Following the successful “Vega Maiden Flight CubeSat Workshop” held at ESA/ESTEC in January 2008, which was the first CubeSat workshop to be held at the European-level, the ESA Education Office is pleased to announce the Second European CubeSat Workshop will take place in ESA/ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, from January 20th through the 22nd. 2009.

Since the first workshop, the ESA Education Office in the Directorate of Legal Affairs & External Relations, in conjunction with the Directorate of Launchers, has selected nine CubeSats (plus two backups) from European universities for launch on the maiden flight of the Vega launcher, now scheduled for November 2009. The nine CubeSats will be deployed from three different deployment systems mounted on the support structure of the main payload, LARES (LAser RElativity Satellite), into an orbit of 350 km by 1450 km at an inclination of 71 degrees. The launch opportunity is offered by ESA to the selected CubeSats free of charge and recognizes the growing importance of the CubeSat as a powerful, hands-on space education tool. This program is intended as a first step in boosting student hands-on development of CubeSats in Europe, providing a suitable and qualified space workforce for the future in complement with other education project activities. (Included image is an artist's impression of the Vega small launcher in flight. Credits: ESA - J. Huart)