ARTEMIS PILOT VICTOR GLOVER VISITS HEARTLAND HUB SUPPLYING THE SPACE ECOSYSTEM

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy Capt. Victor J. Glover Jr., who piloted the historic Artemis II mission around the moon, will deliver the keynote address at the ninth annual Oklahoma Aerospace Forum on Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Omni Oklahoma City Hotel. Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, now CEO of Quantum Space, will introduce Glover.

The annual forum, organized by Jones Strategies, will highlight the workforce and innovation by Oklahoma aerospace companies in architecting and supplying growth of the space ecosystem in the areas of propulsion and emerging technologies.

Glover piloted NASA's Artemis II mission around the moon in April 2026, marking humanity's return to the lunar vicinity after 50 years. The crew traveled 252,756 miles from Earth at its farthest point. He previously piloted Crew-1 Dragon to the International Space Station, accumulating 178 days in space across two missions. A naval test pilot, Glover has logged over 4,000 flight hours, completed more than 400 carrier-arrested landings and flown 24 combat missions.

"Victor Glover has helped write the next chapter of human space exploration. His visit to Oklahoma recognizes Oklahoma as the heartland hub for present and future space and aerospace innovation," said Brenda Jones Barwick, President & CEO of Jones Strategies, a national integrated marketing agency with aerospace expertise and global partners in 65 countries.

Some of the Oklahoma companies developing deep-space capacity include Quantum Space, the Artemis Group and Frontier Electronic Systems.

"Oklahoma ACES is proud to support the Oklahoma Aerospace Forum and its industry collaboration," said Leshia Pearson, director of aerospace and defense for the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. "Bringing leaders together strengthens Oklahoma's competitive position and supports industry growth." The Aerospace Commerce Economic Services Program (ACES) develops and implements a coordinated statewide strategy to grow Oklahoma's aerospace and defense industry, attract investment, support high-wage jobs and strengthen collaboration among industry, government and education. ACES partners with the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics.

Jones Strategies launched the Oklahoma Aerospace Forum in 2018 to establish a dedicated event where aerospace executives, policymakers, military leaders, academic researchers, and innovators could build partnerships, develop and grow the emerging space and aerospace economy, and strengthen the aerospace industry across the heartland.

SOURCE Jones Strategies