What’s happening at ESA’s open day in the UK?

The event will take place at ESA’s European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT), located on Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire. It forms part of the final day of the campus-wide Harwell open week.

During the event ESA will open up its Magali Vaissiere Conference Centre, located next door to the main ECSAT building, to show how space improves life on Earth. You can view the full programme for the ESA open day here.

Astronaut Q&A, climate fashion – and much more

The open day will kick-off at 09:50 BST in the main conference room with a brief welcome to ECSAT and an introduction to the day ahead. Following this, a series of talks and demonstrations will be delivered by scientists, engineers and space experts on a number of fascinating topics.

At 10:55 BST, British ESA astronaut Rosemary Coogan and British ESA astronaut reserve Meganne Christian will take to the stage to talk about their experience of ESA’s astronaut selection process and answer questions from the audience. 

At 14:50 BST, ESA will showcase its collaboration with climate-conscious fashion label Tammam, as part of a fashion show featuring a collection of garments inspired by ESA Earth observation imagery.

Many other talks and panel discussions will take place in the main conference room throughout the day, giving the audience the chance to ask ESA experts about space exploration and future technologies, learn about the expansion of the universe, and much more.

Explore ECSAT’s activities

ESA’s Magali Vaissiere Conference Centre will also have several spaces dedicated to hands-on demonstrations that will take people on a journey through ECSAT activities.

Visitors will be invited by ESA’s 5G/6G team to enter mixed reality worlds to learn how space-enabled connectivity is impacting every area of society and industry. They will also have the chance to explore how the planet is changing through the eyes of Earth observing satellites, by viewing interactive illustrations of Earth’s climate presented by ECSAT climate experts.

Geologists from ECSAT’s Vulcan Facility will present an exhibit about rocks on the Moon and Mars – and how experts can recreate them on Earth to test exploration technologies. The Spaceship ECSAT team will also be on hand to highlight how ESA is enabling student researchers to tackle key exploration challenges.

Many other exhibits will be presented by ESA’s partners on Harwell campus and beyond, covering topics such as space debris and Mars exploration. 

A magic show with a space twist

Outside of ESA’s Magali Vaissiere Conference Centre, from 10:00 to 12:00, a magician will welcome visitors by performing a magic show with a twist, demonstrating how space impacts every area of our lives.

Visitors walking to ECSAT will also be able to enjoy a set from Oxford-based DJ Axelle, who will be performing outside the conference centre all day.

You can learn more about what is happening across campus as part of Harwell open week here.