NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will keynote the 8th Annual Space Coast Symposium and Expo on Friday, August 21st, at the Radisson Resort at the Port in Cape Canaveral. Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly is the second keynote speaker. The Greater Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce runs the event, which opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 5:30 p.m.
The chamber says last year’s symposium sold out with nearly 600 attendees plus more than 200 additional expo participants. Pre-registration is required this year and no walk-ins will be admitted.
Four Panel Discussions
The program is built around four panel discussions, and the first one is the most consequential for the Cape. “Golden Dome: Strengthening National Security Through Commercial Collaboration” takes up the Trump administration’s missile defense architecture and what commercial partners contribute to it.
That panel features Robert Hauge, president of SpaceLogistics at Northrop Grumman, Jeff Hanke, president of space systems at L3Harris, and Theresa Watson, chief operating officer at Kegman. Eric “Tubby” Shwedo of the University of Central Florida moderates. Golden Dome implies a large number of satellites, and a large number of satellites implies a lot of launches from Brevard County.
A second panel, “Launching Futures: Building the Space Coast Workforce Pipeline,” puts Space Florida’s Mike Miller alongside Brevard Public Schools aerospace teacher William McInnish, Karin Hoffman of Key Innovative Solutions and Dr. Mildred Coyne of Coyne Workforce Solutions. Stephanie Robinson of the Vertex Applied Innovation Hub at Florida Tech moderates. The presence of a working high school teacher on a panel otherwise made up of executives is worth noting.
If you go
What: 8th Annual Space Coast Symposium and Expo
When: Friday, Aug. 21, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Where: Radisson Resort at the Port, 8701 Astronaut Blvd., Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
Cost: $100 for chamber partners, $125 for guests and future partners, $75 for students. Student registration must be arranged by phone.
Registration: Required in advance through the Greater Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce. No walk-ins are permitted. All attendee fees are non-refundable, though the chamber says full refunds will be issued if the event is canceled.
Lodging: A discounted room block is available at the Radisson through the chamber’s group reservation link.
Questions: Greater Palm Bay Chamber, 321-951-9998, or info@greaterpalmbaychamber.com
An Advanced Manufacturing panel brings Candy Cole of the Manufacturers Association of Central Florida, Sidus Space CEO Carol Craig and Lockheed Martin’s Diego A. Melani, who manages Orion system integration and test. The final panel covers unmanned systems and includes Will Watts, chief operating officer at the Florida Department of Transportation, and Jean Carlos Asencio of the Miami-based air taxi developer Wisk, with instructors from Embry-Riddle and Florida Tech rounding out the group.
Who Is Sponsoring The Event
The sponsor list is a decent snapshot of who is doing business on the Space Coast right now. SpaceX, Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Barton Malow, Florida Power and Light and Launch Credit Union appear at the silver level. Space R3 and Florida Tech hold the exclusive VIP slots, with Health First, REFIRE Leadership and Phillips Heavy Civil at platinum.
Seeing SpaceX and Blue Origin listed side by side on the same sponsor board is a small reminder of how the local economy actually works. The two compete hard for pads, contracts, and engineers, but they still show up to the same chamber events and insofar as the Cape goes, the two companies have a great deal in common.
Author: Charles Boyer
NASA kid from Cocoa Beach, FL, born of Project Apollo parents and family. I’m a writer and photographer sharing the story of spaceflight from the Eastern Range here in Florida.
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