More than 2,000 scientific contributions were pre-recorded and then choreographed into a semiautomated stream with live overlay. Photo Credit: COSPAR 2021
Korea has been selected as host country for the 45th COSPAR
(Committee on Space Research) Scientific Assembly 2024, the largest
academic event in the field of space research.
Every second year, COSPAR's assemblies gather 3,500 space researchers
from more than 60 countries. And in the years between, smaller-scale
symposia are held to discuss specific topics of interest.
The Korean committee of COSPAR had been looking to secure the
Scientific Assembly ever since the destination hosted the 3rd COSPAR
Symposium in 2017, which welcomed about 350 people from 38 countries.
Held since 1958, the COSPAR Scientific Assembly features more than
4,000 academic presentations in various space research fields, including
space science and exploration.
The 45th edition will take place in Busan from 13 to 21 July.
Lee Chang-Yoon, head officer of Space, Nuclear and Big Science Policy
at Korea's Bureau of Ministry of Science and ICT, said the bureau will
also support the event "as an opportunity to promote the industrial
cooperation between the global and the Korean space industries in new
space era".
This announcement follows the recently-concluded 2021 assembly, which
took place as a hybrid event in Sydney, Australia. Organised by PCO,
ICMS Australasia, the eight-dat event offered a mix of live streams,
workshops, and an awards ceremony. More than 2,000 scientific
contributions were pre-recorded and then choreographed into a
semi-automated stream with live overlay.
Reflecting on this year's new hybrid event model, COSPAR 2021 chair
Russell Boyce, said: "We’ve set out to offer an example of the future
for the global space research community."
He added: "As we look around the world at other large scientific
gatherings, we struggle to find another conference that has managed to
combine a seamless delivery of thousands of presentations, with the
opportunities for not just live Q&A, but for live corridor
conversations and the relationship building that comes with that."
COSPAR will hold its next and 44th Scientific Assembly in Athens,
Greece. The next symposium will happen this year in Singapore, from 15
to 19 November. Nanyang Technological University will host the meet,
with a focus on small satellite technologies.