• → European Space Agency

      • Space for Europe
      • Space News
      • Space in Images
      • Space in Videos
    • About Us

      • Welcome to ESA
      • DG's News and Views
      • For Member State Delegations
      • Business with ESA
      • ESA Exhibitions
      • ESA Publications
      • Careers at ESA
    • Our Activities

      • Space News
      • Observing the Earth
      • Human Spaceflight
      • Launchers
      • Navigation
      • Space Science
      • Space Engineering
      • Operations
      • Technology
      • Telecommunications & Integrated Applications
    • For Public

    • For Media

      • Media
      • ESA TV
      • Videos for professionals
      • Photos
    • For Educators

    • For Kids

    • ESA

    • United Kingdom

    • All about ESA
    • ESA facts and figures
    • ESA's Director General
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Business with ESA
    • ESA in the UK
    • Harwell
    • ESERO UK
    • Publications
    • United Kingdom Space Activity 1957-1987
    • Multimedia
    • Multimedia gallery
    • Online videos
    • Earth images gallery
    • Press
    • Press releases
    • Resources
    • UK Space Directory
    • Follow us
    • ESA on Twitter
    • ESA on Flickr
    •  ESA on YouTube
    • ESA on Livestream
    • Services
    • RSS feeds

    ESA > ESA in your country > United Kingdom

    Overview of ESA communication activities in 2008 relevant to the media

    The two halves of the Jules Verne spacecraft are mated at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana
    2 January 2008

    ESA PR 1-2008. Press conferences, exhibitions, launches, political rendezvous and much more ... the list of the main communication activities that ESA will be involved in this year is a long one, but not an exhaustive one. You should pencil these dates into your diaries.

    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.

    The geoid
    The Earth's gravity field (geoid) as it will be seen by GOCE
    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.


    Artist's impression of Chandrayaan-1
    Artist's impression of Chandrayaan-1
    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: “Bridging 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 and 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 Proba-2 microsatellite, 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

    Rate this

    Views

    Share

    • Currently 0 out of 5 Stars.
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5
    Rating: 0/5 (0 votes cast)

    Thank you for rating!

    You have already rated this page, you can only rate it once!

    Your rating has been changed, thanks for rating!

    23
    Tweet

    Connect with us

    • RSS
    • Youtube
    • Twitter
    • Flickr
    • G+
    • Facebook
    • Livestream
    • Subscribe
    • App Store
    • LATEST ARTICLES
    • · Rare merger reveals secrets of gal…
    • · Watching for hazards: ESA opens as…
    • · ESA astronaut Timothy Peake set fo…
    • · Space drives e-mobility
    • · Proba-V opens its eyes
    • FAQ

    • Jobs at ESA

    • Site Map

    • Contacts

    • Terms and conditions