The National Space Society is gearing up for its flagship gathering of space development thinkers, and this year’s lineup features two figures who have each carved distinct paths in the commercial space industry. The annual Space Settlement Summit is set to take over the University of Central Florida campus on October 25 and 26, 2026, with the goal of turning lofty ideas about lunar habitation into actionable business frameworks.
This isn’t just another conference on the calendar. The summit is designed as a working session where attendees help shape solutions to the structural challenges of building a cislunar economy. It runs alongside UCF’s Space Week and leads directly into the Economist Magazine’s Space Economy Summit, making Orlando the epicenter of space commerce discourse for those two days.
Jeffrey Manber will deliver a keynote address. He currently serves as Special Representative to the Chairman and CEO for Voyager Technologies and chairs the board of Nanoracks, which Voyager acquired. His resume includes a 12-year run as CEO of Nanoracks, where he pushed the envelope on commercial access to space and shepherded multiple International Space Station business programs. He also directed the creation of the Bishop Airlock, which remains the only commercial airlock aboard the ISS.
Manber’s history in the sector runs deep. As Managing Director of Energia USA, he brokered the first commercial agreement between NASA and NPO Energia in the Soviet Union back in 1991, using the Soyuz capsule as an escape vehicle for Space Station Freedom. He later represented Energia in negotiations to build and run the ISS. His contributions earned him the NASA Exceptional Public Achievement Medal in 2012 and the Space Frontier Foundation’s Pioneer of New Space Award in 2017.
Camille Bergin will also take the keynote stage. As Chief Marketing Officer of Star Catcher, she is spearheading global marketing and brand efforts for what aims to be the first orbital energy grid. Before that, she co-founded Modulate Media, a consultancy focused on marketing for high-growth space startups. Her career also includes leadership stints at Vast Space, Lockheed Martin, and Orbit Fab. Off the clock, she reaches nearly a million followers as “The Galactic Gal,” translating complex space innovation for the general public and working with organizations like the United States Space Force to broaden their reach.
The summit’s core mission is to connect lunar exploration ambitions with commercial viability, tackling the nuts-and-bolts frameworks needed to sustain a presence on the Moon and beyond. Registration and details are available at spacesettlementsummit.nss.org.
About the NSS
The National Space Society has served as a non-partisan advocate for space exploration and settlement since its founding in 1987, when the National Space Institute and L5 Society merged. The organization reaches millions through its membership and media channels, working toward a future where humanity lives and works beyond Earth. More information is available at nss.org.
Why it matters: With commercial players like Voyager and Star Catcher leading the charge, the summit signals that space settlement is shifting from theoretical discussion to practical business development. The pairing of a veteran ISS dealmaker with a new-generation space marketer underscores how far the industry has come — and how much further it plans to go in the next decade.
Rod Pyle
National Space Society
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