On February 27th, the HIG team had the privilege of visiting the European Space Agency, thanks to the kind organisation of Mark Drinkwater and Malcolm Davidson. It was a great chance to get (most of) the research interns together for a team outing, and was hopefully the first of many!

This visit offered a valuable opportunity for our team to deepen our understanding of ESA’s wide-ranging operations and focuses. Our visit paid particular focus to the intersection of space and geopolitics, an area of often overlooked strategic importance.

Malcolm Davidson gave us an insightful presentation on the Sentinel-1 series of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites, which deliver detailed imaging of Earth’s surface regardless of weather conditions or time of day. These capabilities play a critical role in both maritime and land monitoring, with especially important applications in regions such as the Arctic.

The visit also included a tour of some of ESA’s facilities, where we explored ongoing operations in greater depth and had the chance to see satellite models and mission equipment up close. 

Thank you sincerely to Mark Drinkwater and Malcolm Davidson for your organisation and sharing your expertise with us! The visit sparked a new interest in all of us.