What’s the scam with the International Astronautical Congress?
The International Astronautical Congress (IAC), which opened this week in Sydney, is billed as the world’s largest space gathering. It brings together scientists, engineers, academics and industry to showcase advances in space exploration and satellite technology, with organisers framing it as a forum for shaping humanity’s future in space.
But alongside research institutes and space agencies, the exhibitor floor also included some of the world’s largest weapons manufacturers. Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Thales, Northrop Grumman, Leonardo, Safran, and notably, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a state-owned company that designs and supplies drones, missile systems, fighter aircraft and satellite technology directly to the Israeli military.
Israel Aerospace Industries is a cornerstone of Israel’s surveillance and military infrastructure. Last month, Israel launched a new spy satellite built by IAI to expand its intelligence gathering capacity across the Middle East.
Profits of genocide
Yesterday, IAI announced record sales of $1.6 billion and half-yearly profits of $320 million, their “strongest half-year result in history”, a surge driven by demand for its weapons and surveillance systems amid Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Australia is no stranger to IAI. Since 2004, the government has awarded the company and its subsidiaries Elta Systems and Elta Electronics Industries more than $307 million in contracts.
The most recent contract was executed on 1 August 2025. The Department of Defence paid $384,312 to Elta Systems for the supply of “electronic components” from August 2025 to December 2025.
International obligations
Last month, the UN found that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
The UN has made clear that their finding of genocide triggers universal and immediate obligations. Under the Genocide Convention, states have a legal duty use all means available to them to prevent and punish genocide.
By hosting Israel Aerospace Industries at the IAC and continuing to award millions in contracts to its subsidiaries, the Australian government is actively undermining its obligations under the Genocide Convention and risks being complicit in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Stephanie is a journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that hold power to account. With a background in both law and journalism, she has worked at The Guardian and as a paralegal, where she assisted Crikey’s defence team in the high-profile defamation case brought by Lachlan Murdoch. Her reporting has been recognised nationally, earning her the 2021 Democracy’s Watchdogs Award for Student Investigative Reporting and a nomination for the 2021 Walkley Student Journalist of the Year Award.