Sierra Nevada’s Eren Ozmen to Keynote at ISS R&D Conference

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (FL), July 3, 2019 – Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) Chairwoman, Owner, and President Eren Ozmen will be a keynote speaker at the 8^th annual International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) Research and Development Conference in Atlanta. The conference will be held July 29-August 1 and is expected to draw more than 1,000 key players in the field of low Earth orbit(Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles. research and development. The conference goal is to connect commercial companies, educational institutions, government agencies and the ISS U.S. National Laboratory to foster innovation onboard the orbiting laboratory.

Ozmen will address a wide range of topics, including her unique personal journey from a childhood in Turkey to lead SNC, one of the most innovative companies in space. She will also provide updates on SNC’s Dream Chaser space vehicle program and will be joined by former NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut Steve Lindsey, now vice president of space exploration systems at SNC.

“To say we are honored to have Eren Ozmen speak at the conference is a massive understatement,” said ISS U.S. National Laboratory Chief Strategy Officer Richard A. Leach, Ph.D. “She and her company are truly at the forefront of innovation in space, and we are excited to learn more about the capabilities and role of Dream Chaser. It is clearly one of the critical enablers for research and innovation in space.”

Registration for the 2019 ISS Research and Development Conference is now open. To learn more, please visit www.issconference.org.

About Eren Ozmen and SNC

Born in Turkey, Ozmen embodies an inspiring American dream story, as she and her husband, SNC CEO Fatih Ozmen, acquired SNC in 1994 and have built it into what the National Space Council has recognized as one of the top three most innovative companies in space. Ozmen’s strategic leadership has been marked by targeted acquisitions, disciplined financial and technical management, and an unwavering focus on integrity, which together have fueled SNC’s growth from a small firm of 20 employees into one of the top woman-owned federal contractors in the United States. Today, SNC’s workforce of nearly 4,000 operates in 33 locations in 19 U.S. states, England, Germany, and Turkey.

Ozmen has received numerous awards and distinctions, including the following:

• Serves on the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Board of Advisors
• Named to Forbes’ Annual List of America’s Top Self-Made Women
• Inducted as a Living Legends of Aviation and named Aviation Entrepreneur of the Year

In 2018, Living Legends of Aviation introduced the Aviation Entrepreneur of the Year Award named in Ozmen’s honor. It is now called the Eren Ozmen Aviation Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

The company’s 55-year legacy of state-of-the-art civil, military, and commercial solutions includes delivering more than 4,000 space systems, subsystems and components to customers worldwide, and participation in more than 450 missions to space, including Mars. Of particular importance to this conference, SNC has been selected by NASA to resupply the ISS with critical research and supplies through its Dream Chaser spacecraft. With this spacecraft, the space station will have another commercial partner capable of bringing supplies to the unique environment of space. Dream Chaser will also be capable of returning sensitive research back to Earth via a gentle landing on virtually any commercial runway.

SNC has also been chosen to develop prototypes of key human lander elements for NASA’s accelerated Artemis lunar exploration program. During the next six months, SNC will perform studies and develop prototypes to help NASA reduce schedule risk for the descent, transfer and refueling elements of a potential human landing system.

Media Contact:
Patrick O’Neill
(321) 480-1054
PONeill@issnationallab.org

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About the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory: In 2005, Congress designated the U.S. portion of the ISS as the nation’s newest national laboratory to optimize its use for improving quality of life on Earth, promoting collaboration among diverse users, and advancing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. This unique laboratory environment is available for use by non-NASA U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The ISS National Lab manages access to the permanent microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space.

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