From 21 to 25 October Washington D.C. hosted the 70th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), an annual event organized by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) in collaboration with the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) and the NGO Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC).

GMV featured prominently in the congress, which has by now become the essential worldwide meeting point for all space players, including scientists, researchers, engineers, agencies, companies, astronauts and members of the public who take an interest in the space sector.

In the Spanish pavilion of the exhibition area GMV showcased its space capabilities. Spain’s pavilion this year was organized for the first time by Spain’s Foreign Trade and Overseas Investment Institute (ICEX) and Spain’s Economic and Commercial Office in Los Angeles, in collaboration with the Industrial Technology Development Center (Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnologico Industrial: CDTI) and the Spanish Association of Space, Aeronautics and Defense Technology Companies (Asociación Española de Empresas Tecnológicas de Defensa, Aeronáutica y Espacio: TEDAE). The pavilion companies were accompanied and supported throughout the event by Pedro Duque, acting Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities.

Under the banner title “SPACE: The Power of the Past, the Promise of the Future”, IAC 2019 offered a busy, multidisciplinary program of plenaries and lectures addressing a great diversity of space disciplines.

Mariella Graziano, GMV’s Robotics and Flight Segment Manager and active member of the International Astronautical Federation’s Space Exploration Committee, once more co-chaired the solar-system session, this year under the title “Solar System Exploration Including Ocean Worlds”. She also took part in a special session entitled “Get Ready to Protect Earth from Asteroids – Planetary Defense in Your Hands”. Her speech ran through the various asteroid deflection techniques, highlighting the fact that GMV has been playing an upfront role in planetary defense for over 15 years now.

GMV’s leadership in such areas as guidance, navigation and control (GNC); planetary defense; the study, tracking and removal of space debris; and avionics for microlaunchers manifested itself here in the presentation of nearly a dozen papers in various congress sessions.

Further GMV involvement came when Joan Lousada, GMV member and analog astronaut, picked up his award under the “IAF Young Space Leaders Recognition Programme”, a yearly program that heralds the work of students and professionals whose academic or professional work has most helped to bring astronautics to wider notice.

This latest IAC represented a unique chance for space agencies, companies, institutions, academic institutions and organizations to get together, swap notes and seek opportunities.

GMV’s participation in this event rubber-stamps the company’s space-technology prowess, its worldwide repercussion and its commitment to planetary defense and the development of the space industry in general.