Space Tech Conference countdown begins

The agenda has been designed to help commercial, military, government, and academic organisations navigate the opportunities and challenges of doing business in an increasingly complex landscape, and an impressive lineup of prominent industry figures will take to the stage to share their insights.

C-suite representatives from companies including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Surrey Satellite Technology, York Space Systems, and Planet Labs are just some of the high level speakers taking part in the conference, with each set to discuss a specialism their company excels in.  

Maj Genl (Ret.) Thomas ‘Tav’ Taverney, Senior Vice President for space systems development at Leidos, will open the conference with a welcome address before moderating the keynote panel session on enabling the Space Enterprise Vision. From there, the conference segues into a veritable smorgasbord of insights and discussion on industry news, current affairs, innovations, and ideas.

Over the course of the event, delegates will hear from Lockheed Martin’s Jennifer Warren, Vice President of Technology, Policy, and Regulation and Boeing’s Michael Elsperman, Director of Advanced Space Exploration as they outline their recommendations for improving competitiveness in the United States’ commercial space sector – a session based on AIA’s recently releasedpolicy recommendations. Later, York Space Systems’ Director and CEO, Dirk Wallinger, and Surrey Satellite Technology’s Stephen Eisele will address the most common question asked during funding rounds: how do you slash costs while managing risk? Key discussion points will include what to keep in-house and what to outsource to preserve core competency, and when and how you should leverage big companies to assist your organisation’s growth strategy.

Also on the agenda is a panel discussion delving into the specifics of scaling high volume manufacturing featuring Northrop Grumman’s Lauren Smith, RITRE Corporation’s Joseph D Fargnoli, and Boeing’s Steve Sichi. The final day of the conference will see Chester Gillmore, Planet Labs Vice President of manufacturing, cover the evolving relationship between industry incumbents and start-ups alongside speakers from Lockheed Martin Ventures, Phase Four, SSL, and SSC.  

The broad conference agenda means there’s something for attendees from all areas of the space tech industry. Keynotes, panels, and audience-interactive discussions will address an expanse of topics and answer some of the most pressing industry questions and issues, including how to adapt to a new era in air force space requirements; collaboration among commercial, government, and military bodies; new space finance; how to become a leading market player; addressing the bottleneck of launching into space; managing traffic and reducing space congestion; and how to scale operations and manufacturing capabilities to support the growth of mega constellations.  

Networking breaks have been factored into the schedule to maximise opportunities for peer interaction and ensure delegates get the most out of their conference experience. Meanwhile, the organisers will be taking audience polls on critical questions including who you think will get to Mars first – a commercial body or government; whether the massive LEO constellations are real and here to stay; and predictions on which country is lining up for the world’s next biggest space industry boom.  

Make sure you sign up for your press pass to hear from some of the space tech sector’s brightest minds and stay ahead of your competitors. Conference passes for attendees start from $395 with discounts available for gov, mil and academics.