As many as 2,300 delegates, including 800 from India, are registered for the event, according to Indian Space Research Organisation, which is hosting the 39th Scientific Assembly of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) with the theme 'Space - for the benefit of Mankind'.
COSPAR 2012 is being held at the N R Narayana Murthy Centre of Excellence, Infosys Campus, Mysore during July 14-22.
This conference is co-hosted by Infosys Limited. ISRO had earlier hosted the COSPAR conference in 1979 in Bangalore.
Professor U R Rao, Chairman, Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) Council and former Chairman, ISRO, the Chair of the COSPAR Scientific Programme Committee. Dr Giovanni F Bignami, Chairman of European Space Agency's Advisory Council, the current President of COSPAR and ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan briefed the media on the proposed deliberations at the meet.
Founded in 1958 by the International Council for Science (ICSU), COSPAR is considered as one of the foremost space science research associations. It has both National Scientific Institutions and International Scientific Unions as members.
The objectives of COSPAR are to promote scientific research in space on an international level, with emphasis on the exchange of results, information and opinions, and to provide a forum, open to all scientists, for the discussion of problems that may affect scientific space research.
These objectives are achieved through the organisation of scientific assemblies, publications and other means. The COSPAR Scientific Assembly provides the world's largest inter- disciplinary forum for exchange of recent results in space research and, therefore, is a particularly important meeting for members participating in the scientific activities, according to ISRO.