Washington, D.C. – Following on the success of the inaugural Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference in February 2010, the Commercial Spaceflight Federation is proud to again co-sponsor the 2011 sequel conference, which will occur February 28 – March 2, 2011 in Orlando, Florida.

This second annual Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference (NSRC) will allow scientists, engineers, and educators to learn about the research and education capabilities of commercial suborbital spacecraft and to foster a two-way conversation between the research community and the commercial spaceflight industry. Panelists will also discuss NASA’s Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research (CRuSR) program, which will invest $75 million over the next five years to promote scientific and education uses of these new commercial suborbital vehicles. The conference website is http://nsrc.swri.org/ .

Bretton Alexander, President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, added, “The commercial spaceflight sector is excited to work with government, academia, and industry to start putting payloads on next-generation suborbital vehicles. The commercial spaceflight industry shares the enthusiasm displayed by the scientific community for the great research potential of these new spacecraft. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is proud to play a role in opening up this new frontier for scientific research and discovery.”

The Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference (NSRC) will include a strong leadership role by researchers and educators from the Suborbital Applications Researchers Group (SARG), a scientific advisory committee that was formed in 2009 under the aegis of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.

Dr. S. Alan Stern, Chairman of the Suborbital Applications Researchers Group and a former NASA associate administrator for science, stated, “2011 is the year when next-gen suborbital research missions will actually begin flying, NASA funding for CRuSR ramps up, and the first broad experiment proposal opportunities will appear. Come to NSRC in 2011 to learn about these and other exciting developments, to network, and to present your own ideas.”

Hosted in Orlando, Florida by Space Florida, the University of Central Florida, and the Southwest Research Institute, NSRC is the meeting for researchers and educators wanting to participate in, learn about, and contribute to the new era of commercial, reusable suborbital spaceflight.

For more information or to register for the conference, visit http://nsrc.swri.org/; abstracts for talks can also be submitted at this web site. The abstract deadline is Nov 23, 2010 and Student Contest deadline is Dec 3, 2010.

About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation
The mission of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursue ever-higher levels of safety, and share best practices and expertise throughout the industry. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation’s member companies, which include commercial spaceflight developers, operators, spaceports, suppliers, and service providers, are creating thousands of high-tech jobs nationwide, working to preserve American leadership in aerospace through technology innovation, and inspiring young people to pursue careers in science and engineering. For more information please visit http://www.commercialspaceflight.org or contact Executive Director John Gedmark at john@commercialspaceflight.org or at 202.349.1121.

About the Suborbital Applications Researchers Group
The Suborbital Applications Researchers Group (SARG) is a coordination and advisory committee of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, composed of scientists and researchers dedicated to furthering the scientific potential of suborbital reusable launch vehicles under development by the commercial spaceflight sector. SARG seeks to increase awareness of commercial suborbital vehicles in the science, R&D, and education communities, work with policymakers to ensure that payloads can have easy access to these vehicles, and aim to generate new ideas for uses of these vehicles for science, engineering, and education missions. SARG is taking a leadership role in the February 2011 Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference (NSRC). For more information please contact Dr. Alan Stern at astern@boulder.swri.edu or at 303.324.5269.