Global space congress blasts off to Sydney

Sydney will host the International Astronautical Congress in 2025, the second city in Australia to host the event in eight years.

Paul Webster, Trade and Investment Commissioner, UK and Europe, Investment NSW, James Brown Industry Association of Australia, Enrico Palermo, Head, Australian Space Agency, Jessica Saladine, Senior Associate, Investment NSW, David Swagell, Director of Client Engagement, BESydney at IAC22 in Paris.
Paul Webster, Trade and Investment Commissioner, UK and Europe, Investment NSW, James Brown Industry Association of Australia, Enrico Palermo, Head, Australian Space Agency, Jessica Saladine, Senior Associate, Investment NSW, David Swagell, Director of Client Engagement, BESydney at IAC22 in Paris. Photo Credit: BESydney

Thousands of space experts will be touching down in Sydney in 2025.

Around 4,500 delegates are expected to attend the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), which will spotlight the latest developments in science, academia, and industry.

Adelaide was the last Australian city to host the event, in 2017, and the one of the event’s legacies was the formation of the Australian Space Agency in the South Australian city.

The meeting is organised by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), founded in 1951, which has become the world’s leading space advocacy body with around 460 members in 72 countries.

The federations’ members include the world’s leading space agencies, companies, research institutions, universities, societies, associations, institutes, and museums.

Sydney’s bid was a collaboration between the Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA), the Australian Space Agency, the New South Wales Government, and convention bureau BESydney.

Interim CEO of Investment NSW Katie Knight said: “NSW generates up to 75% of Australia’s space-related revenue and 41% of the country’s space businesses are based here. The five-day event will attract 4,500 delegates and generate an estimated A$21 million (US$13.6 million) in direct expenditure delivering a big economic boost to local businesses.”

BESydney CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith added: “Business events are an incredible soft power diplomacy asset, with the ability to create impact for an industry, our country and our region before, during and long after the delegates arrive. Whether it be solving global problems, advancing the frontiers of science, or attracting the talent to build new industries, the gathering together of global ecosystems is a powerful lever for economic and social development.”

Source: AMI