Arizona Science Congress logo with black, white, and orange text

Shaping the
SPACE FRONTIER
A Hands-On Simulation

April 28, 2026 I 9:30 - 3:00 pm I Downtown Phoenix (map)

The program serves as a strategic lead-in to ARIZONA SPACE Congress™ 2026 on April 29 at the Hyatt Regency Downtown Phoenix. Registration for the pre-day program is limited. Full details will be provided to ARIZONA SPACE Congress™ registered delegates.

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REGISTER FOR CONGRESS

SPACE FRONTIER GUIDES

Logo with a stylized arrow and lines next to the words "Defense Innovation OnRamp Hub: Arizona" in white text on a black background.
A professional headshot of an African American man in a dark suit, white shirt, and striped tie, against a plain light gray background. 
Devin M Patterson
Director of Strategic Engagement
Defense Innovation OnRamp: Arizona
Q Station logo in red and yellow text inside a red-outlined rectangle
A woman with shoulder-length reddish-brown hair and blue eyes, smiling, wearing a black turtleneck sweater in a modern, well-lit indoor space with large windows and hanging lights. 
Toni Balzano
VP Strategy & Communications
Q Station
Logo for the World Innovation Network featuring a stylized yellow light bulb with a brain and circuit design inside, and the words 'WORLD INNOVATION NETWORK' with 'WORLD' on top, 'INNOVATION' in the middle, and 'NETWORK' at the bottom.
Bald man with yellow glasses, a full black beard, wearing a black suit with a yellow tie and pocket square, standing against a digital background of golden light patterns. 
Robert S Katz
CEO & Executive Director
World Innovation Network (WIN)
Rose Law Group law firm logo with names Rich, Carter, Fisher
Close-up photo of a woman with long dark hair, wearing a sleeveless purple turtleneck, smiling, standing against a light-colored background. 
Shruti Gurudanti
Co-Founder at televëda
Rose Law Group
Close-up of the SpaceX logo in white font on a black background.
A man with a bald head, sunglasses, gray beard, wearing a black shirt and silver jewelry, is touching his chin with one hand. Behind him, there is a large rocket model. 
Rick Tumlinson
RT 
Space Fund
EarthLight Foundation
Silhouette of a planet with rings and a smaller circle, representing a celestial body or orbit in space.
A smiling Black man in a dark suit and white shirt against a gray background. 
David Beck
Principal
Space Technologies LTD
Black background with white text spelling 'SYLLAB'
A man with short dark hair wearing a dark blazer and light blue dress shirt, posing with arms crossed against a neutral background. 
Bart Slowik
CEO & Founder
SylLab Systems
Circular emblem with a map of North America, the words 'ARIZONA STATE' and 'U.S.' around the border, and a red outline of Arizona.
Smiling woman with dark wavy hair wearing a black top, standing against a concrete wall. 
Karyn MacVean 
Co-Founder
Arizona Spaceport Alliance
The logo of Sroitn Intelligence featuring a stylized atomic symbol and the text 'Sroitn Intelligence' in white on a black background.
A woman with long, wavy brown hair and fair skin is wearing a navy blazer over a black top, standing against a plain pale-green background. She has red lipstick and is smiling while crossing her arms. 
Angelica Sirotin
CEO
Sirotin Ventures
Logo for the video game 'Space Rising' with stylized text and a shooting star or comet graphic.
A woman with shoulder-length blonde hair wearing a black blazer, smiling with visible teeth, against a plain light background. 
Taryn Struck
Co-Founder
Space Rising

Shaping the Space Frontier: A Hands-On Simulation will take place in downtown Phoenix on April 28, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Defense Innovation OnRamp Hub: Arizona. This immersive, limited-capacity session presents a bonus pre-day experience for ARIZONA SPACE Congress delegates, deploying a real-world simulation of strategic decision-making for the emerging space economy.

The program is intentionally designed around the Mobilization Method, an applied framework developed to move delegates from insight to action. Deployed as a core organizing structure of the ARIZONA SPACE Congress™, the method guides the group through a deliberate progression: Information → Investigation → Ideation → Innovation.

April 28 I SHAPING THE SPACE FRONTIER: A HANDS-ON SIMULATION

  • 9:30 - 10:00 am

    WELCOME REMARKS

    Devin M Patterson, Defense Innovation OnRamp Hub: Arizona
    Robert S Katz, World Innovation Network (WIN)
    Taryn Struck, Space Rising

  • 10:00 - 10:45

    INFORMATION

    Rick Tumlinson, RT of Space Fund and the EarthLight Foundation, establishes a shared foundation, framing space as both an industry and a human frontier. This phase aligns delegates around the scale of opportunity and responsibility—creating a common lens that informs all subsequent exploration and decision-making.

  • 10:45 - 11:30

    INVESTIGATION

    Building on that foundation, Bart Slowik of SylLab Systems moves delegates into applied exploration through STAR, an open testbed for emerging space technologies. Delegates begin examining how space technologies are developed, tested, and secured, grounding the earlier context in real-world systems and constraints that will shape their strategic thinking.

  • 11:30 - 12:30 pm

    IDEATION

    With this context in place, Angelica Sirotin of Sirotin Ventures guides delegates in translating insight into communication strategy. She clarifies how complex technologies can be positioned, communicated, and advanced within the evolving space ecosystem.

  • 12:30 - 1:00 pm // LUNCH BREAK

  • 1:00 - 3:00 pm

    INNOVATION

    The experience culminates in a team-based strategic simulation led by Devin M Patterson with Defense Innovation OnRamp Hub: Arizona and guest representatives, where delegates operationalize the full method. Drawing directly from the context, systems understanding, and strategic framing developed in prior phases, teams make investment decisions under real-world constraints—limited budgets, competing priorities, and uncertainty. Delegates assume the roles of Operators, Market Makers, and Builders—roles introduced as part of the evolving ecosystem—to reflect the interdependent nature of commercial, defense, and industrial space development.

    Guest Representatives:
    Robert S Katz, CEO & Executive Director, World Innovation Network (WIN)
    Toni Balzano, VP of Communications & Strategy, Q Station
    Shruti Gurudanti, Partner & Director of Corporate Transactions & Space Law, Rose Law Group
    David Beck, Principal, Space Technologies Limited
    Karyn MacVean, Co-Founder, Arizona Spaceport Alliance

    This interactive experience empowers the group to explore strategic trade-offs, defend investment choices, and understand how near-term decisions shape the space economy and our national capabilities for 2030.

  • 3:00 pm

    CLOSING REMARKS