16 Jun 2022

In June 2022, the Royal Observatory of Belgium will participate in two events, in which it will present its activities related to asteroids, planetary defence, solar physics and space exploration. The first event will be held at the Natural Science Museum in Brussels on June 23. The second event will be held on June 24 and 25, at the Summer Space Festival.

‘From Asteroid Impacts to Planetary Defence’ – Event at the Natural Science Museum on June 23

On Thursday, 23 June 2022, from 16:30 onwards, the Royal Observatory of Belgium will hold at the Natural Science Museum in Brussels an in-person public outreach event about asteroid impacts, the challenges we face to defend against them and the future ESA Hera mission in which the Observatory participates with its GRASS gravimeter. This event will be in English.

During this event, the visitor will explore the story of the dinosaur-killing asteroid impact 66 million years ago and discover the incoming European Space Agency’s (ESA) Hera mission, Europe’s planetary defender flagship! ESA Hera mission, launching in October 2024, will visit a binary asteroid system. The Observatory participates in this mission with its cutting-edge GRASS gravimeter that will be the first-ever gravimeter on an asteroid.

The public will also have a unique opportunity to gain exclusive insights from topical leaders in science and technology related to asteroid impacts and planetary defence. The outreach event is free, but registration is required due to the limited capacity of the venue.