Hyderabad, Sep 24: The 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) will begin at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre today.

The session of the IAC, with theme "Touching Humanity: Space for Improving quality of life", is being hosted by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Astronautical Society of India (ASI).

About 2,000 delegates from 45 countries - rocket engineers, satellite-builders, astronauts from the US, China and France, specialists in space law and chief executive officers of space industries are expected to attend the conference.

Besides, 50 college students from India, who were selected from thousands through an ISRO contest, will also attend the IAC. While most of them are from engineering colleges, five are law students.

More than 1300 scientists will present papers during the conference which will conclude on September 26. Around 138 parallel technical sessions on several subjects including space transportation, communication satellites, human spaceflight, exploration of outer space and the planets and space law will be held during the event.

The Congress is also commemorating the 50th anniversary of the launch of the first artificial satellite, the 40th anniversary of the Outer Space Treaty and the 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year.
Indian-origin American astronaut Sunita Williams will also speak at the IAC. She arrived in Gujarat on September 20 for the first time after her successful expedition aboard space shuttle ‘Discovery’. (With Inputs from ANI)