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In closing, a last message from the symposium chair:

The 26th ESA Symposium on European Rocket and Balloon Programmes and Related Research has successfully concluded. This year, the event was held at the Swiss Museum of Transportation, an inspiring venue that perfectly complemented our symposium's spirit. Renowned for its comprehensive insights into cutting-edge technologies and groundbreaking scientific advancements, the symposium lived up to its reputation. With nearly 190 presentations organized in three parallel sessions and over 270 participants from 19 countries, the event truly highlighted its international scope.

In addition to delivering a wealth of technical and scientific knowledge, the symposium fostered numerous opportunities for personal interaction. It commenced with a Welcoming Drink at registration, followed by the renowned Range’s Night, featuring delicacies from member states. The social activities culminated in a Gala Dinner hosted in the museum's air and space hall.

Parallel to the symposium, the Aerospace Job Fair, held during the excursion afternoon, was a remarkable success. This event attracted over 250 students from various Swiss universities, offering them the unique chance to engage with approximately 20 companies in the aerospace sector.

The organizing committee and I are delighted with the symposium's highly positive outcome. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed to the success of this event. Special thanks are due to our keynote speakers, who captivated us with their insightful presentations, as well as to all the speakers and chairpersons involved in the sessions. Lastly, I'd like to thank all the participants for their valuable attendance.

We now look forward to the 27th ESA Symposium on European Rocket and Balloon Programmes and Related Research, which will be held in Norway in 2026. I hope to see you all there again.

Marcel Egli
Chair of the Symposium Programme Committee

The 26th ESA Symposium on European Rocket and Balloon Programmes and Related Research is organized by the European Space Agency (ESA), the Swiss Space Office (SSO) and the Hochschule Luzern (HSLU).

The symposium programme will be defined by the Programme Committee, which is composed of experts from ESA and the member states of the Esrange and Andøya Special Project (EASP) Agreement: France, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden.

Purpose of the Symposium

This symposium will be the 26th in a series of conferences started in 1973 by the Member States of EASP, in order to provide a discussion forum for scientists and engineers using sounding rockets and balloons for basic and technical research, education as well as other applications. The programme of the symposium also includes related research by means of ground-based, aircrafts and satellite instruments as well as new technical developments within rocket and balloon systems and instrumentation and ranges facilities.

The symposium participants will be given the opportunity for reporting both on their latest achievements and on future plans in the various scientific and technical fields. These symposia are also widely recognised meetings for efficient communication amongst scientists, representatives of various space agencies, engineers, project managers, range personnel and administrators, and thereby have become the starting point for intensified collaboration.

New trends and latest developments in the use of sounding rockets and balloons for scientific research will be highlighted during the symposium. This will facilitate the establishment of a strategic and lasting roadmap towards the future progress of these activities.

In recent years, the symposium has also covered Space Education, which has attracted an ever-increasing young audience and space players involved in education activities.

A number of invited speakers will present the state of scientific and technical knowledge in fields of specific interests. Submitted papers will be selected either for oral or poster presentations, based on preference of the authors and programme constraints.
All poster presenters will be given the possibility of a short oral introduction to the poster during a dedicated “speed session”. During the symposium, there will be opportunities for special project meetings and working group discussions.

The Proceedings of the symposium will be published by ESA in digital form and distributed to all participants approximately three months after the symposium.