N° 44–2015: Call for Media: LISA Pathfinder launch

LISA Pathfinder will help to open up a completely new observational window into the gravitational Universe, by testing new technologies needed to measure gravitational waves in space. Predicted by Albert Einstein, these waves are ripples in the curvature of spacetime produced by massive celestial events, such as the merging of black holes.

Detecting gravitational waves would also be an additional confirmation of General Relativity, and greatly enhance our knowledge of the most powerful phenomena in the Universe.

Learn more about LISA Pathfinder at: http://sci.esa.int/lisapf

Launch event in Europe

Media are invited to join scientists, mission operators and engineers from the LISA Pathfinder team at a briefing in ESOC starting at 05:30 GMT (06:30 CET). The briefing will include the spacecraft’s separation from Vega, as well as the acquisition of the signal that confirms arrival in low orbit.

Following a series of six orbit-raising manoeuvres within two weeks of launch, the spacecraft will journey for six weeks to its operating orbit around the Sun–Earth L1 Lagrange point, some 1.5 million km from Earth in a sunward direction.

Programme outline at ESOC

(all times in CET, event will be held in the Press Centre, building H)

06:30   Doors to ESOC open

06:45   Start of press briefing

“Introduction to LISA Pathfinder, launcher separation and acquisition of signal” - Paolo Ferri, Head of ESA Operations, and Arvind Parmar, Head of ESA Scientific Support Office

07:00   Spacecraft separation from launcher expected

07:02   Acquisition of signal expected.

Continuation of the press briefing

“The journey to L1” - Florian Renk, LISA Pathfinder Mission Analyst, ESA

“Why do we need to investigate the Gravitational Universe?” -Oliver Jennrich, LISA Pathfinder Deputy Mission Scientist, ESA

“How will LISA Pathfinder test the technology to measure gravitational waves?” - William Weber, LISA Pathfinder scientist, University of Trento

“What will LISA Pathfinder do in the coming months?” - Martin Hewitson, LISA Pathfinder scientist, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)

“Industrial and technological challenges of LISA Pathfinder” - Eckhard Settelmeyer, Director Earth Observation, Navigation and Science, Airbus DS

08:00   Question and Answer session

08:10   Individual interviews with programme speakers; joint breakfast for media and speakers

09:00   End of event

For accreditation, media can register at: esoc.communication@esa.int

Please register by 27 November.

How to get to ESOC: http://www.esa.int/About_Us/ESOC/Getting_to_ESOC

Follow online

Webstreaming

ESA will cover the launch live on www.esa.int from 03:50 GMT (04:50 CET) and the Press briefing from 05:45 GMT (06:45 CET).

Subscribe to http://livestream.com/ESA/

ESA TV   

In cooperation with Arianespace, ESA TV will provide broadcasters with live satellite relay of the launch. Several stories have also been prepared on the mission and its technology:

LISA Pathfinder mission overview (13 November)

LISA Pathfinder preparation (23 September and 4 August)

Details at: http://www.esa.int/esatv/Television

More videos at: http://www.esa.int/esatv/Missions/LISA_Pathfinder

Social media

For live updates throughout the launch period, follow @esaoperations, @ESA_LPF and @ESA. The official hashtag is #LISAPathfinder.

A Flickr album is available at: https://flic.kr/s/aHskiSpEJq

Images

The latest high-resolution images can be found at:
ESA’s Multimedia Gallery: 
http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Missions/LISA_Pathfinder
ESA’s Photo Library for Professionals: http://www.esa-photolibrary.com
Media image queries can be directed to spaceinimages@esa.int

About the European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.

ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.

ESA has 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, of whom 20 are Member States of the EU.

ESA has established formal cooperation with seven other Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.

By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes.

ESA develops the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed to keep Europe at the forefront of global space activities.

Today, it develops and launches satellites for Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications and astronomy, sends probes to the far reaches of the Solar System and cooperates in the human exploration of space.

Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int

For further information, please contact:

ESA Media Relations Office
Tel: +33 1 53 69 72 99
Email: media@esa.int