38th annual Space Symposium starts Monday at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Organizers are experiencing a second straight year of record attendance at the annual Space Symposium, an international event that brings aerospace experts and leaders together to discuss and plan for space operations, policy and programs.

According to organizers, around 14,000 people from more than 40 countries are attending the event, exceeding 11,000 attendees who participated last year, and there are 230 exhibits displaying the latest in space technology and programs.

One of the symposium's highlights happened Monday afternoon when NASA astronaut Victor Glover hosted a media briefing about Artemis Mission, a planned return to the Moon between 2024 and 2028; the mission's goal is to establish a permanent lunar base in preparation for an eventual manned flight to Mars.

"We're really excited about that because that's what people want to hear and what to see," said Mayo Davison, a spokeswoman with the Space Foundation, the symposium's host.

Preliminary events for the Symposium began Saturday, with the regular schedule of presentations and displays beginning Monday and continuing through Thursday.

For this year's agenda, visit: https://www.spacesymposium.org/agenda/.

The symposium requires help from 350 volunteers to keep it running smoothly.

"It's not so much a security function, as helping to make sure the right people are getting to the right places," said the Space Foundation's Jennifer Walters. "Without those volunteers, we'd have to hire another 325 temporary workers. And this allows some of the general public to enjoy the event."

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Symposium was scaled back and rescheduled to mid-fall in 2020, and to late August in 2021, before returning to its normal schedule last year.

Finding enough space for increased participation was a challenge this year, as organizers barely found enough for last year's event despite a recent expansion of The Broadmoor's convention center.

Some symposium events also are hosted by the nearby Cheyenne Mountain Resort.

Several dozen protesters held signs outside the center Monday evening, opposing the military's involvement in the space race.