3500+ Advocates, Scientists, Space Agency Heads & Experts in Toronto for IAC 2014.

The International Astronautical Federation (IAF) has posted this statement on it's website indicating that Toronto, Ontario will host the 2014 International Astronautical Congress (IAC).



According to the IAF statement, the Toronto bid, a proposal from the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute (CASI), was up against competing bids from Adelaide, Australia (a proposal from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization), Istanbul, Turkey (from the Istanbul Technical University) and Jerusalem, Israel (from the Israel Space Agency).

However, the April 2nd, 2014 Spaceref.ca article "Toronto to Host International Astronautical Congress in 2014" indicates that the winning bid was originally put together "by the Canadian Space Society (CSS)" who then "collaborated" with CASI in order to "facilitate a successful bid."

Dr. Christian Feichtinger.

IAF Executive Director Dr. Christian Feichtinger, in a presentation he gave last week in Ottawa at the Canadian Space Commerce Association (CSCA) 2012 National Conference, indicated that the IAF is:

...the only global, independent, multidisciplinary and multi-community federation for the space “family”. It counts 226 members in 59 countries and forms a network of more than 1000 space experts worldwide active in 27 technical committees which includes a network of students and young professionals with a reach of over 9000 other organizations.

Normally held in October, the annual IAC is typically attended by up to 3500 delegates and speakers, including space agency heads and senior managers, academics, researchers, industry and commerce executives, students and young professionals.

Canada previously hosted the IAC in Montreal in 1991 and Vancouver in 2004. IAC 2012 is being held in Naples, Italy and IAC 2013 is scheduled for Beijing, China.