Space educators, students and experts around the world will be orbiting Luxembourg on 30 June when it hosts the broadcasting activities for Asteroid Day.
Organised by the Asteroid Foundation, a Luxembourg-based platform raising awareness about the opportunities and challenges surrounding asteroids, Asteroid Day will be marked over several days with events in 34 countries around the world.
“Every year we continue to be impressed and inspired by the scope and breadth of the global event organisers’ ability to develop fresh programming and gather together increasingly larger audiences to learn about asteroids risks and opportunities” said Danica Remy, Asteroid Day co-founder, adding: “These local leaders are the heart and soul of Asteroid Day.”
Among the highlights will be space-themed short story contests, live concerts, lectures and astronaut meet and greets. View the full list of global events here. Meanwhile, anyone around the world with an internet connection will be able to tune in to Asteroid Day Live, a packed programme broadcast from Luxembourg featuring scientists, astronomers, authors, economists and space company leaders. View the full list of speakers here.
“Luxembourg […] is really investing in an emerging new space economy. It is building a space agency unlike any other.”
Danica Remy, Asteroid Day co-founder
The Asteroid Foundation was established in luxembourg in 2017 by Danica Remy after the board director had worked with B612, a platform founded by astronauts to advocate for better asteroid preparedness. Speaking to Silicon Luxembourg for its space edition published in January, Remy shared her belief that the risk of an asteroid crashing into earth might be solved within the next two decades with the “right technology and right information.” Luxembourg was chosen to house the foundation because of its “big ideas.” She said: “Luxembourg […] is really investing in an emerging new space economy. It is building a space agency unlike any other.”
Remy added that the goal of Asteroid Day was to spotlight “all of the amazing scientists, engineers, space leaders and explorers who are going to go out into space.”
In addition to the online talks, the foundation will send astronauts and experts into local schools.
Asteroid Day is organised in partnership with the Association of Space Explorers (ASE), Broadcasting Center Europe (BCE), B612 Foundation, the European Space Agency (ESA), OHB Systems, Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA), The Planetary Society, SES and Twitch.
