The 7th Annual Space Education and Strategic Applications (SESA) Conference
September 17-18, 2026
Sixty-five years after humans first left the confines of earth and entered the space environment, NASA and partners are poised to establish a permanent presence on the Moon. The 7th annual Space Education and Strategic Awareness (SESA) conference commemorates this and other 2026 milestones, including the 50th anniversary of the first landers (Viking 1 & 2) on Mars, by focusing on the policies, science, and technologies that will propel humankind into a new era of Solar System exploration beyond the confines of Earth orbit.
Conference Details
Dates: September 17-18, 2026
Format: Virtual
Cost: Free and open to the public
Registration Opens April 1st!
Themes and Topics
Explore and share advances in space sciences and human exploration systems engineering through the following panel topics:
Commercial & Military Space
Exiobiology & Life in the Universe
Earth & Planetary Sustainability
Evolution of the Space Human Factors & Systems
Protecting Earth: Earth Sciences & Defense
Space economics
Analog Research and Development
Evolving Space Law & Policy
Planetary Science/Robotic exploration
Astronomy Education & Science
Space Technologies
Proposal Guidelines
Proposals for oral and e-poster presentations will be accepted through July 15th; please be prepared to provide the following information in your proposal:
Name and affiliation of all presenters
Title of presentation
Abstract (no more than 250 words)
Contact information for the corresponding author only
Preferred panel topic from the list above (select 'e-poster' for a poster presentation)
*Notification of successful submissions will begin July 1st.
Presenters are additionally invited to submit a 3-6 page summary of their presentation for publication in the SESA Journal Conference Proceedings. Submission instructions will be provided separately upon acceptance.
Any questions? Contact the conference organizers here: [email protected]
Conference Schedule
Schedule TBD
Schedule TBD!
Schedule TBD!
Past SESA Conference Presentations
Image Credit: NASA AS17-152-23272