N° 1–2024: Media invitation: Last chance to see the EarthCARE cloud and aerosol satellite in Europe

EarthCARE is the largest and most complex of all of ESA’s trailblazing Earth Explorer missions – missions that deliver critical information to understand how our world functions and the impact that human activity is having on natural processes.

Equipped with four state-of-the-art instruments, this exciting mission will make a range of different measurements that together will shed new light on the role that clouds and aerosols play in regulating Earth’s delicate temperature balance.

With global climate change increasingly affecting our planet, EarthCARE is poised to provide data for climate research, improve the accuracy of climate models and support numerical weather prediction.

As well as being able to see this remarkable satellite in the cleanroom, the media will also have the opportunity to interview experts involved in the mission. The event will also include a Q&A session for further insight into the mission and what ESA’s Earth Observation Programme holds for the future.

EarthCARE has been developed as a cooperation between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), so representatives from JAXA will also be on hand to answer questions. Members from Airbus and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) will also be available to interview.

The Copernicus Sentinel-2C satellite, which is scheduled for launch later this year, will also be on show in the cleanroom.

The schedule of the event is planned as follows:

09:00 -10:00 Check-in at Airbus cleanroom and welcome coffee

10:00 – 11:00 Management introductions and senior expert presentations:

• Marc Steckling, Head of Earth Observation, Science and Exploration, Airbus
• Simonetta Cheli, Director of Earth Observation Programmes, ESA
• Koji Terada, Vice-President, JAXA
• René Kleeßen, Head of Directorate Organisations and Infrastructures, DLR

• Dirk Bernaerts, EarthCARE Project Manager, ESA
• Eiichi Tomita, EarthCARE/CPR Project Manager, JAXA
• Maximilian Sauer, EarthCARE Project Manager, Airbus

11:00 – 11:30

Q&A session, including additional spokespeople:

• Thorsten Fehr, EarthCARE Mission Scientist, ESA
• Takuji Kubota, EarthCARE Mission Scientist, JAXA
• Bjoern Frommknecht, EarthCARE Mission Manager, ESA
• Kotska Wallace, Mission & Optical Payload Manager, ESA
• Jan Kasper, System Engineering Manager, Airbus
• Cornelius Haas, Payload Manager, Airbus
• Dr. Silke Groß, German Aerospace Center, Institute of Atmoshperic Physics, Lidar Department, DLR

11:30 – 12:30 Individual interview opportunities (break-out rooms per different languages as needed)

12:30 – 14:00 Lunch and possibility of group visits of the cleanroom

14:00 –16:00 - Group visits of the cleanroom; EarthCARE satellite photo/video opportunity

An informal off-the-record media dinner will be organised for early arrivals on the evening of 31 January, full details will be communicated to registered media closer to the event.

A portfolio with photo & video material will be provided on request. The event language will be English.

For registration as well as booking of a cleanroom tour and interview slots, please contact: stefanie.kloessner@airbus.com.

In case of questions please contact ralph.heinrich@airbus.com or media@esa.int.

Address:

Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Claude-Dornier-Straße, 88090 Immenstaad am Bodensee, Germany

Parking information at Airbus site: Visitors Parking P5 

Hotel information for your booking:

Hotel Lukullum 

Friedrichstraße 21

88045 Friedrichshafen

EMail: rezeption@lukullum.de

Phone: +49 7541 68 18

Reservation discount code "Airbus" (expires 18 January 2024) 

Travel costs for media representatives will not be covered. 

EarthCARE mission background info and latest news: https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/EarthCARE

Images

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Missions/EarthCARE/(result_type)/images

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

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Missions/EarthCARE/(result_type)/videos

https://www.esa.int/esatv/Videos_for_Professionals

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 @ESA_EO 
Instagram: @europeanspaceagency @ESA_Earth 
Facebook: EuropeanSpaceAgency 
YouTube: ESA 
LinkedIn: European Space Agency - ESA 
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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 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