THE BUSINESS OF SPACE

Project Director: Dr. Fiorella Terenzi

Forum - November 2002 Biltmore Hotel

Description:

"The Business of Space" 2002 forum will investigate the possibilities for commercialization of space ranging from reusable rockets to commerce and tourism, from space entrepreneurs and alternative programs to lunar colonies and asteroid-based mines, from stock market-style investing in new spacecraft designs to private enterprise opening the solar system to human exploration.

The $100 billion rocket launch industry, presently based on commercial communications systems and satellite delivery and servicing, is quickly privatizing. The cheaper space transport becomes, the more jobs and investment are created. Satellite delivery systems, space repair specialists, space-waste disposal, space tourism, and the numerous medical and commercial uses of the International Space Station are just a few of the many emerging industries.

Reduced launch costs also open exciting possibilities for space tourism. The Space Tourism Society says nearly 100 million people attend science and space museums annually and, though little is known about the possibilities and pitfalls of space tourism, a 1997 NASA study reported public desire to travel through space is growing. With increased demand for space travel, a new era of space exploration is emerging. The citizens of this planet can capitalize on these and other space-based ventures.

Who will profit from the commercialization of space? Those ready to explore the market frontier. At The Business of Space Forum 2002, those frontier leaders will begin to show and share their space- centered store-fronts.

DAY ONE

• Is Space Profitable?
• Commercial Opportunities in Space
• Entrepreneurs and Alternative Space Programs
• Citizens Capitalizing on Space
• Space Start-Ups: The New Silicon Valley?
• The Exploration of Space: Policy Trends in Military and Commercial Uses of Outer Space
• The New Space: Privatization and Commercialization

DAY TWO

• NASA, Commerce and Joint Ventures
• New Space-Based Research and Innovations
• Materials Processing in Space : Experiments and Technology
• Commercial Utilization of Outer Space: Law and Practice
• Space Stations, the Next Space Marketplace: Private or Public?
• Space Tourism: Exploring other Planets
• Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLVs) and Commercial Launch Vehicles

DAY THREE

• Financial and Technical Challenges
• The New Space Jobs on Earth
• Orbital Commerce and Commercial Opportunities
• Space Commercialization: Markets and Economics of Satellite Technology
• Commercial Space Exploration Ventures
• Microspace Renaissance: Commerce, Enterprise, Industrialization and Resources
• The Future of the Space Industr