![ESA Day in Spain at 'Madrid es Ciencia’ 2024 – The role of women in the space sector [ESA Image]](/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2024/03/esa_day_in_spain_at_madrid_es_ciencia_2024_the_role_of_women_in_the_space_sector_esa_image/25992915-4-eng-GB/ESA_Day_in_Spain_at_Madrid_es_Ciencia_2024_The_role_of_women_in_the_space_sector_ESA_Image_pillars.jpg)
ESA and Spain communicating about joint space endeavours
On 8 March 2024, an ‘ESA Day in cooperation with Spain’ event was held at the ESA stand during the ‘Madrid es Ciencia’ science fair. The event brought together the European Space Agency, the Spanish Space Agency (AEE), Spanish scientific institutions and industry, as well as school students, teachers and the general public.
With over 30 000 visitors attracted every year, 'Madrid es Ciencia’ is one of the largest science outreach events in Spain. The fair, held in the Spanish capital from 7 to 9 March 2024, provided a unique opportunity to host the 2024 edition of ‘ESA Day in cooperation with Spain’. The aim of the event, created through a collaboration between the European Space Agency and Spain, was to increase awareness of European and national endeavours in the space sector. Throughout the panels and presentations of the day, significant emphasis was placed on the benefits of establishing strong, enduring collaborations, which have greatly fostered the advancement of cutting-edge research and technology in Spain.
Cooperation between ESA and Spain has grown steadily since the signing of the ESA Convention in 1975. Spain was one of ESA’s ten founding Member States and, over the last 20 years, it has emerged as a leader in the development and integration of instruments, platforms, satellites, and complete ground segments.
The ESA Day event was opened by Teresa Riesgo, Secretary General for Innovation at the Spanish Ministry of Science Innovation. Riesgo highlighted the pivotal role played by Spain across different domains of the space sector. These included delivering science results obtained from space mission data, developing reusable launchers like Miura-1, and making significant contributions to ESA’s Earth Observation and Science missions fleet.
During the round table, high-level representatives from relevant institutions also gave their take on a vast range of crucial topics. Among them: Elsa Montagnon, Head of the Mission Operations Division at ESA; Cecilia Hernandez, Head of Science and Exploration Department and Chair of the ESA Science Programme Committee at AEE; Mercedes Ruiz, Head of Systems and GNC Area at Sener; Sara Garcia, ESA Reserve Astronaut, and Eva Villaver, Director of the Space and Society Office at AEE. The event was facilitated by Sandra Benitez Herrera, Education Scientist and Communication Officer at ESAC, the European Space Astronomy Center located near Madrid.
Other notable attendees included the Director and ESA Delegates of the Spanish Space Agency, representatives from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Madrid Regional Council, Airbus Spain, the public company Isdefe and the Technological Innovation and Talent Cluster in Space Technologies of Madrid. Their presence underlined the importance of international cooperation in Europe’s space sector, reaffirming the strong collaboration between Spain and the European Space Agency.
