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The 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) opened Oct. 5th in Antalya, a Mediterranean resort city in southern Türkiye. The five-day event runs through Oct. 9 at the NEST Congress and Exhibition Center in Belek, near Antalya. This is the first time the congress has been held in Türkiye since it began in 1950.
Organizers expect more than 10,000 participants from over 100 countries. The International Astronautical Federation (IAF), a nonprofit founded in 1951, organizes the congress every year. The event is often described as the world's largest annual space gathering. This year's theme is "The World Needs More Space."
The program combines scientific and technical sessions with exhibitions, business meetings and high-level discussions. Topics range from lunar exploration, satellites and artificial intelligence to space security, sustainability and international cooperation.
The congress received a record 8,330 research abstracts from 108 countries, with more than 4,000 presentations scheduled across over 180 technical sessions.
Headline sessions include "Geopolitics vs. Innovation" and a discussion on what organizers call "orbital oversaturation."
The Global Space Leaders Summit on Oct. 6 brings together heads and senior officials from space agencies and offices from more than 40 countries.
NASA plans to present results from its Artemis II mission and hold a news conference on the Artemis Accords, a set of U.S.-led principles for peaceful exploration.
Space security is expected to be a topic of discussion. On Sept. 14, U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said the U.S. Space Force already has weapons in orbit designed for "space control," without saying what they are.
Washington is also building Golden Dome, a missile shield backed by President Donald Trump that would include interceptors stationed in orbit. Officials say it could be operational by the summer of 2028.
Critics say orbiting interceptors could double as satellite killers and push rivals to build more anti-satellite weapons. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans nuclear weapons in orbit but says little about conventional arms.
On artificial intelligence, SpaceX asked U.S. regulators in January for permission to launch up to 1 million satellites that would work as data centers in orbit. Google is sending its own AI chips into space for testing this week under a project called Suncatcher.
Supporters say orbit offers steady solar power for energy-hungry AI, while skeptics point to high costs, radiation damage and the risk of adding more hardware to crowded orbits.
NASA's delegation is led by Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson. European Space Agency Director General Josef Aschbacher, India's ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan, China's CNSA Chief Engineer Li Guoping and JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa are also due to attend. More than 25 astronauts are expected, along with ministers and aerospace executives.
Industry figures include Jonathan Cirtain, CEO and president of Axiom Space, and Murat Ikinci, CEO of Turkish defense and aerospace company Roketsan.
Türkiye is hosting the congress under the coordination of the Ministry of Industry and Technology. The Turkish Space Agency is the host; SAHA, a Turkish defense and aerospace industry cluster, is the co-host, and Anadolu is the global communications partner.
On Sunday, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir hosted the Ministers and Members of Parliament Meeting in Antalya, attended by representatives from 38 countries.
The meeting adopted the Antalya Declaration, a Turkish-initiated text calling for peaceful, sustainable and responsible approaches to space. Participants from 32 countries endorsed it.
The congress follows Türkiye's signing of the Artemis Accords at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC, on Aug. 31, making it the 71st signatory to the U.S.-led framework.
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