21–25 October 2019 | Washington, D.C., USA

ResearchTurk Space Founder Dr. Tamer Özalp and Co-Founder F. Nil Özalp participated in the 70th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2019) in Washington, D.C., one of the world's leading gatherings of the global space community.

Held during the 50th anniversary year of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, IAC 2019 brought together more than 6,600 participants from 80 countries, including representatives of major space agencies such as NASA, ESA, JAXA, Roscosmos, ISRO and the Canadian Space Agency, as well as researchers, policymakers and leading international space companies.

The congress opened with an address by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, while the opening ceremony also celebrated the historic Apollo 11 mission. Buzz Aldrin attended the ceremony in person, together with Mark Armstrong, son of Neil Armstrong, and Luke Newell, grandson of Michael Collins, as the Apollo 11 crew received the IAF World Space Award.

Among the prominent figures participating in the congress were Jeff Bezos, founder of Blue Origin; Bill Nye, CEO of The Planetary Society; NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; ESA Director General Johann-Dietrich Woerner; and senior representatives of the world's major space agencies. Bill Nye participated in discussions including NASA's Europa Clipper mission and planetary defence, while Jeff Bezos received the IAF Excellence in Industry Award on behalf of Blue Origin.

Throughout the congress, Dr. Tamer Özalp and F. Nil Özalp followed technical and plenary sessions, international space initiatives and emerging developments across the exhibition area. Major industry participants included Lockheed Martin, Blue Origin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Airbus and United Launch Alliance, reflecting the strong presence of both established aerospace leaders and the rapidly expanding commercial space sector.

One of the significant industry developments announced during IAC 2019 was Blue Origin's formation of a National Team with Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Draper to develop a Human Landing System for NASA's Artemis programme. The exhibition area also featured a full-scale mock-up of Blue Origin's Blue Moon lunar lander, providing a close view of technologies being developed for future lunar exploration.

For ResearchTurk Space, IAC 2019 provided a valuable opportunity to engage with the international space community, follow emerging technological and strategic developments, and exchange perspectives on the rapidly evolving global space ecosystem.