Letter issued on the postponement of the Women in Space Conference

Women in Planetary Science and Exploration conference group photo. Credit: Women in Planetary Science and Exploration conference.

Hours after we published our first story on the Coronavirus COVID-19 and its impact on the space sector which included the mention of the possible postponement of the Women in Space Conference, organizers issued a letter postponing the conference until this summer or fall.

Below is the letter that emailed to attendees:

A Message from Dr. Tanya Harrison:

Due to health concerns and associated travel restrictions being put in place due to the COVID-19 coronavirus, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the Women in Space Conference until later this summer/early fall. Currently we are working with the Canadian Space Agency to secure new dates and will announce them as soon as possible, pending the CSA’s approval.

While the conference would have still been a couple of months out, we wanted to make this decision early enough to have the least impact possible on any travel plans you may have made. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, but are committed to hosting a safe event where everyone who wants to attend and join in on the discussion can do so. By moving the date, we hope this can alleviate any health concerns, as well as avoid travel restrictions that might currently limit some people’s ability to travel to the conference through their universities or employers.

Full refunds for registration are available for anyone that is unable to attend the new dates when they are announced. If you already know that a date change into the August/September timeframe would mean you cannot attend, reply to this email and I can get your refund processed quickly through Eventbrite.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Cheers,
~Tanya Harrison
On behalf of the Women in Space organizing committee

About Marc Boucher

Boucher is an entrepreneur, writer, editor & publisher. He is the founder of SpaceQ Media Inc. and CEO and co-founder of SpaceRef Interactive LLC. Boucher has 20+ years working in various roles in the space industry and a total of 30 years as a technology entrepreneur including creating Maple Square, Canada's first internet directory and search engine.

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