The annual world congress of the International Astronautical Federation, five days of technical papers, agency plenaries and an exhibition, held in a different country each year.
The International Astronautical Congress is the annual world congress of the International Astronautical Federation, the global professional body for astronautics founded in 1951. The 77th edition runs from 5 to 9 October 2026 at the NEST Convention Centre in Antalya, hosted by the Turkish Space Agency and co-hosted by the SAHA Istanbul aerospace cluster: the first time the congress has been held in Turkey. The congress typically draws more than 6,000 participants and combines a large peer-reviewed technical programme with agency plenaries, an exhibition and a substantial student and young professional programme.
The IAC is the space sector's institutional and academic assembly. It is where national space agencies present programme updates on a shared stage, where technical papers across propulsion, materials, mission design, life sciences, law and policy are delivered in parallel symposia, and where international cooperation agreements are announced. The heads of the major agencies appear together in a plenary that has become the sector's annual set piece. Commercial exhibition exists but is secondary to the technical and diplomatic function.
The technical programme runs as a set of parallel symposia organised by discipline, with papers selected through abstract submission and review. Around it sit the plenary programme, agency briefings, an exhibition of agencies, companies and national pavilions, and the young professional and student activities. The congress moves country each year, which shifts the regional composition of the audience and gives the host state a platform for its own space programme.
Hosting the IAC is a statement of ambition. Turkey established its space agency in 2018 and has been building national capability since; bringing the world congress to Antalya puts Turkish industry and the SAHA Istanbul cluster in front of the entire sector for a week. Attendees should expect a strong Turkish and regional presence in the exhibition and the national programme alongside the usual international content.
Primarily academic and institutional. Papers are submitted and reviewed, agencies dominate the plenaries, and the exhibition supports rather than drives the congress. Commercial deal-making happens at World Space Business Week instead.
Yes. The IAF selects a host country and organisation for each edition, which is why the audience mix moves with it.
Yes, and the congress runs a dedicated student and young professional programme with reduced rates, competitions and mentoring alongside the main sessions.
The IAF is the global federation of space agencies, companies, societies and research institutions, founded in 1951, and it has organised the congress annually since. It works with a national host organisation for each edition, in 2026 the Turkish Space Agency with SAHA Istanbul.
The space sector's academic and institutional world congress, where agency heads, researchers and students share a plenary hall for one week a year.
Registration is handled on the official congress website with tiered rates for IAF member organisations, non-members, students and young professionals, plus early-bird pricing that closes several months ahead. Presenting authors must register by a stated deadline for their paper to remain in the programme. Exhibition and national pavilion space is quoted by the host organiser.
5 to 9 October 2026 at the NEST Convention Centre in Antalya, Turkey.
The congress attracts more than 6,000 participants in a typical year, across technical, institutional and student categories.
Through an abstract submission and peer review process run by the IAF technical committees for each symposium, with deadlines roughly a year ahead of the congress.
| Congress website | https://www.iac2026.org/ |
| International Astronautical Federation | https://www.iafastro.org/ |