SPACE HOUSE DRAWS 7,000+ RSVPS IN INAUGURAL SXSW DEBUT, SIGNALING SPACE’S CULTURAL MOMENT

Presented by CesiumAstro, Space House convened 36 leading voices shaping today’s space economy - bringing space to the forefront of the festival’s global conversation

AUSTIN, TEXAS, March 19, 2026 (Source: Juice Consulting) - This past weekend at SXSW, Space House made a powerful inaugural debut, bringing together the space community and establishing itself as a high energy hub for the rapidly expanding space economy. Presented by CesiumAstro, the two day activation took place March 14 and 15 and was a packed house each day, featuring some of the most influential space leaders of our time. Attendees experienced dynamic conversations and spontaneous collisions that underscored one clear theme: space is no longer a future concept, it is a present-day movement. And with Austin, Texas becoming a national hub for the new and commercial space economy, the timing couldn’t be more poignant: from astronauts and C-suite aerospace founders, to mission directors, policy makers and space influencers, it was a historic gathering at SXSW that propelled the space industry’s place into mainstream cultural conversations. For the full programming line up, check out www.thisisspacehouse.com. For event photography and b-roll requests, please email here.

Mo Islam, CEO, Arkaea Media and Shey Sabripour, Founder & CEO, CesiumAstro

(photo credit: MWC Photography)

Vanessa Wyche, Director of the Johnson Space Center, NASA

(photo credit: MWC Photography)

Space House featured key remarks by Vanessa Wyche, Director of the Johnson Space Center, NASA, and hosted a variety of panels and fireside chats with over 36 global and national space leaders participating in the weekend. Event highlights also included evening parties with high energy sets by YouTube’s Scott Manley and Robot Sunrise and full day immersive VR experiences Mission ISS and Cosmic Perspective VR. Here is what participants are saying:

“Space House was a fantastic addition to the SXSW lineup,” said Mo Islam, CEO, Arkaea Group. “The energy in the room was exactly what the industry needs more of. My fireside with Shey Sabripour of CesiumAstro was one of the most candid conversations I've had on stage about where the commercial space sector is actually headed. Looking forward to watching this event grow!”

“Space House at SXSW was a phenomenal two-day event filled with insightful conversations, laughter, and meaningful engagement,” said Andrew Cameron, Manager of Marketing and Communications at Firefly Aerospace. “It brought together the brightest minds in the industry and inspired the next generation of space enthusiasts. Space has officially landed at SXSW!”

“The explosion of enthusiasm for space exploration and development was unbelievable,” said Andy Aldrin, CEO, Aldrin Family Foundation. “The next generation of space pioneers is going to take humanity to amazing places.”

Megan Ortiz, Summer Webb, Tom Markusic, Tim Kopra and Gwen Griffin

(photo credit: MWC Photography)

“Space House was an incredible opportunity to learn, connect and engage with leaders shaping the future of the space economy in Texas,” said Summer Webb, Deputy Director of Launch Site One and Government Relations Director at Blue Origin. “I’m grateful to be part of the conversation and excited about the collaboration ahead.”

“So great to be part of the inaugural Space House and the inspiring, thoughtful conversations that Heather and her team curated,” said Brad Morrison, CFO, Benchmark Space Systems, and Board Member, Texas Space Commission. “Can’t wait ‘til next year.”

“SXSW Space House’s inaugural event was truly special - an inspiring gathering of visionary speakers and an incredible community,” said Astronaut Sara Sabry. “It was an honor to be part of it and share my journey from Cairo to space, as the first Egyptian astronaut and first Arab and African woman to go to space. It was also the perfect moment to officially launch my new space tech startup, KORA TechLabs, where we’re building the intelligence layer for humanity’s expansion into extreme environments, following in the footsteps of the giants who came before us.”

“For a long time, many of us believed SXSW could be a true hub for the business of space, but the conversation never quite had a place of its own,” said Ché Bolden, CEO, The Charles F. Bolden Group and Executive Chair, Inter Astra Institute. “Space House changed that. Heather Wagner Reed, Juice Consulting, CesiumAstro, and SWIFT deserve real credit for stepping forward to do what others either couldn’t or wouldn’t - bring the community together under one roof and show what’s possible when space is treated as a category, not a sidebar.”

Brad Morrison, Priya Abiram, Joseph Kopser, Tim Kopra, Heather Wagner Reed, Gwen Griffin, Aimée R. Ahiers, Summer Webb, Vanessa Wyche, Megan Ortiz, Shey Sabripour, Sandy Barker, Leon Vanstone and Geoff Tudor (photo credit: Juice Consulting)

“Space House at SXSW pulled a lot of people into the same room for the first time, and you could feel it,” said Geoff Tudor, President and Cofounder, Space Workforce Incubator for Texas. “The event put astronauts, founders, and workforce builders in the room with massive energy. Two days of collisions that turned buzz into momentum and a long list of follow-ups. There’s no doubt it accelerated Texas as the go-to hub for space talent and industry big time.”

“I loved being a part of the inaugural SXSW Space House – a diverse gathering of thought leaders and storytellers who shared the excitement of space exploration, joined by folks from all over the planet who were curious to learn more!” said Astronaut Cady Coleman.

“Space House was an incredible weekend full of panels, demos, networking, and just plain fun,” said Nate Argroves, Founder of Starbase Brewing. “We were so happy Starbase Brewing could be a part of it and we can’t wait for next year!”

Firefly Aerospace team including Ryan Cole, Jason Kim, Darren Ma, Andrew Cameron, Micheal Sheetz (photo credit: Michael McKinney)

“I was honored to represent IMXP, Iceland Eclipse, and Atomika Festival at the Space House with an international community of space leaders,” said Ari Eisenstat, IMXP Partner and Space for Humanity Advisory Board Chair. “The event served as an exciting analog to develop and gather a multi-planetary society while supporting life on Earth and beyond.”

“As SXSW continues to evolve, Space House was a defining moment for the growing presence of space within the festival - and within Austin itself, as the city rapidly emerged as a global hub for space innovation,” said Heather Wagner Reed, Founder & CEO of Juice Consulting (Producers of Space House). “With such an overwhelming response in just year one, it is clear that space is a topic that festival attendees are captivated by, and I believe that Space House is poised to grow into a cornerstone activation at SXSW in the years ahead!”

Year one of Space House came to be with the incredible support of the industry. In addition to presenting sponsor CesiumAstro, mission supporters of Space House included Firefly Aerospace, IMXP Immersive Experiences, Space Workforce Incubator for Texas (SWIFT), Inter Astra Institute and ispace. Other sponsors adding to the house experience were Starbase Brewing, Still Austin Whiskey, Dulce Vida Tequila, Empress 0.0, Taco Flats, Fibonacci Flight, ThoroughFare, ATX Cold Brew, Barrett’s Coffee Roasters and BoothEasy Photo & Video Experiences.

Space House speakers included:

Andy Aldrin, CEO, Aldrin Family Foundation

Alex Coultrup, Director of Business & Policy, Starfish Space

Ari Eisenstat, IMXP Partner | Iceland Eclipse Program Director | University of Hawai'i Human Spaceflight Instructor | Space for Humanity Advisory Board Chair 

Brad Morrison, CFO, Benchmark Space Systems | Board Member, Texas Space Commission

Brian McManus, Executive Producer of Real Engineering

Cady Coleman, Astronaut, Speaker, Artist, Musician

Ché Bolden, CEO, The Charles F. Bolden Group | Executive Chair, Inter Astra Institute

Darren Ma, CFO, Firefly Aerospace

Dennis Stone, LEO Commercial Solutions LTD | President, World Space Week Association

Geoff Tudor, President, Space Workforce Incubator for Texas

Gwen Griffin, Chair, Texas Space Commission | CEO, Griffin Communications Group 

Ido Mizrahy, Filmmaker of “Space: The Longest Goodbye”

Ilsa Mroz, Regulatory Affairs Manager, Planet Labs PBC

Jesus Charles, Director of Spacecraft Operations, Firefly Aerospace 

Joe Ellis, Machine Learning Scientist, CesiumAstro

John Landreneau, Mission Program Lead, ispace

Katherine E. Melbourne, Space Policy Analyst, Center for Space Policy and Strategy

Ken Smith, CFO, CesiumAstro

Lambert Hogenhout, Chief Data and AI, United Nations Secretariat

Loren Grush, Space Reporter, Bloomberg

Matt Ondler, President and Chief Strategy Officer, Aegis Aerospace, Inc. 

Megan Ortiz, Senior Director of External Relations, Axiom Space

Mo Islam, CEO, Arkaea Media Group

Moriba Jah, Co-founder and Chief Scientist, GaiaVerse Ltd | Professor, The University of Texas at Austin 

Nilufar Ramji, Lead Public Affairs Officer, Co-Executive producer, Live Broadcasts, NASA

Priya Abiram, Aerospace Engineering | Astronaut in Training | Pilot | Director of Research at Operation Period

Rick Tumlinson, Founder, SpaceFund | EarthLight Foundation | Space Frontier Foundation

Robert L. Satcher, MD, Ph.D., NASA Astronaut | Physician | Space Health Researcher | Founder, OrbitalMed

Sachin Seth, Partner, Trousdale Ventures

Sara Sabry, Astronaut |  Founder, KORA and Deep Space Initiative

Sara Janes, Associate Vice Chancellor, San Jacinto College

Shey Sabripour, Founder & CEO, CesiumAstro

Summer Webb, Deputy Director of Launch Site One, Government Relations Director, Blue Origin

Tim Kopra, Chief Human Exploration Officer, Voyager Technologies

Tom Markusic, Founder, Firefly Aerospace | Frontera Space

Vanessa Wyche, Director of the Johnson Space Center, NASA 

Other photo credits above: Michael McKinney and MWC Photography

About Space House

Space House is the first SXSW activation dedicated to new and commercial space, designed to bring together leaders, innovators, and future talent shaping the space economy. Through programming, community-building, and cultural integration, Space House explores how space is transforming industries and everyday life.

About CesiumAstro:

CesiumAstro designs, manufactures, and delivers active phased-array payloads, software-defined radios, and fully integrated satellites. Their solutions provide multi-beam, multi-user connectivity across orbits and are built for mass manufacturing at constellation scale. 

About Juice Consulting:

Founded in 2007, Juice Consulting is an Austin-based creative agency that works with everything from rock stars – to rocket fuel. With decades of experience at the intersection of culture, entertainment and innovation, the firm is expanding its focus into the space sector, supporting companies and initiatives shaping the future of the industry.

For more footage in the house and for future updates, follow Space House on Instagram here. For press inquiries please email tyler@juiceconsulting.com. 

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