Preliminary Space Access 2019 Conference Agenda

Updated 1/30/19

(We're rolling - this list represents over two-thirds of the final SA2019 three-day program. Stay tuned for additional details and a few more excellent program additions in the coming weeks.)

Confirmed speakers/presentations so far

• James Benford on Ultrahigh Acceleration Neutral Particle Beam-Driven Sails
• Breakthrough Starshot/Peter Klupar on Plans for a Near-Term Interstellar Probe
• Cislunar Space Development Company/Dallas Bienhoff
• CubeCab
• EXOS Aerospace/John Quinn
• Firefly Aerospace
• Flometrics/Steve Harrington on Progress Report: Pistonless Pumps For High-Performance Rocket Propulsion Systems
• Gerald D Nordley on Mass Beam Propulsion, An Overview including Jordin Kare's Sailbeam Concept
• Jeff Greason of Electric Sky will discuss Some Advanced Power Transmission & Space Propulsion Concepts
• Masten Space Systems/Dave Masten
• Momentus Space
• Jim Muncy/Polispace will discuss Prospective FAA Launch/Reentry Rules Changes and The Washington Space Scene
• Rocket Lab/Amanda Stiles, Senior Mission Manager
• John Schilling will discuss Earth Orbit, Cislunar & Mars Practical Payload Capabilities Of Current & Near-Term Launchers
• Rand Simberg will discuss A Co-Orbital Transportation Infrastructure Concept
• Space Studies Institute Hosted Session covering SSI's focus area of How To Get Things Done Once There, technology and business aspects of habitats, power generation, resource extraction, manufacturing etc.
• SpaceIL
• Henry Spencer will discuss Transitioning From Standalone Spaceships To Space Transport Networks
• Henry Spencer & Henry Vanderbilt will discuss Some Likely Characteristics Of Usefully Faster Near-Term Inner Solar-System Space Transports. Thermal rockets aren't practically capable of high enough velocities to minimize cosmic-ray and other slow-transit problems. A look at some near-term approaches that may be usefully faster - and why they may not look at all like you might expect.
• Jess Sponable will discuss Project History & Management Lessons From DC-X, X-40, and XS-1
• Tethers Unlimited
• Unreasonable Rocket/Paul Breed on Development Of A Low-Cost Modular Launcher
• Pete Worden, Breakthrough Prize Foundation Chairman, on What We Might Do With A StarShot Capability

Panel Discussions

• Extremely High-Velocity Propulsion Concepts: A Survey. Jim Benford, Gerry Nordley, Henry Spencer
• How To Save Civilization and Make a Little Money, or, This Is All Jerry Pournelle's Fault. Recalling Jerry's significant part in the forty-year evolution from "Commercial rockets? Security, get this loon out of my office" to "Commercial rockets? How much do you want?" Aspects of the story as seen by some who were there. Larry Niven, Gary Hudson, Jim Muncy, Jess Sponable, Henry Vanderbilt
• Space Startup Party Fouls - Common Startup Errors & How To Avoid Them, as seen by Rocket People. There are a thousand books that will tell you what Venture Capital people look for. Rocket people, not so much. Paul Breed, Ben Brockert, Henry Spencer, Henry Vanderbilt
• NewSpace Meets Milspace - Both are evolving fast, with overlaps (both business and operational) likely growing with time. Some discussion of what the shared spaces may look like. Bill Bruner, Mitchell Burnside Clapp, Jess Sponable

We also plan Subject Concentrations this year on

• SmallSat Launch Startups
• Commercial Lunar Cargo Companies'

Participants for both currently being recruited - if you haven't yet heard from us, talk to us at sa2019program@erps.org (or if that doesn't work, email hvanderbilt@mindspring.com)

We're also interested in Student Space Project Presentations - we're reserving a number of short (5-10 minute) timeslots in the main program track for student/amateur presentations on interesting (not necessarily directly access-related) space projects. Contact us as above.