Key Space Events and Conferences of September 2024 in the UK & Worldwide

From the bustling streets of London to the sunny shores of Australia, a diverse array of space events and conferences in September are set to captivate audiences worldwide. This month-long series of gatherings will not only highlight the innovative work being done in space research but also address pressing challenges such as space sustainability, defense strategies, and the implications of emerging technologies. 

Whether you’re a seasoned aerospace engineer, a budding entrepreneur, or simply a stargazer with a passion for all things cosmic, September’s lineup of events has something for everyone. Let’s take a closer look!

United Kingdom

UK’s Largest Space Exhibit In Henley

When? 1 July 2024 – 3o June 2025

Where? River & Rowing Museum, Henley-on-Thames RG9 1BF, United Kingdom

A once-in-a-lifetime chance to see relics of human space exploration with your own eyes and discover Oxford’s story as the centre for UK space exploration. 

The Space Vault Exhibition will showcase one of the UK’s largest private collections of space artefacts. Using immersive visuals and unique artifacts, visitors will travel through twelve curated stories of human space exploration. The exhibition incorporates rare and historic objects brought back to Earth from the lunar surface, low-Earth orbit and outer space, from NASA’s Apollo missions and the Soviet space era to the US and Russian space shuttle programs, International Space Station and SpaceX.

From the mission checklists that saved the crew of Apollo 13 when its oxygen tank exploded, to lunar dust from the Hadley Rille landing site of Apollo 15, you can experience incredible connections to this stellar story.

“So, how does Astrology work?” with Sue Brayne, D.F.Astrol.S.

When? 3 September

Where? Little Rituals, 7 Silver Street Bradford-on-Avon BA15 1JY United Kingdom

Come and have your mind and imagination stretched and challenged with Sue Brayne, D.F.Astrol.S. Member of Association of Professional Astrologers (APAI).

During the session Sue will be exploring how nine master astrologers she has interviewed for The Astrological Journal, including Rick Levine, Steven Forrest, Steve Judd, and Judith Hill, believe that astrology works. It promises to be a fascinating evening delving into incredibly exciting discoveries that have been made with quantum wave particles involving quarks (basic building blocks of matter). These particles appear to connect everything in the Universe through hydrogen atoms. And, as all of life throughout the Universe is formed energetically by cycles and circles (including our own molecules and atoms, photons, and protons), it suggests that we pick up astrological imprints of the planets and stars as we go about our daily lives.

UK Space Agency Workshop: What Next for UK Gravity-Related R&D

When? 6 September

Where? The Spine Building, 2 Paddington Village Liverpool L7 3FA United Kingdom

Join the UK Space Agency for an afternoon of talks and discussions on the future of gravity-related R&D in the UK.

The afternoon will include an interactive session on the future of gravity-related R&D, as well as panel talks from UK Space Labs and SPAN. The interactive session will provide you, the UK microgravity community, an opportunity to tell the Agency what you think the future of gravity-related R&D should look like. The panel talks will give you the opportunity to hear from other experts in the field. More details to come.

Defence in Space Conference (DiSC) 2024

When? 10 September

Where? Kings Place, 90 York Way London N1 9AG United Kingdom

A two-day event tackling a diversity of topics from both the industry and the public sector: MilSat, Space ISR, Space Domain Awareness, Earth Observation, Geospatial, Multi-orbits, national programmes and opportunities, Space security & cyber, defence strategies.

Space-Comm Expo Scotland

When? 11-12 September

Where? Exhibition Way, Glasgow G3 8YW, United Kingdom

Space-Comm Expo Scotland is the new catalyst for one of the world’s leading space nations at the forefront of the UK’s global ambitions.

From satellite platform primes, satellite operators, military, government, and application developers, this free to attend exhibition and leading seminar will encapsulate the growing space ecosystem, focusing on the small satellite revolution, the internationalisation of the value chain, the acceleration of spaceports and the increasing commercialisation of the sector. 

150+ space companies currently operate from Scotland, including renowned global and emerging companies and operating costs can be up to 40% lower in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK. Space-Comm Expo Scotland will provide a valuable opportunity for the sector to display each area of the supply chain to buyers with active and growing budgets and drive future workforce. 

If you’re as passionate about space exploration and innovation, then make sure to mark your calendars and register for your FREE tickets here.

A Mirror in the Sky

When? 11 September

Where? Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Street London WC1R 4RL United Kingdom

The Hubble Space Telescope is the most famous astronomical instrument of all time. A project more than forty years in the making, Hubble overcame an initial disaster with a misshapen mirror to provide us with iconic views of everything from a comet crashing into Jupiter to the surprisingly active very distant Universe. This lecture tells its story – and explains what Hubble has revealed about the life of stars, and our own cosmic origins.

Satcoms training course

When? 18-24 & 26 September

Where? Live Virtual

The Satcoms training course will give you a comprehensive understanding of satellite communication technology and applications.

Ideal for early-career professionals, graduate students and anyone wanting a refresher course in key concepts, the course provides a grounding in essential tools and skills to enable you to work across a wide spectrum of terminal manufacturers, platform vendors, satellite providers and network operators.

Cityforum 2024 Space Summit

When? 20 September

Where? Plexal London E15 2GW United Kingdom

Space is the critical ‘global common’ for mankind in the 21st Century: it plays an increasingly important role in everyday life and this will only grow as the world becomes reliant on capabilities and services that are provided in, from and through space. As technology, business, communications and trade become ever more tied into the space domain, how can the UK protect its interests? How can it play a leading role in the peaceful exploitation of space? How can it ensure its own resilience in what may become the vital ground for inter-state competition? What should the country prioritise in a period of reduced economic growth and heavily increased international competition?

The discussion will explore these areas and make recommendations to policy makers and deliverers.

Gravitational waves: Discovering nature’s secrets (Family)

When? 21 September

Where? The Royal Institution of Great Britain, 21 Albemarle Street London W1S 4BS United Kingdom

Curved spacetime, black holes, and the evolutionary history of the Universe show just how fun and exciting physics can be. The discovery of gravitational waves in 2015 captured the imagination of the general public, proving that Einstein’s theories were true.

Join Gideon Koekoek as he explores a proposed new machine that will observe gravitational waves, the Einstein Telescope, Europe’s most advanced observatory for gravitational waves. 

Throughout this talk, and with the occasional demonstration, discover what gravitational waves are, how this new telescope will measure them, why they can help unlock the secrets of the Universe and the exciting discoveries that are coming our way.

A crack in everything: Black holes

When? 23 September

Where? The Royal Institution, 21 Albemarle Street London W1S 4BS United Kingdom

What is space? What is time? Where did the Universe come from? The answers to mankind’s most enduring questions may lie in science’s greatest enigma: black holes. Join writer and former astronomer Marcus Chown as he explores the profound insights and discovers that black holes offer in understanding fundamental physics, the universe, and even our own existence.

Marcus shares the journey of how we realised that black holes are not only central to our understanding of the cosmos but also may explain why you are here on Earth, reading these very words at this moment. Join a journey through space and time, delving into the mysteries of black holes and the remarkable individuals who have shaped our understanding of the universe. This talk promises to be an enlightening experience, offering new perspectives on the cosmos and the human spirit.

7th International COSMOS Workshop

When? 24 September

Where? A F B I, Large Park Hillsborough BT26 6DR United Kingdom

Three days of engaging discussions, insightful presentations, and valuable networking opportunities in the beautiful surroundings of Hillsborough, at the Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute (AFBI) Northern Ireland. This year’s theme is “From Research to Operations”.

Talking Science with RAL: “The Universe in a Pancake”

When? 27 September

Where? STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus Didcot Didcot OX11 0QX United Kingdom

This is the first of the 2024-25 Talking Science events. RAL Space has had significant involvement in over 200 instruments on space missions over the last 60 years. Astronomy missions aim to answer big scientific questions such as how did the Universe form and evolve? The Planck mission helped to understand the Big Bang and how the Universe expanded, and RAL can show how it looked by cooking pancakes!

Worldwide

Australian Space Research Conference

When? 2-6 September

Where? Perth, Australia

The Australian Space Research Conference (ASRC) serves as the primary gathering for Australian researchers within the space ecosystem, bringing together experts from various fields including space science, engineering, technology, education, and outreach. The ASRC provides a platform for academics, industry professionals, government representatives, and educators to showcase their work, share insights, and foster collaboration. With the theme “Walking Together To Space: Celebrating Research, Empowering Diversity, and Catalyzing Collaboration In Australian Space Exploration,” the 2024 conference aims to highlight the importance of inclusive perspectives in space research. 

ION GNSS+

When? 16-20 September

Where? Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

It’s the world’s largest technical meeting and showcase of GNSS technology, products and services. This year’s conference will bring together international leaders in GNSS and related positioning, navigation and timing fields to present new research, introduce new technologies, discuss current policy, demonstrate products and exchange ideas.

RADECS – Radiation and Its Effects on Components and Systems

When? 16-20 September

Where? Maspalomas, Canary Islands, Spain

The RADiation Effects on Components and Systems (RADECS) Conference is an annual European (and, more generally, international) scientific and industrial forum on radiation and its effect on electronics and photonics materials, devices and systems. Every year it attracts hundreds of scientists and engineers from all over the world, focusing on the latest advances and results about open topics and challenges related to radiation effects.

RADECS 2024 is organized by the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), on behalf of the RADECS Association. It is technically co-sponsored by IEEE-NPSS.

World Space Business Week

When? 16-20 September

Where? The Westin Paris – Vendome, Paris, France

The leading global business space event that brings together 1,600 decision makers under the same roof for a week of deal-making and intense discussions shaping the future of the industry. It’s the premier meeting hub for space and satellite business professionals.

For 27 years, the World Space Business Week (WSBW) has been a distinguished C-level executive summit, providing a quality platform for influential and forward-thinking leaders from international private and public organizations. This annual event serves as a hub for addressing critical industry issues, sharing insights and best practices, stimulating innovation, conducting business, and shaping the future of the sector. 

SpaceTech Summit ConvergX

When? 17-18 September

Where? Calgary, Canada

The Summit brings together like-minded individuals who look beyond the innovation of the existing to pull people out from the ping-pong rooms of our “hi-tech” comfort zones and into the future of technology. Space Tech Summit gives a platform to lead, shift a common mindset, envision our next leap, and take the first steps towards it.

Attendees will get two days of opportunities to discuss solutions that will transform the global economy and advance humankind. The event gives you hundreds of ways to build connections that can mean the next step in R&D, Collaboration, and Commercialization.  

Industry Space Days (ISD)

When? 18-19 September

Where? ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands

The ISD is organised by the SME section in the ESA Directorate of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness to foster cooperation between different actors in the entire space sector. Key elements of the event include:

➔ pre-scheduled 1-on-1 meetings to establish new contacts in an efficient and time-saving manner;

➔ an exhibition with ESA and industry booths and the possibility to engage with future partners (fully booked);

➔ keynotes and panel discussions with contributions by ESA, industry, investors and institutional partners;

➔ ESA presentations and workshops about business opportunities and future activities.

Global Aerospace Summit

When? 25-26 September

Where? St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Global Aerospace Summit is a CEO-lead critical meeting of the world’s aerospace supply chain. Gathering industry and government at the highest level for dialogue and partnership, this two-day event is a fertile environment to facilitate successful global trade, analyse the future of the industry and foster resilient growth and bridge supply chain challenges.