Author name: Mariette Vandermersch

ESSC Chair, Dr. Athena Coustenis has been invited to give a talk at the United Nations High Level Forum which is taking place between 13-16 November in Bonn, Germany.

The European Space Sciences Committee (ESSC) – the independent expert committee on space sciences of the European Science Foundation (ESF) – welcomes the outcome from the recent ESA Inter-Ministerial Council meeting that took place in Madrid, Spain on 25 October 2018, under the chairmanship of Mr Pedro Duque, Spanish Minister responsible for space.

The ESSC Chair, Dr. Athena Coustenis and the ESSC member, Dr. Alexandr Chouker met the president of the Central American Association for Aeronautics and Space (ACAE), Mr Carlos Enrique Alvarado, to discuss a potential collaboration between ESSC and ACAE.

ESSC and ESF invited to attend the ESA Intermediate Ministerial Meeting in Madrid, Spain on 25 October 2018.

The Chair of the ESSC, Dr. Athena Coustenis, has been appointed as the Chair of ESA’s Human Spaceflight and Exploration Science Advisory Committee (HESAC) – the senior advisory body to ESA’s Director of Human Spaceflight and Robotic Exploration.

The European Space Sciences Committee (ESSC) has provided its recommendations on the public consultation of the next FP9 programme on a Space Strategy for Europe.

The International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) has published the full Science White Paper “Scientific Opportunities Enabled by Human Exploration Beyond Low-Earth-Orbit”.

The European Space Sciences Committee members and secretariat are deeply saddened by the untimely death of one of its most active members, Pierre Binétruy. Pierre was a unanimously appreciated and respected colleague.

ESSC has welcomed outcomes from the recent ESA Ministerial Council meeting that took place in Lucern, Switzerland on 1-2 December 2016.

Last April, the European Commission has open a Public consultation on a Space Strategy for Europe. The objective of this public consultation is to obtain stakeholder views on the policy priorities, challenges and opportunities that could shape a future Space Strategy for Europe.