ETH Global Lecture Series: ESA – Lifting European Space to the Next Level
13 June 2023 - Space is indispensable for facilitating everyday life, boosting development, ensuring sustainability, tackling major challenges like climate change and inspiring humankind as a whole. The European Space Agency (ESA) is dedicated to “make more space for Europe”, lifting European space activities to a level that mirrors Europe’s economic and political strength.
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The ETH Global Lecture Series offers a platform for contemporary global topics to be discussed with outstanding global thinkers. We bring amazing people together to discuss their personal insights, experiences and expertise. In addition to simply learning, our goals are to broaden our perspectives of a contemporary issue so we can all broaden our thinking, challenge our opinions and through this, make a meaningful contribution to issues we are working on.
Tuesday, 13 June 2023
13.45-14.45
Door opens at 13.00, HG F 7
This lecture is in English.
Registration is required external page here.
This event will be live-streamed on the external page following link. There is no registration needed to join the live-streaming.
ESA – Lifting European Space to the Next Level with Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director General
Space is indispensable for facilitating everyday life, boosting development, ensuring sustainability, tackling major challenges like climate change and inspiring humankind as a whole. The European Space Agency (ESA) is dedicated to “make more space for Europe”, lifting European space activities to a level that mirrors Europe’s economic and political strength.
Speakers
external page Josef Aschbacher
external page Thomas H. Zurbuchen
external page Martina Hirayama
Vanessa Wood (moderation)
Josef Aschbacher
Josef Aschbacher is Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), headquartered in Paris, France, a role he assumed in March 2021.
Born in Austria, he studied at the University of Innsbruck, graduating with a Master’s and a PhD in natural sciences. He has had an accomplished international career in space, combining more than 35 years’ work experience at the European Space Agency, European Commission, Austrian Space Agency, Asian Institute of Technology and University of Innsbruck.
As Chief Executive Officer of ESA, Mr Aschbacher is responsible for the definition, implementation and development of Europe’s space infrastructure and activities, which include launchers, satellites performing Earth observation, navigation, telecommunication and space science together with robotic exploration and ESA astronauts working at the International Space Station. He is responsible for an annual budget of 7 billion euros and a workforce of 5,500 distributed across several establishments, principally in Europe.
Prof. Thomas H. Zurbuchen
After studying physics and mathematics, Thomas Zurbuchen received his PhD from the University of Bern in 1996. After moving to the University of Michigan, he was appointed full professor of space research and space technology there in 2008.
He is known for driving innovation and linking research with industry. During his time at the University of Michigan, he helped found the Center for Entrepreneurship. One of his greatest achievements as NASA's science director is the James Webb Space Telescope.