The Asteroid Foundation has announced that the ninth edition of Asteroid Day is being celebrated with two major events in Luxembourg: the Asteroid Day Lecture on Friday 28 June and the Asteroid Day Festival on Saturday 29 June 2024.
The programme aims to highlight the importance and impact of space on Earth and attract a wide audience to learn about asteroids, space science and business. Both the lecture and the festival will take place at Cercle Cité in Luxembourg-Ville; all panels will be streamed on Asteroid Day's website and YouTube channel.
As the organisers explained, Asteroid Day is a United Nations-recognised event held annually on 30 June. It is a programme of the Luxembourg-based Asteroid Foundation which aims to inspire a local and global audience about space science and businesses, space exploration and missions, the role of asteroids in the formation of our solar system, the protection of our planet and the responsible and sustainable use of resources in space and on Earth.
"Space plays an increasingly important role in the development of our economy and society," said Markus Payer, Chair of the Asteroid Foundation. "For the nineth consecutive year, the Asteroid Day gathers a global community of people who are passionate about space and want to learn about the history of our solar system, the future of space exploration, technologies and businesses, and ways to protect and prosper our planet".
He added that the organisers were "particularly eager to attract young and talented people and give companies of the flourishing space cluster in Luxembourg an excellent opportunity to showcase their activities and tell their stories".
The Asteroid Day 2024 programme is built on three pillars:
- Astronaut and Expert School Visits (designed to inspire teachers and students alike) on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 June;
- Asteroid Day Space Lecture at Cercle Cité on Friday 28 June, organised in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA), featuring three presentations by scientists from CNRS, the Emirates Space Agency and the University of Zurich. The event will also feature a keynote on the HERA Mission by GOMSpace, followed by an interactive panel discussing "The Latest News and Outlook". The lecture will be live-streamed on https://asteroidday.org/;
- Asteroid Day Festival at Cercle Cité on Saturday 29 June, offering the opportunity to meet prestigious scientists, experts, cosmonauts and astronauts. Families with children, adults and students are invited to engage in a series of panels, discussions and workshops to learn about space and enjoy interactive space animations and applications. The complete programme is available at https://asteroidday.org/events-in-luxembourg/.
