India will host the 12th edition of the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX 2025) from May 7 to 9, 2025, in New Delhi, marking a major milestone in the country’s growing stature in the global space sector.

Themed “Reaching New Worlds: A Space Exploration Renaissance,” the three-day international summit will be inaugurated by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, and Minister of State for Space, PMO, Atomic Energy, and Personnel.

At the curtain-raiser media briefing, Dr. Singh underscored India’s rise as a global space leader, crediting this transformation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. The event is jointly organized by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), ISRO as the host, and the Astronautical Society of India (ASI) as co-host.

GLEX 2025 is set to witness record-breaking participation, with over 1,800 attendees, including 233 international delegates from 36 countries. The event has attracted 1,275 abstract submissions from 57 nations—the highest in IAF’s history—with 64 per cent (822 abstracts) coming from India and 36 per cent (453 abstracts) from global contributors. Notably, students submitted 562 abstracts, reflecting rising interest among the youth in space exploration.

The conference will feature 10 technical sessions across 15 themes, and over 240 interactive presentations. Plenary sessions will be addressed by top international space leaders, including Dr. Jitendra Singh, Josef Aschbacher (ESA), Kazuyoshi Kawasaki (Japan), V. Narayanan (ISRO), Jill Smyth (USA), Wu Weiren (China), and Salem Al Marri (UAE).

GLEX 2025 will also host a special astronaut outreach programme with nearly 10 astronauts, such as Hazzaa AlMansoori (UAE), Alper Gezeravci (Türkiye), Michael López-Alegría (USA/Spain), Angad Pratap (India), and Rakesh Sharma, India’s first astronaut.

Another major attraction is the space exhibition to be inaugurated by Dr. Singh, showcasing exhibits from 22 organizations, including Indian startups, global space companies, and ISRO.

ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan joined Dr. Singh at the media interaction, reaffirming ISRO’s strong support for the event.