The future space workforce is being built today—starting in classrooms. Leaders from education, aviation, and economic development discussed how early industry partnerships, hands-on learning, and new credential pathways can create a talent pipeline for the rapidly growing space economy.

Greater Washington’s economic development leaders say the region’s federal labs, world-class universities, data infrastructure, and collaborative ecosystem position it to become a global hub for space technology and innovation.

Energy experts from EPRI, the Department of Energy, and Zeno Power say the future space economy—from lunar mining to orbital data centers—will depend on scalable power systems, nuclear innovation, and major infrastructure investments on Earth.

Nuclear power could enable sustained lunar operations, faster deep-space travel, and resilient orbital infrastructure—but experts warn the U.S. lacks the testing facilities, regulations, and spaceport infrastructure needed to support upcoming missions.

Doug Owens of Space Outcomes explores how unpredictable “black swan” events—from Starlink’s role in Ukraine to future breakthroughs in rocket cargo, space medicine, and space-based solar power—could reshape the global space economy.

At spaceNEXT 2026, HelioArc Foundation President Raphael Attie introduced a new nonprofit focused on strengthening heliophysics research and protecting space infrastructure from growing space weather risks.

Experts from NASA, NOAA, and industry discuss how solar storms and space weather threaten satellites, communications, and future Moon-to-Mars missions—and what collaboration is needed to protect critical space infrastructure.

Dyson Labs CEO Calvin England explains why the future of autonomous space operations depends on a new settlement layer—one that can verify work, enforce agreements, and trigger payments automatically as satellites, AI systems, and orbital infrastructure scale.

At spaceNEXT 2026, Jason Aspiotis of Axiom Space presented a compelling vision for how computing infrastructure could move beyond Earth—and why the biggest challenge isn’t technological, but economic.

Leaders from NASA, Capella (an IonQ company), Diffraqtion, and Zeno Power share real-world lessons on how government partnerships are accelerating space commercialization—from early research funding to deploying new technologies in orbit and beyond.

At spaceNEXT 2026, MITRE’s Kevin Toner explored how space-enabled technologies drive economic growth—and why the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia region is uniquely positioned at the intersection of policy, innovation, and the expanding global space economy.

A spaceNEXT 2026 panel explored what it will take to scale manufacturing beyond Earth: standards and interoperability, verification and validation, the post-ISS shift to multi-platform operations, and emerging business models that could make in-space production commercially repeatable.

At spaceNEXT 2026, Danielle Rosales of Space Tango explored how trust, public engagement, and risk perception shape the future of the space economy—especially as microgravity research begins to scale into real-world industries like healthcare and advanced manufacturing.

At spaceNEXT 2026, Johannes Galatsanos of Diffraqtion explored how new sensing technologies, AI, and on-orbit computing are transforming Earth observation from static imagery into real-time Earth intelligence that supports faster decision-making across industries.

At spaceNEXT 2026, Abhishek Chopra of BQP explored how quantum-inspired algorithms and next-generation computing techniques could transform space missions by enabling faster, smarter data processing directly in orbit.

At spaceNEXT 2026, regional leaders explored how talent, infrastructure, and collaboration are positioning Northern Virginia as a global hub for the next generation of space companies.