N° 1–2026: Media invitation: ESA at the 18th European Space Conference in Brussels

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, Directors and other high-level experts will attend this two-day conference to deliver keynote speeches, participate in panel discussions and attend events on the ESA booth. They will be available for media interviews during the two days of the event upon request.

The European Space Conference will provide a platform to discuss the future of Europe’s space ecosystem, looking at the outcome of ESA Ministerial Council, the ongoing negotiations of the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework and the development of the EU Space Programme in the coming years.

The 2026 edition of the conference will focus on topics such as European autonomy, resilience, competitiveness, and security and defence. This year, ESA’s presence is particularly significant, following the outcomes of ESA Ministerial Council last November, and marking the first step in realising ESA Strategy 2040. ESA’s exhibition will showcase the five goals of ESA Strategy 2040: Protect our planet and climate, Explore and discover, Strengthen European autonomy and resilience, Boost growth and competitiveness, and Inspire Europe – and will also provide a platform for networking and signature events.

A detailed programme of the events held on the ESA booth will be sent to the media closer to the event. A programme for the conference is available here: Programme – 18th European Space Conference.

Media representatives are invited to register for this two-day event on the organisers’ website.

Accredited journalists will also be able to request on-site interviews.  

For those unable to attend in person, key moments of the conference will be available on ESA Web TV 

For further information

Please contact the ESA Media Relations team on site for interview requests:  

For ESA Director General: Polina Huard polina.huard@esa.int

All other requests: Jules Grandsire jules.grandsire@esa.int and Media@esa.int

For more information on the European Space Conference and accreditation, please contact the media coordination team for the European Space Conference:  

Edward McCafferty – edward.mccafferty@logos-pa.com

Sofia Stuart Leeson – sofia.stuart@logos-pa.com

Images

ESA's Photo Library for Professionals:

Home Page – Photolibrary for professionals

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: ESA - Terms and conditions of use of images and videos available on the esa website

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

Social media

Follow ESA on:

X: @ESA, @esaspaceflight
BlueSky: @esa.int, @exploration.esa.int
Instagram: Europeanspaceagency
Facebook: EuropeanSpaceAgency
YouTube: 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 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 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