The International Astronautical Federation (IAF) has released the plenary programme line-up for the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2026, scheduled for 5–9 October in Antalya, Türkiye.
According to the IAF Secretariat, the congress will feature five plenary sessions and three highlight lectures, selected through what it described as a “highly competitive” process following its call for plenaries and highlight lectures.
The plenary schedule begins on Monday 5 October with a “HoA Plenary” session titled “One-to-One with Heads of Space Agencies” from 10:00 to 11:30.
On Tuesday 6 October, the programme lists a “Host Plenary” titled “Bridging Eras: From Silk Road Astronomy to Lunar Exploration” from 09:00 to 10:00, followed by an “Industry Plenary” titled “Geopolitics vs. Innovation: Balancing Corporate Flexibility and Sovereign Capability in a Volatile World” from 13:45 to 14:45.
Wednesday 7 October includes an “Emerging Space Country Plenary” titled “Intercontinental View of Space Governance from Regional Space Organizations” from 09:00 to 10:00, and a “Next Gen Plenary” titled “Next Generation Space Infrastructure: Building the Orbital Backbone for a Space-Faring Economy” from 13:45 to 14:45.
On Thursday 8 October, the programme lists an “Exploration Plenary” titled “Cis-Lunar Architecture in Practice: Lessons and Leadership from Japan” from 09:00 to 10:00, followed by an “Environment Plenary” titled “Orbital Oversaturation: The Post-LEO Reality” from 13:45 to 14:45.
The three highlight lectures are scheduled for the evenings of Tuesday 6 October through Thursday 8 October. Tuesday’s lecture is titled “Sustainability and Safety of Large Satellite Constellations from the Starlink Perspective Looking Forward” (17:45–18:45). Wednesday features a “World Space Award Highlight Lecture” (17:45–18:45). Thursday’s lecture is titled “Pioneering Organ-Chip Research in Space to Advance Precision Health” (17:45–18:45).
The IAF’s programme announcement also notes that early-bird registration for IAC 2026 closes on 30 June 2026.
