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The CEO of one of the US’s most prestigious spaceports has been confirmed as a speaker at this year’s Australian Space Summit.
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Roosevelt “Ted” Mercer Jr heads the Virginia Spaceport Authority, which operates the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. The facility regularly hosts blast-offs from Rocket Lab and Northrop Grumman and is on the same site as NASA’s legendary Wallops Flight Facility.
It has also launched multiple supply missions to the International Space Station.
Hosted at the ICC in Sydney, the Australian Space Summit will take place on Tuesday, 27 and Wednesday, 28 May 2025.
Now in its fourth year, the lineup of speakers includes former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Space Centre Australia CEO James Palmer and Lieutenant General Susan Coyle, the chief of Joint Capabilities, which oversees Space Command.
Other top speakers include JAXA’s Dr Naoko Sugita, Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp, and Enrico Palermo, the head of the Australian Space Agency.
Across two days, speakers will delve into the pressing topics for the space industry, including how the Australian space sector can remain relevant to the broader economy and how Australia can overcome funding challenges while ensuring sustainable growth.
To find out more, jump on the Space Connect website to view our full agenda and speaker lineup here.
Mercer’s appearance comes after the Virginia Spaceport Authority signed an MoU with Space Centre Australia, and six other spaceports, to collaborate.
Space Centre Australia is the planned spaceport in far north Queensland that recently unveiled former prime minister Scott Morrison as its chairman.
Its CEO, James Palmer, hopes the site in Cape York could one day become like a “large international airport” for launch vehicles.
Australia is currently home to three active spaceports: Gilmour Space Technologies’ Orbital Spaceport in North Queensland and Southern Launch’s orbital Whalers Way facility, and suborbital Koonibba Test Range in South Australia.
