Astronauts and Space Leaders to Appear at the 2026 International Space Development Conference

The ISDC is Coming on June 4-7, 2026, in McLean, VA

EXPLORATION PARK, FL, UNITED STATES, May 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A slate of NASA astronauts and leaders will be appearing at the National Space Society’s 44th International Space Development Conference, to be held in the Washington, D.C. metro area of McLean, Virginia on June 4-7, 2026. All are welcome to attend.

Featured speakers include:

Michael López-Alegria, former NASA astronaut and currently the chief astronaut at Axiom Space. López-Alegria started his career as a naval aviator and test pilot, then as a NASA astronaut flew three space shuttle missions and was the commander of Expedition 14 to the International Space Station.

Harrison “Jack” Schmitt is an Apollo astronaut who flew on Apollo 17, the last crewed lunar landing mission. He was elected to the United States Senate in 1976, and served on the Senate Commerce, Banking, Appropriations, Intelligence, and Ethics Committees and chaired the Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space and of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education.

Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton is an American planetary scientist and professor and the Principal Investigator on NASA’s Psyche mission to asteroid 16 Psyche. She is also the vice president of Arizona State University’s Interplanetary Initiative and is the co-founder of Beagle Learning, measuring collaborative problem-solving and critical thinking.

Gerry Griffin is the former Director of NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center and was a Flight Director for all the Apollo missions. He was Lead Flight Director for three lunar landing missions: Apollo 12, 15 and 17. He currently serves on multiple corporate boards and recently oversaw recovery efforts for the 2024 floods in central Texas.

Jeffrey Manber started his career as a space journalist, writing for outlets such as The New York Times and Town & Country. He was then tapped by the Reagan administration to form the Office of Space Commerce under the U.S. Department of Commerce. Manber formed NanoRacks in 2009, which was acquired by Voyager Space Technologies in 2021, where he is currently a senior executive.

Aarti Holla-Maini is the Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. She brings over 25 years of experience in the space and satellite sector, working predominantly with international organizations and regulators. Prior to the United Nations, she held the post of Secretary-General of the Global Satellite Operators Association.

Robert “Hoot” Gibson served eighteen years as an astronaut, flying five missions, four of them as Mission Commander, aboard the space shuttles Challenger, Columbia, Atlantis, and Endeavour. His final space flight was the first mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir in 1995. In his career with NASA, he held the positions of Deputy Chief of NASA Aircraft Operations, Deputy Director of Flight Crew Operations, and Chief Astronaut.

Astronaut Susan Kilrain was one of the first women selected to fly the F-14 Tomcat and the youngest person, and one of only three women, to pilot the space shuttle. She flew as pilot of space shuttle missions STS-83 and STS-94. Kilrain served twenty years in the Navy, paving the way for women in the armed services.

Steven Hawley is an astronaut who flew on five space shuttle flights. His flight assignments included deploying and servicing the Hubble Space Telescope, helping to deploy the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and setting records including the highest orbit flown by a space shuttle. He continued his NASA career in management.

The full schedule of speakers is available on the ISDC website, isdc.nss.org.

“We’re thrilled to host these space leaders at the ISDC,” said Isaac Arthur, NSS President. “From multiple record-setting astronauts to an astronaut-geologist on of one of the most daring deep space missions to date, to a pioneer in the private space sector, their experiences and insights will be an inspiration for us all!”

About the ISDC
The ISDC is the oldest and largest citizen’s space conference in the world, and anyone is invited to attend. Special discounts are available for seniors, students, and National Space Society members. For more information, see the conference website at isdc.nss.org .

ABOUT THE NSS
The National Space Society is the preeminent non-partisan citizens’ voice on space exploration, development, and settlement, reaching millions through its membership, numerous outreach channels, and media activities. The organization was founded in 1987 via a merger of the National Space Institute and the L5 Society. To learn more about the NSS and its mission to establish humanity as a spacefaring species, visit us on the web at nss.org.

Aggie Kobrin
National Space Society
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