The Space Congress has been in existence for almost as long as The Canaveral Council of Technical Societies, (CCTS) beginning with the original technical meeting held in 1962 in Daytona beach, FL.
The Space Congress is the trademarked property of the Canaveral Council of Technical Societies and represents their Flagship product.
The evolution of The Space Congress mirrors the evolution of the CCTS itself.
Space Congress initially provided a national and international forum for professional societies, contractors and government employees to exchange information and experiences operating on the Eastern Range and later the Merritt Island Launch Area which became KSC. Technical papers connected with all areas of the design, engineering and operation of Launch Vehicles, Spacecraft and Range Systems were presented.
The 52nd Space Congress will be held in January 2026 and will be in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.
Space Congress became an annual event on the Space Coast in the mid-60’s. In addition to the papers presented there was a major exhibition of aerospace contractors and associated products and processes. Local schools were encouraged to attend with a county wide Science Fair being held and judged.
The Space Congress has changed over the years. The cooperation between entities originally involved in The Space Congress started to break down in the late 1990’s with both the Air Force and NASA having withdrawn support for budgetary reasons by 2005. Contractor management withdrew their support at the same time. As a result, Space Congress had to change and become an entirely private endeavour of the CCTS.
In 2023 the 49th and subsequent Space Congress’ were held in conjunction with SpaceCom in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.
