ISDC 2026: June 4-7, 2026

Conference Speakers

Featured Speakers

Aarti Holla-Maini

Director, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

01 Holla-Maini, Aarti

Harrison H. "Jack" Schmitt

Apollo 17 NASA Astronaut

02 Schmitt, Harrison H. “Jack”

Michael López-Alegría

Chief Astronaut, Axiom Space

03 López-Alegría, Michael

Lindy Elkins-Tanton

Director, Space Sciences Laboratory at UC Berkeley

04 Elkins-Tanton, Lindy

Jeffrey Manber

Special Representative to the Chairman and CEO, Voyager Technologies

05 Manber, Jeffrey

Bill Diamond

CEO, SETI Institute

06 Diamond, Bill

David Brin

Astrophysicist and Novelist, Caltech Distinguished Alumnus

Gerry Griffin

Apollo Flight Director Mission Control

08 Griffin, Gerry

Robert "Hoot" Gibson

Former NASA Chief Astronaut

09 Gibson, Robert “Hoot”

Susan Kilrain

Former NASA Astronaut

10 Kilrain, Susan

James L. Green

Former NASA Chief Scientist

Green, James L.

Dr. Steven Hawley

Former NASA Astronaut

Hawley, Dr. Steven

Conference Speakers

We extend our great thanks to the speakers whose insights and expertise significantly enrich the International Space Development Conference. Their contributions, fueled by deep knowledge and passion for space exploration, broaden perspectives and inspire our community. We are deeply appreciative of their involvement and the impactful knowledge they share.

Caitlin Ahrens

Assistant Research Scientist, NASA GSFC/UMD

Ahrens, Caitlin

Stevan Akerley

Space Ambassadors Program Director National Space Society

Akerley, Stevan

Zaheer Ali

Space Paladin, Director of the Space MBA Program, University of Central Florida

Lee Anderson

Growth and Strategy Leader, Independent

Isaac Arthur

President, National Space Society

Nishchal Baniya

CEO, Everest Sustainability Foundation

Baniya, Nishchal

Gary Barnhard

CEO, Xtraordinary Innovative Space Partnerships, Inc

Larry Bartoszek

Owner, Bartoszek Engineering

Bartoszek, Larry

Dr. Jim Bell

Professor, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University

Dr. Sherry Bell

Dean of Psychology, Kepler Space University

Maryann Benny Fernandes

Graduate Student, Duke University

Benny Fernandes, Maryann

Zsófia Biró

Fulbright Visiting Scholar, Center for Air and Space Law, University of Mississippi

Kathleen Brett

Program Analyst, Space Security & Stability, Secure World Foundation

Brett, Kathleen

Stephanie Brick

Founder, Licensed Architect, Salutogenic Design & Consulting Group

Brick, Stephanie

Alastair Browne

Author, selfpublishing.com

Browne, Alastair

Chris Cochran

Field CISO and VP of AI Security, SAN Institute

Mark Cochran

Lead Researcher, Public Capital Foundation

Reef Collins

Student Intern, Mars Institute and University of Central Florida

Keith Cowing

Editor, NASAWatch.com and Astrobiology.com

Michela Cutigni

Aerospace Engineer, Sapienza University of Rome/Thales Alenia Space

Cutigni, Michela

Avery Davis

Secretary/Treasurer, TL5SS, Tucson Chapter of the NSS

Burt Dicht

National Space Society Director of Membership

David Dillon

Founder & CEO, Electromagnetic Launch, Inc.

Dr. Amanda Fetch

ML/AI Working Group Chair, United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation

Fetch, Dr. Amanda

Bernard Foing

President SRI, CEO LUNEX EuroMoonMars

Ayden Frey

Student Researcher, Wolfpack CubeSat Dev Team

Mordy Friedman

CEO, World Space Elevator Competitions

Friedman, Mordy

Douglas Gage

Principal, XPM Technologies

William W. “Bill” Gardiner

Lab Director, Analytech Div. of Laboratory Consulting Sources, Inc.

Gardiner, William

Nick Georges

Space Entrepreneur, Central Wyoming College and Astra Nova

Alex Gilbert

VP of Regulation, Zeno Power Systems, Inc.

Aolani Gonzalez

Undergraduate Student, Yale University

Gonzalez, Aolani

Dr. Gretchen Green

Astronaut, Explorer, Educator, The Expert Resource

Green, Dr. Gretchen

Steven Griggs

President, Space Railway Corporation

Loretta Hall

Author, Freelance

Michael Helton

Consultant, Helton Associates

Helton, Michael

Grant Henriksen

Policy Committee Chair, National Space Society

Henriksen, Grant

Joannes Paulus Tolentino Hernandez

Associate Professor of Nursing, Helene Fuld College of Nursing

Hernandez, Joannes Paulus Tolentino

Paula Hill-Collins

Vice President and Clinical Director, St. Mary's Health Wagon DBA Health Wagon

Hill-Collins, Paula

Jeremy Wain Hirschberg

Research Specialist, Weill Cornell Medicine

Hirschberg, Jeremy Wain

Dr. Giuseppe Iaria

Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Calgary

Iaria, Dr. Giuseppe

Holger Isenberg

Independent Researcher & Founder, areo.info

Isenberg, Holger

Fredrick Jenet

National Space Society Board of Directors

Jenet, Fredrick

Susan Jewell

CEO, Mars-Moon Astronautics Academy and Research Sciences

Haig John

Doctor of Chiropractic, Board of Directors, Odyssey Charter School

Richard Kacik

Aerospace Engineer (Ret.), NSS Contest Judge

Dr. Nick Kanas

Professor Emeritus (Psychiatry), University of California, San Francisco

Kanas, Dr. Nick

Robert Katz

CEO and Executive Director of the World Innovation Network

William Kemp

CEO, Aethon Space, Inc.

John Knapman

Director of Research, International Space Elevator Consortium

Ajay Kothari

President, Astrox Corp

John Kross

Senior Contributing Editor, Ad Astra

Bryan Kuklinski

Executive Vice President, Orbital Construction Pioneers Inc.

Kuklinski, Bryan

Julia Lantos

Research Assistant, Sophomore, Saint Mary’s School

Joe Latrell

CEO, Quub, Inc.

Dr. Pascal Lee

Planetary Scientist, Co-founder and Chairman, Mars Institute

Rachel Long

Student, Aerospace Engineering, Mars Institute and UC Davis

Dr. Alla Malko

NSS Awards Committee

Malko, Dr. Alla

John Mankins

President, Mankins Space Technology

Muhammed Marzooq

Student, University of Calicut

Marzooq, Muhammed

Gerald Mclaughlin

Co-Manager, NSS Live in a Healthy Space Contest, NIH (Ret.)

Mclaughlin, Gerald

Joseph Meany

President, Interstellar Research Group

Bryce Meyer

NSS Space Ambassador, Space Farms, St Louis Space Frontier

Christian B. Meza

CEO and Director of Exothermic Films

Meza, Christian B.

Subhransu Mishra

Founder, AstroMind AI

Mishra, Subhransu

Claire Nalda

BA/MAIR Candidate, Johns Hopkins University

Dr. Claire Nelson

Chief Ideation Leader, Space Futures Forum

Nelson, Dr. Claire

Thomas Andrew Olson

Board Chair, Center for Space Commerce and Finance

Olson, Thomas Andrew

Haroon Oqab

Co-Founder and President, Kepler Space University

Ayse Oren

Architect, DesignArt

Doug Owens

Founder and Managing Partner, Space Outcomes LLC

Dr. Shawna Pandya

Director of Medical Research Orbital Assembly Corporation

John Parks

Founder & Ecologist, ExoScientific

Dr. Anthony Paustian

VP of Marketing National Space Society

Paustian, Anthony

Joseph Pelton

Chair, Alliance for Collaboration in the Exploration of Space (ACES Worldwide)

Jim Plaxco

President, Chicago Society for Space Studies

Rod Pyle

Ad Astra Editor-in-Chief, Author, Host of "This Week in Space"

Lev Reznikov

CDI Leader, Sagittarius Space

Andrew Rivkin

Principal Professional Staff, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

Jennifer Rochlis

CEO, Advancing Frontiers, Inc.

Rochlis, Jennifer

Dr. Wolfgang Rohde

Executive Director of Innovation & Strategy, Aisune Foundation

Rohde, Dr. Wolfgang

Jules Ross

CEO, Joules Space Technology

Ken Ruffin

Founder, Didymos Consulting LLC (dba Ruff-in-Space)

James Schier

Chief Architect for Space Communications and Navigation, NASA (Ret.)

David Schuman

Attorney-Adviser, NASA Office of General Counsel (ret.), University of Vienna

Erik Seedhouse

Associate Professor Space Operations, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Seedhouse, Erik

Varadaraya Shenoy

Acting Instructor & Cerebrovascular Fellow, Neurological Surgery, UW Seattle

Shenoy, Varadaraya

Leo Shiina

Student, Stanford OHS

Camisha Simmons

Attorney | Principal | Managing Member, Simmons Legal PLLC

Simmons, Camisha

Dale Skran

COO/SVP, NSS

Dr. Logan Smith

Psychologist and Independent Researcher

Jerry Stone

Freelance Space Presenter & Developer of Island Zero, Spaceflight UK

Ben Sullivan

Chemical Engineer

Dr. Peter A. Swan

Chief Architect, International Space Elevator Consortium

Phil Swan

Director of Infrastructure, The Atlantis Project

Bill Tarver

Physician, NASA (Retired)

Madhu Thangavelu

Dept of Astronautical Engineering, Viterbi School

Thangavelu, Madhu

Sandy Therrien

Founder and CEO, Blue Moon Space Operations LLC

Therrien, Sandy

Luis Torres

Founder & CEO, Torres Orbital Mining Inc

Sindhoora Vemula & Ananya Ram

High School Students, North Texas Chapter National Space Society

Vemula & Ananya Ram, Sindhoora

Harsh Verma

Student, Defence Institute of Advanced Technology

Erick Villa

Science Communicator, Kenya Space Agency

Travis Wicks

CEO, Pegasus Online

James Anthony Wolff

Partner, Greenspoon Marder LLP

Nancy C. Wolfson

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Wolfson, Nancy C.

Dennis Wright

Vice President, International Space Elevator Consortium

Aimei Helen Yang

Strategic Communications Leader in AI & Space Systems, Independent Researcher

Yang, Aimei Helen

Melodie Yashar

Space Architect, Founder, AENARA

Yashar, Melodie

Jennifer Young

Associate Professor, University of the Cumberlands

Young, Jennifer

Robert Zubrin

President, Mars Society, Pioneer Astronautics

Need more information?

Reach Out to Us.

Join NSS Events Newsletter