N° 34–2021: Call for media: Q&A with ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer
25 October 2021
Media representatives are invited to a virtual Q&A session with German ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer on Friday 29 October from 15:00-16:00 (CEST) to learn more about the latest launch preparations and highlights regarding his mission. Matthias is currently in pre-launch quarantine in the USA.
Matthias’ first launch attempt is on Sunday 31 October at 07:21 CET (06:21 GMT, 02:21 EDT) alongside NASA astronauts Kayla Barron, Tom Marshburn and Raja Chari on the next SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft “Endurance”. The backup launch date is 3 November. He will have a small crossover with ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who is currently on board.
The launch will be streamed live and broadcast on ESA Web TV. The crew’s docking with the Harmony module of the International Space Station is currently scheduled for early the next day following an approximately 22-hour journey.
Matthias will be the 600th human to fly to space. During his six months in orbit, Matthias will support numerous European and international experiments in microgravity. Knowledge gained as a result of his mission will shape the future of space exploration and help enhance life on Earth.
Media registration:
Please register online via: https://blogs.esa.int/forms/esa-media-briefing-form/ by 28 October.
The press briefing will be streamed at esawebtv.esa.int, but only registered media will be able to ask questions (in English and German) via a dedicated WebEx platform.
Upcoming events are posted on the launch calendar and events calendar at www.esa.int/newsroom.
Contact
If you have further questions, please contact media@esa.int.
Further information and launch events
NASA will provide coverage for the upcoming Crew-3 launch with several media opportunities. You will find a detailed list of upcoming dates in the link below:
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/coverage-set-for-nasa-s-spacex-crew-3-briefings-events-broadcasts
Launch events in Germany
Media are also invited to join, in person, the following launch events being held in Berlin, Saarland and Oberpfaffenhofen on 31 October.
Zeiss-Großplanetarium Berlin
Jennifer Ngo-Anh, ESA Research and Payloads Programme Coordinator and Thomas Reiter, former ESA astronaut, will be joining the programme of the launch event being held by the Zeiss-Großplanetarium in Berlin.
Full details for the event at the planetarium can be found via -
https://www.planetarium.berlin/veranstaltungen/live-livestream-cosmic-kiss
There are a limited number of places for media.
Media registrations for Berlin can be sent to: kommunikation@planetarium.berlin
Saarland
Juergen Schlutz, Facility Development & Utilisation Engineer at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre, Bernhard von Weyhe, Senior ESA Media Relations Officer, and Anna Jacobs, ESA Branding & Corporate Identity Officer will be joining the programme of the launch event being held by the district St. Wendel in Saarland.
Full details for the event in Saarland can be found via -
https://cosmickiss.landkreis-st-wendel.de/
The press officer of St. Wendel, Dirk Schäfer (d.schaefer@lkwnd.de), is the point of contact for media.
Oberpfaffenhofen
ESA’s Berti Meisinger, ESA ISS Mission Manager, and Rüdiger Seine, Space Training Team Leader, will be joining the programme of the launch event being held by the German Aerospace Center DLR in Oberpfaffenhofen.
If you would like to arrange an interview with the ESA representatives, please contact us via media@esa.int .
More information on Cosmic Kiss Mission
The Cosmic Kiss mission brochure is now online in English and German.
https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/HRE/cosmic_kiss_EN.pdf
https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/HRE/cosmic_kiss_DE.pdf
Information on the Cosmic Kiss mission: www.esa.int/CosmicKiss. Latest updates on the Exploration blog: https://blogs.esa.int/exploration/category/astronauts/matthias-maurer/
Social media
Follow ESA on:
Twitter: @esaspaceflight, @astro_matthias
Instagram: Europeanspaceagency, esamatthiasmaurer
Facebook: EuropeanSpaceAgency, ESAMatthiasMaurer
YouTube: ESA
Images
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images
https://flickr.com/photos/matthiasmaurer/
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 contact directly spaceinimages@esa.int.
Videos
Video B-roll of Matthias training for the Cosmic Kiss mission is available on ESA’s videos for professionals:
https://www.esa.int/esatv/Videos/2020/12/Matthias_Maurer_Cosmic_Kiss_mission_training
https://www.esa.int/esatv/Videos/2020/12/Cosmic_Kiss_Matthias_Maurer_s_first_ISS_mission
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos
Terms and conditions for using ESA videos:
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