At IAC 2026, the work of the youth delegation comprising 16 employees from 10 member states was organised by Intersputnik as a part of its strategic initiative Youth Far Beyond Borders (YFBB, read more about the project >> ). Young employees from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Somalia and Tajikistan took part in the congress official programme and visited the stands of key IAC 2026 exhibitors, including the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), the Space Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azercosmos), the Space Research and Technology Agency under the Ministry of Digital Technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Uzbekcosmos), and the satellite communications operator Türksat. 

The YFBB project stakeholders focussed heavily on sessions dedicated to international cooperation for the peaceful uses of outer space; satellite communications and next-generation connectivity technologies; the legal and regulatory aspects of space activities; satellite constellation operations; Earth observation; and space debris monitoring in near-Earth space.

At the UNOOSA stand, the Organization’s representatives and young employees from member states met with the Director of UNOOSA, Ms. Aarti Holla-Maini. She expressed her gratitude to Intersputnik for the fruitful cooperation and ongoing initiatives. 

Rodion Immel, Intersputnik's Regulatory Matters and International Organisations Liaison Manager, took part in the 33rd UN/IAF Workshop on Space Economy Opportunities for Emerging Nations: Advancing Socio-Economic Resilience through Space Technologies and Applications, organised jointly by the UNOOSA and the IAF. His presentation on the implementation of the YFBB project generated strong interest among the congress delegates.

In addition, young employees from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan participated in the IAF Envoy Initiative Workshop. This initiative is aimed at enabling non-IAF countries to participate in IAF activities and to integrate more effectively into the international space community. Sultan Mukashev (Kazakhstan), Adilet Zhoronkulov (Kyrgyzstan) and Umedjon Saimakhmadov (Tajikistan) successfully passed the selection process, with their candidacies endorsed to serve as IAF Envoys. They, together with Chuluunchimeg Purvee (Mongolia) and Abdi Fatah Mohamed (Somalia), took part in the meetings of the ACCESS regional subcommittees. Given the high demand for this initiative and the strong interest shown by other YFBB project members, Intersputnik plans to continue facilitating the integration of young employees from Member States into ACCESS as full members of its regional subcommittees.

As an international organisation dedicated to equitable global cooperation in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Intersputnik recognises the vital importance of its mission to support, upskill, and advance young satellite communications employees. In this regard, the core areas of focus include facilitating professional training and engaging youth in the international industry community, establishing and developing the YFBB youth platform, and fostering intercultural relations. By supporting youth today, Intersputnik is laying the foundation for a sustainable future for the space industry—a future that the next generation of employees from Member States will build together.