Johann-Dietrich Wörner Receives the 2018 Heinrich Hertz Guest Professorship

Public Lecture of the Director-General of the European Space Agency ESA – Followed by a Ceremony on the Occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the KIT-Fördergesellschaft e.V.

Professor Johann-Dietrich Wörner, Generaldirektor der Europäischen Weltraumorganisation ESA (Foto: Phillippe Sebirot, ESA) — Professor Johann-Dietrich Wörner, Director-General of the European Space Agency ESA. (Photo: Phillippe Sebirot, ESA)

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the KIT-Fördergesellschaft e.V. (KFG, friends of KIT) grant the 2018 Heinrich Hertz Guest Professorship to Professor Johann-Dietrich Wörner. The Director-General of the European Space Agency ESA will speak about “Space 4.0” on Wednesday, July 04, 2018, 17 hrs at the Johann-Gottfried-Tulla-Hörsaal on KIT Campus South (building 11.40, Englerstraße 11, Karlsruhe). Prior to his lecture, he will head a seminar for students. The lecture will be followed by a ceremony on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the KIT-Fördergesellschaft e.V. at 18.20 hrs.

In his presentation “Space 4.0,” Johann-Dietrich Wörner will highlight the ongoing rapid change in the aerospace sector, as reflected by several astronautics actors, private investors, new applications, and new technologies. In this time of change, positioning of the space agency and its future profile are of particular importance. Space technology today means infrastructure for applications and research. In parallel, it serves scientific and exploration tasks. Publicly funded projects, private investments, and mixed financing schemes have to be organized. The role of ESA as an intergovernmental organization additionally means a special responsibility for considering national interests and interconnecting various disciplines. This multi-dimensional area of work will be illustrated by concrete projects and challenges.

Full Text: Press Release 076/2018

tp, 27.06.2018