CHEOPS Science Team Meeting #34

Where? European Space Agency (ESA), European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, The Netherlands

When? Tuesday, 11 - Thursday, 13 March 2025

Core Programme

Contact: David Ehrenreich

You can download the agenda for the core programme right here.

Social Programme

Contact: Narcisa Ceuca, cc Maximilian Günther

Tuesday, 11 March

• From 9:00 CET: Arrivals, gathering, and breakfast in our meeting room "Newton 2" or the adjacent coffee corner
• 10:00 - 12:30 CET: Opportunity to visit the Space Expo next door (self-paid and self-organised; 20% discount available)
• 12:30 - 14:00 CET: Joint lunch in the cafeteria (self-paid and self-organised)^a,b
• 18:00 - 23:00 CET: "Women in Astronomy x CHEOPS" networking reception in ESTEC's Escape^a,b

Wednesday, 12 March

• 12:30 - 14:00 CET: Joint lunch in the cafeteria (self-paid and self-organised)^a,b
• 19:00 - 23:00 CET: Social dinner at Scheltema Leiden^b,c

Thursday, 13 March

• 12:30 - 14:00 CET: Joint lunch in the cafeteria (self-paid and self-organised)^a,b
• 14:00 - 14:45 CET: Special session: ESA's Green Agenda & sustainability activities, with Marion Mirailles (ESA Climate & Sustainability Officer)
• 14:45 - 17:00 CET: Guided tour of ESTEC's Erasmus High Bay and the testing facilities^a

^a Starting points: For these social events, we will assemble in our meeting room "Newton 2" at the specific time and walk to the activity together.

^b Dietary Requirements: ESTEC's cafeteria, ESTEC's Escape, and Scheltema Leiden can all cater to a variety of diets. If you would like to order vegetarian or vegan options, or have any dietary requirements, please inform the staff at ESTEC's cafeteria and ESTEC's Escape before ordering, and notify Scheltema Leiden at least two weeks prior to the event via email (contact details are available on their website).

^c Local transport to the Social Dinner: There are frequent buses connecting ESTEC, Noordwijk, and Katwijk to Leiden Centraal throughout the evening. Whether you wish to go straight from the meeting to the social dinner or stop by your hotel first, you can rely on the bus system or rental bicycles. From Leiden Centraal, it is just a 10-minute walk to the venue.

Local Information & Sustainability

Striving For a More Sustainable Meeting

• Choose Eco-Friendly Transportation: Opt for international trains, local buses, rental bicycles, or walking whenever possible. The Netherlands will make this easier than anywhere else. If you need to take a taxi, consider sharing with other participants. Also, lighter luggage means less fuel consumption for planes, trains, and cars - and less carrying for you.
• Stay in Green Accommodations & Have a Relaxing Holiday: Look for hotels and lodgings that have eco-friendly practices, such as energy-efficient lighting, water-saving fixtures, and recycling programs. Stay on for your holiday, eat at local restaurants, buy souvenirs from local markets (e.g., every Wednesday and Saturday in Leiden), choose a city walk over a cruise ship, and a bicycle ride through the tulip fields over a helicopter flight.
• Reduce Plastic Use: Please bring a reusable water bottle and your own coffee mug. ESTEC hosts water fountains and coffee machines everywhere. Fill up your own and avoid the rubbish created by single-use cups. Additionally, we will have pastries, lunch, and biscuits served all by our in-house restaurant. This uses real plates and cutlery, and again aims to minimise rubbish from single-use plastics.

Traveling to the Netherlands:

• We recommend travelling to the Netherlands by train whenever possible. According to the recent CHEOPS Sustainability Working Group survey, most colleagues would take an international train if it adds no more than four hours to their journey. Now is your chance to follow through on this promise. The Netherlands is connected by international trains to most major hubs in Europe. Options for long-distance or even sleeper trains can be found via your national train companies or international providers, such as Eurostar or European Sleeper.
• Alternatively, your entry point for air travel will be Schiphol Airport.

Traveling within the Netherlands:

• Once you arrive, the Netherlands' excellent local transportation system makes it easy to continue your journey by train or bus. You can often simply tap in and out using your bank or credit card, so there is usually no need to buy a ticket in advance. Just remember to tap out when you finish your journey. For specific train and bus routes, please consult local travel services such as NS or 9292. 

Hotels, buses, and rental bicycles:  

• Many colleagues recommend staying in Leiden, particularly near the Leiden Centraal train station. This area offers several large hotels and other lodgings. For specific options, book well in advance using your usual services and keep an eye out for sustainable accommodation. Leiden Centraal is conveniently connected to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport by a 15-minute train ride. From Leiden Centraal, there is a frequent 20-minute bus service to ESTEC. For specific bus routes, please consult local travel services such as NS or 9292. Or look up local rental bicycle shops and embrace an energising 30-minute bicycle ride.
• Alternatively, some colleagues suggest staying in Noordwijk or Katwijk. Also here, it is best to book well in advance and consider sustainable accommodation. Noordwijk and Katwijk can be easily reached via local transport from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, and both offer a 20-minute bus ride to ESTEC. For specific options, please see again NS or 9292. Or, to live the Dutch spirit, get a rental bicycle, and enjoy a 10- to 20-minute bicycle ride.

Arrival to ESTEC:

• We will be around from 09:00 CET to welcome participants in Newton 2 with complementary coffee & pastries. You can also gather in the adjacent coffee corner to chat with your colleagues. We recommend arriving latest by 12:00 CET, to have time to check-in and settle in before a joint lunch. 
• Please arrive at ESTEC's security gate well on time (at least 30 minutes before your planned activity). You must have completed both step-1 and step-2 of the registration (see above), and bring a valid passport with you to gain your visitor badge and access. Otherwise, you will be denied entry. In case of problems, please ask the security officers to call Narcisa Ceuca. The security officers will also show you the way to our meeting room.
• You can also always consult the ESTEC safety and security leaflet for visitors, which features a detailed site map.

Meeting room and hybrid options:

• All in-person attendees are invited to join us in meeting room "Newton 2" for the days of the meeting. The meeting room cannot be locked, so please take your computers and personal belongings with you at all times.
• We will also set up a remote connection via WebEx for anyone joining off-site, the link for which will be distributed via email.

Fun activities: 

• Being environmentally aware, consider combining your trips to the Netherlands with other collaborations and holidays. Meet up with colleagues at ESTEC, Leiden Observatory, SRON, Amsterdam University, or other institutes for joint projects. Enjoy tranquil walks along Leiden's canals, the busy streets of Amsterdam, or the embassies in Den Haag. Climb public windmills, marvel at Dutch painters, or take a refreshing swim in the North Sea. Nearby ESTEC, explore engaging museums like the Space Expo (if an ESTEC meeting room is not exciting enough), the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre (with an interactive dinosaur exhibition), or the Rijksmuseum (where you can see Egyptian pharaos; very on-brand).

Contact

Please contact David Ehrenreich for any questions about the core programme.

Please contact Narcisa Ceuca (firstname dot lastname at ext dot esa dot int) and cc Maximilian Günther (firstname dot lastname at esa dot in) for any questions about local information or the social programme.

List of registrations

ESA & Sustainability at the Strategy-Level

ESA & CHEOPS sharing their vision: CHEOPS is maintaining a vibrant Sustainbility Working Group thanks to its environmentally dedicated Consortium partners. This is very much in line with ESA Green Agenda that builds sustainability into the agency’s mission. It is the action plan to meet the objectives of Agenda 2025 and “ensure that ESA and European space programmes can support the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal to the fullest extent” by increasing the agency’s contribution to the sustainable development of society and reducing its GHG emissions by 46% by 2030. You can already learn about the first succesful steps with which ESA has cut its environmental footprint here.

Going green into space: The Agency is committed to finding innovative ways to tackle this ambitious mission. For example, with HYGUANE, the start of a more sustainable production facility to create green hydrogen fuel for Ariane 6 – Europe’s new heavy-lift rocket – is underway. ESA and CNES are determined to reduce the footprint of rocket launches and ground operations at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, and are aiming to deliver low-carbon hydrogen generated by solar-powered electrolysis of water by 2026.  

Space Industry & Green Energy: The Agency is also working closely with industry partners in this context, as highlighted by the recent Space Forum for Green Energy. This third event in the ESA Commercialisation Days series in 2024 was dedicated to the synergies between the space and green energy sectors. More than one hundred participants working at the intersection of space and green energy joined at ESA HQ in the heart of Paris for two days of panel discussions, keynote speeches, startup pitches and networking opportunities focusing around two key areas: (i) Energy Sustainability: the commercialisation of space-based technologies to help leverage renewable energy in the context of the energy transition; and (ii) Energy Resilience: the commercialisation of space-based technologies to help ensure continuous and affordable energy supply.

Interested to Learn More? ESA is dedicated to advancing Europe's space capabilities while ensuring that our activities benefit the world. We also prioritise protecting Earth's environment – guided by the Paris Climate Agreement and the European Green Deal we strive to lead and inspire through our sustainability strategy. While decreasing our own environmental impact, we empower our partners and the broader space sector to drive sustainable progress. To learn more about these and related initiatives, browse our public websites on the Agency's commitment to climate and sustainability.

Personal Data Protection

Please note the following important privacy information related to Science conferences. The full information can be read in the event privacy notice, which must be agreed to as a requirement for participating in the Science conference.

• The event you are registering for may be livestreamed/recorded and you are likely to feature in the video, which may be published on ESA or external web platforms such as YouTube. If you do not wish your personal data to be captured, then you have the right to switch off your camera and microphone, or if attending in person, sit in an area that is not being filmed.
• You accept that ESA has limited control of data published on external web platforms (such as YouTube) and that the use of your data is subject to the privacy policy of the external platform.
• Photographs may be taken at this even by an ESA photographer for published on ESA websites as a historical record of attendance. If you do not wish to have your photograph taken, please inform the event organiser.
• By registering you acknowledge that your personal data may be sent outside of the EU as part of the abstract assessment process. This may include your personal data being sent to countries not qualified by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of protection for personal data. 
• By submitting the personal data of co-authors, you confirm that you have their consent to the event privacy notice. It is the responsibility of the submitter to gather and manage this consent.

Code of Conduct

The European Space Agency (ESA) strives to create a positive work environment where all people are treated with respect and dignity. In the context of ESA Science workshops and conferences, all participants are expected to help create an environment at the meeting and all associated activities that is professional, inclusive, and in which everyone is treated with respect.

All participants are therefore requested to follow these guidelines:

1. All participants are expected to behave professionally and to be respectful – critique ideas not people.
2. All communication should be appropriate for a professional audience taking into account the many different backgrounds and perspectives of the participants.
3. Participants may share the contents of talks/slides via social media unless speakers have asked that specific details/slides not be shared. If participants wish to share photos of a speaker on social media, it is strongly recommended that they first get the speaker’s permission.

ESA does not tolerate unprofessional or inappropriate behaviour or statements. This includes but isn’t limited to: sustained disruption of talks, comments related to individual characteristics, background or identity, and photography or recording of an individual without consent.

Meeting organisers and chairs bear a particular responsibility in ensuring that the code of conduct is followed.

• The Local Organising Committee members are designated as the contact points for all matters related to this code. Participants can report any violation of these guidelines to these designates in confidence.
• Should a participant witness behaviour they suspect may be unprofessional or inappropriate, it is recommended that they approach the affected person as soon as possible to support and help them. The witness can encourage the affected person to report the unprofessional or inappropriate behaviour but should be guided by that person on their preferred course of action.
• Anyone requested to stop inappropriate behaviour is expected to comply immediately. In serious cases, a participant may be asked to leave the event without a refund or, in the case of online participation, the removal of meeting credentials.
• In the case where the unprofessional or inappropriate behaviour involves an ESA staff member, ESA’s Human Resources Department may be contacted for further guidance on the applicable policies and means of action.

Acknowledgments: This code of conduct has been adapted from the London Code of Conduct (by A. Pontzen and H. Peiris), which was derived from original Creative Commons documents by PyCon and Geek Feminism. It is released under a CC-Zero licence for reuse. To help track people's improvements and best practice, please retain this acknowledgement, and log your re-use or modification of this policy at: https://github.com/apontzen/london_cc .

WebEx Etiquette

• Test if you can screenshare well in advance of your scheduled presentation; your computer's privacy settings might ask you to leave and reenter the meeting before you can screenshare
• Your screen name should be your full name followed by your institution in brackets, e.g. "Mae Carol Jemison (NASA)"
• Keep your microphone muted to minimise background noise
• Make use of the chat & participants menu
• Speakers will miss the visual feedback from online participants; you can make up for that, by leaving nice remarks, using thumbs-up emojis, raising your hand, and clapping after the talks
• To ask questions, either use the "raise hand" button in the participants menu and prepare to be called up, or write them down in the chat for the chair to read them out
• Continue conversations with speakers via direct messages