ANTALYA, Oct 5 (IN): An Azerbaijani delegation is participating in the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2026), which opened Monday in Antalya, Türkiye, bringing together leading space agencies, astronauts, scientists, engineers, industry executives and policymakers from around the world.Azerbaijan ranked third after Türkiye and China among countries submitting the highest number of reports to the congress, with 317 applications.
The five-day congress, being held at the NEST Congress and Exhibition Center in Belek through October 9, has attracted a record 8,330 research abstracts from 108 countries, with more than 4,000 presentations scheduled across over 180 technical sessions.Held in Türkiye for the first time, the congress is being organized under the theme “The World Needs More Space.”
More than 10,000 participants from over 100 countries are expected to attend the annual gathering organized by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF).The event features scientific and technical sessions, exhibitions, business meetings and high-level discussions focusing on lunar exploration, satellites, artificial intelligence, space security, sustainability and international cooperation.Türkiye is hosting the congress under the coordination of its Ministry of Industry and Technology, with the Turkish Space Agency serving as host and SAHA, the country’s defense and aerospace industry cluster, as co-host.The congress also comes shortly after Türkiye signed the Artemis Accords at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on August 31, becoming the 71st signatory to the framework promoting peaceful, transparent and sustainable exploration of the Moon, Mars and beyond.
