Infrastructure is the backbone of civilization. A multi-planetary civilization needs interplanetary infrastructure to support its expansion, facilitate trade, and keep its citizens and their societies connected. The Interplanetary Infrastructure session considers whether investments in infrastructure, especially two-way transportation infrastructure, can address some of the most pressing problems associated with humanity’s initial efforts to expand into the solar system. Historically, infrastructure has facilitated human expansion. It increased accessibility and reduced the personal sacrifices that adventurous settlers and their families had to make. Infrastructure projects tend to be somewhat conservative in nature. They generally use technologies and materials that have been applied in other industries and that are already well-understood and well-characterized by engineers. Successful infrastructure projects are economically viable because their long-term benefit to society exceeds their upfront cost, even when the upfront cost is significant. The speakers presenting concepts in this session adhere to these fundamental principles and can demonstrate that their proposals do indeed pencil out.
Interplanetary Infrastructure
Session Chair Info
Phil Swan
Director of Infrastructure, The Atlantis Project
Phil Swan has a track record of developing successful innovations while working on advanced multi-disciplinary projects including Starlink, Hololens, and Xbox. He has been granted 38 US patents, including, most recently, a patent for the Tethered Ring. He is the recipient of three corporate recognition awards. Read More
Interplanetary Infrastructure
Session Speakers Info
David Dillon
Founder & CEO, Electromagnetic Launch, Inc.
In 2016 Mr. Dillon was issued a patent for an approach to electromagnetic launch and so began a multi-year effort to explore the physics and engineering that could dramatically reduce the cost of launching materials into space, this would finally lead to the formation of Electromagnetic Launch in the fall of 2020. Since then David has become a self-taught expert in the physics of electromagnetic launch with the help of Read More
Bryan Kuklinski
Executive Vice President, Orbital Construction Pioneers Inc.
Bryan Kuklinski “BK” began his aerospace pursuits building and flying model rockets and radio controlled airplanes, soloed a Cessna 150 at age 17. He studied mechanical engineering and completed flight training, including earning a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) certificate. After joining Black Sky Training, Mr. Kuklinski authored the first FAA Safety Approved course for Commercial Human Spaceflight training. He serves as Executive Vice President for Orbital Construction Pioneers, developing new Read More
Ben Sullivan
Chemical Engineer
Ben Sullivan is a Senior Chemical Engineer at Redwood Materials, working across plant performance and capital projects. Before that, he spent several years as a metallurgist at Mount Isa Mines and Prominent Hill mine, where he supported plant operations and conducted pilot plant test work. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical and Metallurgical) and a Bachelor of Science majoring in Chemistry. He has been fascinated by space since he Read More
Madhu Thangavelu
Dept of Astronautical Engineering, Viterbi School
Madhu Thangavelu conducts the ASTE527 graduate Space Exploration Architectures Concept Synthesis Studio in the Department of Astronautical Engineering within the Viterbi School of Engineering, and he is also a graduate thesis adviser in the School of Architecture at USC. He holds degrees in both engineering and architecture and has contributed extensively to concepts in space architecture, especially dealing with extraterrestrial development. He is the author or co-author of over 70 Read More