The Traverse City Space Accelerator (TCSA) has officially announced the details for the second annual Michigan Space Forum. The event – which will take place on Friday, May 31 and Saturday, June 1 – will bring a range of space and aerospace industry experts to Traverse City to discuss “the latest in space technology, travel, and communication.”
 
Launched last year by Traverse City’s ATLAS Space Operations, the Michigan Space Forum highlights northern Michigan’s growing status as an aerospace hub. According to ATLAS Chief Strategy Officer Mike Carey, who spearheaded the inaugural event, the 2018 Michigan Space Forum drew attendance of just under 100 people. He says panel participants were “awed” by the support, participation, and enthusiasm of the attendees. For the 2019 event, the TCSA is hoping to double last year’s attendance figure.
 
Speakers for the 2019 Michigan Space Forum include Pete Worden, Ellen Chang, and Dave Buck, three accomplished leaders in the space industry. Worden is a former director of the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, as well as the leader of a project called Breakthrough Starshot. Breakthrough Starshot is a $100 million program dedicated to developing solar sail spacecraft capable of traveling outside of the solar system. Chang is the co-founder of Lightspeed Innovations, a startup pursuing game-changing tech innovations across the space and aviation industries. Dave Buck is a retired lieutenant general with the United States Air Force and a former member of the Air Force Space Command.
 
In addition to these three keynote speakers, the Michigan Space Forum will also feature a series of different panels about crucial topics within the space industry. Subjects for the panels will include entrepreneurial women in the space industry, the prospect of space launches in Michigan, the role of the government in space innovation, and the differences between big and small satellites. The event will conclude on Saturday with a Rising Stars Panel, which will highlight “space exploration activities from middle school, high school, and post-secondary students.”
 
The 2019 Michigan Space Forum will be held at the Hagerty Center on May 31 and June 1. Registration for the full two-day event is $150 per person. Those interested in learning more about the event can find additional information here.