The National Space Society invites you to the next Space Forum
Thursday, July 23, 2026, 8:00 pm to 9:15 pm EST
Artemis II and Our Path Forward
With special guest
Kirk Shireman
Vice President for Human Space Exploration
Orion Program Manager
Lockheed Martin
The Artemis II mission marked a turning point in America’s human spaceflight program. For the first time in almost 60 years, astronauts traveled beyond low Earth orbit, completing a successful journey around the Moon and demonstrating the capabilities of the Orion spacecraft that will carry future crews deeper into space.
Join the National Space Society for a special Space Forum with Kirk Shireman, Lockheed Martin’s Vice President for Human Space Exploration and Orion Program Manager. As the leader of the Orion program, Shireman guided the spacecraft through development, testing, and the successful Artemis II mission.
During this forum, Shireman will discuss Orion’s performance during the mission, lessons learned, and how that knowledge is shaping preparations for future Artemis missions. He will offer an insider’s perspective on the engineering challenges of designing and operating a spacecraft built for deep-space exploration, the evolution of Orion since Artemis I, and the role the spacecraft will play as NASA establishes a sustained human presence at the Moon. This forum offers a unique opportunity to hear directly from one of the leaders helping shape our return to deep space.
Reserve your seat today and join us for what promises to be an engaging discussion about Artemis II, Orion, and the path forward to the Moon and beyond.
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Kirk Shireman is the Vice President for Human Space Exploration at Lockheed Martin and the Orion Program Manager, leading the team responsible for designing, building, and delivering NASA’s Orion spacecraft for the Artemis missions. Under his leadership, Orion successfully completed the Artemis II mission in April 2026, a major milestone in NASA’s return to the Moon and preparation for future human missions to Mars.
Before assuming his current role, Shireman served as Lockheed Martin’s Vice President for Lunar Exploration Campaigns, overseeing development of advanced technologies supporting future human exploration, including lunar transportation systems, space habitats, lunar mobility, and nuclear propulsion.
Prior to joining Lockheed Martin in 2020, Shireman spent nearly four decades at NASA, where he held several senior leadership positions. As International Space Station Program Manager, he directed the operation of the 15-nation ISS partnership, overseeing development, integration, mission operations, international coordination, and crew safety for one of the world’s most complex engineering programs. He also served as Deputy Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, helping oversee nearly 14,000 civil service and contractor employees and a broad portfolio of human spaceflight activities. Earlier in his career, he served as Deputy ISS Program Manager and chaired the ISS Mission Management Team.
Shireman’s contributions to human spaceflight have been recognized with numerous honors, including the National Space Club Astronautics Engineer Award, NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal, NASA’s Exceptional Achievement Medal, two Presidential Rank Awards, and the Silver Snoopy Award. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Texas Space Commission.
Register today to reserve your seat and ask your questions. Use the link below.
Register no later than July 23 at 7 pm EST
