Mar 25

Space Exploration and Commercialization - The Next Era

Mark Jernigan

Government, Commercial, and International space activities and investment are at an all-time high (2023-$630B projected to 2035-$1.8T, McKinsey) with a marked transition occurring across the globe from government-led to private space developments. Explosive increases in investment growth from the private sector coupled with robust investment from the public sector and a rapid increase in the number of countries expanding their involvement in the space industry is driving this growth. New technologies and rocket architectures are simultaneously reducing the cost for access to orbit and delivering ever more capable payloads.

All of these advancements are providing increased value and return on investment that is rapidly expanding the viability of commercial space efforts and the numbers of space participants. We are now nearing the affordability tipping point, particularly in human spaceflight, where private enterprises are now eclipsing government-sponsored missions in number and even scope. From a small cadre of astronauts on government-run space stations, to an ever increasing number of investigators taking advantage of the unique environmental conditions and vantage points that low-earth orbit provides, create a viable marketplace of orbital platforms competing to develop the next game changing application.

The Texas space ecosystem leads the world in human spaceflight research and technology development, has the highest US federal investment in development and operations, a vibrant cutting-edge launch systems sector, and a wide range of small, medium and large companies providing space systems development. In addition, the state has invested an unprecedented amount to attract space firms to our local space ecosystem. This course provides an overview of these activities and missions and promises to provide detailed insight into some of the challenges and management techniques being used to expand humanity into the universe.

The space sector is a fertile proving ground for a wide range of disciplines with the potential to discover solutions to major world problems including sustainability in energy, multi-wavelength earth monitoring in support of climate change knowledge and mitigation, healthcare innovation, and game changing material development. Students will walk away with a good understanding of the efforts under development now, the benefits to humanity, and insights into techniques the industry uses to ensure safety and improve the performance of the humans forging our way out into the universe.

Tuesdays, 4 weeks | March 25 - April 15 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
March 25 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
April 01 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
April 08 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
April 15 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

$150 | In person and simulcast


Semester

$150.00

Class Tuition

60 in stock

Price is per student. Class tuition is non-refundable.