N° 1–2017: ESA activities in 2017 of interest to media

Director General’s Annual Press Conference

ESA Director General Jan Woerner will meet the press at the traditional start-of-year briefing on the activities and challenges for 2017.

Location: ESA HQ, Paris (France)

Date: 18 January, 08:30–10:30 

 

SmallGEO/Hispasat 36W-1 press briefing

The partners for SmallGEO’s first flight, Hispasat 36W-1, will meet the press. The Director General and representatives from ESA’s telecom directorate, Hispasat, OHB System AG and the DLR German Aerospace Center will brief the media and take questions.

Location: ESA HQ, Paris (France)

Date: 18 January, 11:30–12:30 

 

Launch of SmallGEO/Hispasat 36W-1

Europe’s new versatile small geostationary platform, SmallGEO, will be launched on its first mission as the commercial telecom satellite Hispasat 36W-1.

Location: CSG, Europe’s Spaceport (French Guiana)

Expected date: 27/28 January

 

Press tour of UK Copernicus institutions

ESA and several of its UK partners (STFC, Satellite Applications Catapult, ECMWF) will host a press tour, presenting how Copernicus unlocks the potential of satellite technology to help countries respond to climate change and resilience challenges.

Location: Harwell Campus and Shinfield Park (UK)

Date: 31 January, 10:00–16:30

 

Launch of Sentinel-2B

In coordination with the EC as part of the Copernicus constellation for Earth observation in Europe, the second Sentinel-2 satellite will be lifted into orbit on a Vega launcher.

Locations: CSG, Europe’s Spaceport (French Guiana). Main event at ESOC, Darmstadt (Germany)

Date: 7 March at 03:50 CET (6 March in Kourou)

 

Pre-launch Sentinel-5P

In coordination with the EC as part of the Copernicus constellation for Earth observation, and with Netherlands Space Office as instrument contributor, Sentinel-5P will be presented to media.

Location: Stevenage (UK)

Date: late March (TBC)

 

ESA Open Days at ESRIN

This annual event for primary and lower secondary school students for a whole week aims to involve the young generation in space activities by building satellite models and launching rockets. Teachers will learn about ESA’s education and classroom resources.

Location: ESRIN, Frascati (Italy)

Date: 6–10 March

 

7th European Conference on Space Debris

Over 200 experts on space debris and mitigation measures from the world will gather for the seventh time. They will take stock of the situation, discuss countermeasures to reduce space debris from mishaps as well as preventive actions.

Location: ESOC, Darmstadt (Germany)

Date: 18–21 April

 

Landing of ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet

After completing his six-month Proxima mission on the International Space Station, Thomas Pesquet will land on the steppe of Kazakhstan. 

Location: Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakhstan)

Date: 15 May 

 

Mission of ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli

Paolo Nespoli is assigned to fly to the International Space Station on the six-month Vita mission.

Launch

• Location: Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakhstan)
• Expected date: 29 May

Landing

• Location: Kazakhstan
• Expected date: 15 October (tbc)

 

 

52nd International Paris Air Show

ESA will be present in the world’s largest air exhibition with a space pavilion. Several media events will be organised.

Location: Le Bourget, Paris (France)

Date: 19–25 June

 

BepiColombo media day

An international media event will present the flight hardware and the mission of ESA and JAXA’s Mercury explorer.

Location: ESTEC, Noordwijk (The Netherlands)

Date: tbc in June

 

Launch of Sentinel-5P

In coordination with the EC as part of the Copernicus constellation for Earth observation, and with Netherlands Space Office as instrument contributor, Sentinel-5P will be launched on a Rockot.

Locations: Plesetsk (Russia). Main European event at ESTEC, Noordwijk (The Netherlands)

Date: not earlier than June

 

Opening of Lunar analogue facility

A new facility for tests and to familiarise astronauts with a Moon-like environment will be opened.

Location: EAC, Cologne (Germany)

Date: second half 2017

 

Launch of Galileo

In coordination with the EC, an Ariane 5 will for the second time use a new payload dispenser to release four identical satellites into orbit in one go.

Location: CSG, Europe’s Spaceport (French Guiana)

Expected date: 9 August

 

ESA Open Day at ESOC

ESOC will open its doors to the general public on its 50th anniversary, showing the diversity of ESA missions conducted and the technology developed to carry out activities.

Location: ESOC, Darmstadt (Germany)

Date: 8 September (tbc)

 

European Researchers’ Night at ESRIN

ESRIN will open its doors to the general public in celebration of European Researchers’ Night in collaboration with Frascati Scienza. Scientists and engineers will give inspiring demonstrations and talks on ESA’s Earth observation satellites and on ESA’s Vega launcher programme.

Location: ESRIN, Frascati (Italy)

Date: 29 September

 

 

ESA Open Day at ESTEC

This annual event takes place as part of the Netherlands’ national Weekend of Science, as well as World Space Week, and attracts close to 9000 visitors. Visitors will be able to wander around the sprawling facility at their own pace, meeting astronauts, scientists and mission designers, while seeing special exhibits and actual space hardware.

Location: ESTEC, Noordwijk (The Netherlands)

Date: 8 October

 

Launch of Sentinel-3B

In coordination with the EC as part of the Copernicus constellation for Earth observation in Europe, the second Sentinel-3 satellite will be lifted into orbit on a Rockot launcher.

Locations: Plesetsk (Russia). Main event in Europe at ESOC, Darmstadt (Germany) (tbc)

Date: November

 

Pre-launch press event for ADM-Aeolus, ESA’s wind mission

As part of ESA’s scientific Earth observation mission series, ADM-Aeolus will be the first ever satellite to deliver wind profiles on a global scale and on a daily basis.

Location: TBD

Date: early November

 

Launch of EDRS-C

The second node of the European Data Relay System, which will enable near-realtime data transfer to the ground from low-orbiting satellites using cutting-edge laser technology. It will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket.

Location: CSG, Europe’s Spaceport (French Guiana)
Expected date: October

 

Launch of ADM-Aeolus

As part of ESA’s scientific Earth observation mission series, ESA’s wind mission will be launched on a Vega rocket. ADM-Aeolus will be the first ever satellite to deliver wind profiles on a global scale and on a daily basis.

Location: CSG, Europe’s Spaceport (French Guiana)

Date: End of year

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 is an Associate Member.

ESA has established formal cooperation with six 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.

ESA develops the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed to keep Europe at the forefront of global space activities.

Today, it develops and 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. ESA also has a strong applications programme developing services in the Earth observation, navigation and telecommunications domain.

Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int

 

For further information, please contact:

ESA Media Relations Office

Tel: +33 1 53 69 72 99

Email: media@esa.int