About 30 participants could enjoy an interesting display of lectures and demonstrations of some of the activities carried out at the European Space Research Technology Center (ESTEC) site in Noordwijk on June 20, 2019. The visit was organised by the EPFL Alumni Dutch chapter and the ETHZ alumni were also invited.

ESA, the European Space agency, has sites in several European countries. But the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, is the largest. ESTEC is the technical heart – the incubator of the European space effort – where most ESA projects are born and where they are guided through the various phases of development.

The three-hour display concluded with a generous round of cocktails and snacks. About 20 participants then went to the nearby seaside town of Katwijk where they had a delightful meal at a restaurant on the beach.