4 January 2007

ESA PR 01-2007. 2007 will be a highly symbolic year for the space sector worldwide (50th anniversary of Sputnik, the start of the space age) and for Europe in particular (50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaties of Rome establishing the European Community).

Under the motto 'Discovery, competitiveness and European identity', ESA Communication will strive to promote ESA’s missions in its main areas of activity: Science, Earth observation, Navigation, Telecommunication, Human spaceflight and Exploration, and Launchers. Watch out for press conferences, exhibitions, political rendezvous, launch events and much more.

Below is the list of the main ESA Communication activities this year. Pencil them into your diaries.

January
8-9	'European Exploration workshop', Edinburgh, United Kingdom (no media attendance).
10	Press conference in London on the outcome of the Edinburgh workshop.
17	ESA Director General meets the press at ESA Headquarters, Paris, France.

18	Thomas Reiter returns to Europe: press conference at ESA/EAC in Cologne, Germany.
23	International Space Station Heads of Agencies meeting, ESA Headquarters, Paris, France.

February
1 tbc	Planck media event with Alcatel, in Cannes, France.
25	Rosetta flyby of planet Mars: media event at ESA/ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany.
tbd	Eurobot 'wet model' testing in Neutral Buoyancy Facility at ESA/EAC, Cologne, Germany.

tbd	Vega's Zefiro-9 test-firing, Salto di Quirra, Sardinia, Italy.
tbd	ATV Control Centre inauguration and media day, Toulouse, France.
March
tbd	Christer Fuglesang's post-flight tour of Nordic countries.
tbd	50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaties of Rome: exhibition on ESA and Space.
tbd	Open day at ESA/ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy.

April
2/4-26/8	Envisat exhibition at the Palais de la Découverte, Paris, France.
11 tbc	Venus Express results press conference, ESA/ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany.
16-17	Telecommunication Information Days at ESA/ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.

17-30	GMES Conference and Exhibit in the framework of Germany's EU Presidency, Munich, Germany.
23-27	Envisat Symposium 2007, Montreux, Switzerland. ESA exhibition stand.
tbd	'From Galileo Galilei to the European Satellite Navigation System': exhibition in Rome, Italy.
tbd	ESA astronaut training in ATV mock-up, ESA/EAC, Cologne, Germany. Media day.
tbd	Thomas Reiter's post-flight tour (Germany, France, Italy).
May
20-24	16th IAA 'Human in Space' Symposium, Beijing, China.
22	3rd ESA/EC joint Space Council meeting in Brussels, Belgium (highlight: endorsement of the European Space Policy).
tbd	ATV media day, ESA/ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
tbd	GOCE Media Day, ESA/ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
tbd	Herschel media event with EADS Astrium, in Friedrichschafen, Germany.

June
tbd	Vega's Zefiro-23 engine test-firing, Salto di Quirra, Sardinia, Italy.
4-8	Cassini-Huygens Project Science Group meeting in Athens, Greece.
6-15	50th session of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, Vienna, Austria: ESA exhibition.

18-24	Paris Airshow, Le Bourget, France. ESA exhibition. A public event, 'Night of Exploration', will take place in Paris during the airshow.
July
7	Night of Exploration at La Cité de l'Espace, Toulouse, France.
23-27	International Geoscience & Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARS), Barcelona, Spain.
net 25	Launch of ATV-1 (Jules Verne), Kourou, French Guiana.
tbd	Inauguration of new ESA/ESAC building in Villafranca (Madrid), Spain.
August
End	MAKS-2007, International Aerospace Show at Zhukovsky, near Moscow.

September
net 7	Launch of Shuttle mission STS-120 with ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli and delivery of Italian-built Node 2, Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
8	40 years of ESA/ESOC, event tbc at ESA/ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany.
14 tbc	Launch of Foton-M3 satellite from the Baikonur cosmodrome with 17 ESA experiments on board.

24-28	58th IAC Congress, Hyderabad, India.
tbd	ESA/EAC Open Day, Cologne, Germany.
tbd	"European Researchers' Night" at ESA/ESRIN, public event.
tbd	EGNOS opens service", event in Brussels, Belgium, with the EC and the Galileo Supervisory Authority.
tbd	Vega's P80 engine test-firing, Kourou, French Guiana.
tbd	Galileo Media Day at ESA/ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, with Giove B in the Test Centre.

October
2-4	Scientific and Fundamental Aspects of the Galileo Programme, Conference, Toulouse
4/10- Mar08	'100 years of Space', exhibition at La Cité de l'Espace, Toulouse, France with ESA participation.
net 17	Launch of STS-122 delivering European Columbus module to ISS with ESA astronaut Hans Schlegel.

tbd	Launch of SMOS and Proba-2, Plesetsk, Russia.
tbd	International Exploration Conference, Berlin.
tbd	Opening of new ESA/ESTEC building, guest and media event.
tbd	Paolo Nespoli's post-flight tour (media activities in Italy and Germany).

November
13	Rosetta fly-by of Earth.
15-19	ESA/EC GMES exhibit at the Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland.
tbd	ESA/ESAC Open Day in Villafranca (Madrid), Spain.
tbd	Launch of second Galileo test satellite, Giove-B, Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

tbd	Open Day during Science Week at ESA/ESAC, Villafranca (Madrid), Spain.
December
tbd	Herschel/Planck Media Days, ESA/ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
tbd	Launch of GOCE, Plesetsk, Russia.

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 defined' (tbd), 'to be confirmed' (tbc) or as happening 'not earlier than' (net) for some time. 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
Tel: +33(0)1.53.69.7155
Fax: +33(0)1.53.69.7690