During the second day of the 77th International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, Türkiye, the European Space Agency said its Director General, Josef Aschbacher, held high-level meetings with international partners. The agency said international cooperation remained at the heart of its participation in the congress.
Following an extension of their cooperation agreement, the European Space Agency said ESA and ISRO took the first steps toward discussing expanded cooperation in space. The areas identified included human spaceflight, lunar exploration, climate and science missions.
The European Space Agency said its delegation held a bilateral meeting with representatives of the United Arab Emirates space sector. It also reported meetings with Jean-Claude Piedboeuf, acting president of the Canadian Space Agency, and Enrico Palermo, head of the Australian Space Agency.
In another engagement, the European Space Agency said Josef Aschbacher held a bilateral meeting with NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson. The agency said Aschbacher received a commemorative plaque containing Zinnia elegans and Capsicum annuum seeds flown around the Moon aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission.
The European Space Agency also said its booth hosted a panel on large constellations in low-Earth orbit. The discussion covered market growth, legal governance and the sustainable use of orbit, with the panel moderated by the heads of ESA’s Legal Department and Space Economy and Industrial Policy Division.