Tickets on Sale for NewSpace2010 Luncheons and Awards Gala

Tickets are now on sale for the NewSpace 2010 conference’s luncheons and Awards Gala. The Space Frontier Foundation is holding the conference from July 23-25 in Sunnyvale, Calif.

Friday 7/23 – Lunch with Tim Pickens: Creating a Successful Space Company

What is necessary to create a successful space company? Tim Pickens, founder of Orion Propulsion (acquired by Dynetics), will discuss which skill sets and strategies are important when launching a space start-up, as well as how to formulate a solid business plan and how to forge your way in a developed industry.

Saturday 7/24 – Lunch with Joshua Raffaelli: Investment in NewSpace

From the perspective of an investment firm, what does the NewSpace industry look like? Joshua Rafaelli is an Associate and Kauffman Fellow at Draper Fisher Jurvetson, a firm that provides early-stage venture capital for companies, including SpaceX. He will discuss where and why investment companies are currently placing their bets and how to attract them to your start-up. The lunch will begin with an introduction from Paul Eckert, International & Commercial Strategist within the Space Exploration division of The Boeing Company and Executive Coordinator for the Space Investment Summit Coalition.

Sunday 7/25 – Lunch with Tom Nugent: The Story of LaserMotive

What is the potential of space-based solar power? LaserMotive is a Seattle-based company developing laser power beaming systems to transmit electricity without wires, for applications where wires are either cost prohibitive or physically impractical. In 2009, LaserMotive won the $900,000 Level 1 prize in the NASA sponsored Power Beaming Challenge. Tom Nugent, founder of LaserMotive, will tell the story of how it all started, and where it’s headed.

Saturday 7/24 – Awards Ceremony Honors Stars of the NewSpace Industry

This “Academy Awards of Entrepreneurial Space” will be a star-studded event featuring steely-eyed rocketeers, futuristic thinkers, and space enthusiasts from all around the world. As the NewSpace 2010. The NewSpace Awards recognize outstanding achievements toward advancing NewSpace and opening the space frontier. Whether through media or rocket fuel, these leaders are catalyzing the commercial space movement. The Space Frontier Foundation Board of Directors recognizes their achievements in five categories:

• Vision to Reality is awarded for outstanding achievement in the development and operation of a device, system, or entity that forwards the opening of the Space Frontier. The 2009 award was given to SpaceX.

• Pioneer of NewSpace is for an early leader and pioneer in the creation of the NewSpace industry and who has left a lasting legacy. Last year’s pioneer was Dr. Pete Worden of NASA Ames Research Center.

• Vision of the Future is given for outstanding achievement in presenting the possibilities of the Space Frontier to the general public. The “Vision of the Future” was captured best by the blockbuster Star Trek in 2009.

• Best Presentation of Space is for outstanding achievement in highlighting past and present events in space exploration and development. In 2009, it was awarded to the History Channel documentary series The Universe.

• NewSpace Journalism is for outstanding achievement in journalism spotlighting NewSpace. The communicator recognized in 2009 was Dr. Charles Lurio for The Lurio Report.

Register now for the conference and purchase VIP lunch and Awards Gala tickets at the NewSpace 2010 Registration Page. Gala ticket availability will be limited and the online promotional rate ends July 21st.

The conference will be held at the Domain Hotel, which also provides a discounted rate for all guests attending the conference. For more information, visit newspace2010.spacefrontier.org and RSVP on Facebook today.