“Space Week in Southern New Mexico” is held each year in conjunction with the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight, organized by the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium.
This year’s events begin with the PSL Leonard R. Sugerman Public Forum, on Tuesday, October 20th beginning at 9:00 a.m. The theme for this year’s event is “Building a Spaceport Community” and will focus on the roles that various private and public sector organizations will have in building a spaceport community. The event will be held at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum and is free and open to the public.
As a prelude to this year’s symposium, a workshop and tour of the NASA White Sands Test Facility is scheduled for Tuesday, October 20th. It will include a panel of experts who will speak to assets in the local community that are capable of supporting the commercial space industry.
The ISPC S symposium begins at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 21st and continues through Thursday, October 22nd. Topics to be covered include:
- Flight Safety: Lessons Learned and Opportunities for Innovation
- Space Operations: Lessons Learned and Opportunities for Innovation
- Personal Spaceflight – What to Expect
- Survey Results on Commercial Human Spaceflight
- Augustine Committee Review of Manned Space Flight at NASA
- University Aerospace Research Programs as Enablers of Growth of Commercial Space
- The Suborbital Future Beyond Tourism: The Research and Education Market
- Small Satellites for Orbital and Sub-Orbital Applications
- Launch Vehicle Options for Future Operators in the Sub-Orbital Environment
- Unique Capabilities in New Mexico for RLV and Payload Processing
- Spaceports Investments to Enable Commercial Spaceflight
All ISPCS sessions are plenary, allowing everyone to receive the same information simultaneously. Responding to feedback, ISPCS has created multiple means of engaging the audience in discussions with speakers during the sessions. Additional networking opportunities are scheduled throughout the two days.
To conclude the week’s activities, there will be a tour of Spaceport America led by Steve Landeene and Dr. Jerry Brown on Friday, October 23rd. The tour will include the construction site (World HQ for Virgin Galactic); the runway and terminal hanger; the existing site- mission control; and launch pad.
Registration is required for the tours and the symposium. Early bird registration closes October 1st and on-line registration closes October 16th.
