Canada has unparalleled expertise in all areas of terrestrial mining. This expertise has been slowly cultivated through the creation and ongoing development of a national tax and legal infrastructure (including flow-through tax shares, the Canadian Exploration Expense and various other tools) that enable firms to engage in high risk activities requiring a high up front cost and the patience to go for decades before obtaining a return on the initial investment.

This infrastructure was and is designed to encourage a continuous stream of innovative new start-ups plus grow the existing players into a size able to compete effectively in the international marketplace.

What can space companies learn from the mining industry today? What are the timelines, constraints, costs and opportunities for profit from space resources and what can the mining industry learn from space entrepreneurs?

Find out on March 7^th, 2013 at the 2013 Canadian Space Commerce Association National Conference, focused on the business and political issues surrounding “Commercial Space Resource Utilization.

Register Online Now for the Best Pricing.

Mining industry executives and related financial, policy and technical professionals who wish to understand the opportunities arising from the upcoming development of space resources. Executives, business owners and independent consultants focused on enhancing the global competitiveness of Canadian businesses. Public and private space policy professionals specializing in the impact of government policy on innovation and productivity improvement. Venture capitalists, private investors and others wanting to know more about commercial opportunities available now through Canadian scientists, academics and engineers. Scientists, engineers and researchers interested in this emerging industry.

Confirmed Speakers Include

Dale Boucher – The director of product design, prototyping and testing at the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT). Mr. Boucher is also active in the Space Resources Roundtable (SRR) and the upcoming Planetary and Terrestrial Mining and Sciences Symposium (PTMSS) being held in Toronto from May 5th – 8th, 2013 as part of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Annual Convention (CIM2013).

Caroline E. Clapham – A securities and mining lawyer in the Vancouver office of Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP.  Ms. Clapham regularly acts for publicly listed companies in connection with equity and debt financings, mergers & acquisitions, and listings on the Toronto Stock Exchange or TSX Venture Exchange. Caroline also has experience advising public company clients on corporate governance matters and meeting continuous disclosure requirements.

This presentation is available for download here.

Alex Ellery – The professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and the Canada research chair in space, robotics and space technology at Carleton University, where his team developed the Kapvik micro-rover concept for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).  He is the author of “An Introduction to Space Robotics” and the forthcoming “Planetary Rovers: Robotic Exploration of the Solar System.” Professor Ellery came to Carleton from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom where he headed up the robotics research activities of the Surrey Space Centre.

This presentation is available for download here.

Ram S. Jakhu - As an associate professor of space law at the McGill Institute of Air and Space Law, Dr. Jakhu teaches and conducts research in international space law, the law of space applications, the law of space commercialization, the government regulation of space activities, the law of telecommunications and Canadian communications law, and public international law. Since 2009, he has also acted as an advisor on Optional Rules for Arbitration of Disputes Relating to Outer Space within the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

This presentation is available for download here.

Melissa Kemper Force – Ms. Force has an advanced master of laws degree from the International Institute of Air and Space Law (IISL) at Leiden University and interned with the Office of Space Commercialization, a division of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Ms. Force is the principal of MKForce Consulting, teaches law school courses in aviation and space law and is an active organizer of IISL events, including the Manfred Lachs International Moot Court Competition.

This presentation is available for download here.

Jim Keravala – The chief operating officer and co-founder of Shackleton Energy Company Inc., a firm intending to build in-space propellant depots. Kervala is a graduate of International Space University (ISU), a member of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL), a senior member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), a fellow of the British Interplanetary Society (BIS) and an academician at the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA). He has experience in the finance, construction, transportation and mining sectors.

This presentation is available for download here.

Sukhbir Kullar – The senior program manager for aerospace at Teledyne DALSA. For the past 16 years, Mr. Kullar has been involved in the development of image sensors for remote sensing applications. His team is responsible for developing image sensors for airborne and spaceborne imaging systems with special focus on multispectral and hyperspectral sensors.

This presentation is available for download here.

Tomas Andrew Olsen – A founding partner of Exodus Consulting, a company which provides consulting,  planning and management services for for investors, start-ups, conferences, symposia, business plan competitions and space investment summits. Olsen serves as a “catalyst” helping tech startups and Angel/VC/Institutional investors find each other.

Gordon Osinski – The NSERC/MDA/CSA industrial research chair in planetary geology at the University of Western Ontario. He is also deputy director of the Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration and the team lead for the Canadian Lunar Research Network. His work synthesizes field, remote sensing, and laboratory observations with a range of geochemical data.

This presentation is available for download here.

Lana Paton – A partner in the tax services practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. With a broad range of experience providing tax advice to mining companies and multinationals including knowledge on Canada’s Mineral Exploration Tax Credit (commonly called the “super” flow through program) and the Canadian Exploration Expense (CEE), Ms. Paton develops detailed and highly successful tax plans for her clients whether they work in a terrestrial or an extraterrestrial environment.

This presentation is available for download here.

Robert Richards – The Canadian born space serial entrepreneur and current CEO of Moon Express, a company focused on developing technology to survey and extract valuable elemental deposits from the lunar surface. Dr. Richards has also co-founded the International Space University (ISU), Singularity University (SU), Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) and the Space Generation Foundation.

This presentation is available for download here.

Rick Tumlinson – The chairman of Deep Space Industries Inc. and considered to be one of the 100 most influential people in the space industry by Space News. Mr. Tumlinson will provide an overview of this new company, the “FireFly” spacecraft which will perform the search for useful asteroids which can be mined and the 3D printing system (called the “MicroGravity Foundry”) which will use nickel to create “high-density high-strength metal components even in zero gravity.“

Nicole Verkindt – The CEO of Toronto based OMX Marketplace, an online database set up to provide government contractors with Canadian suppliers able to fulfill Industrial and Regional Benefit (IRB) program obligations. Ms. Verkindt, will discuss the over $20 billion dollars still remaining to be fulfilled under the program and add some insight on how Canadian mining, manufacturing, aerospace and space firms can access it.

This presentation is available for download here.

Peter Visscher – The space and robotics manager for Ontario Drive and Gear (ODG). With the expertise his firm has developed building the Canadian Artemis Jr. lunar rover to meet the requirements of NASA’s Regolith & Environment Science and Oxygen & Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) project, expected to hunt for water, ice and other lunar resources, Mr. Visscher will talk about the hardware available in Canada today which can contribute to commercial space resource utilization.

This presentation is available for download here.

Over a dozen expert speakers will discuss timelines, constraints, costs and opportunities for profit from space resource utilization, how to encourage a continuous stream of innovative new start-ups in this area plus consider how existing Canadian resources players will be best placed so as not to be left out of this new market.

This event will also include:

• A late afternoon panel discussion focused on “After Emerson and after Steve MacLean: Canada’s Space Future for the CSA and the Domestic Space Industry” – Acknowledged industry and government experts outlining the current situation, offering insight an suggesting future areas of inquiry.

• Start-Up LiftOff – Speakers for start-up commercial space ventures will make a high energy five minute presentation focused on their organization in a format modeled after the O’Reilly Ignite Talks under the motto “Enlighten Us, But Make It Quick!”

The speaker schedule is available online here.

2013 CSCA National Conference Sponsors

To learn more about our 2013 CSCA national conference sponsors, please click on the graphics to go to their websites.

For sponsorship information, please download the 2013 sponsorship package. To sign up for sponsorship, go directly to our sponsorship registration page.

2013 Exhibitor Sponsors

2013 Supporting Organizations

To learn more about our 2013 CSCA national conference exhibitor sponsors and supporting organizations, please click on the graphics to go to their websites.

For information on becoming an exhibitor sponsor or supporting or supporting organization, please download the 2013 sponsorship package or contact Farnaz Ghadaki at farnaz.ghadaki@spacecommerce.ca.

2013 Media Sponsors

For Sponsorship Information, Please Download the 2013 Sponsorship Package.

Or go directly to our Sponsorship Registration Page.

The Canadian Space Commerce Association (CSCA) is a registered Canadian not-for-profit industry organization dedicated to advancing the economic, legal and political environment for space focused companies.