Antalya to Host the International Astronautical Congress in 2026
The International Astronautical Congress (IAC), one of the world’s leading forums in the space sector, will be held in Turkey on October 5–9, 2026. Antalya has been selected as the host city.
The congress is organized by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) with the support of the UAA and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). Among the participants are NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Roscosmos, and the Turkish Space Agency.
In 2025, Australia will host the IAC, where Turkey will present its national pavilion. The pavilion will feature the Turkish Space Agency, SAHA Istanbul, Aselsan, Ctech, DeltaV, Poloptech, Roketsan, Technocar, TUSAŞ, TÜBİTAK Space, Türksat, as well as Istanbul Technical University (ITU) and Middle East Technical University (METU). The exhibition will showcase the country’s achievements in science and technology.
The organization of the Antalya congress will be led by the Ministry of Industry and Technology of Turkey. Co-organizers will include the Turkish Space Agency and SAHA Istanbul.
The IAC serves as a key platform each year for presentations and international agreements. In previous years, major announcements have been made at the congress: in 2016, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk presented plans for Mars exploration; in 2019, NASA unveiled its Artemis program; and in 2022, Turkey announced a planned soft landing mission on the Moon in 2028.
Organizers expect that IAC 2026 in Antalya will feature new announcements from global leaders in the space industry.
