ITU Had a Strong Presence at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2025

Istanbul Technical University (ITU) welcomed its visitors by taking part in IAC 2025, one of the most prestigious gatherings in the space community.

This year’s meeting point of IAC, the world’s largest space congress with participation from space agencies, companies, universities, associations, museums, and research institutions, was Sydney, Australia, between September 29 and October 3, 2025.

ITU took its place at booth number 138 in the Türkiye Pavilion at IAC 2025. Representing ITU, which continues its efforts to strengthen global collaboration in space sciences and technologies and to shape the future, were Prof. Dr. Burak Berk Üstündağ (Department of Computer Engineering), Prof. Dr. Melike Nikbay (Department of Astronautical Engineering), and Res. Asst. Barış Beynek (Department of Astronautical Engineering). The Space Systems Design and Test Laboratory (ITU-USTTL), operating under the Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics at ITU, attracted great interest at IAC 2025 with its pioneering work on the design, integration, testing, and orbital operations of satellite systems. Another important center within the faculty, the Aerospace Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Laboratory (AeroMDO Lab), drew attention with its studies on the application of multidisciplinary design optimization, artificial intelligence, and reliability-based design approaches to satellite and rocket engine systems. The Space Support Systems Application and Research Center (UZDES), established within ITU and contributing significantly to the National Space Program with its integrated structure with the Turkish Space Agency, was also introduced to participants.

The Türkiye Pavilion at the prestigious congress was organized under the coordination of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, with the Turkish Space Agency (TUA) as the main host and SAHA Istanbul as the co-host. Many pioneering companies, institutions, and universities from Türkiye in the field of space had the opportunity to share their research with representatives from around the world. Turkish astronauts Alper Gezeravcı and Tuva Cihangir Atasever also attended the congress. At IAC 2025, the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2026), which Türkiye will host in Antalya from October 5 to 9, 2026, and where it will present its space vision to the world, was also introduced.