************************************************************************ IERS Message No. 565 August 28, 2026 ************************************************************************ 24th International Workshop on Laser Ranging (IWLR) - 2nd announcement Dear colleagues, The 24th International Workshop on Laser Ranging (IWLR) will take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the week of November 1-6, 2026. An SLR school will take place on Sunday, November 1st, followed by the Workshop Monday through Friday. An excursion to the AGGO observatory is scheduled for Thursday afternoon of November 5, 2026. Please note that the meeting is planned as a face-to-face (in person) event. The Workshop is hosted by BKG (Bundesamt fur Kartographie und Geodasie - Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy), AGGO (Argentine German Geodetic Observatory), CONICET (the Argentine National Scientific and Technical Research Council), and the National Technical University (Universidad Tecnologica Nacional - UTN). This workshop aims to promote communication, cooperation and development of SLR research worldwide. The theme is "Raising resilience and scientific profile: meeting the challenges of SLR operation and research in the context of GGOS". Meeting website: https://bkg.bund.de/en/bkg/events/ilrs-workshop On the website you will find information about the workshop, including registration fees, venue, conference dinner, accommodations, SLR school, and more. Registration will open soon, followed by abstract submissions. Please note that the website is still under construction in some places. [Some may find it expedient to use a browser other than Firefox, if they encounter certificate issues]. Detailed information is provided in the links that follow. Registration: https://bkg.bund.de/en/bkg/events/ilrs-workshop/registration The deadline for registration is the 15 September 2026. Abstracts submission: https://bkg.bund.de/en/das-bkg/veranstaltungen/ilrs-workshop/ abstract-submission The deadline to submit and Abstract is September 30th, 2026 23:59 CEST via email to kompetenzzentrum-gow@bkg.bund.de. A template for the abstracts is provided. Venue: The workshop venue is the rectoria (rectorate building) of the Universidad Tecnologica Nacional (UTN), Sarmiento 440, Buenos Aires. Contacts: Email: kompetenzzentrum-gow@bkg.bund.de +49 9941 603109. Conference Schedule: Sunday, 1st of November SLR school Monday, 2nd of November Conference day 1 (full-day), ice breaker Tuesday, 3rd of November Conference day 2 (full-day), conference dinner at a typical tango theatre Wednesday, 4th of November Conference day 3 (full-day) Thursday, 5th of November Conference day 4 (full-day), excursion to the Argentinean German Geodetic Observatory (afternoon) Friday, 6th of November Conference day 5 (half-day) Program: Opening Session Session 01: Resilience of the network in the context of GGOS Session 02: Lessons learned from 50 years of tracking geodetic satellites: from LAGEOS to LARES-2 Session 03: SLR for Science: The Terrestrial Reference Frame, Altimetry, and Geophysics Session 04: SLR for Gravitation and Relativity Session 05: Network and Station Operations, In-sky Safety, and Upgrade %Session 06: New Applications and Advances in LR technologies Session 07: SLR Data Processing, Analysis, Automation, and Quality Control Session 08: Lunar Laser Ranging, Deep Space Missions, and Time Transfer Session 09: AGGO: Role model of a GGOS station Session 10: GNSS, Space Debris, and Other Applications of SLR Closing Session https://bkg.bund.de/en/bkg/events/ilrs-workshop/program Accommodation: https://bkg.bund.de/en/bkg/events/ilrs-workshop/accommodation SLR School: https://bkg.bund.de/en/bkg/events/ilrs-workshop/slr-school Excursion: https://bkg.bund.de/en/bkg/events/ilrs-workshop/excursion Conference Dinner: https://bkg.bund.de/en/bkg/events/ilrs-workshop/conference-dinner Helpful Information: https://bkg.bund.de/en/bkg/events/ilrs-workshop/helpful-information Special note regarding travel to Buenos Aires during the IWLR: During the week of the 2026 IWLR meeting and the weeks surrounding the IWLR meeting, the main international airport in Buenos Aires (EZE, Ezeiza International Airport) will be undertaking runway maintenance on their #2 runway, which will close that runway and also reduce the length of the primary runway by a significant amount. As a result, wide-body jets (e.g. Airbus A330, Boeing 777, Airbus A350, Boeing 747) will not be able to take off from EZE at full capacity during that period. With a couple exceptions, this means that travel to/from Buenos Aires from outside South America will require a stopover somewhere in South America, prior to continuing onward to Buenos Aires on a medium-body aircraft (e.g. Airbus A320/A321, Boeing 737/757). (These stopover airports may be Sao Paulo, Santiago, Bogota, Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, etc.). Travelers should make sure they allocate sufficient time (3-4 hrs) to make a transfer at these airports. Onward connection flights are then available to both EZE (Ezeiza International Airport) and to AEP (Aeroparque Jorge Newberry), the two airports near Buenos Aires that serve international, regional and domestic traffic. Please consult with a travel advisor or your airline for more information. Scientific Organizing Committee: Michael Croteau NASA [Chair] Michael Hafner AGGO/BKG [Co-Chair] Johann Eckl BKG Stefan Riepl BKG Jan Kodet TUM/BKG Mauricio Gende AGGO/CONICET Romina Galvan AGGO/CONICET Florencia Toledo AGGO/CONICET Matias Mardegan AGGO/CONICET Luciano Mendoza UNLP Ricardo Podesta San Juan SLR station Rosario Etchegoyen IGN Frank Lemoine NASA Claudia Carabajal NASA Mathis Blossfeld TUM Randall Carman Geoscience Australia Clement Courde CNRS Simone Dell'Agnello LNF Jose Rodriguez IGN Krzysztof Sosnica Wroclaw University Michael Steindorfer SRI, Austrian Academy of Science Daniela Thaller BKG Matt Wilkinson NERC Herstmonceux Zhang Zhongping Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences Local Organizing Committee: Eva Schroth BKG Zoe Echavarri UNLP Michael Hafner AGGO/BKG Johann Eckl BKG Thomas Klugel BKG Mauricio Gende AGGO/CONICET Augusto Cassino AGGO/CONICET Florencia Toledo AGGO/CONICET Matias Mardegan AGGO/CONICET Romina Galvan AGGO/CONICET Eduardo Guillermo UTN Agustina Salvati CONICET Hayo Hase AGGO/BKG Christian Kristukat AGGO/BKG ======================================================================== Claudia C. Carabajal Research Scientist SME HBG Geodesy & Geophysics Group Lead Secretary, ILRS Central Bureau Geodesy and Geophysics Laboratory, 61A NASA Goddard Space Flight Center 8800 Greenbelt Rd., Greenbelt, MD 20770 Claudia.C.Carabajal@nasa.gov ************************************************************************ IERS Messages are edited and distributed by the IERS Central Bureau. If not stated otherwise, the IERS is only the distributor of the message and is not responsible for its content. To submit texts for distribution, please write to . To subscribe or unsubscribe, please create an IERS account or modify it: https://www.iers.org/Login/Login/EN/login_node.html or write to . Archives: http://www.iers.org/IERS/Messages ************************************************************************