During the 66th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), on behalf of the Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO) CAS, researcher Zhao Changyin from Purple Mountain Observatory made a statement about joining the IAF as a member. IAF General Assembly decided to accept the PMO in the type of “University and Museum”. Researcher Zhao Changyin is the contact person for communication with the IAF. 

The IAF is a non-profit and non-governmental organization set up in 1951 under French law and it hosts the International Astronautical Conference (IAC) every year. Its achievements in supporting international cooperation over the last six decades , and the Federation continues to build one of the largest worldwide networks of space experts and decision-makers. The 64th IAC host city was Beijing, China and the 66th IAC host city was Jerusalem, Israel.