The VIII All-Russian Forum “CosmoStart” is taking place in St. Petersburg

From November 30 to December 2, the VIII All-Russian Forum of Cosmonautics and Aviation “CosmoStart” is taking place in the Northern capital. The event was organized by the St. Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation (SUAI) together with the North-Western Interregional Public Organization of the Cosmonautics Federation of the Russian Federation (SZMOO FC RF) and the Roscosmos State Corporation with the support of the administration of St. Petersburg.

This year, CosmoStart is dedicated to the most important milestone in the history of astronautics: 25 years ago, Russia launched the first element of the International Space Station into orbit – the Zarya functional cargo block.

Experts and specialists from the rocket, space and aviation industries, cosmonauts, scientists, students and schoolchildren from different regions of Russia take part in CosmoStart. More than 300 people attended the opening of the forum, which this year takes place both in person and online.

“CosmoStart has become not only a good tradition, but also a forum for generations. Schoolchildren who in 2016 first came to an event of this scale with a space theme, the very next year entered universities related to space exploration, and now some of them work at the Roscosmos state corporation. The events that fill the forum during these three days will be bright and interesting for you. Space is a huge field of activity that needs a large number of personnel who are interested and in love with their business and their profession, in the space field. I would like to wish you to make the most of every opportunity when communicating with experts and astronauts. Directly ask questions that will help with self-determination. Seize every moment of communication with professionals. Our country became a pioneer in the space field in the 20th century. Using all the tools, Russia must continue to confirm its leadership in the field of astronautics today. I would like to launch the All-Russian Forum of Cosmonautics and Aviation. Key to start! Go!” — SUAI Rector Yulia Antokhina greeted the participants.

Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Olga Petrova joined the opening of the forum online. “CosmoStart is already a tradition that fills us all with new meanings. I would like to say words of gratitude to the organizers – SUAI and rector Yulia Anatolyevna Antokhina. Today the forum has become a significant platform for the development of the space industry. I thank the Russian Cosmonautics Federation and the Roscosmos state corporation, which are co-organizers of the forum. The employer-university relationship is a very important component of success in education. Thanks to the teachers and students for their interest and desire to develop space technology for the benefit of our country! Let space become closer!” – noted the Deputy Minister.

Since the very first CosmoStart, which took place in 2016, the forum has been supported by Roscosmos. “Over the course of its existence, the forum has become a very authoritative event that popularizes astronautics, preserves our scientific and technical heritage and gives our students and young scientists up-to-date knowledge about the development of astronautics,” said Dmitry Shishkin, director of the administrative department of the state corporation for space activities. “Here young people can get acquainted with the most advanced projects that exist today in the Russian and global rocket and space industry. I wish you new achievements and discoveries. We are waiting for you in the Roscosmos team!”

In turn, Oleg Polishchuk, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Youth Policy and Interaction with Public Organizations of the St. Petersburg Administration, recalled that the city is one of the centers of competence for the Russian aerospace industry, and SUAI occupies one of the leading positions.

Participants and guests of the forum were also greeted by pilot-cosmonaut, Hero of the Russian Federation Oleg Kononenko and test cosmonauts Konstantin Borisov and Nikolai Chub, who are now in low-Earth orbit as part of the ISS crew. The traditional forum meeting with Russian cosmonauts “Heroes are not born, heroes are made” with the participation of pilot-cosmonaut Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and test cosmonaut Petr Dubrova continued the event.

Next, a panel discussion took place, where opportunities for self-realization of youth in the field of space and related fields were discussed.

At the same time, SUAI hosted a round table “Advanced On-Board Computing Networks,” which became the second meeting of the “Next Generation Aerospace Systems” consortium within the framework of the “CosmoStart-2023” forum. The participants discussed the harmonization of technical requirements for unified data exchange standards, as well as requirements for educational programs in the aerospace field.

For regional participants and St. Petersburg schoolchildren in “Boiling Point – St. Petersburg. SUAI” held open thematic meetings and lectures from popularizers of the space industry and scientific journalists. And on December 1, cosmonauts and experts will conduct “space lessons” and lectures in 12 schools in St. Petersburg, communicate with students and talk about the prospects for the development of domestic cosmonautics and aviation. The topics of the lectures will be the rules for training cosmonauts, on-board systems for manned space flight, cubesats, the Luna and Sphere projects.

Schoolchildren will also enjoy the “Space Petersburg” quest, the end point of which will be “Planetarium No. 1”. Participants will be able to complete tasks that will allow them to gain new knowledge about the ISS and St. Petersburg. The most resourceful and inquisitive teams will receive prizes. The new space of the forum will be the territory of the former Pulkovo-2 terminal, where a scientific battle will take place on December 2.