ESA shares stage with international partners at IAC 2025

26/09/2025
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The European Space Agency (ESA) is participating in the 76th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), which will open its doors on Monday 29 September and last until Friday 3 October in Sydney, Australia. Over 8000 participants from 90 countries are expected to attend the event at the International Convention Centre (ICC) under the theme “Sustainable Space: Resilient Earth”.

ESA will be present for the entire duration of the event at stand 671, with an exhibition, showcasing the agency’s latest mission results and future ambitions. The exhibition, named “European Space Agency: Elevating the Future of Europe”, highlights the five goals of ESA’s Strategy 2040: protecting our planet and climate; exploring and discovering; strengthening European autonomy and resilience; boosting European growth and competitiveness; and inspiring Europe. In line with the proposals to be presented at the ESA Ministerial Council (CM25) to be held in November in Bremen, Germany, the ESA exhibition will underline the important role of space for economic growth, scientific advancement, national security, and societal resilience.

Throughout the week, the ESA stand will host events on space transportation, international cooperation, commercialisation, the space economy, and education. Visitors can meet ESA experts and interact with ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen.

Programme

Please note all times are AEST (GMT +10)

Monday 29 September

09:30 – 11:00 Opening ceremony
Darling Harbour Theatre (Watch on ESA Web TV)

13:45 – 15:15 One-to-One with Heads of Space Agencies
Speakers:
Enrico Palermo, Head of the Australian Space Agency (ASA)
Josef Aschbacher, Director General of ESA
Lisa Campbell, President of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA)
Sean Duffy, Acting Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
V. Narayanan, Chairman of the Indian Space Reseach Organisation (ISRO)
Hiroshi Yamakawa, President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Zhigang Bian, Vice Administrator of the China Nationak Space Administration (CNSA)
Darling Harbour Theatre (Watch on ESA Web TV)

15h30 Contract signature with Avio for the Reusable Upper Stage Demonstrator activities with Toni Tolker Nielsen, ESA Space Transportation Director and Marino Fragnito, AVIO Chief Commercial Officer
ESA stand

Tuesday 30 September
 13:45 – 14:45 Learning to Live on Another World: The International Community’s Return to the Moon, with the participation of Frank De Winne, Head of the European Astronaut Centre, ESA
Pyrmont Theatre

16:40-17:10 Honouring ESA—JAXA Cooperation on the Ramses Planetary Defence Mission
Reception to celebrate the growing cooperation between the two space agencies on ESA’s proposed Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses).
With the participation of:
Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director General
Hiroshi Yamakawa, JAXA President
Holger Krag, ESA Head of Space Safey Programme Office
Masaki Fujimoto, JAXA Vice President
ESA Stand

Wednesday 01 October

10:00-10: EPIC European-Australian Start Up Competition Winners 2025 Pitch
EPIC (ESA Partnership Initiative for Commercialisation) is an initiative that fosters global partnerships, supports access to bigger markets and drives innovation for Space and for Earth.
Speakers:
Luca del Monte, Head of Commercialisation Service Department, ESA
Janny Di Presa, COO, Sharpsat
Dimitris Agiakatsikas, CEO & Co-founder, SOLIDKOSMOS S.A.
Berry Sanders, Managing Director, Solidflow
Marcus Comaschi, Co-Founder and Lead Engineer, GryoPlant
ESA Stand

11:30 -12:15 ESA – KASA bilateral meeting, followed by signature events

Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in space activities for peaceful purposes
Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director General and Youngbin Yoon, KASA Administrator
Implementing Arrangement concerning network and operations cross-support
Rolf Densing, ESA Director of Operations and Kyungin Kang, KASA Director General of the Space Science Exploration Mission Directorate
Statement of Intent on potential cooperation on Space Weather
Rolf Densing, ESA Director of Operations and Kyungin Kang, KASA Director General of the Space Science Exploration Mission Directorate
ESA stand

14:00 – 14:45 International cooperation on Space Economy: the IAF Space Economy Committee, with the participation of Charlotte Mathieu, Secretary of the IAF Space Economy Committee and ESA Head of Industrial policy and Space Economy division
ESA stand

Thursday 02 October

09:00 – 10:00 Space Sustainability: Regional Priorities, Global Responsibility
Speakers:
Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director General
Alvin Drew, Director for NASA Space Sustainability
Enrico Palermo, Head of ASA
Gay Jane P. Perez, Deputy Director General for Space, Science and Technology, Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA)
Pyrmont Theatre (Watch on ESA Web TV)

Friday 03 October

16:30 – 17:30 Closing Ceremony
Pyrmont Theatre (Live on ESA Web TV)

International partnerships

IAC offers a unique platform to connect with key players in space – from ESA Member States to international partners and industry – and to strengthen global space collaboration with a focus on the Indo-Pacific region. Bilateral events and strategic initiatives planned during the week will help reinforce cooperation with Australia on space operations, open new space opportunities with New Zealand, support ASEAN countries with innovative space solutions, advance new missions with Japan, promote sustainable exploration with India, renew partnership with the Republic of Korea, strengthen Earth observation with Africa, and open up new opportunities with Canada. The conference will also bring together students, young professionals and established space professionals from all over the world, preparing the next generation of cooperation.

Exhibition

Visitors to the exhibition can learn more about recent mission achievements in climate change and planetary defence, exploration of the Universe, robotic and human exploration, independent access to space, and global navigation and telecommunications. A special installation will highlight five upcoming missions: LEO-PNT, a Low Earth Orbit positioning, navigation, and timing demonstrator; Plato, the terrestrial planet hunter; Ramses, a mission to rendezvous with asteroid Apophis; HydroGNSS, advancing knowledge of Earth’s water cycle; and εpsilon,ESA Astronaut Sophie Adenot’s mission to the International Space Station.

Contact: Fiorella Coliolo, Corporate Strategic Events Coordinator – ESA

ESA Newsroom and Media Relations: media@esa.int 

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