Jan Woerner and Thomas Reiter on stage at SocialSpace in Cologne.

Jan Woerner of DLR and Thomas Reiter of ESA stoke excitement for 2014 at #SocialSpace Credit: DLR/ESA/A. Morellon (CC-BY 3.0)

Jan Wörner, Chairman of the Board of DLR German Aerospace Center, and Thomas Reiter, ESA Director of Human Spaceflight, stopped by the #SocialSpace tent before heading to the International Astronautical Congress in China.

Both looked forward to key events in 2014 that will shape continuing European efforts in space. The Rosetta mission looks set to dominate the headlines as the spacecraft will be woken up from hibernation and make its encounter with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The year 2014 will also mark the mission of ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst to the International Space Station, with a host of science activities on board.

Jan Wörner and Thomas Reiter underlined the importance of continuing co-operation throughout Europe to fulfil ambitions for space. The ESA Council at Ministerial Level in 2014 will be another important stepping stone for the future plans of the Agency.

You can read Jan Wörner’s ideas regularly on his DLR blog.