News & Events in Belarus

MINSK, 10 September (BelTA) – The 31^st Planetary Congress of the Association of Space Explorers kicks off in Minsk on 10 September, BelTA learned from the press service of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

The opening ceremony will take place in the BelExpo center. The pavilion will host an exhibition themed around space exploration. The guests will have an opportunity to learn more about the history of Belarus, its achievements in the field of space research. Cosmonauts and astronauts will get familiar with the Belarusian optical technology, high-resolution equipment, space mirrors with the utmost smoothness, instruments for remote sensing of the Earth, the results of a series of the Belarus-Russia Union State space programs. The opening ceremony will be followed by two technical sessions. The first of them will be dedicated to the theme of the congress “We Create Space Future”. During the second session the cosmonauts who returned from orbit last year will talk about their flights.

The congress will last through 15 September. A flower ceremony at the Victory Monument is scheduled for 11 September. Then the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus will host two technical sessions built around the theme “Our Future in Space”. The day of community will be celebrated on 12 September. Cosmonauts and astronauts are expected to visit Belarusian schools, universities, institutes of the National Academy of Sciences, Minsk Suvorov military school. September 13 will see another technical session on space and science. The ASE General Assembly, business sessions will take place on 14 September. Then the participants of the congress will plant an Alley of Cosmonauts in the Botanical Garden. The program of activities will also include excursions around Belarus.

Taking part in the congress are over 80 cosmonauts and astronauts from 17 countries, including Russia, the United States, China, Kazakhstan, European states and also scientists, representatives of Belarusian universities and companies.

The Association of Space Explorers is an international not-for-profit organization that unites cosmonauts and astronauts from many countries. It was established in 1985 to share the best practices in the area of manned space flights. The Planetary Congress of the Association of Space Explorers gathers cosmonauts and representatives of scientific research institutions and national space agencies on an annual basis.