Acclaimed for its influential contributions to space science, technology and innovation, Pasadena, Calif., will be the site of one of the most prominent scientific meetings in the world when it hosts the 42nd COSPAR Scientific Assembly in July 2018.
Expected to attract more than 3,500 scientists from around the world, the global conference will be the largest city-wide scientific conference to ever be held in Pasadena, filling an anticipated 6,500 hotel room nights and bringing significant business to local restaurants, stores and cultural venues from July 14-22, 2018.
The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) holds its assembly every other year in a different location to present the latest scientific results and exchange knowledge about space research to an international audience. On behalf of COSPAR and the National Academy of Sciences, Caltech will serve as local host and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will provide support.
Photo Credit: Jamie Pham
“As home to the Caltech campus and JPL, Pasadena is an excellent location for the 42nd COSPAR Scientific Assembly,” said Thomas Prince, director, Caltech’s W.M. Keck Institute for Space Studies. “There is a rich legacy of space exploration and discovery at Caltech and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, including groundbreaking astrophysics research at the Palomar and Keck Observatories, and numerous successful robotic space missions including Voyager, Cassini, the Mars Curiosity rover, and the Orbiting Carbon Observatory.”
Pasadena Center Operating Company combined Caltech with Jet Propulsion Laboratory to submit the winning bid to host the conference.
“For COSPAR to select Pasadena is an overwhelming confirmation of our importance as a world-class destination city with a superior ability to host and produce an event of this magnitude,” said Michael Ross, CEO, Pasadena Center Operating Company. “A lot of people from various organizations pulled together as a team to ensure that Pasadena presented a strong bid to secure this event.”
According to Ross, past COSPAR assemblies have attracted as many as 3,000 participants.
“With that many people converging for one event, this will be a tremendous benefit to the city in terms of the economic impact from hotel occupancy and the boost it will give to local businesses,” Ross stated. “It will also continue to enhance our standing as a highly desirable worldwide destination.”
U.S. cities have hosted five previous COSPAR Assemblies –most recently in Houston in 2002. The 2014 COSPAR Scientific Assembly was held in Moscow in August. The 41st assembly will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2016.
For information about COSPAR, visit https://cosparhq.cnes.fr.
