Introduction

The 18th ESA Symposium on European Rocket and Balloon Programmes and Related Research is organised and sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Sweden as the hosting country. SSC/Esrange is the local organiser, supported by the Swedish National Space Board (SNSB). The symposium programme will be defined by the Programme Committee, which is composed of representatives from all five member states of the Esrange Andøya Special Project (EASP) for the launching of sounding rockets and balloons, and ESA.

Purpose of this Symposium

This Symposium will be the eighteenth in a series of conferences initiated in 1973 by the member states of EASP to provide a platform for scientists and engineers using sounding rockets and balloons for their research, and to advance the progress in the related scientific disciplines. The scope of the Symposium also includes related ground-based, aircraft and satellite research, new developments in technology, and improvements of range facilities.

Symposium participants are given the opportunity to report both on their latest achievements and plans for the future in the various scientific and technical fields.

These symposia have become widely recognised occasions for efficient communication between scientists, engineers from industry, project managers, range personnel and administrators, and thereby have become the starting point for intensified collaboration.

In recent years the symposium has also covered new topics, such as space education, which has attracted a large audience.

New trends and the latest developments using sounding rockets and balloons for scientific research will be highlighted in this symposium. This will facilitate the establishment of a strategic and lasting roadmap towards the future of these activities. To this end the symposium will be concluded with a plenary session where highlights from the various themes will be presented with the aim of initiating a lively and constructive discussion to come to some programmatic conclusions.

Invited symposium lectures will address topics of general interest and present the state of scientific and technical knowledge in fields of specific interest. Oral and poster contributions are solicited, the latter being accompanied by short oral summary presentations.

There will be opportunities for special project meetings and working group discussions.

The Proceedings of the Symposium will be published by ESA’s Publications Division and distributed to all participants approximately three months after the Symposium.