Slated for launch by Vega in November, ESA’s gravitational-wave detection technology demonstrator is ready to begin launch preparations in September at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Members of the media are invited to join ESA and Airbus Defence and Space at IABG’s space test centre in Ottobrunn, near Munich, Germany, to get a final glimpse of LISA Pathfinder before it departs to the launch site.

Please register by 28 August 2015 at presse@iabg.de.

Andreas Mogensen is assigned to fly to the International Space Station on a 8-day mission. The mission name is iriss.

Launch: Location: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan

Date:  2 September

Docking: 4 September

Landing: Location: Kazakhstan

Date: 12 September

The next two satellites in Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system will be launched together on 11 September, taking its orbital constellation a step closer to initial services. Media are invited to take part in an audio briefing on 10 September.

Galileos 9/10 are scheduled to lift off at 02:08 GMT on 11 September (04:08 CEST; 23:08 local time, 10 September) from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on top of a Soyuz rocket.

Didier Faivre, ESA’s Director of the Galileo Programme and Navigation-related Activities will hold an audio-only press briefing on “the status and perspectives of the Galileo programme” on 10 September at 14:00 to 15:00 (CEST).

Media interested in joining the briefing should request access information via email to ESA’s Media Relations Office at: media@esa.int by Tuesday, 8 September 2015 at the latest.