Jen Easterly and Nikki Haley Announced as Zero Gravity Summit Keynotes

A Star-Studded Lineup to Highlight Cutting-Edge Innovation and National Security Conversations

Salt Lake City, Utah – October 13, 2025

After a sold-out debut in 2024, 47G Utah Aerospace & Defense is ready to scale up. The organization today announced its keynote speakers for the 2025 Zero Gravity Summit, which runs November 4–5 at the Salt Palace Convention Center. Leading the agenda are Jen Easterly, former head of CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency), and Nikki Haley, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. and governor of South Carolina.

Jen Easterly is expected to address how AI, cyber, and infrastructure resilience are now inseparable — especially in an era of supply chain vulnerabilities, smart grid threats, and escalating state-sponsored cyber warfare.

Nikki Haley brings a different but complementary lens: geopolitics, U.S. credibility, and the interconnected stakes of security, diplomacy, and innovation.

The inaugural 2024 Zero Gravity Summit — covered in TechBuzz — emerged as a bold experiment: could Utah convene national security, space, energy, and defense players under one roof? It did, drawing a cross-section of DoD officials, venture capitalists, frontier technology firms, and state leaders. In doing so, 47G cast a bid for Utah as a national hub of dual-use innovation.

This year’s event doubles down — and provides a larger venue. While 2024 centered on proving the concept, 2025 must deliver depth — exploring geostrategic stressors, energy security, and the accelerating overlap between defense and commercial tech.

What’s on the Agenda

The Summit will be structured around four intersecting domains:

• Defense Tech — next-gen systems, autonomy, command & control
• The Future of Flight — air mobility, electric/vertical aircraft, urban air systems
• The New Space Economy — upstream/downstream space, launch, satellite tech
• Energy & Grid Security — resilient power systems, microgrids, critical infrastructure protection

Utah’s Strategic Edge

TechBuzz’s earlier coverage highlighted Utah as a dynamic growth node for aerospace and defense. That narrative continues:

• The state now commands $6.1 billion in annual Department of Defense contract work
• Local firms are rolling out dual-use tech bridging military and civilian applications
• 47G plays a unique role as operator, connector, and matchmaker between national programs and commercial startups

Utah’s “arms to industry” dynamic is no accident — it’s a strategic design. And the Zero Gravity Summit is 47G’s flagship mechanism to surface how those innovations move from lab to mission to market.

“Each year we aim to raise the bar,” says Aaron Starks, President & CEO of 47G. “With top-tier voices like Easterly and Haley, we intend not just to convene but to challenge: How do we accelerate America’s competitive edge in tech, defense, and resilience?”

For defense contractors, startups, investors, and policy leaders, Zero Gravity is must-attend conference. Attendees can expect:

• Deep briefings on how global stressors are pressing new demands on U.S. tech leadership
• Matchmaking between prime contractors, innovators, and capital
• Demonstrations of real-world dual-use systems — drones, resilient grid, space platforms
• Networking across sectors that rarely mingle under one tent

Building on the sold-out success of its 2024 proof of concept, the 2025 Zero Gravity Summit is about scale and impact. And it occurs during a pivotal time as geopolitical tensions, energy security and technological competition define America’s future. Utah’s rapidly growing aerospace and defense ecosystem provides an ideal backdrop for advancing the technologies that matter most to America’s security and economic resilience.

For more information and to register, visit: zerogravitysummit.com