The National Space Society is the preeminent citizen’s voice on space exploration, development, and settlement. The NSS Vision is “People living and working in thriving communities beyond the Earth, and the use of the vast resources of space for the dramatic betterment of humanity.”

The plan for this and the subsequent workshops is to dive straight into the vital logistics of living and working on the Moon, the security of space economic interests, governance, and the deployment of next-generation power grids and orbital habitats. Attendees are invited to join their selected breakout workshops. The agenda for this summit is:

Day 1 – 10/25/2026

9:00–10:00 AM  Opening Remarks

Welcome from our summit hosts, introducing this year's key objectives, the thematic framing of the lunar economy, and essential event logistics.

10:00 AM–1:00 PM  Morning Workshop Block

Workshop A:  Why the Moon, Why Now? Facilitated by Pascal Lee.

Workshop B:  Living and Working on the Moon. Facilitated by Saleem Miyan.

Workshop C:  Orbital Space Settlement Design Part 1 of 2. Facilitated by Dale Skran, Fredrick Jenet & Bryce Meyer.

As a participant in the 2026 Space Settlement Summit, you are invited to engage in a workshop that is part of the rotating Orbital Space Settlement Design (OSSD) Project. https://nss.org/design-project/

Based on terms of reference adopted by the NSS in March 2026, the end goal of this five year effort is a complete engineering design for the first rotating space settlement in cislunar space. The focus of the workshop at the 2026 Space Settlement Summit will be twofold. The first is to take an initial look at the use case for a rotating orbital space settlement at some location in the Earth-Moon system. The second is the review, expansion, explication, and explanation of the questions that must be answered to complete the engineering design of an orbital space settlement. Additionally, the dependencies between the questions will be discussed. The workshop will be led by the OSSD Project Leads: Rick Jenet, Dale Skran, and Bryce Meyer. The questions will be divided into three groups to allow persons with differing interests and skills to participate in the section they find the most interesting. The three sessions are high level requirements, agricultural/biological, and physical/construction.

1:00–2:00 PM  Lunch

A buffet lunch served at the hotel for all participants to connect, recharge, and build valuable professional relationships.

2:00–5:00 PM  Afternoon Workshop Block

Workshop A:  Powering the Future

Workshop B:  Vital Economic Interests in Cis-Lunar Space

Workshop C:  Orbital Space Settlement Design Part 2 of 2.

This session continues the morning's Orbital Space Settlement Design workshop.

5:00–7:00 PM  Reception

Join fellow summit participants and speakers for light bites, drinks, and informal conversation to spark new collaborations after the day's sessions. The reception also features the official book launch and signing of A Dream Renewed, with editors Dale Skran and Rod Pyle.

Day 2 – 10/26/2026

9:00 AM–12:00 PM  Morning Workshop Block

Workshop A:  Space Economic Security

Workshop B:  We’re Going to the Moon. Who Cares About the Outer Space Treaty?. Facilitated by Michelle Hanlon

The rockets are being built. Companies are planning lunar mines, power systems, communications networks and settlements. Governments are forming competing coalitions. Surely a treaty written in 1967 cannot tell today’s entrepreneurs how to build a lunar economy. Or can it?

This interactive workshop will put the Outer Space Treaty to work. Participants will confront a fast-moving lunar scenario involving rival settlements, competing resource operations, safety zones, damaged infrastructure and interference with historic and scientific sites. Does the Treaty protect private enterprise or constrain it? Can companies secure investment without traditional property rights? Who gets priority when two operators want the same location? Can contracts, insurance, technical standards and private arbitration fill the gaps, or will governments inevitably step in?

This will not be a lecture about what lawyers think the Treaty means. Participants will determine what the Treaty must mean if people are actually going to live, work and do business on the Moon, then identify the practical steps needed to build rules that facilitate investment, commercial growth and human settlement without importing unnecessary terrestrial bureaucracy. The precedents established on the Moon will not remain there. They will influence how humanity approaches resources, property, commerce and settlement on Mars, asteroids and throughout the solar system. You may not care about the Outer Space Treaty. But the future space economy will be built within the legal framework it created.

Workshop C:  Earth, Moon, and Mars Logistics. Facilitated by Doug Owens.

12:00–1:00 PM  Lunch

A buffet lunch served at the hotel for all participants to connect, recharge, and build valuable professional relationships.

1:00–3:00 PM  Conference Report-Outs

A collaborative concluding session to summarize key outcomes, findings, and recommendations across all workshops. This joint review will identify shared priorities, critical dependencies, gaps, and concrete next steps to carry the summit's progress forward.

3:00–5:00 PM  Optional Tours

Option A:  Florida Space Institute

Option B:  Exolith Lab®

7:00–9:00 PM  Reception

Join fellow Space Settlement Summit and Space Economy Summit participants and speakers for light bites, drinks, and informal conversation to spark new collaborations after the day's sessions.