From 14 to 18 October 2024, Milan will host the 75th edition of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) organized by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) where a wide range of innovative contents concerning all topics related to Space, including sustainability, will be discussed.
The event, whose theme for the Italian edition is “Responsible Space for Sustainability”, will be hosted by the Italian Association of Aeronautics and Astronautics (A.I.D.A.A.) with support by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and Leonardo and, although there are still several months to go before the conference starts, it is drawing the attention of an increasing number of industry experts and schools. The organizers gave the opportunity also to third- and fourth-year high-school students, in Italy and abroad, to submit a project proposal that reflects the theme of sustainability with detailed contents on how to make the Earth more sustainable.
The 10 best proposals will receive scholarships of €5000 each to participate in IAC 2024 in Milan. Details about project proposal requirements and how to participate are available here.
The number of abstracts submitted, both of technical and scientific content, for the various sessions have exceeded all records achieved in the previous editions. Currently, almost 7,000 proposals were received, with a 30% increase as compared to the previous record of IAC 2022, reflecting the centrality of the Space theme globally. Applications came from 106 countries and 2295 organizations worldwide. Italy is leading in abstract submission with 985 proposals followed by the United States, China, India and Azerbaijan, IAC 2023 host country.
Also the number of topics covered in the abstracts has increased by 50% as compared to IAC 2022. The projects selected will be presented during the congress in Milan, in one of the more than 30 symposia that will host hundreds of meetings.
The high-level sessions, “Plenaries and Highlight Lectures”, featuring speakers presenting and discussing the latest trends in space research and technology, exceeded the 2022 figures with a 10% increase. Also the exhibition part of the IAC 2024 is experiencing strong participation, with over 150 international exhibitors expected.
These results show that IAC 2024 will not only be the largest and most engaging edition ever held, it will also lay the foundations for a new era of space studies.
