Astrophysics and Space Research Problematic Council is created by the decision of the Scientific Council of the Ioffe Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences on April 15, 2011. Leading scientists of the Institute and other research and educational institutions may be elected to the Council.

In its activities the Council is guided by the Statute of the Institute and the current Provision on the Problematic Council.

According to the Statute «the competence of the Council includes analysis of the state of research on the problems of astrophysics and space research at the Institute, in other organizations in the country and abroad and coordination of the corresponding research in departments of the Institute with the aim of increasing their efficiency».