N° 19–2014: Call for Media: ESA at Farnborough International Airshow
8 July 2014
ESA will be present over the week of 14–20 July in the dedicated Space Zone in Hall 3 of the Farnborough airshow’s international aerospace exhibition. Media and the public can learn about the activities of ESA in the different domains of space, try hands-on demonstrations and learn from experts about the latest developments.
Farnborough
This year, as ESA and its member states are celebrating 50 years of European cooperation in space, the exhibition underlines the importance of building on the achievements in space science, exploration and applications to shape the future of Europe in this strategic sector.
The exhibition highlights activities at ESA’s new centre in the UK. ESA’s Harwell-based ECSAT, the European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications, supports activities in telecommunications, integrated applications and climate change, including technology development and scientific research.
ECSAT focuses on the development of commercial space-based products and services, downstream applications and the ‘spin-out’ of space into non-space sectors.
Tuesday, 15 Julyis Space Day at the airshow. ESA’s Director General, Jean Jacques Dordain, will participate in a special Space Day Conference being organised by the UK Space Agency on the future of spaceflight in Europe. This will be held in the Media Centre in Hall 1 from 11.30 to 12.50 BST.
Later on the same day, from 14:30 to 15:30 BST, the development contract with LuxSpace for innovative microsatellites for ship identification and tracking, and the agreement with the satellite operator exactEarth, will be signed on the ESA stand in Hall 3. A presentation of the overall Automatic Identification System via satellite programme, SAT-AIS, will be given by Magali Vaissiere, ESA Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications.
Throughout the week, the Space Zone will host a number of presentations and events. A full programme is available at: http://www.ukspace.org/event/farnborough-international-air-show/
In addition, and in coordination with the presentation programme, experts will be on hand with live demos on the ESA stand, including the Iris programme that is developing an air-to-ground communication system for air traffic management, and applications and services being developed under ESA contract for aviation systems, telemedicine, maritime safety, improved media streaming and geophysical surveys.
OnFriday, 18 JulyESA astronaut Tim Peake will inaugurate the airshow’s Futures Day, focusing on careers for thousands of student visitors from schools and universities. He will then give presentations in the Space Zone alongside experts from across the space domain.
Tim Peake will also be present at the ESA stand onSaturday, 19 JulyandSunday, 20 Julyhosting short presentations with Q&A sessions for the public.
About the European Space Agency
The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. It 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 20 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, of whom 18 are Member States of the EU.
ESA has Cooperation Agreements with eight other Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.
ESA is also working with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes.
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.
ESA develops the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed to keep Europe at the forefront of global space activities.
Today, it 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.