The International Astronautical Congress (IAC) opened Monday in Antalya, bringing together space agencies, companies, and researchers from more than 100 countries.
The five-day event at the NEST Convention Centre in Antalya’s Mediterranean resort area of Belek is being hosted by the Turkish Space Agency and co-hosted by the SAHA İstanbul aerospace cluster.
This year’s congress, held under the theme “The World Needs More Space”, focuses on lunar and Martian exploration, satellite technologies, commercial launch services, artificial intelligence, space sustainability, and increasingly congested orbits.
Organisers say the event provides a forum for governments, researchers, and private companies to present new technologies, discuss international regulations, and explore potential partnerships.
The program includes technical sessions, exhibitions and meetings involving astronauts, engineers, entrepreneurs, and senior officials from leading space agencies.
A Global Space Leaders Summit on Tuesday is expected to bring together top representatives from more than 40 countries and organisations.
Participants are also discussing the rapid growth of commercial space activity and concerns surrounding orbital debris, military competition, and unequal access to space technology.
An “Antalya Declaration for Peace in Space” was signed during the opening program.
Organisers said it was intended to promote the peaceful, secure, and sustainable use of outer space, although details of specific or binding commitments were not immediately released.
Speaking later at the opening ceremony, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan highlighted the country's expanding national space program and said production, assembly, and integration of the country’s first lunar spacecraft had been completed.
The spacecraft weighs about 3.5 metric tons and has a domestic production rate exceeding 80 percent, Erdoğan said.
It is now undergoing environmental testing ahead of a targeted launch in early 2027, although Turkish authorities have not announced a finalised launch contract or window.
Erdoğan later met senior SpaceX executives Rebecca Hunter and Michael Nicolls.
Neither side announced an agreement following the talks.
Türkiye unveiled its National Space Program in 2021 and sent its first astronaut, Alper Gezeravci, to the International Space Station in 2024.
It has also placed Türksat 6A, its first domestically produced communications satellite, into service and joined the U.S.-led Artemis Accords.
The congress, being hosted in Türkiye for the first time, will continue through Friday.
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