Space Council Meeting Features Three Panels of Experts

Tomorrow’s first meeting of the National Space Council will feature three panels of experts from the civil, commercial and national security space sectors.  The approximately two hour meeting begins at 10:00 am ET and will be webcast in its entirety.

The Space Council is chaired by Vice President Mike Pence and its membership roster includes Cabinet members, agency heads and White House officials responsible for developing U.S space policy and funding space programs. President Trump reestablished the Space Council in June. President George H.W. Bush was the last President to fund and staff the Council, which was created by Congress in the FY1989 NASA authorization act.

The list of attendees at tomorrow’s meeting at the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA as confirmed by Pence’s office today are the following.  (Note that Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who previously was expected to attend, instead will be represented by Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan.)

• National Space Council Chairman, Vice President Mike Pence;
• Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson;
• Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross;
• Secretary of Transportation, Elaine Chao;
• Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Elaine Duke;
• Office of Management and Budget Director, Mick Mulvaney;
• National Security Advisor, H.R. McMaster;
• Director of National Intelligence, Daniel Coats;
• Acting NASA Administrator, Robert Lightfoot;
• Deputy Secretary of Defense, Patrick Shanahan;
• Deputy Chief Technology Officer of the United States, Michael Kratsios; and
• Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Paul J. Selva.

The meeting begins at 10:00 am ET with welcoming remarks from Pence.  The Council then will hear from three panels of experts:

10:20-11:05 am ET:  We Will  Lead Again — Civil Space

• Marillyn Hewson, President and CEO, Lockheed Martin
• Dennis Muilenburg, President and CEO, Boeing
• David Thompson, President and CEO, Orbital ATK

11:05 – 11:35 am ET:  We Will Inspire Again — Commercial Space

• Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO, SpaceX
• Bob Smith, CEO, Blue Origin
• Fatih Ozmen, owner and CEO, Sierra Nevada Corporation

11:35 – 12:05 pm ET: We Will Hold the High Ground Again — National Security Space

• Michael Griffin, former NASA Administrator
• Adm. James Ellis (Ret.), former Commander, U.S. Strategic Command
• Pamela Melroy, former space shuttle commander and former Deputy Director, Tactical Technology Office, DARPA

12:05 pm ET:  Concluding Remarks by Vice President Pence

The meeting will be webcast.

 

Note:  The White House press release listed Gwynn Shotwell as President and CEO of SpaceX, however, she is COO (Chief Operating Officer) not CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and her first name is spelled Gwynne.  Also, Fatih Ozmen’s last name is misspelled in the press release (as Ozman) and he also is owner of SNC.  We have corrected our list accordingly.