The Future is Here and Now: 3-Day Space Tech Expo Blasts Off in Pasadena

The Space Tech Expo blasted off Tuesday in Pasadena for the first time, drawing excited technologists and engineers from around the world who are leading a commercial charge into space.

The Expo’s move here from Long Beach reflects Pasadena’s growing prominence, organizers said, as a “center of space excellence,” citing Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, and private space contractors located here.

“It’s very important that the expo is held in Pasadena. The amount of people from JPL and Caltech is very noticeable. It’s a great thing, especially for smaller companies like mine that rely on these types of individuals to spread the word to their colleagues,” said John Smith, Axon Cables Western USA Sales Manager.

Today’s opening day featured a number of talks on esoteric subjects, such as the annular ion engine and C2 to RF Signal Processing for small satellites. The expo is not open to the public.

Organizers said over 3,000 attendees and exhibitors from 25 countries have registered to attend.

Although space technology is complex, rapid developments and space engineering feats have captured the minds of millions in recent years. Commercial rockets are not fiction but working science these days.

The Expo offers unique benefits that come with being a face-to-face, “one-stop-shop” in a single time zone and place.

“Everyone here is looking to see new technology and products in person with their own eyes and to ask questions. It’s a totally different experience when you’re here with the people that make all of this possible,” said exhibitor Holly Corning of VTI Vacuum Technologies, Inc.

Statistics show that industry interest in emerging spacecraft technologies is at an all-time high.
The Expo serves as a means of presenting new business opportunities that would otherwise pose much more challenging marketing barriers.

“There’s a lot of people who are really trying to find a lot of new, innovative things so it was a really good thing for us to come over here from Germany and exhibit,” said Bernd Hess, Global Project Manager at ProfilGate.

Aerospace technology is an exciting sector that is showing an interest in collaborating with government and academia. Many of the conference topics focus on educating tech companies in doing business with federal government by understanding both broad and specific requirements that come with a partnership of that magnitude.

The variety of conferences scheduled allow engineers and business leaders to debate the key challenges and opportunities in civil and commercial space. The conferences also take a deep dive into the rapidly evolving space-to-space market and offers specific sessions examining the variety of on-orbit services and technologies that are constantly emerging and always evolving.

With the presence industry heavyweights such as SpaceX, Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. to name a few, anyone and everyone is able to get a slice of the technology pie that is being served to virtually every aspect imaginable pertaining to space technology.

Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek is reportedly out of the country and was not present at the Expo today. His introduction in the conference’s program reflected Pasadena’s inextricable relationship to man’s space quest.

“We are deeply proud of our rich history in the advancement of knowledge and the scientific exploration of space,” said Tornek on behalf of Pasadenans.