Building the Future on Mars & Lunar Research Facilities

Daniel Inocente

Principal Architect | Founder

DIA

Daniel Inocente, AIA, NCARB is a licensed architect and the Principal and Founder of Daniel Inocente Architecture (DIA). He leads the practice’s work across residential, commercial, and urban development projects, with a focus on complex buildings that require close coordination between design, engineering, and construction. Daniel is licensed in multiple U.S. states and brings experience working across the full lifecycle of a project, from early feasibility and entitlement through construction and delivery.

Daniel’s professional background spans architecture, engineering, and construction at both boutique studios and large international firms. Early in his career, he worked at Frank Gehry Partners on major cultural and mixed-use developments, including the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and the Battersea Power Station redevelopment. He later worked at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in New York, contributing to high-rise, airport, and large-scale mixed-use projects, many of which are built or currently under construction.

In addition to his terrestrial work, Daniel has served as a Space Architect at Blue Origin, where he worked at the intersection of architectural design and aerospace engineering on government and commercial space programs. His work focused on habitation systems, mobility, and the integration of architecture into complex technical systems. He has also collaborated with NASA, the European Space Agency, aerospace companies, and research institutions on space and extreme-environment design. Today, Daniel applies this interdisciplinary experience to his architectural practice.

https://www.spacecomexpo.com/speakers/daniel-inocente

Sessions

• 29-Jan-2026

  12:00 PM – 12:30 PM

  Exhibit Floor, Booth #7961

  Building the Future on Mars: Lessons from Cities and Extreme Environments

What if the first cities beyond Earth don’t begin as cities at all, but as infrastructure?

In this talk, architect Daniel Inocente explores how the design logic behind cities, extreme environment research stations, and contemporary architecture can inform the next era of human settlement on Mars. Drawing parallels between urban growth on Earth and habitats in Antarctica, the presentation reframes Mars bases not as isolated buildings, but as evolving, interconnected ecosystems of energy, life support, mobility, and communications.

• 29-Jan-2026

  2:30 PM – 3:30 PM

  W340A

  The Case for a U.S.-Led Lunar Research Facility

Very soon, the U.S. and its partner nations will land a crew on the Moon for the first time in over 65 years. While this will be a crowning achievement, plans for what comes after the new footprints are unclear.  While NASA talks about a limited lunar habitat that will house a couple of astronauts for short visits, China is laying the groundwork for its International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) along with 12 partner nations, including Russia and South Africa. If leadership in the lunar research and resource development is important to the U.S. and its allies, the U.S. must set bold goals. In this forward-thinking panel, the speakers will present a rationale for a U.S.-led public-private lunar research outpost that encompasses not only geopolitical issues but also a long-term vision of global prosperity through the development of lunar resources and capabilities.