Satnews Daily
September 24th, 2018

It's a Win-Win for the Hometown Company with Ariane 6 as the Centerpiece at the International Astronautical Congress


It's a win-win for ArianeGroup and the upcoming  International Astronautical Congress (IAC), which is one of the world’s premier global space events, bringing together key players from all sectors.  

The 69th IAC is back in Europe for the first time since 2012, and will be held in Bremen on October 1-5 at the city’s Exhibition & Conference Center, which is a major space industry center and an ArianeGroup home city. In fact, Bremen is where ArianeGroup is producing the upper stage for the Ariane 5 launcher and developing the upper stage including the vehicle equipment bay, the “brain” of the launcher for the future Ariane 6.

Furthering the pride of the local company and the conference, an emblematic one-quarter-scale Ariane 6 has been erected at the IAC site. The new Ariane 6 launcher which will undertake its maiden flight in 2020.

At IAC 2018, ArianeGroup specialists will be taking part in numerous panels and sessions, on topics such as future space missions and the role of industry and technical sessions, and interactive presentations. Two key highlights are the panels on “The role of industry in Lunar Exploration” (Tuesday, October 2, 9.40-10.40) and “What will shape the future of European launchers?” (Wednesday, October 3, 9.40-10.40), at which ArianeGroup senior management will be speaking.

The IAC brings together the entire space community, scientists, industry and agency representatives, astronauts, political decision-makers, journalists, and the increasingly-interested general public, and provides a forum for a comprehensive overview of latest trends and developments. The IAC theme this year is “Involving Everyone”, with particular emphasis on the value of collaboration between all players, and the need to raise awareness among the younger generation of the challenges facing the sector.