Dr. Sian Proctor, SpaceX Astronaut and Pilot, to Speak at NBAA-BACE Day 2 Keynote

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has announced that Dr. Sian Proctor, the mission pilot for the Inspiration4 all-civilian spaceflight launched on Sept. 16, 2021, will be a Day 2 Keynote speaker at the 2021 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE).

NBAA-BACE takes place Oct. 12-14 in Las Vegas, NV, where Proctor will join an inspiring roster of visionaries, heroes and leaders.

Proctor piloted the spacecraft – a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, atop a Falcon 90 launch rocket – from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center and returned safely to Earth three days later. The Inspiration4 mission was the first orbital spaceflight made by an all-civilian crew.

Proctor was the top entrant selected for the Inspiration4 mission from hundreds of entries. She is a major in the Civil Air Patrol, and an aerospace education officer for its Arizona Wing. To prepare for the historic mission, she trained in a Cessna Citation CJ3, among other aircraft. She has completed four NASA-sponsored missions simulating what it would be like for humans to live on another planet.

In addition to being a commercial astronaut and science ambassador, Proctor is a geology professor at Maricopa Community College in Arizona. She has taught geology, sustainability and planetary science for more than 20 years. She is also a poet and an artist, creating work to inspire women of color to pursue careers in aviation, science and space exploration.

NBAA-BACE will take place in the new West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) and at nearby Henderson Executive Airport (HND). Learn more about NBAA-BACE.