From today’s ESA press release announcing the media event for Rosetta’s arrival at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 6 August. The event will also be streamed live; details below:

The media are invited to join ESA’s science and mission control experts and partners on Wednesday 6 August, from 09:30 CEST, at ESA’s Operations Centre for the day-long event celebrating the arrival and presenting the latest, high-resolution images of the comet’s nucleus.

Draft programme (Subject to change)

09:30 Doors open at ESOC H-building (1st floor)

10:00 Welcome, by Thomas Reiter, ESA’s Director of Human Spaceflight and Mission Operations and Head of the European Space Operations Centre, ESOC

10:05–10:45 Addresses by:
–        ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain
–        Parliamentary State Secretary Brigitte Zypries, Air and Space Coordinator for the German Federal Government (BMWE)
–        Johann-Dietrich Wörner, Chairman of the DLR German Aerospace Center
–        Jean-Yves Le Gall, President of the French space agency, CNES
–        Roberto Battiston, President of the Italian space agency, ASI (TBC)
–        Alvaro Giménez, ESA’s Director of Science and Robotic Exploration

10:45–11:25 First scientific findings and images from Rosetta’s approach:
–        Matt Taylor, ESA Rosetta mission scientist
–        Holger Sierks, MPS Göttingen, Germany (PI, OSIRIS instrument)
–        Samuel Gulkis, NASA JPL, Pasadena, USA (PI, MIRO instrument)
–        Fabrizio Capaccioni, IAPS, Rome, Italy (PI, VIRTIS instrument)

11:25–12:00 Mission operations and expected arrival at the comet
–        Paolo Ferri, Head of Mission Operations Dept., ESA, Darmstadt
–        Andrea Accomazzo, ESA Rosetta Flight Director
–        Sylvain Lodiot, ESA Rosetta Spacecraft Operations Manager
–        Frank Budnik, ESA Rosetta Flight Dynamics expert

12:00 Lunch

13:00 Press briefing at the new Media Centre, ESOC H building, (Ground floor)
–        Moderated interactive session with Rosetta scientists and mission experts to set the scene for upcoming science operations and preparations for the landing
–        Presentation of the latest high-resolution image of the comet

14:30 Q & A for media representatives

15:00 End of event, Media Centre closes

Media registration

Please register by 1 August at: www.esa.int/For_Media/Register_for_the_Rosetta_rendez-vous_event_on_August_6_at_ESOC

Directions to ESOC: https://www.esa.int/About_Us/ESOC/Getting_to_ESOC

The press briefings will be live-streamed at www.esa.int/rosetta and www.livestream.com/eurospaceagency.

ESA TV productions are made available via: https://television.esa.int