The European Space Agency (ESA) is participating in the 76th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), which will open its doors on Monday 29 September and last until Friday 3 October in Sydney, Australia. Over 8000 participants from 90 countries are expected to attend the event at the at the International Convention Centre (ICC) under the theme “Sustainable Space: Resilient Earth”.
Rocket propulsion technology has evolved from ancient Chinese gunpowder filled bamboo tubes that shot off into opposing armies to the powerful engines of Saturn V and more recently the Space Launch Vehicle and Falcon 9. The journey progressed through centuries of experimentation by pioneers like Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Robert Goddard, and Hermann Oberth who laid the foundations for modern rocketry. The space race dramatically accelerated development of new technology, producing the liquid fuelled engines that launched Sputnik, sent humans to the Moon, and built the International Space Station.

