From May 9th to 19th, Toulouse Métropole is offering a series of events throughout the Toulouse metropolitan area in celebration of Europe Week, May 9th being Europe Day. Cité de l’Espace will participate by promoting European space programs though their “Journée des scolaires” (student day) on May 17. The day will be dedicated to raising awareness about the role of Europe and Member States in space initiatives and programs such as Copernicus and Galileo.
Philippe Brunet, Director of Space Policy, Copernicus and Defence, at the European Commission, DG Grow (Directorate General for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship, and SMEs) will unveil the Sentinel-3B model at the Cité de l’Espace and present on Europe’s space programmes, today and in the future. The Sentinel3-B was launched in April 2018, joining its twin the Sentinel-3A in orbit. Brunet has an ambitious vision for the Space Strategy for Europe, which is tailored to the needs of users. He reaffirmed the importance of ensuring that EU Space programmes “benefit everyone, that is, each of us” and remain at the forefront in terms of technology and expertise, a boon the European aerospace sector and to society at large.
Europe Week is a time to celebrate the feats that have been achieved with the pooled resources and efforts thanks to the European Union, and the space program illustrates the fruit of this union. As Brunet eloquently stated, the “Copernicus [Programme] is a perfect example of a true European collaboration. We created the biggest Earth Observation programme in the world and it provides benefits not only to Europe but to everyone on our planet.”
The agenda for the Europe Space day (click here for French version) includes a long roster of technical speakers to explain the functions and roles of the EU space programs. Pierre Bahurel, CEO of Mercator Ocean will present on the Copernicus Marine Service, including the ocean observation and forecast data applied to the blue economy.
Sentinel 3B has sensing instruments that are of particular importance for ocean monitoring and forecasting, of key importance for safe and efficient maritime transport. They can measure sea level change, sea surface temperature, and sea ice extent. Its data is expected to contribute to water quality management, sea ice thickness mapping and glacier monitoring.