From 25 to 27 March 2025, the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) hosted its annual Spring Meetings at the New CAP Conference Centre in Paris, France. As every year, this key event gathered the IAF community for three days of discussions, coordination, and planning across the Federation’s various bodies and activities.
Among the highlights of the Spring Meetings was the IAF Bureau Meeting, which took place on 26 and 27 March. During these sessions, Bureau members and invited guests addressed a range of topics, including updates on the 76th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2025), scheduled to take place in Sydney, Australia.
As part of the discussions on IAC 2025, the Local Organising Committee (LOC), represented by Lisa Vitaris, IAC 2025 Director, delivered a comprehensive status report on preparations. Her presentation covered a wide range of organizational and strategic aspects, including the event’s vision, planning milestones, and key performance indicators. She highlighted the IAC 2025’s strong focus on regional engagement, particularly with the Indo-Pacific area, its efforts to integrate space-enabled industries into the broader programme and to promote a wide range of side events, such as the Festival of Space.
Moreover, Annie Handmer, Chair of the IPC Steering Group, presented the proposed selection of Plenaries and Highlight Lectures. The plenaries will cover diverse topics, including Indigenous knowledge in space, circular economy in space industry, lunar exploration, regional approaches to space sustainability, and the future of human spaceflight. Highlight lectures will feature projects like Waratah Seed: Australia’s First Industry Ride-Share Satellite, Astronomy from the Moon and the need for sustainable special sites, and ADRAS-J focused on space debris.
The meetings also saw the participation of Sergio Marchisio, who serves as a member of the IAF Bureau, contributing to the Federation’s work in the space community.
For more information on the IAF Spring Meetings, click here!
