Oklahoma City – October 06, 2026 -- NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy Capt. Victor J. Glover Jr., who piloted the Artemis II mission around the moon, will deliver the keynote address at the ninth annual Oklahoma Aerospace Forum on Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Omni Oklahoma City Hotel.
Glover's Artemis II flight marked humanity's return to lunar vicinity after 50 years
Glover piloted the April 2026 Artemis II mission, during which the crew traveled 252,756 miles from Earth at its farthest point. He previously piloted the Crew-1 Dragon mission to the International Space Station, accruing 178 days in space across two missions. A naval test pilot, Glover has logged more than 4,000 flight hours, over 400 carrier-arrested landings and 24 combat missions.
Former NASA Administrator Bridenstine, now Quantum Space CEO, will introduce Glover
Jim Bridenstine, who led NASA and now serves as CEO of Quantum Space, will introduce Glover at the event, organized by Jones Strategies, a national integrated marketing agency with aerospace expertise and partners in 65 countries.
Forum spotlights Oklahoma firms building deep-space propulsion and electronics capacity
The forum will highlight workforce development and innovation among Oklahoma aerospace companies supplying the space ecosystem in propulsion and emerging technologies. Companies developing deep-space capacity in the state include Quantum Space, the Artemis Group and Frontier Electronic Systems.
State commerce official ties event to Oklahoma's aerospace investment strategy
"Bringing leaders together strengthens Oklahoma's competitive position and supports industry growth," said Leshia Pearson, director of aerospace and defense for the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. The state's Aerospace Commerce Economic Services Program (ACES) coordinates a statewide strategy to grow the aerospace and defense sector, attract investment and support high-wage jobs, partnering with the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics.
Jones Strategies launched the Oklahoma Aerospace Forum in 2018 to bring together aerospace executives, policymakers, military leaders, academic researchers and innovators to build partnerships across the heartland's space and aerospace economy.