More than 500 participants attended the International Astronautical Federation’s (IAF) Spring Meetings in Paris from 24 to 26 March, combining in-person and virtual sessions involving IAF governance bodies, technical committees, astronauts and invited guests.
The meetings opened with the IAF’s IDEA “3G+” Diversity Day, including a breakfast panel discussion on diversity and innovation in space sector work, moderated by IAF Vice President for Diversity Activities and chair of the IAF IDEA Committee, Nikol Koleva. The program also included a luncheon with remarks from IAF President Gabriella Arrigo and a keynote, “The Power of Uncommon Paths,” delivered by Astro Access Director of Development Sheila Xu, alongside an interactive “Reflection Board” activity and a Diversity Survey Certificate Ceremony.
Attention at the meetings also turned to the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2026), scheduled for 5–9 October in Antalya, Türkiye. The IAF said it received 8,325 abstracts from 108 countries for IAC 2026, compared with nearly 7,000 from 103 countries for IAC 2024 in Milan and around 6,400 from 106 countries for IAC 2025 in Sydney.
The IAF International Programme Committee met during the Spring Meetings to review and select abstracts for the October congress, with final outcomes expected to be announced by mid-April 2026. The federation said it received 74 special session proposals and selected 18 aligned with the IAC 2026 theme, “The World Needs More Space.” It also said 36 plenary programme proposals were submitted, with the IAF Bureau approving seven plenaries and three highlight lectures.
The IAF Global Networking Forum sessions included discussion on “dynamic space operations” and “green, affordable in-space propulsion,” as well as Türkiye’s space ambitions. Arif Karabeyoğlu, identified as Co-Chair of IAC 2026, cited advances by Turkish companies and a pathway toward what the IAF described as Türkiye’s first lunar mission in 2027.
Heriberto Saldivar, Head of Strategy at the European Space Agency, presented ESA Strategy 2040, which the IAF said follows the outcome of the ESA Council at ministerial level (CM25) and a budget agreement intended to support ESA’s longer-term roadmap.
Further sessions considered the theme for IAC 2027, “One Space. Shared Future,” with contributions from the European Space Foundation, and included a forum on Africa’s growing space capabilities ahead of the IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change (GLOC 2026), scheduled for 2–4 June 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda.
The IAF framed 2026 as a milestone year marking its 75th anniversary, with Arrigo saying: “As we celebrate this milestone, we reaffirm our commitment to inspiring the next generation, fostering peace, and ensuring space remains accessible to all”.
