The governments of Spain and Catalonia defend the strengths of Barcelona’s bid to host the world’s most important space congress in 2029 before the international space ecosystem

This week in Antalya (Türkiye), Barcelona enters the decisive phase of its bid to host the 2029 International Astronautical Congress (IAC), the world’s premier annual event for the space sector.

The bid arrives with 177 international endorsements and the support of a top-tier institutional delegation from the Spanish and Catalan governments, alongside senior officials from the Spanish Space Agency (AEE) and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), aiming to convince the members of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), who will select the winning bid on 9 October.

The delegation in Antalya is led by the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu; the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities, Juan Cruz Cigudosa; and the Minister of Business and Labour, Miquel Sàmper.

The delegation also includes key institutional and sector drivers of the bid: the Spanish Space Agency (AEE), represented by its director Juan Carlos Cortés; the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), led by its director Xavier Luri; Barcelona City Council and the Barcelona Convention Bureau, as well as Fira de Barcelona.

Over the six days of the congress, the Barcelona IAC 2029 bid will present its proposal across various evaluation forums organized by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). The first, held this morning, was the Host Summit, where the three candidate cities (Barcelona, Houston and Geneva) presented their proposals publicly. In the coming days, the team will appear before the IAF General Assembly, participate in a technical interview with the evaluation committee (CSAC) and present its case to the IAF Bureau Meeting—one of the final crucial stages before the final vote.

The final decision will be announced on 9 October during the IAF General Assembly meeting, where federation members will review the evaluation bodies’ recommendations and select the host for IAC 2029.

IEEC Director Xavier Luri stated: “The IEEC is committed to uniting our research institutions, universities and space industry around this joint bid to showcase our vibrant space ecosystem to the world.”

Alongside presenting the bid and within the framework of IAC 2026 in Antalya, the delegation’s institutional representatives took part in the IAF International Meeting for Ministers and Members of Parliament (MMoP), a high-level global gathering held today focusing on the role of space technologies in addressing major public and societal challenges.

Barcelona arrives in Antalya with broad international support that strengthens the bid’s prospects. To date, the proposal has received 177 letters of support, including 77 from members of the IAF itself, demonstrating the strong engagement achieved across the international space community.

Notable endorsements include leading global bodies such as the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), as well as major international space cooperation networks such as the Ibero-American Network of Space Agencies (RIAE), the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE), the Latin American and Caribbean Space Network (RELACA Espacio) and the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI).

The bid also enjoys the backing of a wide range of national space agencies from across five continents, including France’s CNES, the Italian Space Agency, the UK Space Agency, the Polish Space Agency, the Portuguese Space Agency, the Turkish Space Agency, the Brazilian Space Agency, the South African National Space Agency and several Asian space agencies.

This institutional backing is further reinforced by support from numerous international space sector companies and leading scientific, academic and research organisations.

The ‘Barcelona IAC 2029’ bid is co-led by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of the Government of Spain, through the Spanish Space Agency (AEE), and the Department of Business and Labour of the Government of Catalonia, through the Secretariat for Digital Policies and in collaboration with the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC).

The bid was officially presented to the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), the organising body of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), at the end of April 2026. Since then, an intensive international campaign of promotion, support gathering and presentations across various international space sector forums has been deployed.

The bid maintains that Barcelona offers excellent conditions to host an event that brings together thousands of global space industry professionals each year. The city combines extensive experience in hosting major international congresses, world-class infrastructure, high international connectivity and a leading scientific and technological ecosystem.

Furthermore, the proposal highlights the growth experienced in recent years by the Spanish and Catalan space ecosystems, as well as the capacity to foster collaboration between public administrations, research centres, universities and innovative companies.

With its arrival in Antalya, Barcelona begins the final phase of a bid that aspires to turn the Catalan capital into the premier global meeting point for the space community in 2029, showcasing the strength of the Catalan, Spanish and European space ecosystems internationally.

Organised for 77 years by the IAF, the IAC brings together nearly 15,000 representatives each year in a different country with a local host—including space agencies from around the world, major corporations, start-ups and innovative industry, academic institutions, universities, technology and research centres, as well as governments and international bodies—consolidating its position as the world’s most significant space event and the sector’s primary global meeting point.