A three-day International Aerospace Technology Exhibition and Conference opened at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) Secretariat in Islamabad on Wednesday. The event brings together aerospace experts, researchers, industry representatives, diplomats, and students to discuss emerging space technologies and the prospects for greater indigenous capability and international cooperation. The conference is being held from November 11 to 13 and is organised by OIC-COMSTECH in collaboration with the Pakistan Vacuum Society and the Pakistan Aerospace Council, with support from partner institutions. Around 18 companies, startups, research institutions, and incubation centres are showcasing technologies and products at the accompanying exhibition, including Trojan, Connectech, Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), Air University, and the Pakistan Vacuum Society.
More than 20 technical presentations are scheduled during the three-day programme, covering aerospace strategy and industry development, satellite platforms, navigation and communications, human spaceflight and space life sciences, Earth observation, remote sensing, geospatial artificial intelligence, and vacuum technologies. Experts from Pakistan and abroad, including speakers from the United States, Azerbaijan, and Sudan, are taking part. Sessions will examine issues ranging from space markets and small satellite technologies to lunar missions, satellite communications, human health in space, machine learning for geospatial applications, and advanced vacuum systems. The inaugural ceremony was attended by ambassadors, deputy heads of mission, and diplomatic representatives from several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Yemen, Thailand, Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria, Russia, and Indonesia, along with scientists, academics, industry representatives, and students.
Addressing the inaugural session, Coordinator General of OIC-COMSTECH Professor Dr M. Iqbal Choudhary said that space and aerospace technologies are no longer confined to a few advanced countries, since satellites have become central to communications, navigation, weather forecasting, agriculture, water management, disaster response, and climate monitoring. He said that the rapidly expanding global space economy presents both an opportunity and a necessity for OIC member states, and that while several of them have made significant advances, the OIC region remains heavily dependent on imported technologies and services. Professor Choudhary called for greater investment in people, research, industry, and indigenous technological capability so that member states can design, build, and use space technologies according to their own needs while sharing expertise and costs through closer cooperation.
Chief guest Lieutenant Air Marshal (Retd) Javaid Ahmed, President of the Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies, said that space capabilities have become increasingly important for modern societies, economies, communications, and national security, and he stressed the need for indigenous expertise, a skilled workforce, and greater private-sector participation in a specialised field that requires sustained investment. Imtiaz Rastgar, founder of the Pakistan Aerospace Council and Chairman of Rastgar Group of Industries, gave a keynote titled From Dependency to Dominance, in which he highlighted the need to reduce technological dependence by building domestic aerospace capabilities and closer links between research, industry, and market needs. Dr Javaid Bhatti, President of the Pakistan Vacuum Society, said the conference was designed to connect scientific knowledge with practical aerospace applications. The exhibition was formally opened after the inaugural session, and the conference will conclude on November 13 with technical discussions on vacuum technologies and their applications in aerospace systems.
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