GRAND FORKS, ND ( KXNET ) — The University of North Dakota is hosting its first ever Space Operations Summit, as well as the fourth annual Space Ag Conference, in October.

This comes on the heels of the university taking in a NASA space capsule used in a launch abort test, which students from the Space Studies department are refurbishing today.

The summit’s keynote speaker will be Paul Lockhart, a retired U.S. Air Force Col. and NASA astronaut. Lockhart has been on two space shuttle missions, and has received two NASA Space Flight Medals and one NASA Exceptional Service Medal.

The Space Operations summit will focus on traffic management, innovation and space law and policy. They will also be discussing NASA’s Artemis Program, which is planning to return astronauts to the moon this decade.

The Space Ag Conference will focus on farming and food security, as well as the potential for people to settle on the moon.

The Space Operations Summit will be Oct. 23 at 7:30 a.m., and the Space Ag Conference will be Oct. 24. Both will take place at the UND’s Memorial Union.

You can register for the conference on the University of North Dakota website . UND students, faculty and staff can attend for free, as can active duty military.

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