ESA highlights in 2024

2023-12-01 13:18:52

The following list provides media representatives with an overview of the main events on the Agency’s agenda. Please note that dates are subject to change and will be clarified by the ESA closer to the events.

Greetings to the press from the Director General at ESA headquarters in Paris

Date: January 12

Director General Josef Aschbacher and the ESA directors will hold their annual start-of-year press conference where they will provide an overview of the year ahead. The briefing will focus on Europe’s ambitions for a green and sustainable future through space, access to space, space exploration, scientific activities, space security and space commercialization.

Axiom-3: Launch of the Muninn mission (Marcus Wandt)

Date: mid-January

ESA Astronaut Reserve member and ESA Project Astronaut Marcus Wandt is currently preparing for his first mission aboard the International Space Station. He will be a specialist on the Axiom-3 mission, with the support of ESA and theSwedish National Space Agency. The mission, Muninn, will last a maximum of 14 days during which Marcus will participate in microgravity research activities and youth outreach activities.

A recording of Marcus’ recent press conference is available.

Follow Marcus’ journey into space on the ESA exploration blogon X and on Instagram.

Return from the International Space Station of ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen

Date: end of February

Andreas Mogensen, sixth European commander of the International Space Station, will lead his Huginn mission until early 2024; he will continue to focus on supervising crew activities and ensuring the safety of the Station. His return to Earth is scheduled for the end of February.

Graduation ceremony for ESA Class of 2022 astronauts

Date : avril

The ESA Astronaut Class of 2022 graduation ceremony will not only mark the successful completion of rigorous training, but will also serve as a platform to announce the careful selection that has been made for future space missions.

Detailed information regarding press briefings and media accreditation will be provided approximately six weeks before graduation.

Launch of Galileo

Dates: the first launch is planned for April, the second for July/September, with two satellites per launch.

Galileo is the world’s most precise satellite navigation system, serving more than four billion people and devices worldwide; it enables a myriad of applications in transportation, rail, maritime, dating services, agriculture and rescue operations.

With more than 30 years of experience in the field of satellite navigation, ESA is tasked by the European Commission with designing, developing, procuring, testing and qualifying the Galileo system.

Ten first-generation Galileo satellites still need to be launched to complete the constellation. The second generation of Galileo will then succeed them; this will bring improved and more powerful capabilities to the system.

As Ariane 6, the new heavy-lift launch system developed by ESA, prepares for its maiden flight, the EU has agreed to launch four Galileo navigation satellites with SpaceX.

Launch of the EarthCARE satellite

Dates: May

The satellite d’observation de la Terre EarthCARE (Cloud, Aerosol and radiation Explorer) is a joint project between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

The satellite will study the role that clouds and aerosols play in reflecting incident solar radiation into space and trapping infrared radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface in order to better understand the evolution of Earth’s temperature.

Detailed information regarding press briefings and media accreditation will be provided approximately six weeks before the launch date.

Space Summit in Brussels

Dates: May

ESA relaunches Europe’s ambitions for a green and sustainable future, access to space and space exploration. With its member states, the agency is preparing an “ESA 2040” strategy which will be informed by a high-level meeting to be held in Brussels. This meeting represents an important step towards the Council meeting at ministerial level to be held in 2025.

Detailed information regarding press briefings and media accreditation will be provided approximately six weeks before the event.

Vol inaugural d’Ariane 6

Date: mid-June – end of July

Ariane 6, the new heavy launch system under development by ESA, will restore Europe’s independent access to space during its maiden flight between mid-June and the end of July.

Thanks to the Ariane 6 upper stage restart capability, Europe’s launch capacity will be adapted to the needs of multi-payload missions. This autonomous capacity to reach Earth orbit and deep space will serve European navigation, Earth observation, scientific and security programs.

Detailed information regarding press briefings and media accreditation will be provided approximately six weeks before the launch date.

ILA Berlin International Air Show

Date: June 5-9

ILA (International Luftfahrtausstellung) Berlin is Germany’s largest air show. ILA is organized every two years by the German Trade Association (BDLI) and is held at Berlin’s ExpoCenter Airport in Schönefeld.

ILA offers a comprehensive overview of technological advances in the fields of aviation and space exploration. It is a dynamic platform that promotes business networking and collaboration, and where industry leaders, researchers and government officials converge to engage in discussions that shape the future of aerospace.

ESA, BDLI and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) will share a large space pavilion. The official program will be communicated shortly before the event.

Farnborough International Airshow, United Kingdom

Date: July 22-26

The Farnborough International Airshow showcases a wide range of aircraft and attracts aviation enthusiasts, industry professionals, government officials and the general public from around the world.

ESA will be represented at this exhibition which is held every two years and provides a global platform for the aerospace industry to conduct commercial negotiations, sign major contracts and establish collaborations with partners around the world.

Launch of Proba-3

Date: Summer month

ESA’s Proba-3 mission will be launched aboard the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.

The two small satellites will study the discreet solar corona and the atmosphere surrounding it, and innovative technologies will be used to measure the precise positioning of the two spacecraft.

The Proba-3 mission will take off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh (India).

The mission antenna is located on the Portuguese island of Santa Maria in the Azores, and the ground station is in Redu, Belgium, where ESA’s European Space Safety and Education Center (ESEC) is located.

Detailed information regarding press briefings and media accreditation will be provided approximately six weeks before the launch date.

35th Planetary Congress of the Association of Space Explorers

Date: September 30 – October 6

The Association of Space Explorers’ membership includes more than 400 astronauts and cosmonauts from 38 countries.

The association presents the astronauts’ point of view on the influence of science, technology, engineering and mathematics among young people in order to contribute to the creation of a highly qualified workforce guaranteeing prosperity economic and scientific future, and to foster international cooperation in space exploration and planetary stewardship.

Its 35th Global Congress will be held at ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.

Detailed information regarding media accreditation will be provided approximately six weeks prior to the event date.

Inauguration of LUNA at the European Astronaut Center

Date: October

A facility designed to recreate the lunar surface – to provide a training ground for astronauts and a testing center for technology in the return to the Moon – is being built at the European Astronaut Center (EAC) of ESA in Cologne, Germany.

The collaborative project between ESA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) will allow future astronauts who will go to the Moon to train at LUNA facilities; these will make it possible to simulate an entire mission on lunar soil in a relevant environment, with real tools and operational support. LUNA will put Europe at the forefront of preparations for the Moon and beyond.

Detailed information regarding media accreditation will be provided approximately six weeks before the inauguration.

Launch of the Hera mission

Date: October

Hera is a planetary defense mission currently under development by ESA and which aims to study the binary asteroid Didymos. It will be launched by SpaceX from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

Hera will provide extremely valuable information for future asteroid deflection missions and science; it will also study the geophysics of asteroids, the formation of the Solar System and its evolutionary processes.

The ESA HERA project team is located at ESTEC (European Research and Technology Center Space) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, and mission operations are at ESOC (European Space Operations Center) in Darmstadt, Germany. Scientific support and archives are located at ESAC (European Space Astronomy Center) in Madrid, Spain.

Detailed information regarding press briefings and media accreditation will be provided approximately six weeks before the launch date.

75th International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Italy

Date: October 14 – 18, 2024

Each year, the International Astronautical Congress brings together space agencies, industry, university researchers and students from around the world.

The event is organized by the International Astronautical Federation, the International Academy of Astronautics and the International Space Law Institute, in collaboration with a local organizer.

ESA experts will join approximately 8,000 delegates to showcase the agency’s latest programs, missions and technologies on the theme of responsible space for sustainability.

Vega-C/Sentinel-1C

Date: fall

Operated from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, the Vega-C intermediate launcher will extend Europe’s autonomy in space by making new missions possible, including return operations to Earth with the launch vehicle. ESA Space Rider reusable atmospheric reentry.

Copernicus’ third Sentinel-1 satellite is scheduled to lift off aboard a Vega-C launcher in the last quarter of 2024. The Earth observation satellite will provide critical radar images for a wide range of services, applications and scientific research activities.

About the European Space Agency

The European Space Agency is Europe’s gateway to space.

ESA is an intergovernmental organization, established in 1975, whose mission is to work to develop Europe’s space capabilities by ensuring that investments in the space sector benefit citizens in Europe and around the world.

The ESA has twenty-two member states: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Romania, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Switzerland. Slovenia, Latvia and Lithuania are associate members.

The ESA has established official cooperation with six EU member states. Furthermore, Canada participates in certain ESA programs under a cooperation agreement.

By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, the ESA can undertake programs and activities that go far beyond what any of these countries might achieve individually. It cooperates in particular with the EU in the implementation of the Galileo and Copernicus programs, as well as with EUMETSAT for the development of meteorological missions.

To find out more regarding ESA, visit www.esa.int

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