By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
DAEJEON ― Thousands of experts and enthusiasts gathered for the world's largest space exhibition, which began in Daejeon, Monday.
Some 3,000 delegates from more than 70 countries are expected to attend the five-day International Astronautical Congress (IAC), which will hear from the heads of the world's major space agencies and also academics and aerospace industry officials on the future of space flight technology and research.
``Space technology is becoming increasingly essential for the survival of humans and solving pan-global problems, such as providing better methods for observation and prediction of climate change and natural disasters and also the monitoring of green-house gas emissions,'' said President Lee Myung-bak in a speech to open the conference at Daejeon Convention Center.
``As we have experienced during the global economic crisis, international collaboration is important in every area. As countries collaborate to tackle problems such as hunger, poverty and climate change, the same cooperative efforts should be made in the space industry as well, with countries sharing the advancements of their researchers for the benefit of mankind,'' Lee said.
Berndt Feuerbacher, president of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), also spoke at the opening ceremony, pointing to the growth of the space industry and some milestone achievements in space science over the past year.
In March, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the U.S. space agency, launched its Kepler telescope in a mission to search for Earth-like planets. And there has also been progress on the construction of the International Space Station (ISS), which is now capable of permanently housing up to six astronauts to pursue research expeditions.
South Korea also made the news by launching its first space rocket, the Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-1), at the brand new Naro spaceport in August, although the rocket failed to deliver its payload satellite into orbit.
``The space industry has proved its ability to deliver innovation at a time when other industries fell victim to the worldwide economic crisis,'' Feuerbacher said.
The annual congress, now in its 60th year, is the world's largest single conference on space science, and facilitates international collaboration on space development and support research.
NASA officials were in Daejeon, where they are expected to announce plans for joint collaboration with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), the country's space agency, on future space projects, Tuesday. The European Space Agency, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency and Chinese National Space Administration also sent delegations to Daejeon, where their senior officials are to make short presentations on plans for the future.
Under the theme ``Space for Sustainable Peace and Progress,'' the congress will host a total of 10 plenary sessions that will bring together space agency officials, academics, engineers and industry representatives to discuss space activities and plans worldwide.
Each day of the congress will follow a themed format through which the directors of space agencies will share their views on the industry's current developments and future plans. Monday's theme will be international cooperation.
Tuesday's theme is the "space industry," followed by climate change on Wednesday, space exploration on Thursday and ``space peace'' Friday.
The public will be able to attend various lectures on space-related issues by experts, including Korea's first astronaut, Yi So-yeon, as well as a KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency)-managed trade exhibition attended by 152 space agencies and aerospace companies from around the world.
Korea is the fourth Asian nation, following Japan, China and India, to host the IAC, with Daejeon edging Prague and Shanghai to win the rights in 2006. Daejeon City and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology are jointly organizing the event. The 61st congress will be in Prague, Czech Republic, next September.
Lee Joo-jin, president of KARI, commented on the strong government support behind Korea's increasingly ambitious space program, which includes launching three more satellites for Earth observation by 2011.
He also proposed the establishment of an Asia-Pacific regional group within the IAF to enhance collaboration between the nations involved in the heating Asian space race.