This state-of-the-art computing infrastructure marks a significant step towards making ESA a more data-driven organisation, enabling innovation, industrial development, and the future of European space exploration.
What is the Space HPC?
The Space HPC is a cutting-edge computational environment designed to process massive datasets, run complex simulations, and accelerate artificial intelligence applications for ESA missions. It provides unprecedented computing power to enhance mission planning, satellite operations, and space technology development while also offering advanced AI capabilities to support data analysis, machine learning, and scientific research.
Beyond its role in space exploration, the Space HPC will serve as a critical infrastructure for powering the connected digital economy, aligning with the European Green Deal and Digital Agenda. Designed as a flexible HPC infrastructure, it supports R&D, testing, and rapid benchmarking for ESA programmes, industrial players, and researchers. It is intentionally scaled to add significant value while remaining complementary to national and European HPC infrastructures, rather than competing with them.
As a demonstrator infrastructure, the Space HPC aims to accelerate innovation, help industry de-risk data, modelling, and simulations, and foster the development of R&D applications, ensuring a secure environment for industrial collaboration while boosting European competitiveness in space innovation and research
Event Programme
Location: ESA ESRIN, Frascati, Italy
09:30 – Welcome Introductions and Speeches
Josef Aschbacher, Director General, ESA
Representative of the Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy
Renato Krpoun, ESA Council Chair
Representative of the European Commission
09:50 – Introduction to ESA ESRIN
Simonetta Cheli, Director of Earth Observation Programmes and Head of ESRIN, ESA
10:00 – Space HPC Overview and Key Facts
Bianca Hoersch, Acting Head of Cabinet (former Chief Digital Officer), ESA
10:05 – Key Use Cases from ESA Programmes
Hydrology – Diego Fernandez
Disaster Management – Pierre Philippe Mathieu
Land Management / Food Security – Albrecht Schmidt
Glacier Ice loss and Impact – Peter Naylor
Mars Elevation Mapping – Pablo Gomez
Space Weather Modelling – Jorge Amaya
10:45 – Transfer to HPC Facility
10:55 – Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony & Photo Session
11:30 – Media Activities
13:30 – End of Event
Registration
To attend this event, please register via the Media form – ESA forms by 10 March 2025.
As places are limited, ESA cannot guarantee participation for all interested media.
Contact
ESA Newsroom and Media Relations
Email: media@esa.int
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https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos
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About the European Space Agency
The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.
ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
ESA has 23 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia are Associate Members.
ESA has established formal cooperation with other four Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.
By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.
Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int