# International Astronautical Congress

The International Astronautical Congress (IAC) is an annual meeting of the actors in the discipline of space science. It is hosted by one of the national society members of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), with the support of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and the International Institute of Space Law (IISL). It consists of plenary sessions, lectures and meetings. The IAC is attended by the agency heads and senior executives of the world's space agencies.
As the Second World War came to an end, the United States and the Soviet Union held different and competing political worldviews. As the Cold War began to take shape, communication between the two countries became less frequent. Both countries turned their focus to achieving military superiority over the other.
Six years after the Iron Curtain fell, the IAF was formed by scientists from all over Europe in the field of space research in order to collaborate once more. During the years of the Space Race, the IAF was one of the few forums where members of both East and West Europe could meet during the annual IAC.

## Founding Organizations

* Argentina: Sociedad Argentina Interplanetaria (Argentine Interplanetary Society)
* Austria: Österreichische Gesellschaft für Weltraumforschung (Austrian Society for Space Research)
* France: Groupement Astronautique Français (French Astronautic Group)
* Germany: Gesellschaft für Weltraumforschung Stuttgart (Society for Space Research, Stuttgart), Gesellschaft für Weltraumforschung Hamburg (Society for Space Research Hamburg)
* Italy: Associazione Italiana Razzi (Italian Rocket Association)
* Spain: Asociación Española de Astronáutica (Spanish Astronautical Association)
* Sweden: Svenska Interplanetariska Sällskapet (Swedish Interplanetary Society)
* Switzerland: Schweizerische Astronautische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (Swiss Astronautical Association)
* United Kingdom: British Interplanetary Society
* United States: American Rocket Society, Detroit Rocket Society, Pacific Rocket Society, Reaction Research Society

## International Astronautical Federation Governance

The International Astronautical Federation is a non-profit non-governmental organization created in 1951. Under French law, the IAF is defined as a federation of member organizations where a General Assembly is responsible for making decisions.

### IAF General Assembly

The IAF General Assembly is in charge of governing the Federation. Composed of delegates from every member organization, the assembly is responsible for voting to approve all major decisions regarding the Federation's rules and regulations as well as the acceptance of new member organizations. The General Assembly meets during the International Astronautical Congress.

#### IAF Bureau

The IAF Bureau sets the agenda of the IAF General Assembly, including: review of new member candidates; supervision of IAF activities; and supervision of IAF accounts. It is made up of:
* The IAF President
* The Incoming IAF President
* The IAF Honorary Ambassador
* 12 IAF Vice-Presidents
* The IAF Executive Director
* The IAF General Counsel
* The IAF Incoming General Counsel
* The IAF Honorary Secretary
* The President of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA)
* The President of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL)
* Special Advisor to the President

#### IAF Secretariat

This branch is in charge of running the administration of the Federation.

## Locations of past and future International Astronautical Congresses (IAC)

International Astronautical Congresses are held in the late summer or fall months. In 2002 and 2012, the World Space Congress combined the IAC and COSPAR Scientific Assembly. The 2020 IAC was held virtually due to the global COVID pandemic.
| Edition | Date | Venue |
| 1st | September 30 – October 2, 1950 | Paris, France |
| 2nd | September 3–8, 1951 | London, United Kingdom |
| 3rd | September 1–5, 1952 | Stuttgart, West Germany |
| 4th | August 3–8, 1953 | Zurich, Switzerland |
| 5th | August 2–7, 1954 | Innsbruck, Austria |
| 6th | August 2–6, 1955 | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| 7th | September 17–22, 1956 | Rome, Italy |
| 8th | October 6–12, 1957 | Barcelona, Spain |
| 9th | August 25–30, 1958 | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| 10th | August 31 – September 5, 1959 | London, United Kingdom. |
| 11th | August 13–20, 1960 | Stockholm, Sweden |
| 12th | October 1–7, 1961 | Washington, D.C., USA |
| 13th | September 19–23, 1962 | Varna, Bulgaria |
| 14th | September 25 – October 1, 1963 | Paris, France |
| 15th | September 7–12, 1964 | Warsaw, Poland |
| 16th | September 13–18, 1965 | Athens, Greece |
| 17th | October 9–15, 1966 | Madrid, Spain |
| 18th | September 24–30, 1967 | Belgrade, Yugoslavia |
| 19th | October 13–18, 1968 | New York, USA |
| 20th | October 5–10, 1969 | Mar del Plata, Argentina |
| 21st | October 4–9, 1970 | Konstanz, West Germany |
| 22nd | September 20–25, 1971 | Brussels, Belgium |
| 23rd | October 8–15, 1972 | Vienna, Austria |
| 24th | October 7–13, 1973 | Baku, USSR |
| 25th | September 30 – October 5, 1974 | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| 26th | September 21–27, 1975 | Lisbon, Portugal |
| 27th | October 10–16, 1976 | Anaheim, California, USA |
| 28th | September 25 – October 1, 1977 | Prague, Czechoslovakia |
| 29th | October 1–8, 1978 | Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia |
| 30th | September 17–22, 1979 | Munich, West Germany |
| 31st | September 21–28, 1980 | Tokyo, Japan |
| 32nd | September 6–12, 1981 | Rome, Italy |
| 33rd | September 27 – October 2, 1982 | Paris, France |
| 34th | October 10–15, 1983 | Budapest, Hungary |
| 35th | October 8–13, 1984 | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| 36th | October 7–12, 1985 | Stockholm, Sweden |
| 37th | October 4–11, 1986 | Innsbruck, Austria |
| 38th | October 10–17, 1987 | Brighton, United Kingdom |
| 39th | October 8–15, 1988 | Bangalore, India |
| 40th | October 7–13, 1989 | Malaga, Spain |
| 41st | October 6–12, 1990 | Dresden, Germany |
| 42nd | October 5–11, 1991 | Montreal, Canada |
| 43rd | August 28 – September 5, 1992 | Washington, D.C., USA |
| 44th | October 16–22, 1993 | Graz, Austria |
| 45th | October 9–14, 1994 | Jerusalem, Israel |
| 46th | October 2–6, 1995 | Oslo, Norway |
| 47th | October 7–11, 1996 | Beijing, China |
| 48th | October 6–10, 1997 | Torino, Italy |
| 49th | September 28 – October 2, 1998 | Melbourne, Australia |
| 50th | October 4–8, 1999 | Amsterdam, the Netherlands |
| 51st | October 2–6, 2000 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| 52nd | October 1–5, 2001 | Toulouse, France |
| 53rd | October 10–19, 2002 | Houston, USA |
| 54th | September 29 – October 3, 2003 | Bremen, Germany |
| 55th | October 4–8, 2004 | Vancouver, Canada |
| 56th | October 16–21, 2005 | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 57th | October 2–6, 2006 | Valencia, Spain |
| 58th | September 24–28, 2007 | Hyderabad, India |
| 59th | September 29 – October 3, 2008 | Glasgow, United Kingdom |
| 60th | October 12–16, 2009 | Daejeon, South Korea |
| 61st | September 27 – October 1, 2010 | Prague, Czech Republic |
| 62nd | October 3–7, 2011 | Cape Town, South Africa |
| 63rd | October 1–5, 2012 | Naples, Italy |
| 64th | September 23–27, 2013 | Beijing, China |
| 65th | September 29 – October 3, 2014 | Toronto, Canada |
| 66th | October 12–16, 2015 | Jerusalem, Israel |
| 67th | September 26–30, 2016 | Guadalajara, Mexico |
| 68th | September 25–29, 2017 | Adelaide, Australia |
| 69th | October 1–5, 2018 | Bremen, Germany |
| 70th | October 21–25, 2019 | Washington, D.C., USA |
| 71st | October 12–16, 2020 | N/A (Virtually livestreamed due to COVID-19) |
| 72nd | October 25–29, 2021 | Dubai, UAE |
| 73rd | September 18–22, 2022 | Paris, France |
| 74th | October 2–6, 2023 | Baku, Azerbaijan |
| 75th | October 14–18, 2024 | Milan, Italy |
| 76th | September 29 – October 3, 2025 | Sydney, Australia |
| 77th | October 5-9, 2026 | Antalya, Turkey |
| 78th | October, 2027 | Poznań, Poland |