ASTRONAUTS, SPACE EXPERTS AND SCIENTISTS JOIN ASTEROID DAY TO EDUCATE AND INSPIRE THE PUBLIC ABOUT ASTEROIDS AND SPACE

LUXEMBOURG (30 May 2023) — Asteroid Foundation celebrates this year’s Asteroid Day on 30 June and 1 July 2023 in Luxembourg. The programme will focus on education on asteroids and space highlighting the importance and impact of space down to Earth’. The events are open to the public, hosted in Luxembourg and live streamed on Asteroid Day’s digital platforms.

Asteroid Day is a United Nations-recognised event held annually on 30 June, as an official day in the UN calendar. It is a programme of the Asteroid Foundation, based in Luxembourg, which works to inspire the world about space and asteroids, their role in the formation of our solar system, the use of space resources, space exploration and the protection of our planet from adverse asteroid impacts.

This year’s programme is built on three pillars: astronaut and expert school visits, the Asteroid Day Space Lecture, and the new Asteroid Day Festival.

The Astronaut and Expert Luxembourg Schools Visits take place on 29 and 30 June 2023 where an astronaut or scientist will deliver a 30-minute presentation, followed by a 20-minute Q&A to inspire teachers and pupils.

The Asteroid Day Space Lecture on 30 June 2023 gives students, teachers, academia, and the general public the opportunity to peek into asteroid and space science. Scientists, engineers, mission planners, and astronauts will provide a glimpse into their latest research and missions. The Space Lecture will take place in Tramsschapp, 49 Rue Ermesinde, L-1469 Luxembourg, from 16.00 to 18.00, and concludes with the Space Happy Hour at 18:30. 

The Asteroid Day Festival on 1 July 2023 promotes space and asteroid science to children, students, and adults. It will gather astronauts, engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs and offer panels on asteroid missions, science, technologies, finance in space, and data sonification. The event will take place in Tramsschapp in Luxembourg, 49 Rue Ermesinde, L-1469 Luxembourg, between 10.00 and 18.00. It will also be live streamed on Asteroid Day’s digital platforms. 

During the Asteroid Day Festival, on 1 July at 14.00, the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA), Asteroid Foundation’s main sponsor, will announce the selection of its “2023 Astronaut for a Day” programme (https://www.astronautforaday.lu) and present 25 finalists plus 10 ‘reserve astronauts’. The announcement will be made in presence of Luxembourg’s Minister of Economy, Franz Fayot, the Minister of Higher Education, Claude Meisch, and the Minister of Sports, Georges Engel. 

Participation in all events is free and open to the public. Find more information about Asteroid Day’s programme here: Asteroid Day Events in Luxembourg. 

“Asteroid Day is an excellent opportunity to bring Luxembourg and the global space community together to learn about space, the history of our solar system, the future of space exploration, and planetary defense,” Markus Payer, Chair of the Asteroid Foundation said. “We want to attract young and talented people to the space sector which plays an increasingly important role in the development of our economy, sciences, and society. We thank our main sponsor LSA, FNR, the European Union, and all our programme partners for their generous and sustained support and look forward to making Asteroid Day 2023 another success for space in Luxembourg, Europe, and around the world.”

Asteroid Foundation is supported by the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) as a main partner and lead sponsor. This year’s Asteroid Day programme is supported by international partners and contributors like the Association of Space Explorers, B612 Foundation, the European Space Agency (ESA), The European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO Luxembourg), Euro Space Centre, The Planetary Society, and OHB, as well as by partners and contributors from Luxembourg, namely Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, the European Space Resources Innovation Centre (ESRIC), GRADEL, Groupement luxembourgeois de l’aéronautique et de l’espace (GLAE), LIST (Luxembourg Institute of Science & Technology), The LHoFT Foundation (Luxembourg House of Financial Technology), LuxSpace, Musée national d’histoire naturelle – ‘natur musée’, NewSpace Capital, Ville de Luxembourg, OffWorld Europe, SnT, Sofitel, Telindus, UNIVERSEH, and VAUBAN, Ecole et Lycée Français de Luxembourg. The Asteroid Day Space Lecture is co-funded by the European Union’s ERASMUS+ programme. The Asteroid Day Festival is supported by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) (project code PSP-C2022-02/17736367).

Asteroid Day is also supported by two international PR, Communication & Marketing agencies, XWECAN and waveL communications, founded by two Board members of Asteroid Foundation, Grigorij Richters and Markus Payer, respectively.

To get notifications on future events, sign up for the Asteroid Day newsletter, follow us on Facebook & Twitter and check back on asteroidday.org for future announcements.

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About Asteroid Day

Asteroid Day is held on 30 June each year to mark the date of Earth’s largest asteroid impact in recorded history, the Siberia Tunguska event. Asteroid Day was co-founded by astrophysicist and famed musician Dr Brian May of the rock group Queen, Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart, filmmaker Grig Richters, and B612 President Danica Remy, to educate the public about the importance of asteroids in our history and the role they play in the solar system. In 2016, with the leadership of the Association of Space Explorers (ASE), the United Nations declared Asteroid Day to be a global day of education to raise awareness and promote knowledge in the general public about asteroids. Major events in past years have taken place in London; San Francisco; Washington, DC, U.S.; Tanzania; Milan and Rimini, Italy; Garching, Germany; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They have gained momentum in thousands of events worldwide and inspired hundreds of local communities to engage in asteroid and space activities and local programmes. Over the past eight years, Asteroid Day has evolved to include the participation of major space organizations such as ESA, NASA, JAXA, and ISRO, as well as prominent scientists, astronomers, educators and media worldwide. Asteroid Day is a programme of the Luxembourg-based nonprofit Asteroid Foundation, supported by the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA). Learn more at asteroidday.org.

About Asteroid Foundation

Asteroid Foundation was formed in 2017 with a mission to promote worldwide awareness of asteroid opportunities and challenges and the emerging space economy. The Asteroid Foundation undertakes programmes and activities to support scientists, engineers and students around the world providing free educational tools, newsletters, original articles and resources year-round. Annually, the Foundation organises events surrounding International Asteroid Day, a United Nations-recognised day of education and awareness on 30 June. Learn more at asteroidfoundation.org.

About Luxembourg Space Agency

Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) develops the space sector in Luxembourg by fostering new and existing companies, developing human resources, facilitating access to funding, and supporting academic research. The agency implements the national space economic development strategy, manages national space research and development programs, and leads the SpaceResources.lu initiative. Furthermore, the LSA represents Luxembourg within the European Space Agency and space-related programs of the European Union and the United Nations. Learn more at space-agency.public.lu 

Join Asteroid Day on Social Media:

• Hashtags:  #AsteroidDay  
• Website: AsteroidDay.org
• Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/182871239@N02/albums
• TwitchTV: www.twitch.tv/asteroidday
• Twitter: @asteroidday
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/AsteroidDay
• YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/asteroidday 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asteroidday

Media Contacts:

• Asteroid Day Anna Bordus press@asteroidday.org
• ESA Ninja Menning media@esa.int
• LSA Juliette Pertuy juliette.pertuy@space-agency.lu 
• B612 Danica Remy press@b612foundation.org
• XWECAN Grigorij Richters grig@xwecan.com
• waveL Markus Payer mpayer@wave-l.com

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