What to expect at International Astronautical Congress in Dubai

World’s largest space conference will take place from October 25-29

Dubai is set to host the International Astronautical Congress, the world's largest space conference, from October 25 to October 29 at Dubai's World Trade Centre. Officials from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre and the International Astronautical Federation, organisers of the congress, held a briefing on May 18 to give a sneak peak into the event. Antonie Robertson / The National

Yousuf Al Shaibani, director general of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre said Dubai is ready to host the event. Antonie Robertson / The National

International Astronautical Congress president professor Pascale Ehrenfreund said it was 'exciting' that an Arab nation is hosting the event for the first time. Antonie Robertson / The National

Salem Al Marri, deputy director general of Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, said Covid-19 safety measures will be in place to welcome more than 3,000 visitors to the event. Antonie Robertson / The National

It was also said during the media briefing that the International Astronautical Congress contacted leading space figures such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos to attend the congress. Mr Musk has attended two of the previous events. Antonie Robertson / The National

The UAE's new astronauts, Mohammed Al Mulla and Nora Al Matrooshi, will also be attending. Courtesy: Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre

Maj Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Emirati man in space, and Sultan Al Neyadi will also attend. School pupils and university students are encouraged to attend during the open day to meet the astronauts and see the exhibition. Reem Mohammed / The National

Astronauts, scientists, engineers and policymakers are set to gather in Dubai next month for the world’s largest space conference.

The International Astronautical Congress 2021 will take place at the World Trade Centre from October 25-29.

Insight into some of the latest space exploration missions will be discussed at the annual event, which is being organised by the International Astronautical Federation.

The National highlights some of the main topics that will be addressed.

Emirates Mars Mission

The first set of science data from the UAE’s Hope probe is expected to be released in the first week of October.

Scientists with the mission will hold a workshop at IAC, where they will discuss the findings.

Researchers who want to use the data are being encouraged to attend.

The first image of Mars as taken by the UAE's Hope probe, which arrived at the planet on February 9.

This image taken by the Hope probe's ultraviolet spectrometer (one of its three scientific instruments) shows sunlight reflecting off the extended cloud of atomic hydrogen gas that surrounds the planet Mars. The sunlight is visible only as a dark disk hidden inside the fog of gas. The Emirates Mars Mission team said that no other mission have made such kind of recordings before.

The UAE's Hope probe captured a high-resolution photo of Mars.

The Hope probe has shared new images from its journey in the orbit of Mars.

This image was taken by the infrared spectrometer, another instrument on the Hope probe, from an altitude of about 15,000 kilometres. The image shows the surface temperature (left), centred on the Tharsis region of Mars. Dawn can be seen towards the right side. The low surface temperatures observed are due to the dusty nature of the Martian surface. An elevated nighttime atmospheric temperature at 25 km altitude (right) is also observed over the Tharsis region.

These images were captured by the eXploration imager, a high-resolution camera on the Hope probe. The red channel clearly shows the dark and light features of the Martian surface, while the water ice clouds stand out in the ultraviolet channel.

Hope probe sent back an image of the Cerberus Fossae, an area on the planet known for 'Marsquakes'.

Surface and atmospheric temperature readings collected by the UAE's Hope probe.

Discrete aurora on Mars captured by UAE's Hope probe

Discrete aurora on Mars captured by UAE's Hope probe

The spacecraft arrived in Mars’ orbit on February 9 and is collecting information from the planet’s upper and lower atmosphere.

Mission control in Dubai has already received hundreds of images from the orbiter, including scientific readings on the planet’s atmosphere.

Results from UAE’s first human spaceflight

Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Emirati astronaut to fly into space, and his colleagues from his 2019 mission will assemble at the IAC.

US astronauts Jessica Meir, Andrew Morgan and Christina Koch will speak alongside Maj Al Mansouri during an event to highlight the achievements of Expedition 61.

The expedition to the International Space Station began on October 3, 2019 with the undocking of the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft.

Maj Al Mansouri carried out 16 experiments and studied bone status indexes, body composition and endocrine regulation during a short flight, and some of the scientific discoveries will be revealed.

The astronauts will speak about the effects that launching the first Arab astronaut to the ISS has had on the region.

First Mars sample return mission

Nasa scientists are expected to speak about the process of returning samples of Mars rocks collected by the Perseverance rover.

The mission landed on the planet on February 18 and has been exploring the surface, searching for signs of ancient microbial life and testing new technologies such as producing oxygen from the atmosphere.

Nasa is working with the European Space Agency to bring back the rock samples.

Larry James, deputy director of the Nasa Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will moderate a panel on the topic during IAC.

Speakers will include Jennifer Trosper, the Mars 2020 project manager, and Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the science mission directorate at Nasa.

Bringing back samples from asteroid Bennu

One of the highlight lectures at IAC will be on Nasa’s first asteroid sample return mission, called Osiris-Rex.

The spacecraft collected material from the asteroid on October 20 and is on its way back to Earth, with arrival expected in 2023.

The goal was to collect 60 grams of samples, but some of it leaked after the lid opened unexpectedly.

Once retrieved, the samples could help provide clues to the formation of the universe.

Heads of space agencies

The leaders of space agencies will speak during a panel session.

It has not yet been disclosed who will participate, but typically this would involve leaders of the major space agencies, such as Nasa, Russia’s Roscosmos, Japan’s Jaxa, Canadian Space Agency, European Space Agency, Indian Space Research Organisation and China’s space agency. The UAE is likely to feature on this year's panel.

The speakers share the progress being made on some of their latest missions and may also announce new plans.

This time, leaders from emerging space nations will also speak during another panel session, including from Turkey, South Africa, Morocco, Brazil, Australia and Ecuador.

Are any space billionaires attending?

SpaceX founder Elon Musk and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos have been invited to the event but it has not yet been confirmed if either of them is attending.

Mr Musk attended the IAC in 2017, while Mr Bezos spoke at the 2019 event in Washington.

When a reporter asked Mr Musk on Twitter if he would like to attend this year’s IAC in Dubai, the billionaire replied ‘OK’.

But, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre told The National that it has not yet been confirmed.

Top space-themed displays at Expo 2020 Dubai - in pictures

There will be several national pavilions at Expo 2020 that will have space-themed displays. Pictured is a replica of a Falcon 9 booster rocket at the USA Pavilion. Courtesy: USA pavilion

The replica is 43 metres-tall and is placed at the entrance of the pavilion. Reem Mohammed / The National

The US pavilion will also display Moon rock samples at Expo 2020. In 1970, the US displayed a 3.2 billion-year-old Moon rock brought back from the Apollo 12 mission at the Osaka Expo. Courtesy: Nasa

A chess set that was carried to space on the Soyuz 3 and Soyuz 4 spacecraft from 1968 and 1969 will be on show at the expo. Reem Mohammed / The National

To celebrate Emirati achievements in space, a Mars corridor in the Mobility Pavilion will display the journey of the Hope probe to the Red Planet. Pictured is an image taken by Hope. Courtesy: Emirates Mars Mission

The US pavilion will also display a replica of one of its Mars rovers, although it is not yet known which one exactly. Nasa landed its most advanced and expensive Mars mission, Perseverance (pictured), on the surface of the planet this year. Nasa

The Russian pavilion will also celebrate the country’s space history. There will be a display of a replica of the first satellite in space, Sputnik, launched by the former Soviet Union. Courtesy: Roscosmos

A 'space drill' that will dig through the Martian soil will be on display at the Italian pavilion. Manufactured by Italian aerospace firm Leonardo, the drill will be launched in 2022 on board the Rosalind Franklin rover. Courtesy: Leonardo

The world’s largest 360° projection screen at the expo site, Al Wasl Dome, will feature a space-themed show. Courtesy: Dubai Expo 2020

There will be a week dedicated to space during the expo from October 5 to October 6. It will be one of the 10 thematic weeks to take place. The virtual space event will highlight some of the brightest stars in space exploration. AFP

Emirati astronauts will be visiting the expo site. Pictured are Mohammed Al Mulla (left), Nora Al Matrooshi (right), Hazza Al Mansouri (second to right) and Sultan Al Neyadi. Courtesy: Mbrsc