ESOC inauguration 1967

This rare archive footage was provided by Hessische Rundfunk and was recorded for TV broadcast during the inauguration of the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), Darmstadt, Germany. The original audio is in German (there is no English version available).

The first video was recorded during the inauguration at ESOC on 8 September 1967. The footage includes shots of the exterior main entrance, the newly built A-Building at ESOC (which was demolished in 2016 to make way for new construction), the arrival of the VIPs, the inauguration speeches, signing of the agreement between the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) and Germany to establish ESOC − ESRO was the parent organisation of ESOC and a forerunner to ESA, views of the computer facilities.

The VIPs seen in the footage include Gerhard Stoltenberg, the German Federal Minister of Scientific Research, the Justice Minister for the State of Hessen, Johannes Strelitz, the ESRO Director General Pierre Auger and the Lord Mayor of Darmstadt, Ludwig Engel.

The second video was recorded around the same time, and provides a guided tour of the computer facilities at ESDAC.

The third is a condensed mix of the two videos above.

Happy birthday ESOC!