July 9, 2015

CNES attends inauguration of ECSAT (European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications)

Jean-Yves Le Gall, President of CNES and Joint President of the ESA Council, was among several leading figures from the space sector who met at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in the UK this Thursday 9 July, to mark the inauguration of ESA’s new European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications—ECSAT.

More than 200 people congregated at the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire to mark the inauguration of ECSAT, ESA’s new centre dedicated to space applications and telecommunications. Named after Roy Gibson, ESA’s first Director General, the centre was officially unveiled by Jo Johnson, UK Minister for Universities and Science, Jan Wörner, Director General of ESA, and Dave Parker, Director General of UK Space Agency UKSA. As of this September, the centre will accommodate more than 100 experts working in the fields of telecommunications, integrated applications, new technologies and science and climate change.

This new site is further proof of the growing importance that the United Kingdom attributes to space, as shown by the dynamism of UKSA, which is collaborating with CNES on a number of projects. The centre will thrive on its proximity to the many other technical organisations located at, or linked to, the Harwell Campus, and will also benefit from the presence on site of ESA’s Business Incubation Centre, whose purpose is to encourage the creation of technology transfer projects, to promote their development and to turn them into viable projects.

Following his visit, Jean-Yves Le Gall said: “I am delighted at the inauguration of ECSAT—this new symbol for the European space community. My sincere thanks go to Jo Johnson, Jan Wörner and Dave Parker for all the work they have put in to this. The presence of ECSAT teams at Harwell will help to foster many synergies and is testament to the British government’s rapidly growing engagement in the space sector, with the UK now home to ESA’s latest site.”

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Contacts
Pascale Bresson    Tel. +33 (0)1 44 76 75 39     pascale.bresson@cnes.fr
Alain Delrieu    Tel. +33 (0)1 44 76 74 04    alain.delrieu@cnes.fr
Julien Watelet    Tel. +33 (0)1 44 76 78 37    julien.watelet@cnes.fr