The 3.6-meter, 75-ton Advanced Electro-Optical System telescope on Haleakala is the largest optical telescope in the Department of Defense and helps to track space objects — an important task in the growing global space industry and a major focus of an annual international conference on Maui. Photo courtesy AFRL

What began as a high-tech conference on Maui with 300 attendees more than 25 years ago has grown into a gathering of more than 1,300 people from 25 countries.

The Advanced Maui Optical Space Surveillance and Technology Conference gathers people on the cutting edge of technological development in space. Kihei-based conference organizer Maui Economic Development Board is planning to hold the 2025 event from Sept. 16-19 at the Wailea Beach Resort Marriott.

“The conference brings together a diverse group to bridge technical gaps and fosters international cooperation in advance space sustainability embodying a collaborative spirit,” said Leslie Wilkins, the chief executive officer of the Maui Economic Development Board.

Wilkins credits the foresight of its founder, the late Colin Cameron, who helped establish the Maui Economic Development Board and was a major supporter of the Maui Research & Technology Park, home of a supercomputer used by the U.S. Space Force and Air Force Research Laboratory.

Cameron, head of Maui Land & Pineapple Company and developer of the Kapalua Resort, wanted to diversify the Valley Isle’s economy to offer residents a broader range of jobs.

The high-tech park is also the home of the Maui Research Technology Center and Hawaii Small Business Development Center-Maui.

Connected to the advanced telescope at the top of Haleakala, the supercomputer performs a number of tasks including tracking space debris and satellites to help to avoid collisions.

“The focus of the conference is space that is becoming increasingly congested and contested,” Wilkins said.

Observers say the tracking of thousands of space debris and satellites 25 years ago has grown astronomically into tracking hundreds of thousands of objects in space including asteroids.

Another trend is the growing commercialization of space and technologies. About 56% of the attendees in 2024 were from industry, 11% from the military and 9% from academia, according to the MEDB.

A testament to the growing interest is the announcement this month of a $176 million contract to support space research at the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site known as AMOS.

The Texas-based firm KBR Inc. is helping to solidify Hawai’i’s regional role in the space and defense field.

Brian Young, KBR’s vice president of Military Space Operations Division, is responsible for key science and technology initiatives aimed at producing innovative machine learning and artificial intelligence for rapid detection and response in space.

A beneficiary of the high-tech park and conference has been Maui entrepreneur Daron Nishimoto, a University of Hawai’i graduate in physics, who initially worked for former contractor Boeing in the space surveillance field at the Maui high-tech park.

Nishimoto rose to become a senior manager, then started his own business Pacific Defense Solutions developing software.

He sold his software company to KBR and has begun a new startup business, EO Solutions, which works as a subcontractor with KBR focusing on the use of software and artificial intelligence.

“The MEDB helped me with starting up my first company and introduced me to conference members,” he said.

Nishimoto also serves as co-chair of the technical aspects of the conference on Maui.

He said the MEDB also makes sure the conference is culturally sensitive and follows protocols established decades ago to foster not only respect but also participation by native Hawaiian cultural experts.

The conference this year has attracted more than 300 research submissions covering topics, including space weather, space debris and space system instruments.

Wilkins said the conference fosters cross-sharing of knowledge within the global space community and connects technical experts with decision-makers.

Conference organizers said that so far in the last 25 years, it has welcomed over 17,000 international participants from 42 countries.

“It’s the best venue for presenting the research and development and technology that I have developed with my team over the years for space surveillance and space domain awareness,” said Tamara Payne, technical subcommittee chair of the American Astronautical Society Space Surveillance Committee.

Wilkins said the space community needs a global cooperative arrangement so that it can take care of space and monitor the environment and be good stewards of our earth and space.