Nanosatellites have become a revolution in the satellite business because they are cost-effective, can be delivered faster, technology is improving rapidly, and they leverage advanced commercial off the shelf technologies. Typically not much larger than the size of a shoebox, nanosatellites can pack an amazing amount of functionality into a small space.

The market for nanosatellite missions is growing rapidly and is rapidly moving from one-off and custom development to commodity hardware and productized services. They allow many institutions access to space who formerly could not even consider going to space and provide a low-risk, cost-effective opportunity to harness the value of space. Immediate benefits include acquisition of Earth observation and remote sensing data, access to zero gravity and hard vacuum environments, unlimited solar energy, and space-scalable solutions. David Hurst, CEO of Orbital Transports and Executive Director of NewSpace Chicago, will present on the latest developments in this exciting and fast-moving industry.

David Hurst has been a technology entrepreneur for most of his career. He has over 30 years of experience as a software engineer, managing software development teams, developing complex systems and delivering products. He has consulted with venture capital firms and advanced technology start-ups, performing technical due diligence and business strategy assessments. In 2013, he left the IT industry to follow his passion for space exploration. David founded Orbital Transports to develop the space logistics and orbital infrastructure technologies needed for the emerging space resources economy, and ultimately to support human settlement of the Solar System. As an advocate of space-related and space-scalable businesses, he founded the NewSpace Chicago community of space entrepreneurs and others engaged in building commercial space ventures in Chicago. Prior to Orbital Transports, he founded multiple successful technology companies, including Athena Security, Inc., a network security company, which was acquired by SolarWinds in 2012.