ISDC 2027 offers a stronger case for making the trip than the conference has had in years. The International Space Development Conference returns to a city where spacecraft are designed, built, and displayed within a short drive of the venue.
When and Where Is ISDC 2027?
The International Space Development Conference (ISDC) 2027 runs May 27 to 30, 2027, at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel, located near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The conference is the annual flagship event of the National Space Society (NSS), which has hosted it for more than four decades.
ISDC was held in Los Angeles in 2014, 2018, and 2024, and the 2027 edition will use the same venue that hosted the 2024 conference.
Why Does Los Angeles Make Sense for a Space Conference?
Holding the conference in Southern California puts attendees in the middle of a working space economy rather than at a distance from it.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the NASA center responsible for robotic exploration of the solar system and a division of the California Institute of Technology, operates in the foothills near Pasadena. SpaceX continues to run its large production facility in Hawthorne, a few miles from LAX, where teams work on the Falcon 9 rocket. Around these anchors sits a broader ecosystem of aerospace companies, suppliers, universities, and research institutions that has been building flight hardware for decades.
For attendees, that concentration matters in practical ways. Local engineers and researchers are more likely to appear on panels and in hallway conversations, and the topics discussed inside the conference connect directly to work underway across the region.
A Returning Venue Built Around Easy Travel
The Sheraton Gateway’s location is among the most practical in the city for a national event. A complimentary shuttle runs between the airport and the property, so attendees can land, board, and check in without arranging ground transportation.
For those arriving by other routes, the hotel is positioned directly off the Century Boulevard corridor, the LA Metro C Line connects to the LAX shuttle network, and rideshare services are available from all airport terminals.
A venue that has hosted the event before carries a quieter benefit as well: the organizing team knows the space, the session rooms, and the flow of the building, which tends to make the on-site experience smoother for everyone.
What Happens at the International Space Development Conference?
ISDC brings together managers, engineers, scientists, educators, entrepreneurs, students, and advocates from across the civilian, commercial, military, and grassroots space communities, drawing attendees from around the globe.
The program is built around parallel sessions covering the full range of space development. Recent conferences have featured sessions on Mars exploration, the Moon, space policy, space settlement, planetary defense, space solar power, space health, space business, and emerging areas such as artificial intelligence in space, among others. NSS plans to open the call for abstracts for ISDC 2027 later this summer, with submissions invited from researchers, industry professionals, students, and independent contributors. Student participants in NSS competitions, including the Gerard K. O’Neill Space Settlement Contest and the Live in a Healthy Space Competition, share the schedule with established experts.
Beyond the sessions and panels, the conference features exhibit halls, student contests, social events, and keynote addresses from prominent voices in the space community.
Space History You Can Visit While You Are in Town
Part of what the trip offers sits outside the conference entirely. Few cities let you stand next to this much real flight hardware.
At Exposition Park, the California Science Center’s new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, the permanent home of Space Shuttle Endeavour, is scheduled to open on November 13, 2026, displaying the orbiter in a 20-story launch position with its external tank and solid rocket boosters. The center describes it as the only place in the world to see a complete, authentic space shuttle system in launch configuration, and by the time ISDC 2027 begins, the exhibit will have been welcoming visitors for roughly half a year. East of LAX in Downey, the Columbia Memorial Space Center is a hands-on space museum on the site of the former aerospace plant where the Apollo Command Modules were built.
For attendees extending their stay by a day on either side of the conference, these destinations turn the trip into more than a hotel stay. Seeing flown hardware up close is a fitting way to open or close a week spent discussing what flies next.
Who Should Make the Trip?
ISDC is for everyone. Whether you have been an aerospace industry professional for decades or are simply a space enthusiast looking to learn more, you are already part of the ISDC community.
That is not a slogan so much as a description of how the conference operates. Parallel sessions cover topics at every level of technical depth, exhibit halls and shared meal events put newcomers and veterans in the same rooms, and the National Space Society has spent more than four decades shaping a program where every attendee has a place in the conversation.
Aerospace professionals and researchers on the West Coast get a national conference within driving distance or a short flight. Students and early-career attendees benefit from a program that treats them as participants rather than spectators, with dedicated competitions and space in the sessions for their work. International attendees arriving through LAX face an unusually simple airport-to-venue transfer, and NSS provides visa invitation letter support for those who need it.
And for anyone attending on curiosity rather than a job title, ISDC is designed so that a first-time attendee can walk into a session, a meal, or a conversation and belong there.
How to Start Planning for ISDC 2027
According to the conference website, registration for ISDC 2027 is set to begin in autumn 2026. In the meantime, there are two practical steps worth taking now.
First, book flights and accommodation early, since the dates and venue are already set. Second, join the NSS events newsletter to hear about registration, speakers, and session updates as they go live.
May in Los Angeles is a comfortable time to visit. If ISDC has been on your list, 2027 is a strong year to go.
👉 Sign up for NSS event announcements
Frequently Asked Questions
Where exactly is ISDC 2027 being held?
The conference will be held at 6101 W Century Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045. The hotel’s airport shuttle runs free of charge approximately every 10 to 15 minutes around the clock, with pickup at the arrivals level and no reservation needed. Look for the yellow and red shuttle displaying the hotel logo.
What days of the week does ISDC 2027 run?
The conference runs Thursday, May 27 through Sunday, May 30, 2027.
Do I need an aerospace background to attend ISDC?
No. The National Space Society describes the conference as welcoming and inclusive, whether you are a seasoned space professional or someone whose love of the cosmos keeps growing.
Can international attendees get help with U.S. visa requirements?
Yes. NSS provides invitation letters to support U.S. visa applications, with separate request forms for general attendees and for participants in student competitions such as the Gerard K. O’Neill Space Settlement Contest. Requests for ISDC 2027 letters are expected to open in the near future, and international travelers are encouraged to begin planning well in advance.
When does registration for ISDC 2027 open?
The conference has published an autumn 2026 start for registration, and the call for abstracts opens first for those hoping to join the program as speakers.
Is parking available at the conference hotel?
Yes, the Sheraton Gateway offers on-site parking, with rates for conference attendees to be shared closer to the event.