Space leaders from around the world will touch down in the nation’s capital this week to explore the technologies, partnerships and policies needed for humanity’s return to the moon and the first crewed missions to Mars.
The 2025 Humans to the Moon & Mars Summit (H2M2), hosted by Explore Mars, Inc., will be held May 28 and 29 at George Washington University’s Jack Morton Auditorium in Washington, D.C. The two-day event brings together government, industry and academic leaders to discuss the future of human space exploration.
As humanity pushes closer to a permanent return to the moon and sets its sights on Mars, this year’s H2M2 promises an insider look into cutting-edge human spaceflight strategy, with panels featuring leading experts from NASA, Blue Origin, United Launch Alliance (ULA) and international space agencies. The summit runs daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET, with virtual participation available via live webcast.
“We live in consequential times,” Chris Carberry, Explore Mars CEO, said in a statement on the H2M2 registration page. “By the end of this decade, humanity will return to the surface of the moon. We need to work together to ensure that we follow up this achievement by landing humans on the surface of Mars in the 2030s.”
This year’s summit lands at a pivotal moment as NASA’s Artemis program aims to return humans to the moon by 2027 and establish a sustainable presence as a stepping stone to Mars. With 55 nations signed onto the Artemis Accords — a set of international agreements established by NASA to promote peaceful, transparent and cooperative exploration of the moon, Mars and beyond — the summit will spotlight global partnerships and the shared vision of deep space exploration.
H2M2 speakers will tackle critical questions surrounding crew safety, the challenges of long-duration spaceflight, sustainable lunar and Martian habitats, in-space manufacturing, and the political and commercial cooperation needed to go the distance. The summit will also address the growing role of commercial spaceflight companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin in advancing lunar and Martian missions.
Space.com’s editor-in-chief Tariq Malik will also lead a panel discussing compelling new evidence supporting the possibility of humans living on Mars alongside NASA and Explore Mars, Inc. representatives.
For more information, including registration details, pricing and a full list of speakers and scheduled panels, visit the event page online.
Notable speakers include:
- Vanessa Wyche, Acting Associate NASA Administrator
- Wyche leads NASA’s Johnson Space Center, overseeing human spaceflight operations and development. At the summit, she will participate in a fireside chat hosted by J.R. Edwards, president of Explore Mars, Inc.
- David Limp, Blue Origin CEO
- Limp will share the company’s vision for space exploration, including advancements in lunar missions and future plans for Mars.
- Dr. Shawna Pandya, Physician-Scientist and Spaceflight Researcher
- Pandya is a physician, aquanaut and scientist-astronaut candidate with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences. She will speak on the physiological and psychological demands of long-duration spaceflight and how training on Earth prepares astronauts for life off-world.
- Dr. Bhavya Lal, Associate Administrator, NASA Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy
- As a leader of NASA’s technology and policy initiatives, Lal will provide insight into how NASA plans to integrate emerging technologies and international collaboration to enable sustainable lunar and Martian exploration during two panels.
- Mike Gold, Chief Growth Officer for Redwire Space
- As a key architect of the Artemis Accords, Gold brings extensive experience in space law, commercial partnerships and international cooperation. At H2M2, he will speak on the legal and policy frameworks essential for peaceful and sustainable exploration beyond Earth.
