Int'l conference devoted to "innovative" space research opens in Australia

Australian Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham speaks during the opening ceremony of the 68th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Adelaide, Australia, Sept. 25, 2017. The 68th IAC, a five-day conference devoted to discussing innovation and advances in the space industry, began in Adelaide on Monday. The IAC is the world's largest annual gathering of space professionals and its parent organization is the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) that is based in Paris. The International Aeronautical Congress has been held every year since 1950. (Xinhua/Xu Haijing)