2026 China Space Conference

The 2026 China Space Conference was held in Chengdu, China, from 23 to 26 April, in conjunction with the 11th Space Day of China. The Space Day of China was established in 2016 to commemorate the launch of China’s first satellite, Dongfanghong-1, on 24 April 1970.

The conference is co-hosted by the Chinese Society of Astronautics and the China Space Foundation, with support from the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and other partner institutions. This year’s edition marked the 70th anniversary of the founding of China’s space industry and was held under the theme “Seventy Years of Space Exploration, Hand in Hand for the Cosmos.”

The programme featured a main forum and more than 20 academic sessions, along with a space science and technology exhibition held in Chengdu from 24 April to 5 May. The event covered a wide range of topics, including academic exchange, industrial development, education and outreach, and space-related exhibitions. It brought together nearly 1,000 participants from China and abroad. During the conference, the 2026 Scientific and Technical Challenges in Astronautics were also officially released.

The IAF was represented at the highest level by IAF Executive Director Christian Feichtinger and IAF Senior Advisor Elena Feichtinger, who were invited to Chengdu to attend the opening ceremony of Space Day of China and the plenary session of the China Space Conference on 24-25 April.

In his address at the plenary, Christian Feichtinger congratulated China on its remarkable achievements over the past 70 years in human spaceflight, deep space exploration, launch vehicle development, and satellite applications. He highlighted the IAF’s 75-year commitment to fostering global space dialogue and cooperation, emphasizing that the current global space environment presents both opportunities and challenges, making international cooperation more important than ever.

He further reaffirmed the IAF’s readiness to deepen practical cooperation with China, jointly address global challenges, promote shared development, and strengthen international collaboration in space exploration.

The participation of the IAF in the 2026 China Space Conference and the space science and technology exhibition further underlines its mission to promote inclusive dialogue and strengthen cooperation across the global space community.