Ibadan, 10 October 2023. – The 74th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2023), organized by the IAF and hosted in Baku by Azercosmos, the Space Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, was a resounding success, IAF said.
After 50 years, the IAC returned to the city of Baku, where it hosted the 24th International Astronautical Congress in 1973. During the opening ceremony, Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, warmly welcomed the IAC delegates.
Under the theme “Global Challenges and Opportunities: Give Space a Chance”, the focus during this IAC was sustainability, security, and international collaboration. More than 5400 delegates from 132 countries gathered in Baku for the world’s largest space congress, making it the most diverse IAC ever held in history! Additionally, 50,000 people joined the IAC from all over the globe thanks to the free live streaming of several sessions.
IAF President Clay Mowry also spoke at the opening ceremony and reminded the delegates about the historic importance of the Federation in bringing together the whole space community, especially in challenging geopolitical times. Furthermore, The IAF General Assembly, at its plenary session, selected the Turkish Space Agency (TUA) to host IAC 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye. The IAF also welcomed 55 new Member organizations bringing the overall membership to 513 from 77 countries.
The IAF International Astronauts Chapter brought together 17 International Astronauts covering space flights from 1969 to 2023. The astronauts engaged with over 3600 local people, including school children, students, and inclusive communities. In addition, more than 1200 organizations were represented at the IAC, as well as 150 exhibitors and 30 sponsors. The program comprised over 46 Plenary, GNF and Special Sessions, and more than 2400 technical papers were presented during the week.
