SpaceNEXT

Scaling infrastructure in space was the topic our Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Dave Hebert, weighed in on during an expert panel at SpaceNEXT 2026 last week. “Building On-Orbit Highways: Logistics, Data, and the Infrastructure Powering the Next Space Economy” focused on the state of space operations today and what it will take to get to the next level. ↗️ Anna Nissinen (Fairfax County Government Economic Development Authority) moderated the thoughtful discussion that also included Paula Trimble (Muon Space) and Giovanni Rosanova, Jr. (NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Wallops Flight Facility). From speed and data to structure and collaboration, the consensus all pointed to one sentiment: It’s time to think bigger. “If we don’t have to think about the mission as being constrained by the way the satellite or spacecraft is designed and exists when it leaves earth but instead it being able to expand and adapt and evolve, then just imagine the possibilities,” Dave said.💡 Watch the panel or read the recap now: https://lnkd.in/e8YZ2FQX #AstroscaleUS #SpaceNext

From a rocket transported on a bicycle in 1963… to landing near the Moon’s south pole. 🚲 🚀 At spaceNEXT, Namgya Khampa, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of India, shared the remarkable arc of India’s space journey — and the deepening India–U.S. partnership shaping the future of the global space economy. Watch her full remarks and read the recap 👉 https://lnkd.in/eeWyrP24 With 400+ startups, a rapidly expanding private sector, a $44B ambition by 2033, and landmark collaborations like Chandrayaan-1 and NISAR, India is positioning space not just as exploration — but as economic infrastructure. Her message was clear: cooperation in space doesn’t dilute sovereignty — it amplifies capability. #spaceNEXT #NewSpaceEconomy #IndiaUSPartnership #SpacePolicy #GlobalCollaboration

Talent is infrastructure. Hard stop. 👏 At spaceNEXT, Dr. Leigh McCue highlighted something essential to building the new space economy: multidisciplinary collaboration across science, engineering, and computing isn’t optional — it’s foundational. This is exactly why George Mason University serves as our Lead Academic Partner. When universities connect students directly with employers, when research meets commercialization, and when computing converges with aerospace and advanced engineering — that’s how ecosystems scale. Events like spaceNEXT aren’t just convenings. They’re launchpads for the next generation of aerospace talent right here in Greater Washington. Proud to build this future together. #spaceNEXT #MasonNation #BuildHere #NewSpaceEconomy

🧬 Microgravity is fast-forwarding medicine. At spaceNEXT 2026, Donna Roberts — Chief Scientist at American DeepTech, former Deputy Chief Scientist of the ISS National Laboratory, physician, neuroradiologist, neuroscientist, and human spaceflight expert — delivered a powerful message: Space biotechnology is not theoretical. It is already advancing drug candidates toward clinical trials. Watch the keynote & read the full recap: https://lnkd.in/eqH4V7Qy In microgravity: • Human neural stem cells form 3D brain organoids that better model Alzheimer’s • Cancer cells grow into realistic tumor spheroids, revealing new therapeutic targets • Stem cells become more resilient and proliferative • Protein crystals grow more uniformly — enabling safer, more effective drugs Preclinical timelines that take 18 months on Earth can collapse into six weeks in space. And with new commercial space stations coming online — equipped with automation and AI-driven on-orbit analysis — researchers won’t run single experiments. They’ll run hundreds. The infrastructure we build now will determine who leads the next era of biotechnology innovation. #spaceNEXT #SpaceBiotech #Microgravity #NewSpaceEconomy #DrugDiscovery #RegenerativeMedicine #CommercialSpace

#Lunaverse

⚡ The lunar economy won’t scale without power. At spaceNEXT 2026, Rima Kasia Oueid (U.S. Department of Energy) and Ron F. (General Atomics) tackled one of the most foundational questions in the new space economy: How do we power industrialization in orbit and on the Moon? Watch the chat & read the full recap: https://lnkd.in/ekFFHwti Solar and storage dominate today — but once we cross the 50–100 kilowatt threshold, physics changes the equation. Data centers in orbit. In-situ resource utilization. Autonomous mining in permanently shadowed craters. Advanced manufacturing in microgravity. “Power is going to be king,” Faibish said. Nuclear microreactors — deployed safely and activated only once in orbit or on the surface — could provide the resilience and energy density required to industrialize space. And unlike terrestrial grids burdened by century-old models, space offers a clean slate: 🔌 Distributed microgrids 🚀 Power beaming 🤖 Autonomous delivery systems 🌑 Reactors positioned in shadowed lunar regions The takeaway was clear: Infrastructure builds ecosystems. Energy enables infrastructure. If we want a lunar economy, we need to design the power architecture intentionally — now. #spaceNEXT #NewSpaceEconomy #LunarEconomy #SpaceInfrastructure #NuclearEnergy #SpacePower #CommercialSpace

It was an excellent conversation — complete with the perfect number of Abraham Lincoln references (if you know, you know). Stay tuned for videos and more photos! Thank you for being part of #spaceNEXT, Jason El Koubi. We can't wait to see you next year.

🌕 The next phase of space isn’t just about launch. It’s about integration. At spaceNEXT 2026, Ron Birk, Principal Director of the Space Enterprise Evolution Directorate at The Aerospace Corporation introduced the Lunaverse — an industrial metaverse framework designed to help engineer the emerging lunar and cis-lunar ecosystem. 👀 Watch the video & read the recap: https://lnkd.in/dGEFNrdj As thousands of organizations develop capabilities across communications, power, transportation, in-situ resource utilization, and spaceports, the challenge is no longer simply innovation. It’s coordination. Where do 10,000+ space companies go to understand what others are building? How do investors, insurers, regulators, and integrators see interdependencies before they become systemic risk? How do we build infrastructure deliberately — instead of reactively? The Lunaverse offers: 🛰️ An immersive digital twin of the Moon 🔌 A system-of-systems simulation framework 📊 A common operational picture for evolving infrastructure 🤝 A digital commons for marketplace, integration, and innovation Infrastructure builds ecosystems. Ecosystems build economies. The Lunaverse is an early attempt to engineer all three — intentionally. #spaceNEXT #Lunaverse #NewSpaceEconomy #LunarEconomy #SpaceInfrastructure #DigitalTwin #CommercialSpace

🚀 When most people picture the space economy, they think of rockets. Washington, DC thinks about contracts. Policy. Capital. Decisions. At spaceNEXT 2026, Adam Lattimore, MPA (Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development) made the case that the future of space commercialization doesn’t just launch from Florida or Texas — it scales where budgets are set and rules are written. “That part of the space economy — the part that determines not just what gets built, but who builds it and how fast it can scale — runs straight through Washington, DC.” 📊 Venture investment in the DC region jumped from ~$370M to over $1B in a single year. 🎓 Five R1 universities spending $1B+ annually on research. 🏛️ All three branches of government + 150 embassies within blocks. In a market where government remains the largest global buyer, proximity isn’t symbolic. It’s strategic. DC isn’t just part of the space ecosystem. It’s part of the decision economy shaping it. Read & watch more: https://lnkd.in/eCRqRr2K #spaceNEXT #NewSpaceEconomy #WashingtonDC #SpacePolicy #CommercialSpace #InnovationEconomy

🚀 Space is no longer a niche sector. It’s a convergence point — of capital, security, AI, and infrastructure. At spaceNEXT 2026, Preston Dunlap, Founder of Arkenstone Capital and former Chief Technology Officer of both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, explored what it will take to build tomorrow’s space enterprise — and why this moment feels structurally different. 💫 Check out the (#MustWatch) keynote & read the full recap: https://lnkd.in/eAD-jBrK 📉 Launch costs have collapsed — from $1.6B in the Shuttle era to ~$60M today. 🛰️ Megaconstellations have scaled from prototypes to thousands of satellites in orbit. 💰 U.S. government space spending has risen from ~$50B to ~$75B in just three years. But private capital? Roughly $15B globally. “Think about where the capital sources are from and where the opportunities are," Dunlap said. Dunlap made the case that government remains the dominant early customer — underwriting infrastructure while commercial markets mature. At the same time, geopolitical risk, orbital congestion, and adversarial behavior are accelerating innovation in space domain awareness, debris tracking, and next-gen capabilities. Security and commerce are no longer separate conversations. And then there’s the capital markets question. If SpaceX were to IPO at ~$1.5T, it would instantly become one of the most valuable companies on Earth — pulling space into the same frontier tech conversation as AI and advanced computing. Space isn’t peripheral anymore. It’s becoming foundational. #spaceNEXT #NewSpaceEconomy #CommercialSpace #SpaceInvestment #NationalSecurity #FrontierTech