The 2025 AMOS Conference, presented by Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) September 16-19 was reported by many to be the best ever with collaboration emerging as a central theme. The top scientific conference in the nation devoted to Space Domain Awareness hosted 1097 in-person attendees and 216 participating virtually, representing a total of 29 countries.
In her welcome remarks, Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO, said, “Since MEDB assumed stewardship in 2006, AMOS has evolved into a premier global forum for technical experts, policymakers, industry innovators, academics, and international partners — all committed to advancing space sustainability. AMOS is where technical depth meets strategic policy dialogue, forging meaningful collaboration across sectors.”
Held on Maui at the Wailea Beach Resort, the opening segment of the conference included a traditional Hawaiian invocation to bring place and purpose to the week and remind the audience of their Kuleana (responsibility) as stewards of the islands and of the shared space domain.
The annual AMOS Conference program featured daily keynote speakers, policy forums, featured presentations, technical oral and poster sessions, exhibits, technical short courses and networking receptions. Both in-person and livestream attendees had access to a virtual platform to facilitate networking and collaboration before, during and after the conference.
General B. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations for the U.S. Space Force, delivered the opening keynote on Day 1 of the conference. Saltzman praised initiatives like the SDA Tools Application and Processing (TAP) Lab and the Apollo Accelerator for fostering innovation and rapid capability development.
Technical Conference
The Call for Papers early in the year attracted over 300 abstracts from 27 countries resulting in 164 papers being presented at AMOS 2025 as oral or poster presentations. The technical committee with conference co-chairs Paul Kervin and Daron Nishimoto; and twenty session chairs help to shape and guide the integrity of the year’s program. The American Astronautical Society’s Space Surveillance Committee (AAS-SSC) also provide guidance throughout the year. Technical sessions this year covered the topics of Astrodynamics; Atmospherics/Space Weather; Cislunar SSA; Conjunction/RPO; Machine Learning for SSA Applications; Satellite Characterization; SDA Systems & Instrumentation; Space-Based Assets; Space Debris; and Space Domain Awareness.
Attendees had access to all 100 technical posters through the virtual platform presented in digital format with accompanying briefings. This year AMOS introduced in-person dynamic touchscreen monitors for the presentation of posters in the exhibit venue. Attendees were able scroll through posters at their leisure. In addition, 57 authors were scheduled to present their poster in 10-minute slots during the evening Poster Sessions.
“We were excited to introduce the digital monitors to AMOS after considering it for many years,” said Sandy Ryan, AMOS Conference Director. “Even though some still prefer the traditional print method, overall the reaction was positive. Thank you to all our presenters and attendees for embracing this change with enthusiasm and curiosity.” In-person poster presenters also had an opportunity to give a 30-second pitch on the main stage to attract attendees to view their posters and their presentation. The changes are part of a continuing effort to evolve and elevate the conference experience by providing a platform for more authors to share their technical advances with the SDA community.
Select papers are invited for a peer-review process for publication in the 2025 Journal of Astronautical Sciences, and on the last day of the conference the AAS-SSC recognized outstanding efforts by presenting awards.
Networking
In-person attendees of the annual AMOS Conference come to network and they have numerous opportunities with breakfast, lunch, refreshment breaks and nightly receptions included in their ticket.
On Wednesday evening the Women and Allies in Space Domain Awareness reception was held for the fourth year. Dr. Lovica Ware, Acting Director AFRL/AFOSR. was the guest speaker at the reception aimed to celebrate the power of community among SDA professionals.
The exhibit venue was a draw for attendees throughout the conference with exhibiting sponsors demonstrating their products and services. Local company KBR were top sponsor and exhibitor of the conference for the first time. Other exhibiting sponsors were: a.i. solutions, Advanced Scientific Concepts, Astro Haven Enterprises, ATIK Cameras, BAE Systems, Celestron, COMSPOC, EO Solutions, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems, GMV, Hart Scientific Consulting International, JCO, JHU Applied Physics Laboratory, Kayhan Space, Kratos, LeoLabs, Lipoa – Maui Innovation Community, LSAS Tec, Maxar, MDA Space, Mitre, Nokomis, Officina Stellare, Planewave Instruments, Rocket Lab, Sea West Observatories, SEAKR, Slingshot Aerospace, SpaceFlux, SpaceMap, SpaceNav, Teledyne, and TOPTICA Photonics.
Sponsoring, but not exhibiting, were Advanced Space, Amazon Kuiper, Anduril, Astroscale, AV, Boeing, CACI, ExoAnalytic Solutions, HTDC, L3 Harris, Lockheed Martin, NEC Aerospace Systems, Northrop Grumman, Parsons, Raytheon, SAIC, Secure World Foundation, Space Foundation, Telesat, The Aerospace Corporation, Trusted Space, University of Colorado Boulder, USRA, and Voyager.
The AMOS Conference also includes an EMER-GEN Program for young professionals (read more) and a Space Exploration Day for Maui County middle school students (read more).
The AMOS Conference is presented by the Maui Economic Development Board, Inc. (MEDB), a nonprofit corporation established in 1982 to focus on diversifying Maui’s economy. MEDB’s mission involves taking innovative actions that strengthen existing industry as well as diversifying through new opportunities.
