Coimbra hosts GLEX Ignition summit featuring NASA and ESA experts

The GLEX Ignition summit is taking place at the Convento São Francisco in Coimbra, Portugal, bringing together eleven prominent figures from the fields of space exploration, science, and technological innovation. The event aims to discuss the current direction of scientific research and the technological challenges regarding the understanding of the Universe and Earth.

Key participants include Kelsey Young, a central figure in the scientific integration of NASA’s Artemis program, and Andreas Mogensen, the first Danish astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station. Other notable speakers include Pete Worden, former leader of the NASA Ames Research Center, and Sue Smrekar, a geophysicist from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory working on the VERITAS mission to Venus.

The summit also addresses terrestrial ecosystem preservation and climate adaptation. Participants such as ecologist Lola Fatoyinbo, National Geographic scientist Alizé Carrère, and researcher Cliff Kapono will discuss monitoring forests and oceans. Additionally, the agenda includes discussions on extreme medicine and the integration of ancestral knowledge with academic research, featuring biologist Kukama Avita Taricuarima.