Paris Air Show 2023: a memorable edition that brought the future of space to Europe
The 54th edition of the Paris Air Show, held from 19 to 25 June, just came to an end. The week-long show, one of the oldest and largest aerospace events in the world, welcomed institutional and trade visitors on the first four days, while on the last three days it opened its doors to space and aviation enthusiasts, students and children with their families. With more than 20 000 people visiting the ESA/CNES pavilion in the last three public days, the Paris Air Show 2023 showcased the successes and ambitions of the European Space Agency to a record-breaking number of visitors.
With some 210 000 professional visitors and 170 000 general public visitors attending the event, and a total of 400 000 thousand entries, the 54th International Paris Air Show came to an end on Sunday.
The European Space Agency was there to showcase its activities through an exhibition, while also bringing together key players from international space agencies, space experts, institutions, students and space enthusiasts. Among the 2500 exhibitors coming from 46 countries, the ESA/CNES pavilion stood out as a place for sharing scientific knowledge, paving the way for future collaborations with the European space industry and presenting the future goals of Europe in space.
The exhibition
Throughout the entire week, crowds gathered at the ESA/CNES Pavilion to visit ESA's exhibition, which offered a glimpse of the latest successes and upcoming endeavours of the European Space Agency. The exhibition combined interactive elements, virtual reality installations, objects, lights and sounds. Visitors were taken through an immersive and informative experience showing a wide range of ESA’s activities such as technology, operations, space transportation, space science, human and robotic exploration, space safety and the endless variety of applications using space technologies to benefit citizens on Earth (Earth observation, navigation and connectivity, and secure communications).
ESA/CNES pavilion inaugurated by French President Emmanuel Macron
On the first day of the Paris Air Show, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and the President of CNES, Philippe Baptiste, alongside ESA astronauts Samantha Cristoforetti, Matthias Maurer and Thomas Pesquet welcomed the French President, Emmanuel Macron at the ESA/CNES pavilion. During the inauguration tour of the Paris Air Show, the French President stopped by the Space Pavilion. He spent 25 minutes of his inauguration tour here, during which he had the opportunity to admire scale model spacecraft from both agencies, including the European Service Module (ESA’s contribution to NASA’s Orion spacecraft that will send astronauts to the Moon and beyond).
Contracts signed
Bringing together several stakeholders from institutions, international space agencies and industries, the show provided the opportunity for many key players to initiate and seal ambitious collaborations. From space safety to commercialisation and space transportation, contracts signed at the Paris Air Show 2023 covered a wide range of ESA activities.
Zero debris charter
With the Zero Debris Charter press debrief, the airshow was also the occasion for ESA to unveil the ambitious Zero Debris Charter initiative. The session marked the starting point of an ambitious push for European commercial and institutional actors to adopt more sustainable space debris practices. ESA, Airbus Defence and Space, OHB, and Thales Alenia Space have joined forces to support this ambition to tackle the pressing issue of space debris.
Click here to read more about the Zero Debrief Charter press debrief.
Watch here the replay of the Zero Debris Charter press debrief.
A new contract to maintain Europe's Spaceport
On day three, ESA Director of Space Transportation Daniel Neuenschwander and Marie-Anne Clair, CNES-CSG Director, signed a contract for the next five years regarding maintenance and investments in Europe's spaceport CSG. The investment covers activities for a more flexible, digital and sustainable/carbon neutral CSG.
Agreement with SpaceFounders
Another important achievement for ESA was the signature of an agreement with SpaceFounders (an initiative by Bundeswehr University Munich in Germany, CNES in France and Agenzia Spaziale Italiana in Italy), to nurture the next generation of European space leaders. Look Up Space, one of their startups, secured €14 million in funding, the second-largest seed capital round in European spacetech and the largest in France to date. The round was led by a pool of investors, some of them from the ESA Investor Network.
Signature with Way4Space
During the Paris Air Show, Geraldine Naja, ESA’s Director of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness and Alain Rousset, President of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region and President of Way4Space signed a partnership agreement to mark a common interest in fostering a circular economy.
New Space Global Markets Challenge
The Paris Air Show week also saw the conclusion of the New Space Global Markets Challenge. Out of 29 ideas submitted, 9 finalist startups were invited to pitch their solution in front of a jury and eventually 2 winners were selected: Arkadia Space and AIKO – Infinite Ways to Autonomy. They won their awards for presenting a convincing plan for scaling their solution on to the market. Members of the jury that voted on the finalists were Geraldine Naja, European Space Agency – ESA, Jørgen Bru, European Space Agency - ESA, Daniele Romagnoli, European Space Agency - ESA, Pacome Revillon, Euroconsult, Estelle Godard, Promus Ventures.
Contract signature with NewSpace Capital
During the Paris Air Show, ESA officially welcomed NewSpace Capital as the 31st Member of the ESA Investor Network, a community charged with increasing relations between space start-ups, potential space investors and ESA, as part of the Agency's ESA Commercialisation Gateway. The contract was signed by ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and Bogdan Gogulan CEO, Managing Partner of NewSpace Capital.
Public days
While the first four days were dedicated to professionals and trade visitors, from Friday to Sunday (23, 25 and 25 June) thousands of students, children and space enthusiasts gathered at the ESA/CNES Pavilion to enjoy ESA's exhibition and attend the events and sessions held on the stage.
The next edition of the Paris Air Show will take place from 16 to 22 June 2025.
