New Delhi: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and the US consulate will host a three-day international conference titled “Space Technology” from October 15-18, officials said.
The conference, which will be held at the IIT Madras campus, will draw participation from national and international space agencies, government agencies and the private sector, with a focus on Indo-Pacific countries, they said.
“This conference will bring together key stakeholders in the space technology field to explore ways to optimize business opportunities and collaboration in the Indo-Pacific,” said Satyanarayanan Chakravarthy, Coordinator of the National Center for Combustion Research and Development at IIT-Madras. “Eminent expert participants will also Analyze the challenges, risks and opportunities for entrepreneurs to invest in these areas.”
As a result of the conference, organizers aim to establish the “Indo-Pacific Space Entrepreneurs Association”, a networking and lobbying platform focused on innovation and entrepreneurship in the space sector. Stakeholders will recommend future roadmaps to promote international aerospace business and scientific space cooperation.
“The United States and India cooperate on a wide range of diplomatic and security issues, and space is an important part of our relationship, connecting our two countries in the areas of scientific exploration, emerging technologies and commercial partnerships,” Judith LaVine, the U.S. consul general in Chennai. “Going a step further, this meeting demonstrated the potential to expand these connections in a network of Indo-Pacific nations poised to strengthen multilateral cooperation in space exploration.”
More than 80 experts from 15 Indo-Pacific countries including India, the United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Germany, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia are expected to be invited to the conference. Participating government space agencies include the Indian Space Research Organization, NASA, JAXA and the Australian Space Agency.