Spacecom

• • Rapidly increasing development of international spaceports changes global business models for travel, point-to-point shipping, space tourism, low G experimentation, and orbital launch capabilities

• • Changing NASA purchasing policies are leveraging free-market forces that are stimulating innovation and cost savings

• • Venture capital investment in commercial space companies is at an all-time high and projected to increase rapidly in the near future

Power Behind the Vision

The SpaceCom conference is being developed in conjunction with an Advisory Board made up of industry, academic, and government leaders, chaired by NASA JSC Director Dr. Ellen Ochoa.

Throughout the interactive, three-day program, SpaceCom will connect forward-thinking, non-space companies with existing space companies to increase sales and market share for both sides. By educating global business executives on space applications, business innovation, and new global commercial markets can be derived. As the benefit of using in-space capabilities (orbital and suborbital) is demonstrated, executives will realize how this can drive non-space industry productivity and profitability. The benefits will be tremendous as partnerships between NASA and industry allow humankind to expand beyond low Earth orbit in a meaningful and cost-effective way.

Applications for Advanced Manufacturing

SpaceCom provides a unique platform for the growing wave of cross-industry collaboration focused on accelerating and diversifying the impact and benefits of the new space age—in space, and on Earth. For instance, NASA is using additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, to create a diverse portfolio of products, from small satellites to rocket engine parts. A strong example of this is its use of selective laser melting to create complex parts for the J-2X and RS-25 rocket engines without welding. Selective laser melting saves time and greatly reduces the cost of creating component parts.

NASA is also adopting cutting-edge industrial techniques in space where the ISS has a 3D printer that produced the first part in space in November 2014, potentially ushering in a new age of off-Earth manufacturing in low-gravity environments.

When it comes to exploration, NASA is looking at 3D printing of space habitats using materials found on other heavenly bodies.

As we explore deeper in space, transporting all the material and parts needed to build habitats would be very expensive. This type of 3D printing would allow astronauts to literally “live off the land.”

NASA technology also supports American manufacturing in many ways, and is helping revitalize the nation’s manufacturing sector, according to a Tauri Group study. Specifically, the study found that NASA contributed $5 billion to the U.S. manufacturing industry in 2012. The development of NASA’s Space Launch System alone contributed about $930 million to the chemical, machinery, transportation equipment, fabricated metal, and computer and electronic product manufacturing sectors.

“SpaceCom is focused on extending that deep knowledge base to the broader advanced manufacturing industry,”said James Causey, executive director of SpaceCom.

“While many solutions to space-related problems have had a direct impact on Earth, the extent of technology transfer is yet to be fully exploited. SpaceCom will address this potential.”

The SpaceCom conference program will include an advanced manufacturing track and advanced manufacturing round table where participants will analyze case studies to apply to their business. The conference will also include an expo with a dynamic show floor demonstrating the latest technologies. Organizations exhibiting at SpaceCom are focused on the economic development of space and the application of space technologies across these target industry sectors.

The full conference program and exhibitor details can be found at: www.spacecomexpo.com.