Join Asteroid Day Celebration In Luxembourg: What Are Major Events To Visit?

The Asteroid Foundation has announced the 9th Asteroid Day. The celebration will include two major events in Luxembourg: the Asteroid Day lecture on 28th June and the Asteroid Day festival on 29th June 2024. So, let’s figure out what key events you can attend during it.

The Essence Of The Asteroid Day Celebration

As the Asteroid Foundation claims, the primary goal of the Asteroid Day celebration is to emphasize the significance and influence of space on Earth. Additionally, they aim to encourage a broad audience to explore asteroids, space science, and related business opportunities.

”Space plays an increasingly important role in the development of our economy and society,” said Markus Payer, Chair of the Asteroid Foundation. “For the ninth consecutive year, 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. We are 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 program Of The Asteroid Day Celebration

The 2024 Asteroid Day program is structured around three key pillars.

Astronaut And Expert School Visits

On the 27th and 28th of June, astronauts and experts will visit schools throughout Luxembourg, offering presentations that inspire teachers and students alike.

The Asteroid Day Space Lecture

Scheduled for 28th June, this event is a great chance for students, academics, the space community, and the public to learn about the newest discoveries in asteroid and space research. All are welcome to attend a fascinating lecture by astronauts and experts.

The lecture will have two parts. First, there will be presentations by:

• Simon Grimm from ETH Zurich
• Hoor Abdelrahman Al Mazmi from the UAE Space Agency
• Mirel Birlan from CNRS Paris
• Alex Karl from ESA

In the second part, in partnership with the Luxembourg Space Agency and the European Space Agency, the focus will be on the HERA mission:

• Keynote by GOMSpace
• Panel discussion on the latest updates and future prospects

The Space lecture will end with an evening event at the Musée National d’Histoire Naturelle (registration required on EventBrite).

The lecture will be live-streamed on www.asteroidday.org.

The Asteroid Day Festival in Luxembourg

On 29th June, at Cercle Cité Luxembourg, the festival will be open to a diverse audience enthusiastic about space. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet renowned scientists, experts, cosmonauts, and astronauts like Mark Polansky, Julie Payette, Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu, Wanda Díaz-Merced, and Patrick Michel. Families, including children, students, and adults, are invited to participate in a variety of panels, discussions, and workshops focused on space exploration. 

Also, the festival will feature interactive space animations and applications for everyone to enjoy.

The full festival program is available here. To note, attendance is free. However, although registration is not required, organizers say that registering would greatly help them organize the event logistics.

How Can I Participate In The Celebration?

You have two variants of taking part in the celebration. The first one is attending these events at Cercle Cité in Luxembourg, and the second one is watching them online. All panels will be streamed on Asteroid Day’s website and the YouTube channel.

“We look forward to making Asteroid Day 2024 another success. Join us on-site or online and don’t miss the opportunity to meet world-famous scientists and astronauts, learn about Space, and have fun,” summed up Payer.

Partners Of The Asteroid Day Celebration

The Founding Partners are organizations that share a focus on educating about planetary defense in relation to asteroids. Among them, there are the ESA (European Space Agency), International Space University, Asteroid Impact Mission, Luxembourg Space Agency, UK Space Agency, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Redwire Space etc.