Ohio State Launches Partnership with European Space Agency

The College of Engineering and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs signed an agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) to promote collaborations for the purpose of research, educational, and cultural exchange.

Spearheaded by Prof. John Horack, Neil Armstrong Chair in Aerospace Policy at Ohio State and Prof. Johann-Dietrich Woerner, Director General of the European Space Agency, the agreement was just signed at the 2016 International Astronautical Congress being held in Guadalajara, Mexico.

This makes OSU the first United States university member in the long-standing ESA Networking/Partnering Initiative (NPI).  Under the NPI research and academic partnership, faculty, staff, and students will be able to participate in the research and development of advanced technologies with potential application to space exploration, while ESA is provided a gateway to technical experts and unique laboratory facilities here at OSU and across the United States.

In the words of Prof. Horack, "The bridge is in place, now it's time to make lots of traffic forth and back!"