N° 1–2008: Overview of ESA communication activities in 2008 relevant to the media

January

14
ESA’s Director General, Jean-Jacques Dordain, meets the press at ESA Headquarters in Paris, France to give a status report on ongoing activities and an overview of upcoming events.

17
Opening of the new Santa Maria Tracking Station to follow Ariane 5 launches, Azores Islands, Portugal.

18
Contract signing for ESA’s Mercury mission, BepiColombo, at EADS Astrium, Friedrichshafen, Germany.

2nd half
STS-120/Esperia Post-Flight Tour by ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli. Tour of various sites in Italy.

tbd
Space shuttle mission STS-122/Columbus. With ESA astronauts Leopold Eyharts and Hans Schlegel on board.

February

5 - 6
Future Launcher Preparatory Programme workshop at ESA/ESTEC research and technology centre, Noordwijk, Netherlands.

7
Inauguration of the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESA/ESAC) near Madrid, Spain.

12
Kick-off of the “International Year of Planet Earth” at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris.

2nd half
Launch of ESA’s first Automated Transfer Vehicle “Jules Verne” to the ISS onboard an Ariane 5, from CSG Kourou, French Guiana. Several local events will be organised at ESA sites across Europe.

tbd
A few days after launch, the “Jules Verne” docks with the International Space Station. Events at ATV Control Centre in Toulouse and at ESA HQ Paris and other ESA sites across Europe.

tbd
Zefiro 23 engine firing test for the future Vega launcher at “Salto di Quirra” test range, Sardinia, Italy.

tbd
GOCE Earth observation mission: media day at ESA/ESTEC research and technology centre, Noordwijk.

tbd
Workshop on satellite communication applications at ESA/ESTEC research and technology centre.

March

tbd
Opening of new ESA/ESTEC laboratory building at Noordwijk.

tbd
“Open Day” at ESA/ESRIN Earth observation centre in Frascati (Rome), Italy as part of Italian Science Week.

April

tbd
Launch of GIOVE-B satellite for the Galileo system onboard a Russian Soyuz, from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Events in several ESA centres in Europe.

tbd
Start of ESA’s astronaut selection campaign.

tbd
Launch of Chandrayaan-1 lunar mission onboard an Indian PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle), from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India (by Indian Space Agency ISRO).

tbd
40th anniversary of ESA's ground station at Redu, Belgium.

May

14-16 (tbc)
GMES conference: “Briging the gap”, Portrose, Slovenia

15
Launch of ESA’s GOCE satellite (Earth gravity field) onboard a Rockot launcher, from Plesetsk, Russia.

tbd
40th anniversary of the Guiana Space Centre, Europe’s Spaceport (CSG), in Kourou, French Guiana.

tbd
Conference on the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme, Prague, Czech Republic.

27 May - 1 June
ILA2008 international aerospace fair in Berlin, Germany. Joint ESA / DLR / BDLI pavilion in "International space village".

end
Post-flight tour for ESA astronauts Hans Schlegel (Germany) and Léopold Eyharts (France) in the context of ILA2008, Berlin.

July

August

tbd
“ Night of Exploration” in Copenhagen, Denmark. ESA space show/public event, with space experts and scientists.

September

5
Steins Observation by ESA’s comet-chaser Rosetta. Event at ESA’s Operations Centre, ESOC / Darmstadt, Germany.

16-18
GMES conference “The operational phase”, Lille, France

29 Sept. - 3 Oct.
IAC - International Astronautical Congress - in Glasgow, UK.

30 (tbc)
5th ESA/EC joint Space Council in Brussels, Belgium.

tbd
"Ciencia Viva" space exhibition in Lisbon, Portugal.

October

31
Launch of ESA’s Herschel / Planck spacecraft onboard an Ariane 5, from CSG, Kourou. Launch coverage at several ESA establishments across Europe.

tbd
Launch of ESA’s SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) mission, together with the microsatellite Proba-2, onboard a Rockot, from Plesetsk, Russia.

November

25 - 26
ESA Council meeting at ministerial level in The Hague, Netherlands.

December

tbd
Announcement of initial findings of Herschel / Planck mission.

tbd
Maiden flight of ESA’s new small launcher Vega, from CSG, Kourou.

tbd
Inauguration of "Looking for Life" exhibition at NEMO science centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Dates of certain events, especially launches, depend on various factors, such as readiness of the spacecraft and/or launcher. In the calendar of activities, they remain tabled as 'to be determined' (tbd) or 'to be confirmed' (tbc). Definite dates are confirmed by Arianespace (for Ariane launches), Starsem (for Soyuz launches), Eurockot (for Rockot launches) and NASA (for Space Shuttle launches).

For further information, please contact:

ESA Media Relations Office
Communication and Knowledge Department
Tel: +33(0)1.53.69.7299
Fax: +33(0)1.53.69.7690