The new space economy is much like the old gold rush days where miners ventured out west to prospect their fortunes. To get there, you had to have the railroad. Once you were there, you needed picks and shovels and other tools to mine the gold. And eventually, frontier towns sprung up to support the industry with infrastructure, people, and other resources. For the space race, SpaceX has provided the train out west, but there’s very little in terms of tools to build in space, or large infrastructure to support activities. That’s where ThinkOrbital comes in providing the basic toolkit for autonomous welding, debris free cutting, multi-phenomenology inspection and additive manufacture. That toolkit will be used to build enormous infrastructure in space for manufacturing, military mission, habitation and a whole host of other applications. On a single launch we can build four times the volume of the International Space Station! In this presentation, you’ll learn how!

Event Date: 11 / 30 / 2023

A brief overview will be given on the current renaissance period of Houston’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem. This includes discussing exciting developments such as the creation of the Texas Space Commission, which will provide a common vision for the space community and out of cycle funding authority in Texas. Companies and ventures within Houston’s emerging commercial aerospace ecosystem will be characterized using a framework to help understand and contextualize potentials needs and contributions at each tier. The Jacobs Commercial Partnerships, Technology and Innovation Office (CPTIO) will also be introduced. Jacobs provides engineering and science services and solutions for NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) on the JSC Engineering, Technology & Science (JETS) II contract. Jacobs is taking giant steps to support NASA Johnson Space Center’s mission to lead human space exploration through its support on major programs such as the Artemis Moon missions, the International Space Station, the Orion Crew Module, astromaterials and deep space research, along with project collaboration with numerous NASA centers and commercial aerospace companies. As part of the JETS II contract, the CPTIO is JSC’s external conduit of connection to the rapidly emerging commercial aerospace industry around JSC. The CPTIO helps JSC stimulate a thriving, inclusive community that facilitates collaborative innovation, advances translational research, creates new ventures, drives industry growth, and enables widespread space commercialization that ultimately advances mankind.

Event Date: 11 / 9 / 2023

Humans are driven to explore the unknown, discover new worlds, push the boundaries of our scientific and technical limits, and simply go further. This innate curiosity and ambition has propelled us through centuries of exploration, from our first steps on the Moon to the work we are doing today to extend human presence across the solar system. Where will our relentless pursuit of discovery lead us in the year 2040? Join me as we consider the future of human spaceflight together.

Event Date: 9 / 7 / 2023