EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- The United States Space Force (USSF) swung open its "Front Door" during the 2026 Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as the halls of The Broadmoor resort buzzed with the energy of global space professionals. Over the course of the annual three-day gathering, the Front Door team, led by Director Vic Vigliotti, executed a packed schedule of industry engagements and shared a comprehensive map of how to navigate and succeed within the Space Force acquisition enterprise.
“The core mission of Space Force Front Door is connection and collaboration with commercial industry,” noted Vigliotti. “It’s what we do every day, but exhibiting at Space Symposium took our outreach to a new level and offered the incredibly valuable experience of meeting with commercial innovators face to face.”
Front Door is a digital platform supported by a dedicated support team to facilitate collaboration between the USSF, government agencies, and the commercial space industry. Its primary mission is to serve as a streamlined point of entry for commercial companies seeking to share or grow tested and emerging technologies that can advance the nation's space-based capabilities and strengthen national security. The Front Door team also facilitates industry days and reverse industry days throughout the year to generate commercial-government dialogue on specific mission areas.
At Space Symposium, the Front Door exhibit area served as a dynamic nexus for interaction between commercial enterprises and government acquisition organizations. Col. Tim Trimailo, director of SSC’s Commercial Space Office (COMSO), Lt. Col. Collin Greiser, system program manager for SSC Advanced Battle Management and director of SSC’s Tools, Applications, and Processing (TAP) Labs, and Kris Acosta with SSC’s Space Systems Integration Office (SSIO) were among the Space Force representatives on hand to engage with conference attendees, outline program priorities, and answer questions.
“The Front Door is really a two-way portal,” noted Trimailo. “It helps commercial stakeholders learn about government space acquisition and it helps our government stakeholders learn more about what commercial industry has to offer. The overarching goal is to leverage commercial innovation to deliver warfighter capability with speed and cost efficiency.”
Front Door exhibit activities at Space Symposium also highlighted organizations that have already found success through the Front Door. Bosco Lai, co-founder and CEO of Little Place Labs, a company that develops software for processing raw data on edge devices like satellites, enabling image analysis directly on orbit and delivery of results to users on the ground within minutes of collection, described the Front Door as an invaluable resource.
"Through consistent, constructive, and actionable feedback, Front Door’s proactive guidance was instrumental in leading us directly to sponsorship and ultimately a successful award,” said Lai. “The Front Door team ensured our technology got in front of the right stakeholders, and they even directed us towards new mission areas for consideration. The whole experience has been a game-changer for our company's growth and success."
The Front Door also hosted an exclusive speaker series, providing an engaging opportunity for industry representatives to hear directly from a diverse lineup of subject matter experts, program directors, and strategic partners who make up the broader DoW space acquisition ecosystem. These sessions provided invaluable insights into topics from rapid contracting mechanisms and commercial space domain awareness to technology incubators and small business innovation research.
The speaker lineup included: Adrian Torres, director, Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC); Barbara Golf, USSF strategic advisor for Space Domain Awareness (SDA) and director, Joint Commercial Operations (JCO); Shae Thomas, senior program manager of Catalyst Accelerator Programs for Catalyst Campus for Technology & Innovation; Toni Balzano and Randy Trask from Q Station; Kelly Stafford, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) program director; Gabe Mounce, director, Tech Engagement Office at AFRL-New Mexico, and strategic adviser, SpaceWERX; Kris Acosta, SSIO; Charlene Jacka, chief engineer, SpaceWERX; and Kathy Steen and Dan Crouch from NewSpace Nexus.
Other special guests at the booth included USSF Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, SSC commander and members of his senior leadership team, and visits from Secretary of the Air Force, Troy Meink and Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna.
On the final day of the Space Symposium, Front Door hosted STEM students from local Colorado high schools. The inquisitive teens spoke with CMSgt. Charles Apodaca, senior enlisted leader at Space Launch Delta 45, asking questions and receiving a first-hand education about the U.S. Space Force.
Additionally, Space Systems Command Human Resources leaders were also on hand to field employment inquiries and provide insights about close to 200 open positions currently available across the growing Space Systems Command.
As the 41st annual Space Symposium drew to a close and the exhibits were packed away, the real work for the Front Door team was just beginning. Armed with hundreds of new contacts, scheduled follow-up engagements, and a clear mandate from leadership, the team returned to SSC ready to translate those interactions into fielded capabilities.