NASA Small Spacecrafts & Space Economy with Roger C. Hunter
On May 13th, PoliSpace will host a special event in Room B12 featuring Roger C. Hunter, Program Manager for NASA Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems (SSDS) at NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. An unique opportunity to gain insight into both the technical evolution of modern space missions and the rapidly expanding global space economy. This session will be divided into two main parts, bringing together technical depth and strategic industry perspective.
Part 1: NASA Today and the Small Spacecraft Revolution
The first part of the event will provide a technical overview of NASA’s current activities and future direction. Key topics include:
- NASA’s current missions, priorities, and technological roadmap.
- The growing role of small spacecraft in modern exploration and Earth observation.
- Distributed space systems and their impact on mission design.
- Emerging architectures enabling more flexible and cost-effective space operations.
This segment will focus on how NASA is reshaping its missions and projects through innovation in small satellite technologies and distributed systems.
Part 2: The Space Economy: From Exploration to Commercialization
The second part of the event will broaden the discussion to the global space economy, exploring how space is becoming an increasingly commercial and data based ecosystem, fostering a dialogue between technical expertise and economic perspective.
Key themes include:
- Overview of the space economy and current market structure.
- Real-world market data: market size, growth rates (CAGR), and segmentation for launch services, satellite manufacturing and operations, downstream applications and services.
- The transformation from government-led programs to commercial ecosystems.
- Historical perspective from Apollo to Artemis and the evolution of space strategy.
- Interaction between public agencies and private industry in shaping future growth.
Meet the speaker: Roger C. Hunter
Roger, with over 45 years of leadership across the DOD, Boeing and Nasa, is currently the Program Manager for the Small Spacecraft Technology Program (SSTP). A retired Air Force Colonel and former Commander within the 50th Space Wing, Hunter’s career highlights include managing GPS sustainment and leading the historic Kepler Mission in its search for habitable planets. An accomplished academic and TEDx speaker who has lectured globally from the Pentagon to the University of Naples, he brings a rare blend of high-level strategic expertise and technical mission success to PoliSpace. Beyond his professional career and NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals, he is an avid marathon runner with a self-proclaimed appreciation for travel, fine wine, and good memes.
Event Details
📍 Location: Room L.13 in B12
📅 Date: May 13
🎓 Organized by: PoliSpace
Don’t miss the opportunity to explore the intersection of space technology and space economics with one of NASA’s leading experts.
