WATCH: 2024 SpaceCom Attracted Thousands of Space Professionals, Industry’s Boldest Leaders

Space Conference was held in Orlando and Covered by Space Coast Daily Team

SpaceCom, in collaboration with the 50th Space Congress, is a global commercial space conference and exhibition that brings together professionals and leaders from the spaceport, commercial and defense sectors. This event was held recently at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, and concluded February 1.

ORLANDO, FLORIDA – The 2024 edition of SPACECOM, produced in partnership with the 50th Space Congress, was held from January 30 to February 1 at the Orange County Convention Center, and was a resounding success.

This long-standing event is produced by the Canaveral Council of Technical Societies in partnership with NASA-Kennedy Space Center.

SpaceCom is the premier, global commercial space event that attracts thousands of space professionals and the industry’s boldest leaders from the commercial, spaceport and defense sectors.

As part of Commercial Space Week, SpaceCom–50th Space Congress brought together the entire space ecosystem including sub and prime contractors from commercial industry, international agencies and organizations, end-use markets, major government branches such as NASA, the DoD, the U.S. Space Force and Space Systems Command, spaceports from around the world, and so many more.

Space Coast-based All Points, a leading technical services provider to the aerospace industry was a Platinum Sponsor and had a major presence during the event, recently completed an early milestone in establishing new commercial infrastructure-as-a-service operations at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

WATCH: Space Coast Daily’s Zach Clark reports from the annual SpaceCom conference at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando and interviews All Points CEO/ President Phil Monkress and Senior Vice President Kevin Brown.

The All Points’ Space Prep team, in conjunction with NASA, has completed all necessary physical environmental studies, including boundary and topological surveys, on a 60-acre parcel that will host the Space Prep Kennedy Space Center Complex, located near NASA’s iconic Vehicle Assembly Building.

We, at Space Coast Daily, had the good fortune to attend this very special global commercial space conference and exhibition that brought together professionals and leaders from the spaceport, commercial and defense sectors.

Our plan was to talk with as many attendees and exhibitors as we could, and to conduct as many interviews as possible. Our first interview on Day 1 was with the Executive Director of SpaceCom, Ryan Brown.

Brown told me the goal of SpaceCom is to, “bring together government, industry, and international agencies, to have conversations about where the commercial space industry is, where it needs to go, and how we are going to get it there.”

WATCH: The Space Coast Daily team interviews multiple individuals at SpaceCom 2024 held recently at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

Rob Long, Presdent/CEO of Space Florida, was in attendance, along with several other individuals connected with Space Florida. Long talked about the importance of Space Florida’s attending SpaceCom, saying, “SpaceCom is one of those events that brings together the population that is very focused on space.” He went on to say that it, “brings together a lot of industry partners, government partners, and it really provides an opportunity for us to all get together and have a lot of good discussions. Of course, the topics they are talking about are right within the areas that we are focused on.”

Space Coast Daily’s Zach Clark and I worked Day 3 together, However on Day 1, Zach had the opportunity to interview one of the sponsors of SpaceCom, All Points Logistics’ CEO/President Phil Monkress and Senior Vice President Kevin Brown. Monkress beamed with excitement when he told Zach that All Points, “has a lot of meetings planned, and a lot of solutions that we want to present to our customers.”

On Day 3, Brown was included on a panel that discussed, as he put it, “spaceport infrastructure and how to optimize it for the increased launch cadence that is anticipated.

WATCH: The Friday Night Locker Room’s Steve Wilson talks with members of the FRC TEAM 1902 Exploding Bacon with 4-H, and FTC TEAM 15065 A Byte Irrational, with Orlando Science High School. Both robotics team members attended SpaceCom 2024.

One of the highlights of the week for me was our interview with two middle school/high school robotics teams: FRC TEAM 1902 Exploding Bacon with 4-H, and FTC TEAM 15065 A Byte Irrational, with Orlando Science High School. Zach and I had so much fun interacting with them. We walked away thinking, this is a special group of young people.

I believe our time at SpaceCom was very productive. Dr. Terry Spain, Ron Lighthall, Zach Clark, Juan Rodriguez, and I covered as much ground as we could. We would have loved to interview everyone on site, but that was not a possibility. It would have taken weeks!

The one thing I do know is that we will be back next year for SpaceCom 2025. The space industry is a global industry that advances everyday technologies. However, as we in Brevard County know, it is special for us here on the Space Coast.

WATCH: The Space Coast Daily team interviews multiple individuals at SpaceCom 2024 held recently at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Steve Wilson moved to Brevard County in 1984 and has been a partner, along with Orville Susong, for the past 24 years with the Friday Night Locker Room, a broadcasting team that covers and reports on a wide variety of local events that are of significance to the residents of the Space Coast and beyond. Their mission is to promote youth sports and the space industry, support first responders and law enforcement personnel, and showcase community and charitable events that are produced by our nonprofit partners in central Florida.

Steve Wilson was born in DeRidder, Louisiana and grew up in both New Orleans and Macon, Georgia. He moved to Brevard County in 1984 and retired from local government as the Community Advocate/Assistant to the City Manager with the City of Rockledge in 2018.

Among the awards and accolades Steve has received over the years are 15 + year Rockledge Little League volunteer, Brevard Public School Jefferson Award Recipient, Rockledge High School Raider Booster Award 2001, 2006, City of Rockledge Employee of the Year 2006, Rockledge Kiwanian of the Year 2006-2007, City of Rockledge Quality Public Service Award 2008, 2012, 2017, Rockledge Kiwanis Citizen of the Year 2012-2013, Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame – Sportscasting 2015, Rockledge High School Leadership and Service Award 2016, Central Florida Humanitarian Award 2017, Space Coast Inspiration Award – 2018, Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame – Lifetime Achievement – 2020 and Ecofest Achievement Award – 2022.

Wilson is especially proud of his chairing two fundraisers in support of pediatric cancer research through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation in honor of Merritt Island resident Julie Spurlock that raised over $25,000.00.

He has been a partner, along with Orville Susong, for the past 24 years with the Friday Night Locker Room, a broadcasting team that covers and reports on a wide variety of local events that are of significance to the residents of the Space Coast and beyond. Their mission is to promote youth sports, support first responders and law enforcement personnel, and showcase community and charitable events that are produced by our nonprofit partners in central Florida.

The Friday Night Locker Room has awarded hundreds of sports achievement plaques to Brevard County student-athletes over the years. They have also awarded more than $18,000 in academic scholarships to Brevard County high school seniors.

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