The European Space Expo today opened in Knuedler in Luxembourg City, offering a concrete, simple and friendly overview of European space programmes.
The Expo, held this year under the theme of 'Space at the Service of Citizens', was organised by the European Commission in cooperation with the Ministry of the Economy, under the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Offering audiovisual information on space programmes such as Galileo (satellite navigation) and Copernicus (earth observation), the Expo was inaugurated by Luxembourg Secretary of State for the Economy, Francine Closener, who emphasised the exhibition as an example of the inherent expertise of more than 20 Luxembourg companies active in the space sector.
"Luxembourg joined the space adventure in 1985 through the creation of the 'Société européenne des Satellites'," explained Francine Closener. "This initiative has not only led to the growth of SES, but also to the development of an entire space industry. The second step in positioning the country in the space sector was Luxembourg's accession in 2005 to the European Space Agency. This membership has confirmed the commitment of the Luxembourg government to promote the Grand Duchy as a hub for innovative projects in advanced technologies".
The exhibition will be open from 16 to 25 October 2015, the entrance for which is free. More than 850,000 people have already visited the European Space Expo which has stations in almost 30 European cities.
Photo by MECO (Secretary of State for the Economy, Francine Closener)
