SILICON VALLEY, CA, June 22, 2015 — This July, key players in the rising commercial space industry including startups, established companies and government agencies, will gather together with Silicon Valley investors to address the challenges and capitalize on the opportunities facing the space industry. Organized by the Space Frontier Foundation (SFF), the 10th annual NewSpace conference will be held in San Jose, CA on July 16-18, 2015.

Industry-leading speakers include:

Vice President for Special Projects, Virgin Galactic, William Pomerantz

NASA Administrator, Charles Bolden

President of Vulcan Aerospace, Charles Beames

Trustee of Heinlein Prize Trust, Art Dula

Managing Director of the Space Angels Network, Amir Blachman

“The future of space exploration doesn’t only belong to government,” said Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator.  “It also belongs to industry, entrepreneurs and even academia.  Participation in entrepreneurial focused activities such as the NewSpace Conference is an important way that NASA can help support the transition of space capabilities to the private sector.”

On the final night of the conference, the SFF will host the NewSpace Awards Gala where “The Martian” author, Andy Weir, will deliver the keynote address. The movie adaption of Weir’s book, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, is scheduled to debut on October 2, 2015.

“The NewSpace conference is a vital component in fostering collaboration between public and private space programs, as well as entrepreneurs and large companies,” said Jeff Feige, Chairman of the Board of the Space Frontier Foundation. “This conference is a point of convergence for the visionaries, the makers, the policy experts, the start-up companies, the engineers and the scientists. This is the place where businesses are formed, deals are struck, and collaboration is fostered.”

 For registration and programming details visit the NewSpace 2015 website.

About NewSpace 2015new space \nöö – späs\ noun: a movement and philosophy often affiliated with the emergent private spaceflight industry. Organized by the Space Frontier Foundation since 2006, the annual NewSpace conference is the only event that brings a unique mix of revolutionary space entrepreneurs, investors, scientists, engineers, regulators and space policy leaders together to explore the opportunities and challenges of opening the space frontier to human settlement. Facilitating the necessary cross-disciplinary collaboration is how the private space industry will grow and create a sustainable space economy, which in turn fuels innovation in areas from healthcare to construction. For more information visit www.newspace.spacefrontier.org.

About the Space Frontier Foundation Founded in 1988 by Jim Muncy, Rick Tumlinson and Bob Werb, the Space Frontier Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to opening the space frontier to human settlement as rapidly as possible by unleashing the power of free enterprise. Our goals include protecting the Earth’s fragile biosphere and creating a more prosperous life for each generation by using the unlimited energy and material resources of space. The Foundation is composed of a diverse, multinational array of space activists, expert scientists and engineers, media and political professionals, entrepreneurs, and passionate citizens. You too can be a part of the Space Frontier Foundation. For more information visit www.spacefrontier.org.

Contacts:Space Frontier FoundationAlexandra Abrams(925) 918-0081, alexandra.abrams@spacefrontier.org