N° 57–2023: ESA’s highlights in 2024

The following list provides media representatives with an overview of the key events on the agency's agenda. Please note that dates may be subject to change. ESA will provide precise date information closer to the actual events. 

DG’s annual press briefing at ESA’s headquarters in Paris

Date: 12 January 

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, along with ESA Directors, will host their annual start-of-the-year press briefing, providing insights into the upcoming year. The briefing will focus on Europe’s ambitions for a space-enabled green and sustainable future, access to space, space exploration, scientific endeavours, space safety and the commercialisation of space.  

Axiom-3: Mission Muninn launch (Marcus Wandt)

Date: Mid-January 

Marcus Wandt, a member of the ESA astronaut reserve and ESA project astronaut, is currently preparing for his first mission to the International Space Station. He will be a mission specialist on Axiom-3, supported by ESA and the Swedish National Space Agency. The mission, called Muninn, will last up to 14 days, during which time Marcus will take part in microgravity research and educational outreach activities. 

A recording of Marcus's recent press conference is available. 

Follow Marcus’s space journey on ESA’s Exploration blog, X and Instagram.  

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen returning from the ISS

Date: End of February

Andreas Mogensen, the sixth European ISS commander, will lead his Huginn mission until early 2024, focusing on overseeing the crew’s activities and ensuring the Station’s safety. He is due to return to Earth by the end of February.  

ESA astronaut class of 2022 graduation

Date: April

The graduation ceremony for ESA's astronaut class of 2022 not only marks the successful completion of rigorous training, but also serves as the platform for announcing the carefully curated selections for upcoming space missions. 

Detailed information regarding press briefings and media accreditation will be provided approximately six weeks before graduation.  

Galileo launches 

Dates: The first launch is planned for April, with the second launch anticipated in July/September, with two satellites carried per launch. 

Galileo is the world's most precise satellite navigation system, serving more than four billion people and devices globally and enabling a myriad of applications such as transport, rail, maritime, timing services, agriculture and rescue operations. 

With over 30 years of experience in pioneering satellite navigation, ESA is entrusted by the European Commission with the responsibilities of designing, developing, procuring, testing and qualifying the Galileo system.  

Ten remaining first-generation Galileo satellites are slated for launch to complete the constellation. Following this, they will be succeeded by the Galileo second generation, bringing enhanced and more powerful capabilities to the system. 

As Ariane 6, the new heavy-lift launch system being developed by ESA, prepares for its inaugural flight, the EU has agreed to prepare to launch four Galileo navigation satellites with SpaceX. 

EarthCARE satellite launch  

Date: May

The Earth observation satellite EarthCARE (Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer) is a joint venture between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

The satellite will investigate the role that clouds and aerosols play in reflecting incident solar radiation back into space and trapping the infrared radiation emitted from Earth’s surface to better understand the evolution of Earth's temperature. 

Detailed information regarding press briefings and media accreditation will be provided approximately six weeks prior to the launch date. 

Ariane 6 inaugural flight

Date: Mid-June – end-July

Ariane 6, the new heavy-lift launch system being developed by ESA, will restore independent European access to space when it makes its inaugural flight between Mid-June – end-July  

With Ariane 6’s upper stage restart capability, Europe’s launch capability will be tailored to the needs of multiple payload missions. This autonomous capability to reach Earth orbit and deep space supports Europe’s navigation, Earth observation, scientific and security programmes.  

Detailed information regarding press briefings and media accreditation will be provided approximately six weeks prior to the launch date.  

ILA International Airshow in Berlin

Date: 5–9 June

ILA (Internationale Luftfahrtausstellung) Berlin is the largest aerospace trade show in Germany. Hosted at the Berlin ExpoCenter Airport in Schönefeld, the ILA is organised biennially by the German Trade Association (BDLI). 

ILA offers a comprehensive view of technological strides in aviation and space exploration. It serves as a dynamic platform for fostering business networking and collaboration, where industry leaders, researchers and government representatives converge to engage in discussions that shape the future of aerospace. 

ESA will co-host a large space pavilion with the BDLI and the German Space Agency (DLR). The official schedule will be shared closer to the event.  

Farnborough International Airshow, UK

Date: 22–26 July

The Farnborough International Airshow features a broad display of aircraft and attracts aviation enthusiasts, industry professionals, government officials and the general public from around the world. 

ESA will be represented at the show, which is held biennially and provides a global platform for the aerospace industry to conduct business negotiations, sign major contracts, and establish collaborations with partners worldwide. 

Proba-3 launch

Date: Summer

ESA’s Proba-3 Mission will be launched on board the Indian Space Research Organisation’s polar satellite launch vehicle.  

The two small satellites will study the Sun’s faint corona and surrounding atmosphere, as well as using innovative technologies to measure the precise positioning of the two spacecraft.  

The Proba-3 mission will take off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India. 

The mission’s antenna is situated on the Portuguese island of Santa Maria des Azores, with a ground station at Redu, Belgium, which is home to ESA ESEC, the European Space Security and Education Centre. 

Detailed information regarding press briefings and media accreditation will be provided approximately six weeks prior to the launch date. 

Association of Space Explorers’ 35th planetary congress

Date: 30 September – 6 October

The Association of Space Explorers’ membership consists of more than 400 flown astronauts and cosmonauts from 38 nations. 

The association delivers an astronaut perspective on science, technology, engineering and maths educational outreach to help create a highly educated workforce to ensure future economic and scientific prosperity, and foster international cooperation in space exploration and planetary stewardship. 

Its 35th Planetary Congress will be held at ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. 

Detailed information regarding media accreditation will be provided approximately six weeks prior to the event date. 

LUNA groundbreaking at the European Astronaut Centre

Date: October

A facility designed to recreate the lunar surface – to provide a training ground for astronauts and a test centre for technology to go forward to the Moon – is being built at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany. 

The collaborative project between ESA and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) will enable future Moon-bound astronauts to train at the LUNA facility, which will provide a full simulation of a lunar mission on the ground in a relevant environment with the real tools and operations support. LUNA will put Europe prominently on the map of preparations for the Moon and beyond. 

Detailed information regarding media accreditation will be provided approximately six weeks prior to inauguration. 

Hera mission launch

Date: October 

Hera is a planetary defence mission to investigate the Didymos binary asteroid that is being developed at ESA. It is planned to be launched by SpaceX from Cape Canaveral in Florida. 

Hera will provide extremely valuable information for future asteroid deflection missions and science as well as investigating asteroid geophysics, the formation of the Solar System and its evolutionary processes. 

HERA’s ESA project team is at ESTEC (European Space Research and Technology Centre) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, and the mission operations are at ESOC (European Space Operations Centre) in Darmstadt, Germany. The Science Support and Archive is at ESAC (European Space Astronomy Centre) in Madrid, Spain. 

Detailed information regarding press briefings and media accreditation will be provided approximately six weeks prior to the launch date.  

75th International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Italy

Date: 14–18 October 2024

Each year, the International Astronautical Congress brings together space agencies, industry, academic researchers and students from all around the globe. 

The event is organised by the International Astronautical Federation, the International Academy of Astronautics and the International Institute of Space Law, in collaboration with the local organiser. 

ESA experts will join some 8000 delegates to present the agency's latest programmes, missions and technologies on the theme of responsible space for sustainability. 

Vega-C flight

Date: Autumn

Operating from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, the mid-sized Vega-C launcher will extend Europe’s autonomy in space by supporting new mission possibilities, including return-to-Earth operations with ESA’s reusable Space Rider reentry vehicle.  

Contact

For further information and for interview requests, please contact media@esa.int

Images

ESA's Photo Library for Professionals:
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images

Terms and conditions for using ESA images:
www.esa.int/spaceinimages/ESA_Multimedia/Copyright_Notice_Images

For questions or more information related to ESA images, please contact directly spaceinimages@esa.int.

Videos

ESA's Video Library for Professionals:

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos

Terms and conditions for using ESA videos:
https://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Terms_and_Conditions

For questions or more information related to ESA videos, please contact directly spaceinvideos@esa.int.

Social media

Follow ESA on: 
X: @esa 
Instagram: Europeanspaceagency 
Facebook: EuropeanSpaceAgency 
YouTube: ESA 
LinkedIn: European Space Agency - ESA 
Pinterest: European Space Agency - ESA 

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 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia are Associate Members.

ESA has established formal cooperation with 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

For further information:
ESA Newsroom and Media Relations Office

Email: media@esa.int