Opening speech | Dr. Walther Pelzer (DLR)
23^rd March 2021

Dr. Walther Pelzer has been a Member of the DLR Executive Board since 1^st January 2018. He is Head of the German Space Agency at DLR.

After completing his doctorate at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology, Pelzer was responsible for a variety of tasks in the areas of investment and value-creation management of a DAX-listed Company. After working as a managing director in the automotive supply and aerospace industries between 2002 and 2007, he assumed a position in the Research and Technology Department of the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Research of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. In 2008, he moved to the position as head of the AVR GmbH project. He has also given a number of guest lectures and seminars at various universities.

KEYNOTES

Ariane 6 | Isabelle Rongier (Ariane Group)
23^rd March 2021, 10:15 – 10:45

Starting from the origins of Ariane 6 Programme, this key-note will present this new-born vehicle of the Ariane family, insisting on its versatility and competitiveness to address the new markets of space vehicles. Then, the detailed status of development will be commented through last achievements in each core domain. At last, development logic and associated schedule till maiden flight will allow showing the rigor, completeness and robustness of the “System approach” for the qualification of a complex system of systems.

Since September 2015, Isabelle Rongier is General Inspector as Deputy of ArianeGroup Chief Technical Officer, in charge of Technical Authority to secure major technical decisions in the Company, for all the Space and Defence Programmes.

Space debris | Luisa Innocenti (ESA)

23^rd March 2021, 10:45 – 11:15

ESA began exploring the environmental impacts of its projects in 2012, when the Clean Space initiative was created. Clean Space aims at quantifying and minimising the pollution caused by space missions, both on Earth and in space. To tackle space pollution, namely the space debris issue, Clean Space aims at combining mitigation and remediation. The Management of End of Life branch, within the CleanSat programme, is focused on the development of technologies that will allow present and future spacecrafts to comply with the Space Debris Mitigation (SDM) requirements.

Since the beginning of 2012, Luisa Innocenti has been responsible for the Clean Space Initiative in the European Space Agency, which aims at guaranteeing the future of space activities by protecting the environment, and project manager of the ADRIOS mission.

Future Space Missions | Gwenaëlle Aridon (Airbus)

23^rd March 2021, 11:15 – 11:45

Since five years, Airbus Defence and Space is preparing the future with the development of all relevant technologies to perform On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing. This is time to prepare the paradigm shift for changing the way space systems are designed, built and operated, moving from mission-specific solutions to modular spacecraft optimized for the space environment. The successful implementation of these objectives will allow Europe to generate its own capacities to be at the leading edge on this disruptive market.

Since end of 2017, Gwenaëlle Aridon is  involved in the initiatives exploring how best to carry out in-orbit servicing in the future. Gwenaëlle also manages a team in the Advanced Projects & Robotics entity which aim is to develop and test new concepts to ensure sustainable and innovative future business developments.

Moderator | Tiziana Cardone (ESA)

Dynamic and enthusiastic mechanical engineer Tiziana Cardone joined ESA in 2010 in the Structures Section of the ESA TEC directorate. Tiziana is managing the development and qualification of a passive de-orbiting subsystem for LEO S/C, supporting Ariane-6 flexible structures qualification and 4 Sentinels S/C and collaborating with the ESA HRE directorate for new exciting technologies for moon exploration.

Tiziana has always merged her love for projects support with her passion for R&D.  She previously supported the FLPP programme of the ESA launchers directorate. In 2015 she joined the Copernicus family. She has been very active on Inflatable and Deployable structures developments, for which she is ESA point of reference. In 2012 she started supporting the Clean Space initiative, for all topics related to HVI, passive de-orbiting, bio-composite structures.