IAA Academy Days

International Academy of Astronautics (IAA)

Academy Day program

Florence, Italy
Saturday August 1st, 2026

on the occasion of the 46^th COSPAR Scientific Assembly,

IAA Academy Day, Monumentale “Volta Room”, Fortezza da Basso, Viale Filippo Strozzi 1, Florence, Italy, 09h00-17h30
IAA Awards Gala Dinner, Hotel Baglioni, B-Roof, Piazza dell’Unità Italiana, 6, 50123, Florence, Italy, 19h30-21h30

Update July 08, 2026

Academy Day

International Academy of Astronautics (IAA)

Sunday 04 October, 2026

NEST Convention Centre, Mahallesi, 07506 Serik, Antalya, Turkey

Program

Hall 8

09h00 Opening of the Academy Day, John Schumacher, IAA President

09h15 Turkish Space Program: Challenges & Way Forward, Alper Gezeravci, Astronaut, Turkey

10h00  Japan’s Space Development Program, Dr. Hiroshi Yamakawa, JAXA President

10h45 Gaia – Ten Years of Surveying the Milky Way and Beyond, IAA Laurels for Team Achievements 2026, Anthony Brown, Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, The Netherlands

11h45 Von Karman 2026 lecture, Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu, Romania

12h30 Lunch (upon registration) Hall 3

Session Chair George Zhu, Canada, Hall 8

14h00  Status of the current studies in preparation at IAA, Corinne Jorgenson,

14h30 Space Elevators Initiative, A. Tsuchida and Y. Ishikawa

14h50 SG 5.21: Transdisciplinary Approach to Protect the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference – Corinne Jorgenson

15h10 SG 3.27 Towards the utilization of the Moon, Preparing for Mars Exploration, Giancarlo Genta

15h30 SG 3.38 New Principle of Motion Based on Change in Kinetic Momentum, Yury Razoumny

15h50 SG 2.19 Thromboembolism in Space, N. Goswami

16h10 SG 6.16 STEM/STEAM for Space – Grand Challenges, J. Kurita, M. Dominik

16h30 SG 4.28 Space for Sustainability: Tackling Climate Change from Orbit, C. Cappelletti

16h50 Discussions and 17h00 End of Session

18h30 IAA Reception, Cornelia Diamond Hotel, (for registered participants) Citrine Hall, skele Mevkii Belek, Antalya, Turkey

19h15 Induction Ceremony for Newly Elected Academicians

20h30 IAA Awards Gala Dinner at Cornelia Diamond Hotel, Citrine Hall

von Karman Award 2026 & Laurels for Team Achievements 2026

22h30 End

IAA Academy Day Washington
December 8, 2024, Washington, D.C., USA

Draft agenda is also available here  (with list of speakers)

Please register here.

From Ranger to Artemis: The Evolution of Lunar Exploration

Locations:
Early Hours Tour – National Air and Space Museum. 600 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC
IAA Academy Day Sessions – Penn Biden Center in Washington. 101 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC
________________________________________
Morning: The History
________________________________________
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum 600 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Before-hours private tour of the Destination Moon gallery
________________________________________
Move to The Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy & Global Engagement. 101 Constitution Ave NW
Please be in your seats by 10:25 am to make sure the Opening Keynote can begin on time.
________________________________________
10:30 AM – 11:15 AM
Welcome
John Schumacher, IAA President
Keynote Address
Pam Melroy, Deputy Administrator, NASA
________________________________________
11:15 AM – 11:45 AM
How Robotic Probes Paved the Way for the Apollo Missions
In this session, Matthew Shindell will explore the critical role that robotic probes played in laying the groundwork for the Apollo missions.
Speaker: Matthew Shindell, Curator Earth and Planetary Science, National Air and Space Museum
________________________________________
11:45 AM – 12:30 PM
Fireside Chat 1: The Science of Apollo
This discussion will explore the transformative scientific discoveries made during Apollo missions, the scientific achievements of Apollo and how they continue to inform lunar exploration today.
Chair: Teasel Muir-Harmony, Curator of the Apollo Collection, National Air and Space Museum
Panelist: James Green, Former Director Planetary Science Division, Former Chief Scientist, NASA
________________________________________
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Box lunch (free of charge) and Potential Keynote (Inviting Norm Augustine)
IAA Award ceremony
________________________________________
Afternoon: The Future
________________________________________
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Panel 2: Moonwalkers & Robots: Revolutionizing Lunar Science with Robotic Probes
This panel will examine how the next wave of lunar exploration, combining human and robotic efforts, will revolutionize scientific research on the Moon.
Chair: Clive Neal, Professor, University of Notre Dame
Panelists:
● Jonathan Lunine, Chief Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
● Jaret Matthews, Founder and CEO, Venturi Astrolab
● Nujoud Merancy, Deputy Associate Administrator for Strategy & Architecture, Explora-tion Systems Development Mission Directorate, NASA
________________________________________
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM: Break
________________________________________
3:15 PM – 4:15 PM
Panel 3: Lunar Economy: Opportunities and Challenges
As the vision for a sustainable lunar economy takes shape, this panel will explore both the opportunities and the obstacles that lie ahead.
Chair: Alexander McDonald, Chief Economist, NASA
Panelists:
● Rob Meyerson, CEO, Interlune
● Thomas Colvin, Senior Science and Technology Policy Advisor, NASA
● Brent Sherwood, Former Senior Vice President, Space Systems Development, Blue Origin
________________________________________
4:15 PM – 5:15 PM
Panel 4: Strategic Imperatives and Challenges
As global competition for cislunar space intensifies, this panel will address the strategic imperatives driving U.S. lunar policy.
Chair: AC Charania, Chief Technologist, NASA
Panelists:
● Mike Gold, Chief Growth Officer, Redwire Space; former NASA AA for Int’l and Inter-agency Relations
● Dean Cheng, Senior Fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
● Matthew Daniels, Former Assistant Director of White House OSTP for Space Security and Special Projects
________________________________________
5:15 PM – 5:45 PM: Break with wine and cheese
________________________________________
5:45 PM – 7:00 PM
Fireside Chat: Charging the New Administration’s Plans for Space
In this closing fireside chat, former NASA Administrators Mike Griffin, Charles Bolden, and Jim Bridenstine will reflect on the space policy direction set by the newly elected administration.
Chair: Christian Davenport, Washington Post journalist and author of a new history of Artemis
Panelists:
● Mike Griffin, Former Administrator, NASA
● Charles Bolden, Former Administrator, NASA
● Jim Bridenstine, Former Administrator, NASA
________________________________________
Dinner (separate checks)
7:30 PM – 9 PM
Dubliner Restaurant & Pub
4 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
________________________________________

IAA Academy Day Organizing Committee
John Schumacher, Otfrid Liepack, Teasel Muir-Harmony, Brian Odom, Bhavya Lal.

An Academy Day in Europe is planned in 2027.

Detailed information will be announced later.