LA5 Club Meeting - 9/25/26: Beyond The Launchpad

Location: City Club LA  

ROTARY CLUB OF LOS ANGELES (LA5)

Friday, September 25, 2026

Noon – 1:30 PM | City Club, Downtown Los Angeles

BEYOND THE LAUNCHPAD

The Science, Business, and Story of Space

The space industry has exploded into a trillion-dollar global economy — and the next chapter is being written right now. From JPL's missions to Mars and Jupiter to a 70-nation agreement to return to the Moon, the frontier is no longer a distant dream. It's policy, commerce, and culture converging in real time. Join three leaders who are building, exploring, and telling the story of this new era for a conversation about what's really happening above us — and why it matters down here.

MODERATOR

Erick Weiss
Founder & CEO, Transnational Space Alliance Summit (TSAS) and the New Worlds Faire — Home of the Artemis Accords in Action Summit. December 1–3, 2026, George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston. The only global event built around the Artemis Accords framework, convening 500+ leaders from 70 signatory nations alongside NASA, NASA JPL, U.S. Space Force, Starlab Space, and Voyager Technologies.

PANELISTS

Dr. Luther "Luke" Beegle
Deputy Section Manager, Planetary Science Section, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Caltech). Principal Investigator of SHERLOC — the laser-spectroscopy instrument aboard NASA's Mars Perseverance rover searching for signs of ancient microbial life on the Martian surface. AIAA Associate Fellow.

Jordan Evans
Director for Flight Projects, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Former Project Manager of Europa Clipper — NASA's flagship mission to Jupiter's moon Europa, successfully launched October 2024. Oversees JPL's full portfolio of active deep space missions.

Dete Meserve
CEO & Partner, Wind Dancer Films. Bestselling author of Good Sam and founder of the Rotary LA5 Good Sam Award. Executive producer of Ready Jet Go! (PBS Kids, developed in cooperation with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory). Space.com contributor. TSAS Mission Advisor. Producer credits span a portfolio generating over $4 billion in revenue, including Roseanne, Home Improvement, and the Netflix adaptation of Good Sam.

WHAT WE'LL EXPLORE

The Artemis Accords — 70 nations have agreed to go back to the Moon together. What does that mean for commerce, security, and international cooperation?

JPL's Frontier — What Perseverance on Mars and Europa Clipper at Jupiter are revealing about our place in the universe — and the technology breakthroughs driving them.

The Trillion-Dollar Opportunity — Satellite data, in-orbit manufacturing, space tourism, and the commercial ecosystem that didn't exist a decade ago.

Telling the Story — How storytelling — in books, film, media, and education — makes space matter to everyone, not just rocket scientists.

What's Next — The Artemis Accords in Action Summit this December in Houston, and the road ahead for humanity's next giant leap.

Bios and headshots provided separately.

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