Troy McCann: Our science-non-fiction future in space

Most people think that space is someplace far away, detached from our planet and despite bold promises over several decades, it remains impossible to reach for the everyday person.

To most people, space is seen as an exciting luxury for wealthy nations and billionaires, and an unnecessary expense when weighed against the great challenges we face today. Our planet is perceived as our whole world, despite being an infinitesimal speck on the backdrop of an entire universe.

In truth, space tech already underpins our entire economy. The International Space Station is only 400km away - half the distance between Melbourne and Sydney - and today a space business can be launched for a tenth of the cost of an investment property in Sydney.

Join Troy to gain a new perspective about outer space, and your part in creating a future that sounds like science-fiction today.

Bio

Troy has been passionate about space and the future of humanity since seeing the moon in detail through a telescope as a small child. Growing up in Australia with no space industry, he had resigned to the idea that this career was never going to be an option. This changed while completing a degree in electrical engineering at the University of Melbourne when he learned of ‘cubesats’ which led him to found the Melbourne Space Program, a volunteer body concerned with the development of the Australian space industry.

Troy mixed his passions for technology and entrepreneurship together through multiple businesses including Moonshot: an organisation dedicated to the cultivation of space innovation ecosystems around the world. Moonshot also manages Australia’s only space tech investment fund, with partners of global space leaders as both investors and mentors to the next generation of space tech startups.

Also speaking at this location at 6:00pm is Anne Ascharsobi.

About Strawberry Hills Hotel

A historic Aussie pub in the heart of the downtown Sydney. Strawberry Hills is an unofficial urban locality in Sydney. Its name reflects the area's early use as farmland where fruit crops were cultivated. Strawberry Hotels is one of the number of significant cultural organisations in the area.