A Microgravity Vote for Huntsville is a Macro Boost for Local Economy
The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce is taking some homemade technology on the road and could use a little help from its friends.
The Chamber has partnered with three Huntsville companies – Sierra Space, Rhodium Scientific and SustainSpace – to compete against more than 300 other entries at the international 2022 South by Southwest Conference & Festivals in Austin, Texas next March.
The local contingent is hoping to impress the audience with its pitch and Q&A with the SXSW panel of judges.
The Chamber group is seeking to pitch “Microgravity: The Commercial Case for R&D,” showcasing technology used in low-Earth orbit and aboard the International Space Station. The goal is to let the world know Huntsville is involved in cutting-edge space-related research, and to raise awareness about microgravity.
“Microgravity isn’t just for space science, anymore,” said Lucia Cape, the Chamber’s senior vice president of Economic Development, Industry Relations, and Workforce. “Through this panel, we want to share how commercial industries can incorporate the benefits of microgravity into their research and development more easily than ever before.”
But, first the group qualify through a community “PanelPicker” vote by Aug. 26. To vote, visit
https://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/116124
Part of the presentation is to make the case for a commercial market for space-based research and development that shows how industries can use very low gravity to advance research and develop products.
The Chamber applied for a spot onstage and the SX community accepted that application. Community Voting will help shape the event and determine whether Huntsville makes the final event to compete onstage against hundreds of international competitors.
The Chamber first became involved in the SXSW competition several years ago following a feasibility study for landing the Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser at Huntsville International Airport. With that initial study greenlighted, the airport began pursuing a landing permit through the FAA. Working with Teledyne Brown Engineering and Sierra Nevada, the airport has completed the application and is waiting on final approval.
Since then, the Chamber has also sponsored two rounds of competition through the European Space Agency’s Space Exploration Master’s program “What Would You Do with a Dream Chaser.” The program is designed to encourage entrepreneurs and R&D companies to explore the advantages of the vehicle’s space-based science platform.
SustainSpace was a winner and is working with HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology to advance plant growth to support nutrition for astronauts and food production on Earth.
