Josef ASCHBACHER
European Space Agency (ESA) • Director General
Josef Aschbacher became ESA Director General on 1 of March 2021. Prior to that he was Esa Director of Earth Observation Programmes and Head of ESRIN, ESA’s centre for Earth Observation, located in Frascati (near Rome), Italy.
Born in Austria, he studied at the University of Innsbruck, graduating with a Master and a Doctoral Degree in Natural Sciences.
His professional career in ESA began in 1990 as a Young Graduate at ESA ESRIN. From 1991-93 he was seconded as ESA Representative to Southeast Asia to the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand. From 1994 – 2001 he worked at the European Commission Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy, where he was the Scientific Assistant to the Director of the Space Applications Institute. He returned to ESA HQ (Paris) in 2001 as Programme Coordinator where he was primarily responsible for advancing Copernicus activities within ESA. In 2006 he was nominated Head of the Copernicus Space Office, where he led all activities for Copernicus within the Agency and with external partners, in particular the European Commission. In 2014, he was promoted to Head of Programme Planning and Coordination at ESRIN, where he was responsible for planning ESA’s Earth Observation programmes and for formulating and implementing programmatic and strategic decisions across the Directorate. He took up duty as Director of Earth Observation Programmes on 1 July 2016.
Events
The Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2023
23 May-25 May 2023
Oslo, Norway
Participation:
International Astronautical Congress 2022
18-22 September 2022
Paris, France
Participation:
- Associated Events: IAF-CGTN TV Broadcast Session: Space Exploration for a Shared Future
- Press Conferences: Heads of Space Agencies Press Conference
- Plenary Events: Heads of Agencies
- Plenary Events: James Webb Space Telescope: The Story of International Collaboration and a New Era of Astronomy for All
- Sunday 18 September: Roundtable ESA Ministerial 2022
- Wednesday 21 September: Sustainability Actions for Emerging Countries using Satellite Data
- VIP Breakfasts and Luncheons: Sunday 18 September
International Astronautical Congress 2021
25-29 October 2021
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Participation:
- 2021 72nd IAC: Speakers
- Associated events: VIP BREAKFASTS AND LUNCHEONS
- Plenary Events: Heads of Agencies
- Highlight Lectures: Twenty Years of Saving Lives from Space; how space agencies are contributing to relief efforts through the "International Charter Space and Major Disasters"
- Monday 25 October 2021: Challenges Ahead for a Responsible Space Sector
- Wednesday 27 October: Is Europe ready for Human Spaceflight?
The Global Space Exploration Conference 2021
14-18 June 2021
St. Petersburg, Russia
Participation:
International Astronautical Congress 2019
21-25 October 2019
Washington, United States
Participation:
- Monday 21 October 2019: IAF GNF Opening Day: EO as a Pillar of the Space Economy and Perspectives of Industrial Policy
- Tuesday 22 October 2019: Home Planet 2030 – The Role of Earth Observations in Studying Our Planet
- Tuesday 22 October 2019: EO+AI – The Game Changer in the Way We See the World
- Wednesday 23 October 2019: Young Minds Meet Space Leaders: Words Into Action
International Astronautical Congress 2018
1–5 October 2018
Bremen, Germany
Participation:
- Plenary events: Greenhouse Gas Measurements from Space – Difficult Challenges, Emerging Success, and Plans for the Future
- Wednesday 3 October 2018: Earth Observation and Sustainable Development Goals – Views from a Decade with the Group on Earth Observations. Panel Discussion on Readiness for a Terrestrial Forecasting System
- Wednesday 3 October 2018: The Golden Age of European Earth Observation
- Wednesday 3 October 2018: New Approaches to Space for a Better World: Space for Sustainable Development
- Tuesday 2 October 2018: IAF GNF Society & Education Stream: New Space – Rocking Earth Observation
International Astronautical Congress 2017
25-29 September 2017
Adelaide, Australia
Participation:
International Astronautical Congress 2016
26-30 September 2016
Guadalajara, Mexico
Participation:
The Global Conference on Space and the Information Society 2016
6-7 June 2016
Geneva, Switzerland
