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N° 58–2024: Media invitation: ESA at the International Astronautical Congress 2024

9 October 2024

ESA will join the International Astronautical Congress 2024 (IAC) that will be hosted in Milano, Italy, from 14 to 18 October 2024, at the MICO Convention Centre . At this unique global space discussion forum, ESA will present its latest mission achievements, the ESA astronaut corps and ambitions for the future of Europe in space. 

This year’s IAC edition will be hosted by the Italian Association of Aeronautics and Astronauts (AIDAA) and co-hosted by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and Leonardo.  As a key member of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), organizer of IAC, ESA is cordially inviting accredited journalists to the following presentations and panel sessions on-site and to connect with ESA top management and senior experts, in particular at the ESA booth. 

IAC Venue - ESA Booth: MS-D07 – Floor: Level 0, MICO Convention Centre, Via Gattamelata, 6, Milan, Italy - via Gate 2 (Portello underground station) and Gate 16 (Piazzale Carlo Magno). 

UPDATE :ESA programme at IAC 2024: ESA - ESA Programme at IAC 2024 

Main ESA Activities for Journalists  

Monday, 14 October 

  • 09:30-10:30 - IAC Opening Ceremony at IAC Gold Hall,  Live streamed on ESA Web TV , IAC Gold Hall. Participants from ESA include:ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, ESA Directors and astronauts.
  • 12:30 - 12:50 - RISE Mission Development Contract Signing at ESA booth.  Advancing in-orbit servicing technologies. Participants include:ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, D-Orbit CEO and Founder Luca Rossettini, Adolfo Urso, Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Italian Space Agency (ASI) President Teodoro Valente and ESA astronauts.
  • 13:00-14:00 – Panel on Vega lessons learnt. Stefano Bianchi, Head of Flight Programmes at ESA, will present key lessons learnt from the Vega programme, in coordination with Avio on the ESA booth. This session will provide insights into the challenges and successes of Vega, offering a detailed look into the technical and operational experiences gained. Moderated by ESA Commercial Space Transportation Programme Manager Thilo Kranz.
  • 13:45-15:15 - One-to-One with Heads of Agencies, Live streamed on ESA Web TV- Auditorium, Level 3, South Wing. Master of Ceremony: Christian Feichtinger, Executive Director, IAF Secretariat. Opening Welcome: Teodoro Valente, President, Italian Space Agency (ASI).Moderators:Tanja Masson-Zwaan, Assistant Professor and Deputy Director of the International Institute of Air and Space Law (IIASL), Leiden University and Clay Mowry, President, International Astronautical Federation (IAF). Speakers: Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director General, Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator,Sreedhara Somanath, ISRO Chairman,Hiroshi Yamakawa, JAXA President, Lisa Campbell, CSA President and Guoping Li, CNSA Chief Engineer.
  • 15:30 - 16:00 - Zero Debris Charter Signature Ceremony at ESA booth.  The ceremony will unite a steadily increasing group of leaders in the space sector to commit to achieving a Zero Debris environment by 2030, emphasizing the necessity for sustainable practices in space. Participants include ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, Salvador Landeros Ayala, Director General, Mexican Space Agency,  Iain Cossar, Head, New Zealand Space Agency, 22 representatives from industry, organisations and new signatory entities and ESA astronauts. Moderator: ESA Protect Accelerator Coordinator Quentin Verspieren
  • 16:00 – 17:00 - Space Tech Report- The session will provide insights into the latest trends in the space economy and will unveil new features of the Dealroom Space Tech Guide, an essential resource for navigating the evolving space industry. Participants will receive an in-depth analysis of current trends and key drivers shaping the sector. Speakers include: Gianluigi Baldesi, ESA Head of Ventures and Financing and  Luke Lantsoght Bartoli, Data Analyst, Dealroom.co.
  • 17:00-18:00 - ECSECO/ECSL Panel Discussion on Responsible Space for Sustainability - The European Centre for Space Law (ECSL) and the European Centre for Space Economy and Commerce (ECSECO) will conduct a panel discussion with experts from industry and academia focused on legal challenges and commercial constraints of the New Space market, envisioning a future for space sustainability in the fast-changing space sector. Introduction: Gisela Suess, ESA Head of Legal Services & Charlotte Mathieu, ESA Head of Industrial Policy & Space Economy. Participants: Dr. Catherine Doldirina, D-Orbit General Counsel, Mathieu Udriot, EPFL Co-Lead of the Sustainability Hub, Marianna Valente, Ph.D. candidate, Politecnico di Torino, Dr. Martha Mejia-Kaiser, Director International Institute of Space Law. Summary: Marco Ferrazzani, ESA Director of Internal Services & Alexander Soucek, ESA Head of International Law

Tuesday, 15 October 

  • 10:00 - 10:30 – Civil Security from Space – Signature Ceremonies. Participants include:ESA Director of Earth Observation Simonetta Cheli and ESA Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications Laurent Jaffart
  • 10:30 - 11:00 - Harmony Contract Signature Ceremony at ESA booth.  Participants include: ESA Director of Earth Observation Simonetta Cheli and OHB System AG Member of the Board Rüdiger Schönfeld. The new mission of the Earth Explorers family aims at enhancing Earth observation capabilities by integrating satellite data, providing insights for monitoring climate change and natural resources (polar ice caps, volcanos eruptions, earthquakes, etc). 
  • 11:00 – 12:00 – ESA Moonlight signature event at ESA booth. Future communications and navigation satellite constellation around the Moon. Participants include: ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA Director of Navigation Javier Benedicto Ruiz, ESA Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications Laurent Jaffart and Representatives from industry.
  • 12:00 - 13:00 - Panel on Satellite Navigation for Mobility at ESA booth. This panel will dive into the future of PNT and satellite navigation for the ever-growing field of mobility applications for modern society. Speakers: ESA Director of Navigation Javier Benedicto, EUSPA Head of the Office of the Executive Director Christina Giannopapa, GMV Director of Navigation Procurement Nester Zarraoa, Thales Product Line Manager GNSS & Lunar Navigation Mauro Marinelli. Moderator: ESA LEO-PNT System Manager Pietro Giordano
  • 13:00-14:00 - Proba-3: Demonstrating Innovative Technology to Deliver Exceptional Science. Highlights of the soon-to-be-launched Proba-3 mission, which will deliver 'eclipses on demand' and deliver imagery not available today to the heliophysics community.Speakers: Agnes Mestreau, Head of System Engineering Division at ESA, Andrei Zhukov (Royal Observatory of Belgium), Principal Investigator for Proba-3 coronograph. Moderator: Daniel Scuka.
  • 16:00- 17:00 - New Euclid Image. Presentation of a not-yet-published Euclid image taken during the first year of the mission and demonstrating the mission's incredible resolution power.A review of the mission’s milestones and some of first scientific results will also be presented. Speakers: ESA Director of Science Carol Mundell, ESA Project Scientist Valeria Pettorino, ESA Archive Scientist Bruno Altieri, Astrophysicist Conor O'Riordan. Moderator: ESA Science Communication Programme Officer Sandra Benitez Herrera
  • 17:00 - 18:00 - WIA-Europe Award Ceremony at ESA booth. Simonetta Cheli, ESA's Director of Earth Observation, receives the 2024 WIA-Europe Outstanding Achievements Award (Women in Aerospace) for her exceptional contributions to the aerospace sector and her exemplary leadership in promoting sustainability and innovation in Earth observation. Participants include: ESA Director of Earth Observation Simonetta Cheli and WIA-Europe President Luisella Giulicchi.

Wednesday, 16 October 

  • 10:00 – 10:55 – HydRON, high-speed optical communications in space at ESA booth.Hydron - Panel and signature ceremony
    Participants include: ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the German Space Agency at DLR Walther Pelzer and Canadian Space Agency President Lisa Campbell.
  • 11:00 - 12:00 - ESA BIC Italy.  An overview of ESA Business Incubation Centre Network and opportunities for startups, with specific focus on ESA BICs in Italy. Success stories will be also presented. Participants include: ESA BIC Lazio Head Michela Michilli, ESA BIC Turin Program Manager Leo Italiano,  ESA BIC Milan (tbc), ESA BIC Padua representative Andrea Alberti, ESA BIC Brindisi Program Manager Mario Erario. Moderator: Ritesh Jain, HE Space.
  • 12:15 - 12:30 - ESA and ISRO. Signature agreement between ESA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) concerning cooperation on activities related to astronaut training, mission implementation and research experiments. Participants include: ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and ISRO Scientific Secretary Shantanu Bhatawdekar.
  • 13:00 - 14:00 - ECSECO IAC - Paper Award. Announcement and presentation of the ECSECO Paper Award winner. Participants include:PhD Student at Politecnico di Bari (Italy) Marianna Valente. Moderator: Professor of Innovation and Project Management at Politecnico di Bari (Italy) Vito Albino
  • 14:30 – 16:00 – Astronauts and ESA DG on Human Exploration ambitions in Europe at ESA booth. Session on Human and Robotic Exploration: Panellists will be focussing on key topics and missions such the road to CM25, Explore 2040, LEO cargo return service and Argonaut.Speakers include: ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher,  ESA Head of Communications Anne-Sophie Bradelle, ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA HRE Senior Strategy Officer Stefaan De Mey, ESA astronauts Samantha Cristoforetti, Luca Parmitano and Alexander Gerst. Moderator: ESA HRE Communication Programme Officer Jules Grandsire.
  • 16:00 - 17:00 - Contract signing for IRIDE satellite constellation at ESA booth.  The signing concerns the industrial production of the second batch of satellites for the IRIDE constellation - Speakers include: ESA IRIDE Project Manager Gabriella Costa, ASI Head of Earth Observation Office Francesco Longo, Italian delegate to the Copernicus User Forum and the Copernicus Committee of the European Commission Andrea Taramelli, Argotec CEO David Avino, TASI CEO Giampiero Di Paolo. Moderators: ESA Director of Earth Observation Simonetta Cheli and Italian Space Agency (ASI) President Teodoro Valente.
  • 17:00 – 18:00 - Copernicus for Responsible Space and Sustainability. This session will bring together leading experts to explore the achievements, impact and future potential of Europe's revolutionary Copernicus programme. Speakers: Simonetta Cheli, ESA Director of Earth Observation, Mauro Facchini, European Commission, DEFIS, Head of Earth Observation Unit, Florence Rabier, ECMWF Director General, Alessandra Zampieri, European Commission, JRC Director of Sustainable Resources, Andrea Taramelli, Italian Copernicus User Forum Coordinator, Emmanuel Pajot, EARSC Secretary General.

Thursday, 17 October 

  • 11:00 - 11:30 - Space Finance Lab Debrief.  A short recap and insights into the Space Finance Lab. The focus will be on raising awareness of increased investment opportunities in space SMEs through commercial banks and highlighting initiatives by ESA, the European Commission (EC), EIB, EIC, and EUSPA. Key trends, challenges in space finance, and success stories will also be covered. Speakers include: ESA Head of Ventures and Financing Office Gianluigi Baldesi joined by Innovation Finance Advisor at European Investment Bank Jaroslav Toth.
  • 11:30 - 12:00 - ESA Rising Stars Award. Prize award ceremony for 'ESA Rising Stars', dedicated to promising European space companies. Participants include:ESA Director for Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness Géraldine Naja and  CEOs of awardee companies.
  • 12:00 - 13:00 - ECSECO/ESPI Panel on Private Investment in Space around the World. This panel will provide a discussion with global perspectives on private investments into the space sector. Speakers include:Temidayo Oniosun (Space in Africa), Masayasu Ishida (SPACETIDE), Simon Potter (Bryce Tech), Blaine Curcio (Orbital Gateway Consulting) and João Falcão Serra (ESPI).
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  • 13:00 - 14:00 - 2024 Global Exploration Roadmap/ISECG Presentation at ESA booth.  ESA is currently chairing ISECG, the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (27 Agencies). In August, ISECG released the fourth edition of the Global Exploration Roadmap. Join us to celebrate the presentation of the 2024 Roadmap edition. Participants include:ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Daniel Neuenschwander, NASA Associate Administrator Catherine Koerner, JAXA Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, Australian Space Agency Head Enrico Palermo, CSIRO Director Kimal Hiralall, PTS Executive Director Hugo André Costa, UKSA Head of Space Exploration Libby Jackson, CSA Vice-President Stéphanie Durand, CNES Deputy Associate Director Pierre Bousquet, LSA Senior Advisor Bob Lamboray, POLSA Chief Specialist Marta Balcer.Moderator: ESA HRE Senior Strategy Officer Stefaan De Mey
  • 14:00 – 14:30 – ESA Director General Meets ESA ISEB studentsJoin us for a lively, informal discussion as the ESA DG meets with the 24 students from the International Space Education Board (ISEB), selected by ESA for sponsorship to attend IAC 2024Participants include:ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, ESA Head of Education Hugo Marée and ESA ISEB students.
  • 15:30 - 16:00 - Joint Statement for Responsible Space Sector signing at ESA booth.  The purpose of the 'Joint Statement for a Responsible Space Sector' is to increase the involvement of public and industrial stakeholders for a more inclusive approach towards a sustainable space sector. Participants include:ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, ESA Chief Climate and Sustainability Officer Andrea Vena, eSpace - EPFL Space Center Technical Project Manager Mathieu Udriot, EPFL Space Centre Executive Director Emmanuelle David, Cosmos for Humanity President Claire Elss, IEEC Head of Services and Industrial Daniel Sors, EEC Internationalization Manager for the Space Sector Albert Nicolás López.

Friday, 18 October 

Traditional general public day at IAC, at ESA booth, including moderated Q+A sessions with leading ESA experts on Earth observation, space science, launchers, astronautics incl. Luca Parmitano – and related astronaut autograph sessions, quizzes on space missions, etc. Public day opening at 10:30.

  • 11:00 - 12:00 - ESA Space Sustainability Wrap-up at ESA booth.  Join the wrap-up session on ESA’s sustainability initiatives, covering Clean Space Office, Space Technology for Sustainability, and Zero Debris Charter. Moderated by Andrea Vena, ESA Chief Climate and Sustainability Officer, it will provide a concise overview of key discussions and commitments from the IAC and Marie Le Pellec, Space Sustainability Engineer at ESA.
  • 12:00 - 13:00 - Ex Oblivione: From Space Junk to Art at ESA booth.  Ex Oblivione is a startup born from ESA's intrapreneurship initiative, dedicated to repurposing unused space assets into unique works of art. Participants include:Guillaume Prigent, founder of Ex Oblivione and ESA Business Developer & Partnership Officer joined by experts in the sustainability field from ESA and other companies.
  • 13:00 – 14:00 – Q&A Session with ESA Speakers. Open to all!
  • 14:00 – 15:00 – EO Quiz. Open to all!
  • 15:00– 16:00 – Q&A Session with ESA Speakers. Open to all!
  • 16:00- 16:30 - 'Moon at Large' with Q&A Session. Open to all! Participants will include ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano.

More Information

Media Accreditation and Contacts 

Media can register to IAC for free at: Welcome (iaf-registration.org)

Important notice: although accredited journalists can join Technical Sessions as observers, they are forbidden to present papers.  

For further information and interviews, please contact ESA Media Relations present on site at IAC: 

Bernhard von Weyhe, ESA HQ / Paris (focus on ESA DG Josef Aschbacher), Email: bvw@esa.int  / media@esa.int  

Roberta Stazi, Media Relations (for all ESA speakers), ESA ESRIN / Frascati – roberta.stazi@ext.esa.int / media@esa.int  – mob: +39.338.9344969 

Cyrielle Bouju, Astronaut Communications Officer, ESA/EAC (for all astronaut Press inquiries) - cyrielle.bouju@esa.int  

Further information on IAC 
Home Page - IAC2024 

Images 

ESA's Photo Library for Professionals:  
https://www.esa-photolibrary.com/  

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

ESA's Video Library for Professionals:  

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos 

Terms and conditions for using ESA videos:  
https://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Terms_and_Conditions 

Social Media

Twitter: @esa 
Facebook: @EuropeanSpaceAgency 
Instagram: @europeanspaceagency 
YouTube: ESA 
LinkedIn: European Space Agency - ESA 
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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. Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia are Associate Members.  

ESA has established formal cooperation with other four 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