NASA's week-long presence at the 77th International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, Türkiye, is a diplomatic operation dressed as a science conference. Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson leads a delegation spanning Earth science, lunar exploration, biotechnology, and AI — a portfolio designed to signal that U.S. space ambitions remain broad-based and open for partners. The Turkish Space Agency (TUA) hosts, marking Türkiye's growing bid for relevance in a sector once dominated by a handful of Cold War players. The headline event is the Artemis II preliminary lunar science release on Wednesday, featuring Anderson, Lori Glaze, Nicky Fox, and Kelsey Young. This is NASA publicly framing Artemis II — still the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 — as a science mission, not merely a demonstration flight. Jeremy Parsons presents the industry perspective on Artemis II results, a deliberate signal that the commercial supply chain (Lockheed Martin's Orion, SLS contractors) is embedded in the narrative. The Artemis Accords news conference, pairing Anderson with Peru's Major General Roberto Melgar Sheen, is the diplomatic core. The Accords — non-binding principles for peaceful, transparent space exploration — are NASA's primary instrument for building a U.S.-led coalition that operates outside the slower, Russia- and China-influenced UN COPUOS framework. Every new signatory is a quiet alignment choice. Peru's participation signals continued Latin American recruitment. Karen St. Germain's two sessions on Earth observation cooperation and the "last mile challenge" of converting satellite data into actionable decisions highlight a less glamorous but arguably more consequential NASA function. The pitch: faster mission development through international and commercial fleets. This is NASA positioning itself as orchestrator, not sole operator, of global Earth science infrastructure. Steve Chien's "Trusted AI on Mars" session and Fathi Karouia's space manufacturing talk point to NASA's technology bets beyond Artemis. Autonomous AI for planetary science and in-space biotechnology are long-horizon plays with real commercial implications — but at IAC, they also function as recruitment tools, showing partners what capabilities the U.S. ecosystem offers. The exhibit booth, celebrating "U.S. Freedom 250" — the nation's semiquincentennial — is pure soft power packaging. NASA's international partnerships page (nasa.gov/oiir) is the call to action. The entire week is structured to convert conference attendance into future bilateral agreements, data-sharing arrangements, and Artemis Accords signatures. What's absent matters too. No sessions on the Gateway lunar station's timeline, no direct engagement with China's ILRS lunar program, and no public discussion of the budget pressures that have stretched Artemis timelines. The IAC presentation is the highlight reel — the structural questions about whether NASA can deliver on these commitments at current funding levels are left offstage.
