The UK Space Conference, which took place this week in Belfast, kicked off with a panel session that focused on “Space for our future”.
Chaired by UK Space Agency Chief Executive Paul Bate, the panel featured Josef Aschbacher, ESA’s Director General; Rebecca Evernden, Director of Space at the UK’s Department for Science Innovation and Technology; and Aarti Holla-Maini, Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.
Josef Aschbacher spoke about key UK contributions to ESA programmes – including telecommunications, applications, Earth observation, and science – as well as highlighting the role of ESA’s European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT) in the UK.
The panel emphasized the crucial role of space-based collaboration and innovation in tackling current and future challenges facing citizens in the UK and beyond.