ESA at IAC 2026 – Day 1
ESA’s first day at the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Antalya, Türkiye, centered on stronger European capabilities and deeper international cooperation. The congress is being held in Türkiye for the first time, organized by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), hosted by the Turkish Space Agency and co-hosted by the SAHA İstanbul Aerospace Cluster, running from 5 to 9 October under the theme “The World Needs More Space.”
During the opening ceremony, which formally began the congress, speakers included President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, and IAF President Gabriella Arrigo. The day’s first event was a ministerial round table on “Space: a national strategic priority?”, moderated by ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher. The discussion brought together Türkiye’s Minister of Industry and Technology; UAE Minister of Sports Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi; Spain’s Secretary of State at the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities Juan Cruz Cigudosa; Poland’s Secretary of State at the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology Michał Jaros; and Uzbekistan’s Minister of Digital Technologies Sherzod Shermatov.
Later in the morning, Aschbacher joined IAF Vice President for Space Agency Relations Enrico Palermo for the opening plenary session “One-to-One with Heads of Space Agencies.” He spoke immediately after a discussion between IAF President Gabriella Arrigo and NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson. Aschbacher stressed ESA’s contribution to international partnerships, citing cooperation with NASA on the Artemis missions and highlighting work with an increasingly diverse range of partners including Japan, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and India, as well as longstanding partner Canada.
Referring to NASA’s Ignition event, which outlined a new approach to future lunar exploration and was highlighted by Anderson, Aschbacher said it had inspired Europe to be bold and “to make sure we are a strong partner” by strengthening Europe’s capabilities and autonomy while remaining committed to international cooperation. He said ESA now has a clear mandate to prepare decisions for the Intermediate Ministerial Meeting in Rome in December.