Confirmed Space Access 2019 Conference Presentations

Updated 2/15/19

We're nearly there - this list represents three-quarters of the final SA2019 three-day program. Things have evolved toward our having three major focus areas: Current Rocket Startups, the near-future transition to Cislunar Reusable-Vehicle/Propellant-Depot Transport Networks, and the longer-term transition from rockets to Advanced High-Energy Space Propulsion. Stay tuned for additional details and a few more excellent program additions in the coming weeks.

Confirmed speakers/presentations so far

• Additive Rocket Corporation on High Impulse, Ultra-Low Cost Additively Manufactured Rocket Engines
• James Benford on Ultrahigh Acceleration Neutral Particle Beam-Driven Sails
• Grant Bonin, former CTO, Deep Space Industries on Asteroid Mining Lessons From the Private Sector: What Worked, What Didn’t, and What’s Next
• Breakthrough Starshot/Peter Klupar on Plans for a Near-Term Interstellar Probe
• Cislunar Space Development Company/Dallas Bienhoff on Elements Of A Cislunar Transport Net: Space Tugs, Moon Shuttles and Propellant Depots
• CubeCab Nanosat Launch
• EXOS Aerospace/John Quinn with An Update On the SARGE Vehicle
• Firefly Aerospace on The Alpha Launch Vehicle, plus Highlights of OTV and CLPS
• 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 will discuss Electric Sky: A Long-Range Wireless Power Transmission System Enabling Orbital Launch Vehicles, With Terrestrial Commercial Applications and also A New Class Of Drive Using The Dynamic Pressure (Q) Of Passage Through The Interplanetary Or Interstellar Plasma To Expel Reaction Mass At High Velocity
• Masten Space Systems/Dave Masten
• Momentus Space/Joel Sercel, CTO on Water-Plasma Propelled In-Space Transportation Services
• Jim Muncy/Polispace will discuss Prospective FAA Launch/Reentry Rules Changes and The Washington Space Scene
• Orbit Beyond - Lunar Spacecraft & Landers
• Kevin Parkin, Parkin Research, on Beam-Heated Propulsion Progress & Prospects
• Positron Dynamics on Positron Based Propulsion
• Relativity Space on 3D Printing Rocket Vehicles
• Rocket Lab/Amanda Stiles, Senior Mission Manager on The Electron Launcher & Multi-Burn Kick Stage
• 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 on Their Upcoming Commercial Lunar Lander Mission
• Henry Spencer will give his traditional conference-opener in-depth backgrounder, on Transitions: From Expendable Spaceships To Space Transport Networks, From Rocket Motors To Fast High-Energy Drives. Not quite sure why rockets require months getting to Mars, nor why we don't just bolt in electric-plasma thrusters instead and speed things up? An in-depth intro to the issues for the intelligent rocket amateur.
• Jess Sponable will discuss Project History & Management Lessons From DC-X, X-40, and XS-1
• Tethers Unlimited Transformative Technologies for Space, Sea, Earth & Air
• Unreasonable Rocket/Paul Breed on Development Of A Low-Cost Modular Launcher
• Vector Launch/Gregory Orndorff on An Update on Vector’s Dedicated Low-Cost Launch Vehicles
• 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 Mars in weeks, or the stars in our lifetime: Ways we might make these things real.
• How To Save Civilization And Make a Little Money, or, This Is All Jerry Pournelle's Fault. Recalling Jerry Pournelle's significant role 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 - and business opportunities - may look like. Bill Bruner, Mitchell Burnside Clapp, Jess Sponable

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 hvanderbilt@mindspring.com