What are the Next Breakthrough Space Technologies for Canada?

Next Friday in Toronto the Canadian Space Commerce Association will be holding it’s annual meeting with the theme The Next Breakthrough Space Technologies for Canada.

The event will bring together executives, business owners, independent consultants, venture capitalists, scientists, engineers, R&D managers and students. Some of Canada’s top commercial space companies will be represented along with smaller new companies, academia, the military and the Canadian Space Agency.

The theme is meant to look at near term technologies Canada can excel at and how Canada will compete in an ever competitive global space market.

The President of the Canadian Space Commerce Association said of the annual meeting “Our meeting will be looking at new technologies and business models that must be the successors to the Canadarms and Telesat constellations in order to maintain and grow Canada’s position within the space industry which is valued at over $3 billion dollars annually to Canada’s economy.”

Here are the speakers for the meeting:

• Josh Dore, Canadian Space Agency, Technology Development Officer – Commercializing Space Technologies
• Frank Teti, MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., Manager of Autonomous Robotics – Enhancing On-orbit Assets through Servicing and Orbital Debris Mitigation
• Joshua Brost, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), Manager, Business Development – SpaceX – Revolutionizing Access to Space
• Ron Holdway, COM DEV, VP, Government Relations and 2011 CASI President – Canadian Advanced Life Support System (CanALSS)
• Steve Bochinger, Euroconsult North America, President – The Canadian Space Sector within the International Landscape
• Grant Bonin, University of Toronto Space Flight Laboratory, Project Manager – Breakthrough Space Technologies and the “Microsat Way” in Canada
• Dr. Gordon Osinski, University of Western Ontario, NSERC/MDA/CSA Industrial Research Chair in Planetary Geology – Future Exploration Technologies and Techniques: An Academic’s Perspective
• Olivier Daigle, Nuvu Cameras, VP Research and Development – The Darkest Camera and Why NASA Just Had to Buy It
• Wilfred So, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP – Protecting Intellectual Property
• Major Marc Fricker, Royal Military College, Canada’s Military Program, Present and Future Technologies (Via videoconference)
• Andrew Goldenberg, Engineering Services Inc., President – Future Robotic Technologies

As well as the lineup of speakers there will be a panel discussion, the Next Breakthrough Space Technologies for Canada, moderated by Chuck Black.

There will also be what is being called “Startup Liftoff’ where up to three speakers from startup commercial space companies will have a chance for a high-energy 5 minute talk.
Registration for the meeting is open but seats are limited and it is expected to be sold out. You can register here: http://spacecommerce2011.eventbrite.com

SpaceRef Canada is the media sponsor for the meeting.