy
with Funding Sources
Lee Rand, Grant Anderson, Mark Sirangelo, Tim Pickens, Robert Bigelow
2:30 p.m. FAA Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation
Ken Davidian, Samuel Durrance, Farrukh Alvi , Pat Hynes, Van Romero, Jim Vanderploeg
3:30 p.m. The Practical Impact of ITAR Reform on Commercial Space
Bob Dickman, Craig Weston, Sven Grahn, Franceska Schroeder
4:30 p.m. The Path Forward from DC-X/XA
Bill Gaubatz, Jess Sponable, Tom Ingersoll, David Masten, Yoshifumi Inatani, Neil Milburn, James Ball, Fredrick Bachtel
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21
8:30 a.m. Keynote Address – Lori Garver, Deputy Administrator, NASA
10:00 a.m. The Microgravity Market
Dennis Stone, Cheryl Nickerson, Andrew Nelson
11:00 a.m. Crew Transportation Systems: The Game Changer in Human Spaceflight
Brett Alexander, Keith Reiley, Kenneth Reightler, Robert Bigelow, Mark Sirangelo, Ken Bowersox
1:30 p.m. Space Policy Evolution: Changes Portend Larger Commercial Markets to
Service Government Needs and Greater International Cooperation
Clay Mowry, Brendan Curry, Valerie Skarupa, Philip McAlister
2:30 p.m. Creating the Demand: Free and Low Cost Flight Opportunities for Education
and Research in Space
David Masten, Doug Comstock, Susan Newsam, Brienna Henwood, Mark Severance, Jerry Larson, Charles Chafer
4:00 p.m. Spaceports
Karin Nilsdotter, Rick Homans, Stu Witt
This year’s conference is expected to attract over 400 company executives, government officials and industry and university researchers. The event is scheduled to coincide with Space Week in New Mexico. Attendees can register online at www.ispcs.com for the two-day conference.
For additional information on ISPCS, please visit www.ispcs.com or contact Joylynn Watkins at jwatkins@nmsu.edu or 575-646-6414.
