ESA CELEBRATION OF 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF COLUMBUS AND ATV, Feb 7, 2018, 7:30 am-12:00 pm ET (webcast)

The European Space Agency (ESA) will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Columbus laboratory, one of the modules that comprises the International Space Station (ISS), and the first launch of its robotic Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), on February 7, 2018.

Columbus was launched on February 7, 2008 on the U.S. space shuttle.  The first Ariane 5 launch of an ATV took place on March 9, 2008.  It was the first of five ATVs; the final one was launched in 2014.

The event will take place at ESA’s technical center, ESTEC, in the Netherlands from 13:30-18:00 Central European Time (7:30 am – 12:00 pm Eastern Standard Time) and will be webcast.

The agenda as of January 29 is as follows (all times are CET, subtract 6 for EST):

Programme (times CET)

13:30                Welcome by Jan Wörner, ESA Director General                       

13:50               Roundtable “How did Europe join the Space Station?” led by Jörg Feustel-Büechl

14:25               Roundtable “Challenges of a space adventure – from development to launch”, led by Alan Thirkettle

15:10               Video link with the Columbus Control Centre in Germany

15:25                Coffee break

16:00                Roundtable “A decade of European research”, led by Marc Heppener

16:40               Conversation with ESA astronauts

17:15                Live call with the International Space Station

ESA goes commercial: signing of agreement for the Bartolomeo all-in-one space service, led by David Parker

Closing remarks

18:00                End