HUNTSVILLE, Ala (WHNT) — The Space and Missile Defense (SMD) Symposium has officially wrapped up in the Rocket City.

The 26th edition of the annual symposium finished up on Thursday after bringing droves of experts, engineers and officials to the Von Braun Center (VBC).

More than 250 companies both local and from outside the area gathered to talk about the latest advancements in the field and allow the academics, industrialists and military officials involved in missile defense to network and get on the same page.

News 19’s Steve Johnson even took some time to see what new advances the symposium had to offer.

Gray Analytics President Scott Grey said the event is an important part of Huntsville’s long history in missile defense.

“Of course, Huntsville has long played an important role in our national security. Very specifically, missile defense,” Grey said. “And this is the one week a year when thousands of people from around the world converge on Huntsville to exchange ideas, see what the latest technologies and capabilities are relative to missile defense”