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We can still clearly remember the day when, on April 19, 2004, the ‘Delta’ mission began—the first flight of André Kuipers to the International Space Station (ISS). Especially for this mission, ESA developed the KUBIK biological incubator to conduct biological experiments in space. Two KUBIKs traveled to space together with André.

In the years that followed, KUBIK became one of the most successful devices on the ISS. Small, flexible, reusable, and (especially by spaceflight standards) remarkably inexpensive, KUBIK has proven its value by enabling nearly 60 (!) biological experiments in space. Since 2004, seven additional KUBIKs have been launched to the ISS, and in the past 20 years, there has hardly been a single day without a KUBIK on the ISS.

On April 16 and 17, this milestone will be celebrated with a festive symposium at ESTEC in Noordwijk. In addition to scientists and technologists who have worked directly with KUBIK, several astronauts who have used KUBIK will also be present—including André Kuipers himself, who will open the symposium.

In various presentations, past achievements will be discussed, as well as the role that KUBIK (or the ‘KUBIK philosophy’) could play in the future of space research on the Moon or Mars. On the evening of the 16th, there will be a festive dinner at a wonderful location in Noordwijk.

Preliminary Program
Wednesday, April 16
08:00 – 08:30 – Welcome & Registration
08:30 – 16:40 – Opening remarks, keynote presentations by André Kuipers and Samantha Cristoforetti, presentations on ‘Science’ and ‘Historical Development’, ‘Experience and Perspective’ sessions, and a speed dating session
18:30 – 23:00 – Dinner, Strand Pavilion De Zeemeeuw (optional – highly recommended!)

Thursday, April 17
09:00 – 15:30 –  Opening remarks, presentations on ‘Science’, ‘ESA LEO Platforms and Perspective & Commercial Aspects’, ‘ESA Moon (Gateway) and Mars Perspective’, workshop on ‘Future ESA & Commercial Projects’, and a speed dating session
15:30 – 16:00 – Closing session

Especially for NVR members, we have secured at least 30 entry tickets, which can be registered for on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. As an NVR member, you may bring a maximum of one guest. You are also invited to the informal dinner on Thursday evening, featuring live music and a special visit from André Kuipers, for just €30 per person!

Would you like to join? Register quickly following the instructions below.

Registration
Participation in the symposium is free of charge (including lunch). You can register as an NVR member via THIS LINK.

If you would also like to attend the festive dinner on April 16 at Strandpaviljoen De Zeemeeuw in Noordwijk, which we highly recommend, you can sign up for this as well via the registration form.

Would you like to bring a guest?
If you wish to attend the symposium with a guest (max. 1), you must complete a separate registration for this person. However, if you only want to bring a guest to the dinner, you can purchase an additional dinner ticket within your own registration.

After registering you will receive a confirmation, and closer to the symposium date, the final event details, directly from the ESA Conference Bureau.