Los Angeles is not just where the International Space Development Conference returns in 2027. It is where the conference belongs. For over a century, Los Angeles has been the center of American aerospace. From aircraft manufacturers in World War I to the companies that built Apollo spacecraft, to SpaceX’s reusable rockets launching from Hawthorne today, Los Angeles has shaped how humans reach for space.
The National Space Society has hosted ISDC in Los Angeles multiple times in its 45-year history (in the early 1980s, 2006, 2014, 2018, and 2024). Each return has coincided with a moment when the space industry shifted. This time, ISDC comes to a Los Angeles at the center of a commercial space revolution.
Why Has Los Angeles Hosted ISDC More Than Any Other City?
Los Angeles earned its place as ISDC’s recurring venue because the city represents the full aerospace ecosystem. This concentration of capability spans generations: from the earliest aircraft experiments to the most advanced rockets today. When ISDC anchors here, the conference sits at the intersection of space exploration’s past and future.
The density of space activity here is unmatched. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena manages missions to Mars and beyond. SpaceX is headquartered in Hawthorne, building reusable rockets. Blue Origin, Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, and dozens of aerospace startups operate in the region. Major contractors (Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Raytheon) have deep roots here. When ISDC convenes, conversations happen where space is actually being built.
What Makes Los Angeles America’s Aerospace Heritage Center?
Los Angeles aerospace heritage began during World War I and accelerated in the 1930s, when companies like Douglas Aircraft Company designed the revolutionary DC-3. During World War II, Southern California manufacturers produced military aircraft at scale, including the P-38 Lightning and the B-17 Flying Fortress. When the war ended and focus shifted from aircraft to spacecraft, the same engineers and supply chains turned toward space.
JPL’s Caltech rocket-research roots go back to the 1930s, and the lab joined NASA in 1958. JPL went on to launch Explorer 1, America’s first satellite, manage the Voyager missions, and oversee the Mars rovers. JPL remains the intellectual heart of planetary exploration.
North American Aviation built the Apollo Command and Service Modules in Downey (the spacecraft that carried astronauts to the Moon). Rockwell International (from North American) later built the Space Shuttle Endeavour, now at the California Science Center. Endeavour flew 25 missions and was instrumental in building the International Space Station.
Contractors in Southern California continued building components for the Space Shuttle program, manufacturing rockets at Rocketdyne, and supporting NASA missions. The knowledge, the supply chains, and the engineering culture all remain embedded in the region.
What Does Modern Los Angeles Aerospace Look Like?
The Los Angeles aerospace story did not end with the Space Shuttle. Instead, it transformed. In the 2010s, private space companies began to emerge, and Los Angeles became their center. SpaceX, founded in 2002 and headquartered in Hawthorne, revolutionized spaceflight by developing reusable rockets like the Falcon 9 and proving that commercial companies could fly cargo and crews to orbit more efficiently than legacy contractors. That success attracted talent, capital, and attention. Other companies followed. Relativity Space and other startups chose Los Angeles not by random chance, but because the city offered what they needed: skilled engineers who understood space, a supply chain that could support spacecraft manufacturing, and a culture that believed space was achievable.
Today, SpaceX alone employs thousands in the Los Angeles area. The company is preparing Starship, a fully reusable super-heavy launch system, for orbital flight. Other companies in the region are building in-space infrastructure, developing satellite technology, and creating the commercial ecosystem that will define the next era of space exploration.
Why Does ISDC Return to Los Angeles?
ISDC returns to Los Angeles because the aerospace ecosystem here is unmatched. The conference brings together aerospace professionals, entrepreneurs, and scientists who are actively building the future of space. Here, JPL scientists present alongside SpaceX engineers, NASA contractors sit next to startup founders, and researchers from Caltech and USC network with educators shaping the next generation. This concentration of expertise is why the conference matters.
The conference also returns because Los Angeles has proven it can host an international space development event at scale. ISDC 2024, held at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel near LAX, brought together over 1,000 attendees from dozens of countries. For ISDC 2027, the conference returns to the same venue, meaning the infrastructure, staff relationships, and operational experience are already established.
Beyond the practical logistics, ISDC returns to Los Angeles because of what the city represents. When attendees walk into the conference and hear presentations from JPL scientists discussing Mars rovers, from SpaceX engineers talking about reusable rockets, from entrepreneurs building the next generation of space infrastructure, they are hearing from people who work in the city where the conference is held. That proximity matters. The hallway conversations happen with people who actually work on the problems being discussed.
Los Angeles Aerospace Heritage as Context for Modern Space Development
ISDC 2027 offers attendees the chance to not only hear about space development but to see the physical evidence of it. The California Science Center houses the Space Shuttle Endeavour (a spacecraft built in Downey that carried humans to space and back). JPL is a short drive away, managing active missions to Mars. SpaceX’s facilities in Hawthorne are in the greater Los Angeles area. The Columbia Memorial Space Center in Downey sits on the historic site where Apollo Command Modules were built. For anyone attending ISDC 2027, visiting these sites provides context that no conference alone can offer.
The aerospace heritage of Los Angeles is not a museum piece. Engineers who worked on the Space Shuttle now work on private space companies. Suppliers that supported Apollo still support modern spacecraft. The culture that built the DC-3, that produced the P-38 Lightning, that sent humans to the Moon, still exists in Southern California.
Where the Conversation Continues: ISDC 2027
Los Angeles is ISDC’s natural home because the city’s aerospace heritage is inseparable from the future of space exploration. The past informs the present: every breakthrough, every innovation, every risk taken in Los Angeles became part of how we explore space today.
For anyone working in space, studying space, or passionate about humanity’s future beyond Earth, this is the moment to join ISDC 2027 in Los Angeles and engage with the place where those possibilities are being built. The conference takes place May 27 to 30.
👉 Join ISDC 2027 in Los Angeles, where aerospace dreams become reality
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to visit JPL or the California Science Center during ISDC?
The California Science Center is located in Exposition Park and admission is free. The Space Shuttle Endeavour can typically be viewed in an hour or two, depending on how much time you spend reading about the shuttle’s history and missions. JPL requires advance reservation for tours; regular tours take about two hours and must be booked a minimum of three weeks in advance, with tour slots opening one month at a time. Special ISDC attendee tours may be available; check with the conference organizers closer to the event date.
How far is JPL from the Sheraton Gateway Hotel, and how long is the drive?
JPL is located in Pasadena, approximately 25-30 miles northeast of the Sheraton Gateway Hotel near LAX. During typical Los Angeles traffic conditions, the drive takes 45 minutes to an hour each way. While ISDC 2027 offers the convenience of staying at a central hotel near the airport, visiting JPL will require a full morning or afternoon commitment including travel time in both directions. Public transportation options include Metro bus connections, though a rental car is generally more practical for accessing the facility on your schedule.
Can you visit both the California Science Center and JPL on the same day?
Yes, though it would be a full day. The California Science Center (Endeavour viewing: 1-2 hours) is located in Exposition Park in central Los Angeles, while JPL is in Pasadena roughly 30 miles away. If you book your JPL tour for the morning and allow an hour for travel and arrival time before your tour starts, plus two hours for the tour itself, you could visit the California Science Center in the afternoon. However, this schedule requires advance JPL reservations (booked a minimum of three weeks prior) and tight transitions between locations. Many ISDC attendees find it more comfortable to split these experiences across two separate days to fully enjoy each site without rushing.