ROOM Space Journal is pleased to announce that its publisher, Asgardia Terra Ark, has been officially accepted as a Member of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). The announcement coincides with the opening the 71st International Astronautical Congress (IAC) on Monday (12 October).
The Paris-based IAF, founded in 1951, is the world’s leading space advocacy organisation with 397 members in 69 countries, including all leading space agencies, companies, research institutions, universities, societies, associations, institutes and museums worldwide.
Asgardia Terra Ark, a prototype of the future space nation state of Asgardia, is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation established in Vienna, Austria. Founded four years ago, Asgardia is the vision of international businessman Dr Igor Ashurbeyli.
Lenna De Winne, head of administration for Asgardia Terra Ark, said: “We are delighted to have joined this reputable international association and look forward to starting a variety of fruitful and enduring collaborations with IAF members. This historic membership is another crucial step for Asgardia on its way to one of its main scientific goals - the birth of the first human child in space.
“Asgardia's vision of achieving birth of a first human child in space will come to fruition as we cooperate with the many prominent scientists and engineers gathered under the umbrella of IAF.”
The IAF hosts the annual International Astronautical Congress (IAC), which is the world’s biggest and most prestigious space conference, attracting more than 6,000 participants each year. The theme of the CyberSpace Edition will focus on the IAF Motto ‘IAF Connecting @ll Space People’.
The Congress includes networking events, talks and an extensive technical programme covering advances in science and exploration, applications and operations, technology, infrastructure, space and society. This year, because of the Coronavirus pandemic, the IAC will be entirely online (12-14 October).
‘The IAC 2020: The CyberSpace Event’ will include plenary sessions, Global Networking Forum sessions, an outstanding Technical Presentation Gallery with more than 1300 video lectures, and an interactive Virtual Exhibition.
On 13 October (at 1400 CET), Lena De Winne will be moderating a high-profile session on the ‘ISS commercialisation and future industry innovation in low Earth orbit’, which will take the form of a conversation between industry leaders on how the International Space Station enables commercialisation, access to space, and the future of low orbit.
Announcing her role in the session, the IAF website says: “Lena De Winne played a pivotal role in setting up and running Asgardia, the first in human history space nation which was founded by Dr Igor Ashurbeyli. She remains at the core of its operation in the position of Head of Administration.”
ROOM Space Journal is also proud to support the 71st IAC as an official media partner and to celebrate the occasion has created a special issue of ROOM as a digital download for delegates. It is available free to all registrants in the virtual event bag. For more details click here - The CyberSpace Event
