NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Former NASA Administrator Charles Bolden
Receiving his Academician title from IAA President John Schumacher and Secretary General Jean-Michel Contant
Charles Bolden was awarded the Von Karman Award, the Academy's most prestigious honor. The award was presented by former Governor General of Canada and IAA Academician Julie Payette, alongside IAA President John Schumacher and Secretary General Jean-Michel Contant.
IAA made history by convening 35 agency leaders, who unanimously endorsed the IAA Summit Declaration, emphasizing the need for closer international cooperation in key areas to advance global space activities.
The IAA's Cosmic Studies offer in-depth research and insights into most aspects of astronautics
For more than 60 years, the IAA has pioneered space, uniting the world’s leading experts in astronautics to tackle groundbreaking challenges, recognize achievements, and provide direction for the peaceful exploration and use of space. By advancing global collaboration and innovation, IAA promotes international cooperation across all space-related fields and supports equitable access to space for all nations, for the benefit of humanity.
Founded in 1960 by Dr. Theodore von Kármán, the Academy honors the pioneering minds that shaped astronautics. The inaugural 1955 issue of IAA’s world-leading space research journal, Acta Astronautica, featured contributions from some of the foremost space pioneers, including von Kármán, his PhD student and IAA Academician Qian Xuesen, along with fellow IAA Academicians Wernher von Braun and Hermann Oberth. Their groundbreaking work in rocket science and space exploration laid the foundation for international cooperation in space and launched a new era of scientific discovery.
The IAA made history in 2010 by convening 35 heads of space agencies for the first time. These space leaders signed the IAA Summit Declaration, committing to advance cooperation in Human Spaceflight, Planetary Exploration, Disaster Management, and Climate Change, reinforcing the Academy’s mission to unify global space efforts.
Upcoming Conferences & Events
- Space Debris and Sustainability Conference, Hong Kong, 02-04 December 2024
- IAA Academy Day, Beijing, China, 06 December, 2024
- International Symposium on the Peaceful Use of Space Technology – Health (IPSPACE 2024), Hainan, China, 10-13 December, 2024
- IAA Academy Day, Washington, USA, From Ranger to Artemis – The Evolution of Lunar Exploration, Washington DC, USA, 08 December, 2024
- 11th Space Traffic Management Conference (STM), Austin TX, USA, 04-05 March, 2025
- IAA Spring Meetings, Paris, France, 24-27 March, 2025
- 9th European Conference on Space Debris, Bonn, Germany, 01-04 April, 2025
- 15th IAA Symposium on Small Satellites for Earth System Observation, Berlin, Germany, 04-08 May, 2025
- 9th IAA Planetary Defense Conference (PDC), Stellenbosch, South-Africa, 05-09 May, 2025
- 12th IAA Symposium on The Future of Space Exploration – Moon, Mars and Beyond: Becoming an Interplanetary Civilization, Torino, Italy, 09-11 June, 2025
- 11th CSA-IAA Conference on Advanced Space Technology, Shanghai, China, 21-23 September, 2025
- IAA Academy Day, Sidney, Australia, 28 September, 2025
- 75th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Sidney, Australia, 29 September – 3rd October, 2025