The space era begins for students...

The 77th International Astronautical Congress – IAC 2026 is being held in the Turkish city of Antalya from October 5 to 9.

According to "Hedef.edu.az", the congress, organized by the International Astronautical Federation, hosted by the Turkish Space Agency and co-organized by SAHA Istanbul, brings together representatives of space agencies, scientific research institutions, universities, and technology companies.

The event, held under the slogan “The World Needs More Space”, discusses space research, technological innovations, and opportunities for international cooperation.

The five-day event has officially broken the all-time record in terms of the number of applications, demonstrating Türkiye’s important role in global space diplomacy and academic research. More than 8,330 presentations from 108 countries are expected to be delivered at the congress, with the participation of more than 10,000 delegates, as well as heads of space agencies, leaders of the aviation and space industry sector, world-renowned scientists, and astronauts.

Azerbaijan, with 317 presentations, ranks third after Türkiye and China among the countries with the highest number of applications to the congress.

Scientific and technical sessions, plenary discussions, a technology exhibition, and professional meetings are organized as part of the congress. These platforms are important for exchanging experience among representatives of science, industry, and education and for identifying new areas of cooperation.

One of the areas receiving attention at the event is the integration of space technologies into the educational process. Transforming scientific and technological innovations achieved in the space sector into practical and accessible educational content for schoolchildren creates important opportunities for developing new educational approaches.

Within this framework, applications such as organizing astronomical observations, conducting geographical and environmental research based on satellite imagery, and linking robotics and programming with space mission models are being considered.

Such approaches can contribute to strengthening the connection between the subjects of physics, mathematics, computer science, and geography, as well as to developing students’ research, engineering, and creative thinking skills.

The main goal is to study new approaches that enable international experience developed in the space sector to be brought into the educational environment and allow students to connect scientific knowledge with real-world areas of application.

It should be noted that Shamил Sadig, the founding director and associate professor of Hədəf Companies Group, is participating in the congress at the invitation and with the organization of Azercosmos.