Space Days
Chairman

Message of Chairman

Wallonie Espace is proud to organize the fourth edition of their SPACE DAYS, to be held in Liège, Belgium, on September 26th - 27th 2012. The Wallonie Espace SPACE DAYS are meant as a biennial meeting place for all actors involved in the Space business : agencies, industry, universities, and governmental institutions. The 2012 theme is dedicated to Earth Observation, with emphasis on instrumentation, data processing and applications.

The next coming Space programme orientations in Europe (2012 ESA Ministerial Council, GMES…), new challenges related to climate changes, monitoring and management of natural disasters and Earth resources along with budget constraints require adequate technology solutions to be provided by the Space industry in collaboration with researchers and scientists.

In order to offer a quick and accurate overview of the latest trends in this strategic field of the space market, SPACE DAYS 2012 offers you the opportunity to attend debates bringing together key players and renown experts active in present and future Earth observation programmes. In addition, several workshops will provide up-to-date information about remarkable technologies in line with the 2012 theme. B2B meetings will be held and participants will have the possibility to visit local Space companies.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the Space Days 2012 event !

Thierry du Pré-Werson
Chairman of Wallonie Espace

  • dordainKeynote speakers

    Jean-Jacques Dordain
    Director General - ESA

    Jean-Jacques Dordain, born in 1946, completed his engineering studies at the Ecole Centrale in 1969 (the year Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon), before joining ONERA, the French National Office for Aerospace Studies and Research between 1970-1986. First serving as a researcher in propulsion and launchers from 1970 to 1976, he went on to be Coordinator of Space Activities and then Director of Fundamental Physics.
    Joining ESA in 1986 as Head of the Microgravity and Space Station Utilisation Department, Jean-Jacques Dordain became Associate Director for Strategy, Planning and International Policy in 1993, Director of Strategy and Technical Assessment in 1999, and in 2001 Director of Launchers. He was appointed Director General in December 2002, with a mandate from July 2003, subsequently renewed twice through 2015.

    See more

  • ChenetKeynote speakers

    Joel Chenet
    Senior Vice President Strategy and Business Development -  THALES ALENIA SPACE

    Joel Chenet was appointed Senior Vice President Strategy and Business Development in November 2005.
    Joel Chenet, born in 1954, is a French citizen and a graduate of Ecole Polytechnique and Sup Aéro 80. He began his career in 1980 for the DGA, where he was in charge of studies for military satellite, participate in the SAMRO study and in the early beginning of the HELIOS program.
    In 1987, he was recommended for the military fixed networks for communications and Satcom networks; he managed the new generation of fixed network for Army (RITTER ), AIR FORCE ( R.A. 90 ), and participated in the creation of the SOCRATE network. He was Program Director for the SYRACUSE II Satcom system until the launch of the TELECOM 2A satellite.
    From 1992 to 1998, within the AEROSPATIALE company, he was Manager of the teams in charge of military satellite and mainly the Helios instrument. In 1999 Joel Chenet was in charge of the Observation and Sciences activities mainly with Meteosat satellite, optical and radar payload and scientific satellite JASON ... in the ALCATEL SPACE company.
    Since mid 2005, in Thales Alenia Space, Joel Chenet has been responsible for Strategy, Business Development, Marketing and Institutional relations.   

    See more

  • SeznecKeynote speakers

    Josef Aschbacher
    Head of ESA GMES Space Office
    Earth Observation Directorate - ESA

    Josef Aschbacher is the Head of the GMES Space Office of the European Space Agency, which is located at ESA ESRIN in Frascati, Italy. Before, from 2001-2006 he was Programme Coordinator in the Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes at ESA’s HQ in Paris. He was at the Space Applications Institute at the EC Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy, from 1993-2000, where he was the Scientific Assistant to the Director in his last position. Through his work at the EC and ESA he earned a profound knowledge of the Earth Observation landscape in Europe and has actively contributed to the advancement of European space programmes, most notably the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative. Josef Aschbacher has a PhD and Masters degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Innsbruck, Austria. He has 25 years of working experience in the domain of satellite Earth observation and has published more than 100 articles, many in peer-reviewed journals. He has been a lecturer at University Innsbruck, Austria, the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand, the Politecnico Milano, Italy, and the University of Wuerzburg, Germany.  

    See more

  • dordainKeynote speakers

    Stephen Briggs
    Head, Earth Observation Programme Planning and Coordination Service - ESA HQ

    Stephen is currently Head of Earth Observation Programme Planning and Coordination Service, based at ESA’s headquarters in Paris. In this role he is responsible for the overall coordination of EO programmes and their internal and external interfaces. He is currently heavily involved in the preparation of the ESA Ministerial Council of November 2012. Previous to this post he was for many years Head of the Department of Earth Observation Science, Applications & Future Technologies of ESA at ESRIN (Frascati), where he was responsible for the exploitation of ESA EO missions (for science, public sector, including GMES, and commercial applications), future EO technologies programme, studies relating to future missions, interface between ESA’s EO missions with user communities (including consultation, managing requirements and providing scientific advice to the Agency), and ensuring scientific support and providing application expertise in the development and exploitation phase of all missions and programmes. He remains also ad personam adviser to DG on strategy, science and policy.
    Before joining ESA in 2000, Stephen worked as Director, Earth Observation British National Space Centre & Head, Earth Observation NERC, UK (1994-1999); Head, Remote Sensing Applications Development Unit, NERC/BNSC (1986-1994); Senior Scientist, NERC Thematic Information Systems (1983-1986); and Lecturer, Dept of Physics, Queen Mary College London (1982-1983).
    Stephen has a B.Sc (First Class Honours) in Astronomy, and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University College London. He is an Elected Fellow of University College London (2006). He has 70+ papers in journals, proceedings and books. Other posts held include, Chairman of the Centre for Terrestrial Carbon Dynamics (Sheffield, UK) (2001-2007), Chairman of the ESA Earth Observation Programme Board (1996-1999), Principal Investigator of ERS, ATSR, AVIRIS, ADEOS, EARSEC, EMAC et al. Programmes, Visiting Lecturer at JRC, Cambridge, Svalbard, Sheffield, Leicester, UCL and other Universities, and External Examiner Universities of London and Durham.

    See more

  • MalingreauKeynote speakers

    Jean-Paul Malingreau
     Adviser for Scientific Foresight and Policy Anticipation to the Director General of the Joint Research Centre European Commission - Brussels

    Jean-Paul Malingreau holds a degree in tropical agronomy (Cath. Univ. Louvain, 1970) and a Ph.D in Plant Ecology (Univ. Calif. Davis, 1980). His research career was devoted to the development of satellite-based monitoring methods for tracking changes in the vegetation cover of the world. He worked for an extensive period of time in Indonesia and South East Asia (FAO, Ford foundation and Agricultural Development Council). In the early eighties he joined the NASA Earth Sciences Lab where he pursued research on the global monitoring of the terrestrial biosphere. He then joined the European Commission in its Ispra facilities where he developed a range of global applications for earth observation in forestry, agriculture and land use. At the JRC Brussels headquarters he managed for many years the EC scientific work programme for the JRC. He is currently advising the DG of the JRC on scientific foresight and policy anticipation.

    See more

  • Mark SchwalberghKeynote speakers

    Roberto Aceti
    Managing Director of Antwerp Space - OHB AG Group

    Roberto Aceti was born in Italy in 1960. He got a Degree in Aeronautical Engineering at Politecnico of Milan in 1986 and a Master of Business Administration at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, UK in 1999.
    In 1988, he joined the European Space Agency (ESA) where he held various high level positions. His latest assignment at ESA has been the management of the In-Orbit Technology Demonstration Programme (TDP).
    Roberto Aceti joined CGS Compagnia Generale per lo Spazio (former Carlo Gavazzi Space) in 1999 as Marketing Director and became General Manager in 2004.
    In 2010, CGS became part of OHB AG Group and Roberto Aceti was appointed member of OHB Strategy Group. Since July 2010, he has been also acting as Managing Director of Antwerp Space, a Belgium Company of the OHB Group.

    See more

  • Mark SchwalberghKeynote speakers

    Barbara Ghinelli
    Executive Chair - ISIC

    Dr Barbara Ghinelli is the Executive Chair of the International Space Innovation Centre (ISIC), a rapidly expanding organisation with membership from the public and private sector that is designed to accelerate the growth of Space in the UK. Barbara also coordinates the development of the Harwell Space Cluster, which includes the ESA Centre at Harwell, STFC’s RAL Space, and the ESA/STFC Business Incubator Centre. This cluster is of growing strategic importance within the National Science & Innovation Campus at Harwell Oxford. Barbara has a strong technical and commercial background. She previously set up and headed STFC’s corporate Business Development Directorate, and before that was responsible within EADS-Astrium Satellites for Business Development across Europe for the €3.2 billion joint ESA/EU Earth Observation Programme for Global Monitoring of Environment and Security (GMES).

    See more

  • Thierry DuquesneKeynote speakers

    Thierry Duquesne
    Director for Strategy, Programmes and International Relations - CNES

    Thierry Duquesne was born in 1960, graduated from Ecole Polytechnique in 1981 and from ENSAE (French National Aeronautics and Space Academy) in 1986. 
    He began his career at CNES (the French Space Agency) as engineer in charge of spatial mechanic. He worked on localisation and mail services from satellites.
    In 1989, he joined the HELIOS (military space observation system) architecture team. 
    In 1996, after a successful in flight acceptance of HELIOS, he jointed DGA (French armament procurement agency) and was appointed French deputy programme director of HORUS (French German space observation program), then he became French programme director in 1997.
    In 1998, he was appointed head of “Spatial systems architecture” and “intelligence observation”. In 2001, he became head of “intelligence control” segment which put together the spatial observation and electromagnetic intelligence gathering programmes.
    In 2003, he was appointed “information control and protection” Architect at Forces Systems architecture directorate of DGA.
    In October 2005 he was appointed as Director of “information control and protection” test centre which is part of the DGA Expertise directorate.
    In October 2009 he left DGA to come back to CNES.
    Thierry Duquesne was auditor at the Center for high studies in armament (CHEAr, Paris, 38th session).
    He is knight of the Legion of Honour and officer of the national order of Merit.

    See more

  • Nicolas VincentKeynote speakers

    Nicolas Vincent
    Director Geo-Information Services -  TELESPAZIO France

    Nicolas VINCENT  was appointed Director Geo-Information Services, resulting from the merge of the Navigation and Info-Mobility Services and Earth Observation services Business Units end 2010.

    Nicolas VINCENT, born in 1967, is a French citizen and a graduate of EUDIL (Lille) and Sup Aéro Master 1992. He began his career in the Space domain for Alcatel Space, where he was in charge of studies for radar satellites and for the first Galileo mission definition for the European Commission. In Navigation and Earth Observation services, he provided technical and business expertise in areas of market analysis, cost benefit analysis, operational concept, program evaluation and definition, requirements analysis, systems engineering and technical studies. In the frame of the negotiation for Galileo PPP, he was Project Director of the Galileo Concession Merged Consortium, coordinating of the business development, technical, financial, legal and insurance activities.


    See more

  • Mark SchwalberghKeynote speakers

    Geoff Sawyer
    Secretary General – EARSC

    During his long and varied career, Geoff has held senior management positions in the space industry as well as numerous representative positions in the UK and Europe including 3 years as the chairman of EARSC (from 1991 to 1995) and as a member of several EU consultative bodies such as Spassec (for space and security) and the SecAG (Security Advisory Group). Geoff began his career as a radar systems engineer responsible for the ERS-1 synthetic aperture radar and finished recently as EADS Vice President Corporate Strategist for Space. In addition to his extensive industrial experience, Geoff spent 3 years working for the European Commission where he was responsible for supporting space policy and in particular the creation of the GMES initiative. Geoff is very well known to many in the space and earth observation sectors and brings this deep wealth of experience and knowledge to support the ambitions of the geo-information industry that EARSC represents.

    See more

     


Practical Information

Registration is mandatory.

  • Registration fees : 150 € VAT included
  • Free for students & researchers
  • Guided Tour & Social Event : Sorry, the registration for this activity is closed
  

Registration

Venue

Accommodation

About Liège