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Once home to ruler and astronomer Mirzo Ulugbek\u2019s legendary observatory \u2014 a beacon of science in the 15th century \u2014 the Uzbek city of Samarkand is set to reclaim its place among the stars.<\/p>\n
In 2028, the Silk Road city will host the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), the world\u2019s largest space industry gathering. It reflects Uzbekistan\u2019s goal to become an important player in the modern \u201cspace age”.<\/p>\n
Uzbekistan\u2019s space ambitions have accelerated since the establishment of the Uzbekcosmos Agency in 2019. The agency is reshaping how the nation uses space technologies for governance, environment, and development.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn early 2025, Uzbekistan became one of the few countries in the world to make the use of remote sensing data mandatory by law,\u201d said Muhiddin Ibragimov, deputy director of Uzbekcosmos. \u201cThis ensures that satellite information is officially integrated into planning and decision-making processes\u201d.<\/p>\n
Through optical and radar satellite imagery, the agency monitors land use, water resources, agricultural activity, and urban expansion \u2014 even detecting illegal deforestation or unauthorised construction. Automated systems compare this data with national databases, triggering alerts to relevant ministries for rapid action.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also apply radar-based monitoring to ensure infrastructure safety,\u201d Ibragimov added. \u201cBy analysing radar signals, we can detect ground or structural displacements down to a few millimetres \u2014 crucial for monitoring dams, reservoirs, and industrial facilities before risks turn into disasters”.<\/p>\n
Throughout 2024, Uzbekcosmos expanded the scale and precision of national space monitoring. Using high-resolution satellite imagery and geoinformation technologies, the agency examined key sectors such as ecology, geology, agriculture, and forestry, identifying more than 100,000 potential irregularities across the country.<\/p>\n
Such data-driven surveillance enables authorities to address land misuse, enhance environmental oversight, and promote sustainable resource management.<\/p>\n
In parallel with its technical advances, Uzbekistan consolidated its legal and institutional framework for space development. New laws and government decrees were enacted to regulate national space activities, introduce radar monitoring systems for seismic stability at reservoirs, and guide the integration of aerospace technologies into key economic sectors.<\/p>\n
Over the next three years, Uzbekistan plans to expand space education and public awareness, encourage universities, ministries, and private firms to join space-related projects, and inspire young Uzbeks to pursue science, technology, and innovation.<\/p>\n
Uzbekcosmos also deepened international cooperation through partnerships and memorandums with institutions in China, Japan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and other nations, while fostering education and innovation domestically. Programmes such as World Space Week, the NASA Space Apps Challenge, and student satellite projects aimed to strengthen engagement among young people.<\/p>\n
Uzbekistan\u2019s approach reflects a broader trend of countries that have historically lagged in space increasingly stepping onto the global stage. Angelina Bekasova, senior expert on space and innovation policy at the Ministry of Economics of Latvia, emphasiszed the growing cooperation potential between Europe and Central Asia.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpace has always been international,\u201d Bekasova noted. \u201cCountries like Uzbekistan are now not just clients of technology, but co-creators of solutions \u2014 building Earth observation systems and developing ground segments. This shared vision makes cooperation between Europe and Central Asia both efficient and mutually beneficial\u201d.<\/p>\n
Samarkand chosen to host IAC 2028<\/strong><\/p>\n Against strong competition from China, India, and Bahrain, Samarkand was officially selected to host the International Astronautical Congress 2028, \u00a0\u2014 becoming the first Central Asian city to hold this global event. The decision was announced during the IAC 2025 in Sydney, Australia.<\/p>\n In its bid, Uzbekistan proposed transforming the Silk Road Complex into a vibrant \u201cSpace City\u201d, where participants will not just attend sessions but live and interact in an immersive scientific environment.<\/p>\n \u201cOur idea was to merge science and culture \u2014 to make the congress an experience, not just a conference,\u201d explained Ibragimov, who led the bidding team of Uzbek delegation in Sydney. \u201cThe idea of a \u2018Space City\u2019 in Samarkand received tremendous enthusiasm”.<\/p>\n The IAC 2028 is expected to attract more than 10,000 participants, including major space agencies such as \u2014 NASA, ESA, JAXA, ISRO, and Roscosmos, as well as private sector leaders such as Axiom Space, Planet, Maxar, Starlink, and OneWeb. The congress in Sydney in 2025 generated about \u20ac26 million for its host economy; experts predict similar or greater benefits for Uzbekistan.<\/p>\n The choice of Samarkand carries deep symbolic meaning for Uzbekistan. Nearly six centuries ago, Mirzo Ulugbek, the astronomer and ruler, turned the city into a centre of knowledge with his observatory and madrasa. Today, the event\u2019s organisers say that legacy is being revived on a cosmic scale.<\/p>\n \u201cSix centuries ago, Ulugbek built an observatory that made Samarkand a global center of science,\u201d Sherzod Shermatov, Uzbekistan\u2019s minister of digital technologies, wrote on social media. \u201cIn 2028, the world\u2019s largest space event will take place here,\u201d he added, saying it would serve as \u201cthe foundation of the Third Renaissance”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ADVERTISEMENT Once home to ruler and astronomer Mirzo Ulugbek\u2019s legendary observatory \u2014 a beacon of science in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":113196,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[270],"tags":[18,19,17,133,451,82,19735],"class_list":{"0":"post-113195","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-ie","10":"tag-ireland","11":"tag-science","12":"tag-space","13":"tag-technology","14":"tag-uzbekistan"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113195\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}