Samarkand Nominated to Host the International Astronautical Congress in 2028

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Uzbekistan Space Agency “Uzbekcosmos” has nominated Samarkand as a candidate city to host the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in 2028.

The bid was presented on 28 September at the IAC Hosts Summit, held as part of the ongoing International Astronautical Congress in Sydney.

Deputy Director of the agency, Mukhiddin Ibragimov, unveiled the concept Ready to Take Off: Pitching Your IAC Vision for 2028, outlining the main arguments in favor of Samarkand.

The IAC is regarded as the world’s largest space forum, annually gathering around 10,000 participants, including industry leaders, representatives of major corporations, and research agencies. The congress serves as a platform for sharing expertise, advancing scientific initiatives, and attracting investment to the host country.

In recent years, the forum has been hosted by Milan (2024), Baku (2023), Paris (2022), Dubai (2021), Washington (2019), Bremen (2018), and Adelaide (2017). For many host nations, the congress has become a catalyst for developing their space sectors, from establishing national space agencies to launching interplanetary missions.

Uzbekcosmos expects that hosting the congress in Samarkand would help attract foreign investors to establish research centers, technology parks, and incubators, while also boosting joint research and startup initiatives in space technology.