Elon Musk may visit Uzbekistan

The International Astronautical Congress (IAC) forum is expected to be held in the city of Samarkand in 2028, the press service of “Uzbekcosmos” reported.

The IAC, one of the world’s largest international forums in the space sector, annually brings together about 10,000 leaders from the space industry, along with representatives of leading companies and agencies engaged in space research, providing a global platform for dialogue.

While Azerbaijan hosted the forum in 2023 and Milan, Italy, in 2024, this year’s congress will be held in Australia from September 29 to October 3.

Uzbekistan has officially put forward its candidacy to host IAC 2028 in Samarkand.

“This way, foreign companies and agencies can be attracted to Uzbekistan to establish research centers, incubators, and technoparks, as well as to participate in joint research. Opportunities will also arise to showcase new startups,” the report stated.

In recent years, the IAC has been held in cities such as Milan (2024), Baku (2023), Paris (2022), Dubai (2021), Washington, D.C. (2019), Bremen (2018), and Adelaide (2017), bringing notable benefits to the host countries. For example, the IAC 2022 in Paris, the largest congress in the event’s history, strengthened France’s position in global space exploration and boosted private sector participation. Australia’s space agency was established following the IAC 2017, while congresses in Germany and the U.S. significantly enhanced international cooperation and attracted startups to the global space economy.

In addition, Christian Feichtinger, CEO of the International Astronautical Federation, visited Samarkand and Tashkent to assess the country’s readiness to host the event. He inspected the material and technical base, hotel and transport infrastructure, security measures, and potential congress venues, and also held meetings with ministries and agencies.

It is worth noting that Elon Musk has regularly participated in these forums as a special representative, presenting his successful projects. If the forum is held in Samarkand, he may also attend, although this has yet to be confirmed.

Earlier, it was reported that Uzbekistan plans to launch its own scientific and technical satellite into space by 2028.