N° 22–2022: Call for media: Press conference with ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti from the International Space Station
13 May 2022
Media representatives are invited to a hybrid press event with ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti to learn more about her arrival at the International Space Station and the start of her second mission.
ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti’s ESA mission, known as ‘Minerva’, has officially begun. After a 15-hour journey on a SpaceX Crew Dragon, she arrived at the International Space Station on Thursday 28 April.
Samantha will be USOS Lead, responsible for all activities within the US Orbital Segment for the duration of her mission. This segment includes the US, European, Japanese and Canadian modules and components of the Space Station.
During her time on board Samantha will also support numerous European and international experiments in orbit.
Registered journalists will be able to ask questions remotely and in person from Italian Space Agency ASI’s headquarters in Rome, Italy, to Samantha Cristoforetti, during a live Q&A session on Wednesday 18 May, from 16:35 to 16:55 CEST.
Programme (times in CEST)
16:10 Webex event opens to registered media
Short briefing on what to expect
16:15 Welcome by ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration David Parker
16:20 Italy’s Minister for Technological Innovation and Digital Transition Vittorio Colao
16:25 Italy's Minister for Public Education Patrizio Bianchi
16:30 ASI President Giorgio Saccoccia
16:35 Connection with International Space Station established
Media Q&A with ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti begins
16:55 End of event
Participants
ESA Director of Human and Robotics Exploration David Parker
Italy’s Minister for Technological Innovation and Digital Transition Vittorio Colao
Italy's Minister for Public Education Patrizio Bianchi
ASI President Giorgio Saccoccia
ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti
Media Registration
Remote attendance
To attend remotely, please register online at https://blogs.esa.int/forms/esa-media-briefing-form by 16 May 2022 (15:00 CEST).
This event will be run via Webex Event. After registering, media will receive additional information and the link to join the online information session (WebEx platform).
Please note that those who registered for the initially planned event and sent questions should reregister and resend their proposed questions. Thank you for your understanding.
Attendance from ASI HQ
To attend the event at ASI HQ, please send a confirmation email to stampa@asi.it.
Location:
ASI HQ
Auditorium Luigi Broglio dell’Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
Via del Politecnico snc - 00133 Roma
How to ask questions
Due to time constraints, questions will be limited. We kindly ask media to send their questions (in English or Italian) in advance by 16 May at 15:00 CEST to media@esa.int. This avoids that the question cannot be asked in case of connection problems.
Requests will be selected on a first come first served basis. Only selected registered media will have access to the Webex Event and be able to ask their questions to Samantha (in English and Italian).
The event will be streamed publicly at esawebtv.esa.int.
Details of upcoming ESA events are posted on the events calendar and www.esa.int/newsroom.
More information on Minerva Mission
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Minerva
Latest updates on the Exploration blog:
https://blogs.esa.int/exploration/category/astronauts/samantha-cristoforetti/
Images
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images
https://www.flickr.com/photos/astrosamantha/
Terms and conditions for using ESA images:
www.esa.int/spaceinimages/ESA_Multimedia/Copyright_Notice_Images
For questions or more information related to ESA images, please email: spaceinimages@esa.int
Videos
https://www.esa.int/esatv/Videos/2022/03/Samantha_s_second_space_mission_Minerva
Video B-roll of Samantha training for the Minerva mission is available on ESA’s videos for professionals:
https://www.esa.int/esatv/Videos/2021/06/Samantha_Cristoforetti_training_B-Rolls
Terms and conditions for using ESA videos:
https://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Terms_and_Conditions
For questions or more information related to ESA videos, please email: spaceinvideos@esa.int
Social media
Twitter: @esa @AstroSamantha
TikTok: @AstroSamantha
Facebook: @EuropeanSpaceAgency
Instagram: @europeanspaceagency
YouTube: ESA
LinkedIn: European Space Agency - ESA
Pinterest: European Space Agency - ESA
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. Slovenia, Latvia and Lithuania are Associate Members.
ESA has established formal cooperation with five 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 as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.
Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int
For further information:
ESA Newsroom and Media Relations Office – Ninja Menning
Email: media@esa.int
Tel: +31 71 565 6409