Voyage 2050 – Long-term planning of the ESA Science Programme
The Science Programme of the European Space Agency (ESA) relies on long-term planning of its scientific priorities. The first long-term plan, Horizon 2000, was the result of an exercise started in 1983, and it was followed by an extension, Horizon 2000 Plus, that resulted in the initiation of the Gaia and BepiColombo missions. The successive planning exercise, Cosmic Vision, was started in 2004 and is the current basis against which the content of the Science Programme is set.
Cosmic Vision is the result of a bottom-up process that began with a consultation of the broad scientific community. The plan, which comprises a variety of missions and extends up to 2035, defines the wide-ranging and ambitious scientific questions to be addressed by missions in the ESA Science Programme.
The next planning cycle of the ESA Science Programme, Voyage 2050, is now underway. In keeping with the bottom-up, peer-reviewed nature of the Science Programme, the definition of the next plan relies on open community input and on broad peer review. The community input will be gathered through the Call for White Papers, while the peer review of this input will take place through a two-tiered committee structure, with a Senior Committee of 13 European scientists supported by a number of Topical Teams. Scientists interested in participating in peer review process are invited to respond to the Call for Membership of the Topical Teams.
Membership of Topical Teams
Scientists working in ESA Member States and with an interest in any topic in space science and in the relevant technologies are welcome to apply for membership of the Topical Teams. Space science is defined here in a broad sense, including the observation of the Universe, planetary science, solar science, study of the space environment, and scientific experiments that can be carried out from a spacecraft.
The Topical Teams will be appointed by the Director of Science after the evaluation and recommendations of the Senior Committee. It is intended to have a mix of experience represented in each Topical Team and early career scientists are specifically encouraged to apply.
Full details, including information about Voyage 2050, the tasks of the Topical Team members, and information needed by applicants, can be found in the Call for Membership of Topical Teams document.
White Papers
By means of the present Call for White Papers, the Agency is soliciting ideas from the scientific community for the science themes that should be covered during the Voyage 2050 planning cycle.
White Papers are not proposals for specific missions; they should rather argue why a specific scientific theme should have priority in the Voyage 2050 planning cycle. At the same time, and to ensure realism in the resulting Programme, applicants should briefly illustrate possible mission profiles.
Any scientist or science team can submit a White Paper, with no limitation in terms of residence or nationality. All White Papers must be submitted in English. White Paper lead scientists cannot be members of the Topical Teams.
Full details, including information about Voyage 2050, the requirements for White Papers, and the role these will play in formulating the future Science Programme, can be found in the Call for White Papers document.
Workshop
An open workshop will be held in October 2019 at which the White Papers will be presented.
Submission forms
- Call for Topical Team members
Deadline for receipt of applications is: 6 May 2019, 12:00 (noon) CEST - Call for White Papers
Deadline for receipt of White Papers is: 5 August 2019, 12:00 (noon) CEST
Details about the calls and important dates can be found at: https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/voyage-2050
