Darwin attends opening of new ESA conference centre

On Tuesday 11 July, the European Space Agency (ESA) opened the doors of its new UK conference centre at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. ESA is a strong supporter of innovation in Europe, and Darwin was pleased to attend the event as one of the organisations driving technology forward with ESA’s help.

The Magali Vaissiere Conference Centre forms a new part of ESA’s European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT), already established at Harwell. It will serve as a base for collaboration and innovation across the UK space sector. The building itself is a monument to collaboration, having been built with the help of funding from the UK Space Agency (UKSA).

Darwin was joined at the event by colleagues from Cognizant and Virgin Media O2, who, like ESA and UKSA, are longstanding supporters of Darwin’s work.

ESA’s conference centre will be a new stop on the Darwin Autonomous Shuttle’s route. The Darwin Autonomous Shuttle is a self-driving transportation service that has been carrying passengers around Harwell Campus since late 2021, making it the longest-running autonomous public transport service in the UK. This service was made possible by the support of many organisations, including ESA, UKSA, Virgin Media O2, Cognizant, Aviva, Hispasat, Harwell Campus and STFC.

Darwin’s co-founder Daniela Petrovic was present at the event and was impressed by the new building. ‘It was great to meet with colleagues and hear ESA’s plans for future moon and Mars missions,’ she said.

Take a look at our photographs from the event below, featuring the Darwin Autonomous Shuttle:

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