Deputy Chairman of Azercosmos Dunay Badirkhanov elected as young space leader

Dunay Badirkhanov, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Space Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azercosmos) under the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport was elected as one of the eight participants in the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Young Space Leaders Recognition Programme.

Programme members are chosen from among young people who have made exceptional contributions to the space field in their academic careers. These leaders also pass on their knowledge and experience to the students and young professionals who have distinguished themselves in the field of international space.

Along with the representative of Azerbaijan, the young space leaders include Sirisha Bandla, vice president of government affairs and research operations at Virgin Galactic of the US, Ozan Kara, Senior Engineer at DeltaV Space Technologies Inc. of Turkey, Mariam Naseem, a  member of the Canadian Space Agency, Antonino Salmeri, doctoral researcher in space law at the University of Luxembourg, Ruvimbo Samanga, independent space law and policy analyst, Maruska Strah, Executive Director at World Space Week Association, and Anthony Yuen, Chair at the Space Generation Advisory Council.

The main objective of the Young Space Leaders Recognition Programme is to ensure that the elected leaders conducted campaigns on space issues among the public and participated directly in the work of International Astronautical Federation committees. Support will also be provided for the active participation of these young people in international plenary meetings and global space activities, as well as sharing knowledge and experience.

It should be noted that Dunay Badirkhanov has been working in Azercosmos for over 11 years. He is co-chairman of the International Programme Committee of the International Astronautical Congress, which will be held in Baku in 2023. During his working years, Dunay Badirkhanov has held top management positions for the launch of Azerbaijani satellites Azerspace-1 and Azerspace-2, including serving as programme manager of the satellite project Azerspace-2.

Representation of the Azerbaijan Federation in the Recognition Programme will open a successful path for young people working and interested in space in the country.

Further information on the Young Space Leaders Recognition Programme and the participants is available at the following link:

 https://www.iafastro.org/news/the-2021-iaf-young-space-leaders.html

As a reminder, the International Astronautical Federation, which has been operating for 71 years, has 433 members from 72 countries. The Space Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azercosmos) has been an active member of the federation since 2018. The International Astronautics Congress, the biggest event in the space industry, will be held in Baku in 2023.