SEATTLE, WA August 20, 2014 Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance announced today that Mark Sirangelo, head of Sierra Nevada Corporations Space Systems (SNC), will be the keynote speaker at its October 8Defense, Space & Security Conferencein Seattle. Sirangelo has helped to build and grow a product portfolio ranging from small satellites to space technologies that have enabled over 420 planetary missions -- including Mars Curiosity.

Sierra Nevada is a top contender for a lucrative contract with NASA to transport astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station. Since 2011, when NASA officially ended its space shuttle program, Americans have relied on the Russians for these services. Later this year, NASA will award one or more contracts to companies that can safely provide the agency with transportation services by December 2017.

Sierra Nevadas Dream Chaser, a reusable, winged spaceplane capable of a vertical take-off and horizontal landing, is competing head to head with Boeings CST-100, a reusable, weldless capsule design, and SpaceXs Dragon, the first commercial spacecraft in history to deliver cargo to the International Space Station and safely return cargo to Earth. SpaceX will also send a speaker to the one-day conference.

PNAA is honored that one of the Space Industrys leading contenders for NASAs Commercial Crew Program will provide our keynote address. Mark Sirangelos participation demonstrates the caliber of information attendees can expect to hear at this conference, said PNAA Executive Director Bob Uptagrafft.

In addition to Sirangelos keynote address, leading defense industry speakers will discuss how global policy changes, declining procurement budgets and life extensions on legacy aircraft are creating new opportunities for aerospace and defense manufactures and suppliers. The one-day aerospace conference will analyze defense, space and UAV market trends; explore how shrinking budgets, enhanced ISR capabilities and production delays are creating supply chain opportunities; and explain what increasingly sophisticated cyber campaigns will mean for regional aerospace businesses.

As governments around the globe reconfigure budgets to match new defense and security postures and new factors threaten to affect international space programs, supply chain opportunities are changing rapidly, said PNAAs Chief Operating Officer Melanie Jordan.

PNAA is assembling an unrivaled line up of industry experts to explain how these changes will impact regional businesses. Whether you supply parts for commercial or military jets, restore legacy aircraft, manufacture satellites and sensors or are considering expanding your reach into unmanned systems, you wont want to miss this conference. It will provide the information and contacts you need for success now and in the future, Jordan said.

PNAAs Conference features 13 industry speakers including Congressional Research Service Military Analyst JJ Gertler; Boeings Director, Business Development KC-46 Tanker Program Boeing Military Aircraft Jim Eisenhart; Sierra Nevada Corporations Space Systems Corporate Vice President

Mark Sirangelo; SpaceXs Senior Director of Avionics Hardware Development Brandon Pearce; Janicki Industries President John Janicki; Cascade Aerospaces CEO Benjamin Boehm; Planetary Resources Vice President of Space Development Chris Voorhees; Aerojet Rocketdynes Executive Director Roger Myers; 406 Space Systems and 406 Aerospaces co-founder and CEO Ehson Mosleh; Guardtimes Chief Technology Officer Matthew Johnson; G2 Solutions CEO Michel Merluzeau; Washington States Director of Aerospace Alex Pietsch; G2 Solutions Research Director Ron Stearns ; Cascade AUVSI/Arcturus UAV President Eric Folkestad and others.

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Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance Announces Sierra Nevada Corporation will speak at Defense Conference in Seattle