Maine Space Conference 2030
Maine Space Conference 2030

Maine’s Space Conference Attracting Global Players

  • August 1, 2024

Check out our full feature in Aviation Digest, pg. 20

August 1, 2024

After selling out its inaugural Maine Space Conference last November, the Maine Space Grant Consortium and its partners are preparing for the second Maine Space Conference, scheduled for Oct. 23-25, 2024 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland.

“Maine has an incredibly bright future ahead, but we must seize on the momentum we are building to boldly advance our cause,” said Terry Shehata, the consortium’s executive director. 

Last year’s three-day conference drew more than 320 people and key industry players, including NASA Associate Administrator Michael Kincaid, NASA space

Maine aerospace leaders celebrated on July 4, 2024, when Firefly Aerospace placed eight cubesats into low Earth orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, including one designed by electrical and computer engineering students from the University of Maine. Pictured here are University of Maine professor Dr. Ali Abedi (right) and PhD student Joseph Patton, preparing the small satellite – called MESAT1 – for integration into the rocket payload assembly. The science payloads included in the launch were climate focused and designed to identify urban heat islands, determine concentration of phytoplankton in water bodies, and help predict harmful algal blooms. / Photo Courtesy University of Maine

architect Taylor Phillips-Hungerford; and top executives from RAND Corp., Teledyne Technologies Inc., Foundation for the Future, and Rogue Space Systems. The event was followed by an announcement from Teledyne that it will open an office at Brunswick Landing. 

In 2024, conference organizers will work to deepen relations with key industry partners, government, educators and the investment community from state and national levels. The conference is an invitation for the global space community to engage with Maine’s rapidly growing space economy and to learn about the state’s manufacturing and workforce capabilities.

“Maine has a brilliant future in space,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson during a June 2023 visit to Brunswick, Maine. “You’ve got a lot of entrepreneurs here who are ready to go.”

Maine Space Conference 2024

The 2024 conference will offer 24 sessions over three days covering a range of topics, including:

  • investment and finance
  • sustainability and infrastructure
  • education and workforce development
  • research and data; national security
  • Maine’s emergent aerospace industry.  

Keynote speakers include Michelle Hanlon, Executive Director of the Center for Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Space Law; Gregory G. Richardson, executive director of the Consortium for Space Mobility and ISAM Capabilities, a nationwide coalition established under the direction of NASA and administered by the Aerospace Corporation; Steven H. Platts, Chief Scientist at the Human Research Program at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston; and James Beletic, Chief Scientific Officer for Teledyne Digital Imaging.

In addition to highlighting major space-related activities that have implications across New England, the conference will showcase space-related activities already underway at Loring Commerce Centre, Brunswick Landing, and within Maine colleges, universities and schools.

Aerospace Gaining Traction in Maine

With more than 85 aerospace companies already operating in Maine, and a polar orbit geographical advantage, the state is well situated as a hub for the NewSpace industry, particularly as it relates to the small rocket and nanosatellite markets. However, to succeed, Maine must recruit more space-related businesses; build upon the research and development and educational capabilities in the state’s institutions of higher education; and build a pipeline of students and workers.

“Maine is at a critical crossroads,” said Shehata. “Our pathway to space leads through our schools and universities, our entrepreneurs and business leaders, and through the funders and believers who can envision Maine as a NewSpace leader.”

Maine aerospace leaders celebrated on July 4, 2024, when Firefly Aerospace placed eight cubesats into low Earth orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, including one satellite developed by students and faculty from the University of Maine. The Maine team designed, built and tested components for the small satellite – called MESAT1 – in collaboration with the University of Southern Maine and three K-12 schools. The project was made possible with funding from NASA and Maine Space Grant Consortium.

The Space Economy Can Span the State

The Maine Space Complex consists of three core business units that will span several geographic locations around the state. In order of priority, the units include a space data and advanced analytics center, which could be located anywhere in Maine due to its virtual nature; a new space innovation hub, which would be located at Brunswick Landing with a spoke at Loring Commerce Centre; and a launch and services unit, which would consist of staging areas and vertical and horizontal launch sites for sending small satellites into polar orbit from Brunswick Landing, Loring Commerce Centre, and Washington County.

Maine Space Conference Details

What:  Annual Maine Space Conference

When: October 23-25, 2024

Where: Holiday Inn by the Bay, downtown Portland, Maine. 

Registration/Details: Registration for the Maine Space Conference is now open. 

For more information and to register, click here.