Forum Information

The public is invited to view the annual Gateways to Blue Skies Forum via Livestream!

Note: Only team presentations will be broadcast. Questions may be posed via the Livestream broadcast, and will be asked if time allows during each team’s Q&A.

Embassy Suites Palmdale

Forum Registration is open through April 17th for the 2025 Gateways to Blue Skies Forum, which will be held May 20-21, 2025 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Palmdale, CA.

Each attendee must register for the competition, including faculty advisors.

Due to NASA security restrictions and policies, it is unlikely that Foreign Nationals will be able to attend the NASA Armstrong Tour on May 21. 

A registration fee will be charged upon completion of the form. Group payments can be made; select “to be paid by group payment” at the end of the individual registration form. Follow the link provided after the form is submitted to make a group payment. When completing the Group Payment Form, include all names of individuals the group payment will cover to ensure payment is applied appropriately to those individuals.

Direct questions about registration to the Gateways to Blue Skies Program Manager at blueskies@nianet.org.

The Embassy Suites
39375 5th St. W
Palmdale, CA, 93551

It is highly encouraged that Gateways to Blue Skies Forum attendees stay in the Forum Host Hotel, the Embassy Suites by Hilton Palmdale, as all Forum events will take place here except for the tour of NASA Armstrong. Forum guests staying at the Embassy Suites will enjoy free parking and free breakfast at the hotel, simply by using the reservation link below. 

• Hotel rooms can be booked at the Blue Skies group rate of $191/night plus tax (approximately $23.65), using the online Blue Skies hotel reservation link by the deadline of April 20. The group rate expires at noon PST Sunday, April 20, 2025.  
  • Suite capacity: 
    • Queen Suites have a max guest capacity of 6 guests (2 queens and a Queen Sleeper Sofa) 
    • King Suites have a max guest capacity of 4 guests (1 King and a Queen Sleeper sofa)
• Rate Increase for more than 2 guests per room: The hotel reserves the right to charge $10 more onto any rate for any additional guests past 2.  
• IMPORTANT! Once in the reservation link, please click “Edit Stay” at the top of the page to update the actual number of guests staying in each room, so that you will receive the appropriate number of hotel breakfast vouchers for everyone on your team. 

Arrive By: Please plan to arrive by 6:30 PM Pacific Time on May 19, 2025.

Depart On: Please plan to depart on Thursday, May 22, 2025.

Local Airports: Please note that transportation times to and from these airports can be greatly impacted by rush hour traffic. If possible, we recommend landing in California by 2 PM on May 19th to avoid excessive traffic and a longer commute time.

• Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) – Approximately 55 mins from the Embassy Suites.

• Los Angeles International (LAX) – Approximately 1 hr. 19 minutes minutes from the Embassy Suites.

Ground Transportation:

• We highly recommend that teams get a rental car for transportation to/and from the airport/hotel, as well as for the awards ceremony on Wednesday
  • Ridesharing in Palmdale tends to be very expensive
• Charter buses will be provided to transport teams to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center for the tour May 21st