Shaping the
SPACE FRONTIER
A Hands-On Simulation

WELCOME REMARKS

Devin M Patterson, Defense Innovation Unit
Robert S Katz, World Innovation Network
Taryn Struck, Space Rising

Before ARIZONA SPACE Congress™, this immersive workshop activates the same Mobilization Method that underpins the broader Congress—moving participants from information to innovation through a structured, real-world lens.

Mobilization Method in Action

1. Information
Align on space as both an industry and human frontier.

2. Investigation
Examine real-world lessons learned in building space security infrastructure

3. Ideation
Translate complex tech into compelling value through strategic communication.

4. Innovation
Make and defend investment decisions in a live, team-based strategy simulation.

BUILDING THE FUTURE OF SPACE AS AN INDUSTRY AND HUMAN FRONTIER

Rick Tumlinson, Chair of the Board of Directors/Senior Managing Partner: Space Fund
Founder: New Worlds Faire - Space Cowboy Ball
Founder: EarthLight Foundation

Establish a shared understanding of space as both an industry and a human frontier. This session grounds participants in the scale of opportunity, and responsibility, ahead.

AN OPEN TESTBED FOR EMERGING SPACE TECHNOLOGIES - STAR

Bart Slowik, CISSP — CEO, SylLab Systems 

SylLab Systems is bringing lessons learned from building space security infrastructure in Texas — in collaboration with Space Force, Space Systems Command, and the Texas Space Commission — to the Arizona space community. Through that work, SylLab developed STAR: an open simulation environment where programs can test emerging space technologies under real orbital conditions before they ever leave the ground. In this session, Bart Slowik will explore what that journey revealed about the gaps in traditional ground-based testing, why shared open infrastructure serves the broader space ecosystem better than single solution approaches, and how Arizona programs, universities, and startups can become active partners in shaping STAR into an Arizona-focused testbed aligned with the Arizona Space 2030 Mobilization Method — spanning not just AI and cybersecurity, but any emerging technology being built for space.

THE ART OF COMMUNICATING VALUE 101

Angelica Sirotin: Sirotin Ventures and Sirotin Intelligence

Angelica Sirotin of Sirotin Intelligence and Sirotin Ventures is bringing her award-winning strategic communications expertise — built through interviewing countless space and defense professionals and authoring Strategic Comms for Space 101, endorsed by Dr. Joel Mozer, First Chief Scientist of the U.S. Space Force — to the Arizona space community. In this session, Angelica will walk attendees through a practical framework for communicating value: how to define, tailor, and structure your message so others can understand, support, and repeat it. Using a case study of a fictitious space startup with real before-and-after examples, she'll show where messaging typically breaks down and how to fix it — whether you're raising capital, pitching a government client, or building internal buy-in. The session includes interactive components and a repeatable formula attendees can apply immediately.

A STRATEGIC SIMULATION ON THE FUTURE OF SPACE, DEFENSE, AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Devin M Patterson: Defense Innovation Unit

Participants will take part in a strategic decision exercise designed to challenge how we think about the future of the space ecosystem. This session places participants into a simulated decision environment where they must make investment choices under uncertainty, competing priorities, and incomplete information.

Participants will be divided into three groups, each representing a different strategic lens shaping the future of space:

The Operators — focused on national security and operating in a contested space environment

The Market Makers — focused on building a profitable and scalable commercial space economy

The Builders — focused on infrastructure, power, manufacturing, and the industrial base required to support both defense and commercial space

These perspectives reflect the reality that space development is no longer driven by a single sector. Defense organizations are working to build more resilient and distributed space architectures. Commercial industry is expanding communications, remote sensing, and in-space services. At the same time, power generation, manufacturing capacity, launch infrastructure, and ground networks are becoming limiting factors for both sectors. These areas are no longer developing independently; progress in one increasingly depends on progress in the others, and decisions made in the near term will determine what capabilities and markets are possible later.

This exercise is designed to examine a central question:

“Where should the nation invest now to shape the space economy and strategic environment of 2035?”

After developing their strategies, the groups will compete for funding and present their plans to a panel acting as Congress and national leadership. Because total funding requests are expected to exceed the available annual budget, groups must defend their investment decisions, explain what risks exist if their priorities are not funded, and argue why their investments should be funded ahead of others.

Congressional Review Considerations

Once each group presents its investment strategy, the review panel acting as Congress and national leadership will evaluate proposals based on a set of strategic considerations. These are not technical questions, but decision questions that are typically asked when large national programs compete for limited funding. Groups should be prepared to explain not only what they want to build, but why it must be funded now, how it contributes to national capability or economic growth, and what risks are created if it is delayed or not funded.

Congress Representatives Forthcoming