By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Intersputnik has organised
the participation of 16 young employees from 10 member countries in the 77th
International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2026) in Antalya, Türkiye, as part of
its Youth Far Beyond Borders strategic initiative.
The congress began on
October 5 and is organised by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF),
with the support of the Turkish Space Agency and in partnership with the SAHA
Istanbul Aerospace Cluster. Opening remarks were delivered by Türkiye’s President,
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The young participants
represent Azerbaijan, Belarus, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia,
Russia, Somalia and Tajikistan. Intersputnik said their involvement was made
possible through the Youth Far Beyond Borders initiative, which promotes the
participation of young professionals in international space industry
activities.
As part of its contribution
to expanding international cooperation, Intersputnik supported the nomination
and selection of Abdi Fatah Mohamed, a young expert from Somalia, to join the
Africa Subcommittee of the IAF Administrative Committee on Connecting Emerging
Space Ecosystems.
The subcommittee promotes
the development of African space ecosystems, their integration into the
international space community and capacity building. Mohamed’s selection is
intended to help expand Somalia’s participation in international space sector
cooperation and strengthen the country’s professional ties with the global
space community.
Intersputnik said other
youth initiatives benefiting member countries were also implemented during IAC
2026, with further information to be published later.
During the congress, young
professionals from Intersputnik member countries visited exhibition displays
and met representatives of key exhibitors, including the Space Agency of the
Republic of Azerbaijan (Azercosmos), the Space Research and Technology Agency
under Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Digital Technologies (Uzbekcosmos) and satellite
operator Türksat.
Intersputnik Executive
Director Elina Morozova and Rodion Immel, Manager for Regulatory Affairs and
Relations with International Organizations, represented the organisation in the
congress’s business programme.
They participated in
discussions on the responsible use of outer space and space sustainability at
the Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space, the Symposium on Space Debris and
other expert forums.
