The Space Frontier Foundation today announced that the program for its NewSpace 2009 conference is now available on the NewSpace 2009 website.

Held at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, the conference programming will span Friday, July 17, through Monday, July 20.

Friday, July 17: Space Elevator Day:

Hosted by the Space Science and Engineering Institute, a special one-day session will explore the potential and possibilities of space elevator technology with panels such as “Carbon Nanotube Technology”, “Economic Growth Opportunities”, and “Spaceward and the Elevator Games”. In the evening, the regular conference programming will commence with a screening of the film Orphans of Apollo.

Saturday, July 18: Enabling the Future:

“As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it.” ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Serving as the opening day of the full NewSpace conference, Saturday will begin with a special session organized by NASA Ames, which will explore public and private partnerships, small satellites, and commercial space initiatives at this leading edge research center. The afternoon will investigate what opportunities the future holds for NewSpace and features panels such as “Suborbital Point-to-Point: Going Places or Taking Us for a Ride?”, “Space Solar Power: Is There Light at the End of the Tunnel?”, and “NewSpace in the Age of Economic Uncertainty”.

Sunday, July 19: The Business of NewSpace:

Sunday morning will host a Business Plan Competition, where submitters will compete for real prizes. The afternoon will investigate business and policy of NewSpace with panels such as “Commercial Lunar Opportunities” and “Drawings to Dockings: the Future of COTS”. The day will close with a series of business case studies, where both successful and unsuccessful startups will be investigated and compared.

Monday, July 20: Apollo Anniversary Day: Moon, Mars, and Beyond:

Monday will serve as a look at what destinations lie in the future for NewSpace. To this end, it will investigate not only what destinations exist and how they will be utilized, but also how will we get there. This will be done with panels such as “Commercial Space Facilities”, “Eat or Be Eaten: The Threat and Promise of Near Earth Objects”, and “Lunar Science and Settlement”. The day will conclude with a final view of “Where Do We Go from Here?” The annual gala will follow, which will serve not only to commemorate Apollo, but to investigate what Apollo means to the future.

“For twenty years, the Space Frontier Foundation has led the public conversation about the rapid economic development and settlement of space. Today, amidst global concerns about jobs, the environment, and the future, we invite you to join us help solve those challenges by opening the space frontier. Come to Silicon Valley this July and become a part of this next great era in human history.”

~ James Muncy, Space Frontier Foundation co-Founder