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Topic 3
Safeguarding Earth: Advances in Planetary Defense and Protection

2 October, 2024 at 15:00 - 17:00

Egmont Palace, Brussels

Planetary Defense refers to the efforts and strategies aimed at detecting, tracking, and mitigating potential threats posed by Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), such as asteroids and comets, that could collide with our planet. In this session, experts from space agencies, industry, and academia will discuss key aspects of Planetary Defense. Highlights include the ESA Planetary Defence Projects, focusing on the Hera mission. Attendees will explore the technical and scientific challenges of planetary defense and its crucial role in safeguarding our planet and humanity's future in space.

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Speakers & Presentations  

Joffrey Coheur

Space and Ground Systems Engineer – SpaceBel

From Simulations to Spacecraft: The Software and Systems Behind Planetary Defense

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Özgür Karatekin

Research scientist - Royal Observatory Belgium

Hera mission - Belgium's scientific involvement

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Francisca Paiva

Intern in Planetary Protection - European Space Agency

Planetary Protection: Preserving Earth's Biosphere and The Quest for the Origins of Life

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Arthur Vangeffelen

Thermomechanical Systems Engineer - Space Applications Services

In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU): Oxygen Extraction from Lunar Regolith

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Lisa Krämer Ruggiu

FWO Postdoctoral fellow at the AMGC lab - Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Where do meteorites come from? How to link meteorites to their asteroid parent bodies

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Speakers

Joffrey Coheur.png

From Simulations to Spacecraft: The Software and Systems Behind Planetary Defense

 

Joffrey Coheur

Space System Engineer - Spacebel

Joffrey Coheur is a Space System Engineer at Spacebel, contributing to space exploration and Earth observation missions. He holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from UCLouvain and ULiège, where he specialized in the aerothermodynamic aspects of atmospheric entry problems coupled with uncertainty quantification. During his doctoral research, he worked at NASA Ames, Cenaero, and the Von Karman Institute (VKI). Joffrey also holds a Master's degree in Engineering Physics from ULiège and a Research Master's in Aeronautics and Aerospace from VKI. In addition to his engineering career, he serves as a Reserve Officer in the Belgian Defense, working in the Space Office on R&D strategy.

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Hera mission - Belgium's scientific involvement

Özgür Karatekin

Research scientist - Royal Observatory Belgium

Özgür Karatekin has been working on space mission and planetary explorations for more than 20 years at Royal Observatory of Belgium. He received his Ph.D in Applied Sciences from Université Libre de Bruxelles & von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics. He is the Principal Investigator of the Juventas CubeSat and GRASS Gravimeter for HERA mission. He is also the co-chair of HERA science data analysis, exploitation, interpretation group.

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Planetary Protection: Preserving Earth's Biosphere and The Quest for the Origins of Life

Francisca Paiva
Intern in Planetary Protection - European Space Agency

Francisca Paiva is an intern in Planetary Protection at the European Space Agency, contributing to R&D efforts, specifically aimed at assessing the consequences for scientific investigations of contaminants introduction coming from Moon's orbiters and landers. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Engineering Physics from Instituto Superior Técnico, ULisboa, and is completing her Master's degree in Biophysics, Biochemistry and Biotechnology at KU Leuven, specializing in biophysical modelling and astrobiology.

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In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU): Oxygen Extraction from Lunar Regolith

Arthur Vangeffelen

Thermomechanical Systems Engineer - Space Applications Services

Arthur Vangeffelen is a dedicated engineer with a strong academic background and a specialization in fluid dynamics and heat transfer. From 2018 to 2023, Arthur Vangeffelen pursued a Ph.D. at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, TME - VITO - EnergyVille, within the Faculty of Engineering Science at KU Leuven. His doctoral research focused on the "Macro-Scale Modeling of Compact Heat Transfer Devices with Offset Strip Fins," contributing to advancements in energy efficiency and heat transfer technology. Arthur Vangeffelen is now working at Space Applications Services as a Thermomechanical Systems Engineer, within the Future Projects & Exploration Teams. He is involved in various In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)-related projects such as ISRULAB and Ground-Based Pilot Plant (GBPP), which build on the in-house expertise from past projects such as ESA-SRU and Alchemist.

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Where do meteorites come from? How to link meteorites to their asteroid parent bodies

 

Lisa Krämer Ruggiu

FWO Postdoctoral fellow at the AMGC lab - Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Lisa Krämer Ruggiu, Ph.D., is a French-Luxemburgish distinguished postdoctoral fellow at the AMGC lab at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, where she leads pioneering research in the chemistry and mineralogy of meteorites and micrometeorites. Her groundbreaking project, FEMINA, delves into the historical flux of micrometeorites on Earth, offering invaluable insights into our planet's past.

Chair & Co-Chair

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Chair: Mohammad Iranmanesh

Mohammad Iranmanesh is the Managing Director (Belgium) of constellr, a pan-european company pioneering the use of cutting-edge beyond-visual imaging technology to transform how we monitor crucial aspects of Earth's health from space (https://www.constellr.com). With a background in Space Systems Engineering and project management, Mohammad brings extensive expertise in overseeing the technical development of space hardware and software
Prior to his role at constellr, he pursued a dual master's degree at UCLouvain and ISAE-Supaero, complemented by a certificate in Management of Innovation from HEC Paris. During this time, he co-founded lide.space (https://lide.space), a Belgian startup dedicated to facilitating microgravity research through glider parabolic flights.
Mohammad is also actively engaged in the global space community, serving as the National Point of Contact in Belgium for the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC).

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Co-Chair: Sarah Baatout

Prof. Dr. Sarah Baatout is deputy institute director of nuclear medical applications at SCK CEN (Belgian Nuclear Research Centre) in Mol, Belgium. She also teaches as guest professor at UGent and KULeuven. For more than 25 years, she has been investigating the impact of ionizing radiation on health through the development of new therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals and better radiotherapy treatments for cancer patients, the discovery of innovative biomarkers for personalized medicine of astronauts and patients. Sarah is the Head of the Belgian delegation at UNSCEAR (United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation), Secretary Treasurer of the European Radiation Research Society and Chair of the Belgian Hadrontherapy Center. She is/has been the (co-)-promoters of 5 Postdocs and of 18 PhD students and is the (co-) author of some 200 international papers.

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