Message from the Local Organising Committee

We are delighted to have this opportunity to welcome you to IAC 2014 in Toronto, Canada. Situated on the north shore of Lake Ontario, Toronto is the largest of Canada’s vibrant cities. It is the hub of the nation’s commercial, financial, industrial, and cultural life, and is the capital of the Province of Ontario. Toronto was founded in 1793, became the City of Toronto in 1834, and through its subsequent evolution and expansion the city has emerged as one of the most liveable and multicultural urban places in the world today.
 

The Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute is your host for IAC 2014. CASI celebrates its 60th anniversary next year and has hosted two previous Congress, both to great acclaim: the 42nd IAC in 1991 in Montreal, and the 55th IAC in Vancouver in 2004.

The Local Organising Committee of IAC 2014 will present a Congress that showcases the global and collaborative nature of our industry, with a special focus on the capabilities and accomplishments of the two North American space-faring nations – the United States and Canada.

Canada has earned a reputation for excellence in space activities, from our first satellite Alouette launched in 1962 to the iconic Canadarm, the robotic  remote manipulator system that makes possible many of  the vital tasks carried out on the

International Space Station and the Shuttles. Canadian astronauts also have made important contributions to our knowledge and understanding of the space environment, most recently Chris Hadfield who popularized space in an unprecedented way during his 6-month mission aboard the ISS.

“Our World Needs Space” is the theme of IAC 2014, and we are certain that every delegate will wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment. The Congress will capture and reflect the countless ways that our daily lives depend on space technology and applications. It will be a forum where representatives of industry, government, academia and the general public come together, network, exchange ideas, see demonstrations of leading-edge technology, identify opportunities for collaboration, renew old acquaintances and forge new relationships.

As Chair of IAC 2014 in Toronto it is my great privilege to invite you to share a week with your global space colleagues in the spectacular city of Toronto, Canada.