ESA Director General and Oxford Satellite Communications

Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA) Johann-Dietrich Woerner gave a presentation and joined the evening drinks reception during the Department for Continuing Education's new 'Satellite Communications: Markets, Business and Technology' course, held 8 - 10 July 2015.

Specialists from the ESA, Airbus, Thales Alenia Space, Inmarsat and SES Astra came together at Rewley House in Oxford (the Department for Continuing Education's base) for a new three-day course designed to meet the growing need for satellite communications training in Europe.

'The choice of the University of Oxford for this new course was a logical one,' said Magali Vaissiere, ESA Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications. 'ESA has a growing presence at our ECSAT facility on the Harwell-Oxford Campus, from where we actively support the development of the space industry in the UK and Europe through joint initiatives such as this one.'

'By joining forces with specialists from industry and operators, this course provides a valuable insight into satellite communication systems and the main players in today's satellite industry' said ESA's Ana Bolea Alamanac, course organiser and lecturer.

The course investigates the technical, financial and business aspects of satellite communications, linking market requirements to technical capabilities while considering the crucial aspects of costs and financing. It was attended by 41 delegates who came from the UK and mainland Europe.

'This course addresses the need for training the satellite communications specialists of the future to enable Europe to keep its place at the forefront of space technologies and services,' said Peter Holland, CPD Technology Programme Manager at the University's Department for Continuing Education.

For more information on upcoming programme, please see: www.conted.ox.ac.uk/courses/satellite-communications-markets-business-and-technology​

Published 21 October 2015