Agency
19/01/2026
906 views
9 likes
Global leaders will meet for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week with space increasing in importance economically and geopolitically.
It’s the 56th annual meeting of the forum, this time conducted under the theme ‘A spirit of dialogue’. Challenges to the global future such as instability, climate change, and strains on international cooperation will all be addressed alongside innovative solutions to promote resilience and prosperity.
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti will represent the European Space Agency at a range of panels and side meetings, three of which you can join online.
On Thursday 22 January at 0930 CET, Samantha will join space industry professionals and the head of the Swiss Space Office, who is also the current Chair of ESA Council, Renato Krpoun, discussing the topic Beyond Earth – The Next Space Race.
The ESA Director General will address two of the most important topics of the meeting: security and climate change. On Wednesday 21 January at 1315 CET, Josef Aschbacher will speak on a panel addressing security and resilience for space assets, asking how shared domains in space can be kept safe for their essential activities. See further details on the panel: On Guard, from Deep Sea to Orbit.
As wildfire season hits the southern hemisphere, the Director General will also join a panel asking whether better knowledge of forestation and new technology can help. Also featuring the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization Celeste Saulo, the panel Can Trees Tame the Flames? takes place on Thursday 22 January at 1500 CET.
Find out more about events at the World Economic Forum on the meeting website.
Like