Take off with us at TechCrunch Sessions: Space in Los Angeles

TechCrunch Sessions: Space is back!

Happening December 6 — our third dedicated space event. This is a live, in-person event featuring the most influential people in the space industry, across public, private and defense.

2022 was a year that saw the commercial space industry undergo a lot of change, including significant consolidation, as well as new entrants in the orbital private launch category and a renewed focus on public-private partnerships in the realm of national defense. It was a year of expansion in some cases, including for Rocket Lab, which opened its first launch site on U.S. soil — and of contraction in others, including in the realm of venture spending on the sector. We also saw dramatic changes to international relations, threatening even our longstanding cooperation with Russia on orbital science.

As macroeconomic conditions look poised to worsen in the immediate and near future, and international tensions show no signs of necessarily easing, the question of how these large-scale challenges will impact innovation and investment in the private space sector are top of mind. We plan to examine how startups are coping, what opportunities they’re seeing in the market and where the defense industry needs them to step up and supplement the security and safety of Earth as well as space.

We’re thrilled to be hosting Rocket Lab CEO and founder Peter Beck; Frank Calvelli, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisitions; Amela Wilson, CEO of Nanoracks and many more. In addition to the firesides and panel discussions on the main stage, the event will also include networking, startup exhibits and the chance to connect with attendees from around the world.

It’s a packed day already, but we’ve got some extra surprises in store, so keep an eye on the website over the coming weeks for more great speakers and sessions we’re adding.