17 September 2007

International Spacewire Conference

100 spacecraft design engineers visit Dundee boosting local economy by £100,000.

Over 100 spacecraft design engineers from across the world will join the inaugural International SpaceWire conference that starts today, Monday 17 September 2007, in Dundee. Representatives from the major space agencies including NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and Roscosmos will be attending as well as delegates from across Europe, Russia, Israel, Japan, USA, Canada and Argentina. The three day SpaceWire conference, which is being hosted by the University of Dundee, will contribute approximately £100,000 to the local economy.

Dr Steve Parkes from the University of Dundee says, "Dundee is globally recognised to be a forerunner in the space industry at the cutting edge of SpaceWire technology. We are delighted and honoured to be holding the first International SpaceWire conference in Dundee."

He explains, "In conjunction with ESA and the space industry Europe-wide, the University of Dundee was instrumental in writing the standard for SpaceWire. SpaceWire is a leading data-handling network for use onboard spacecraft. It is simple to implement and use, and is being deployed on many space missions by NASA, ESA, JAXA and Roscosmos."

The conference has attracted many spacecraft design specialists including, product designers, hardware engineers, system developers and space mission specialists.

"The conference will provide a unique opportunity for leading professionals from the space agencies and space industry to meet and discuss the latest developments in the specialised field of SpaceWire technology," adds Dr Parkes.

Karen Tocher, Business Tourism Manager at Dundee & Angus Convention Bureau comments, "All business tourism events have a positive impact on the local economy. However holding an inaugural conference or event in Dundee presents a prime opportunity to showcase the city to a new audience. It is possible that the majority of those attending the International SpaceWire conference may not have visited Dundee prior to the conference taking place.

"In order to offer delegates the opportunity to sample some of the surrounding area the conference organisers have included an optional full day tour in the conference programme."

Karen continues, "This encompasses a tour of Glamis Castle, a visit to the Fettercairn distillery and the chance to explore the magnificent ancient ruin of Dunottar Castle.

"It is hoped that those participating in the tour will have their appetites whetted and will decide to return to Dundee and Angus at a later date, perhaps with friends and family, to explore further for themselves."

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For more information about the first International SpaceWire Conference visit www.spacewire.computing.dundee.ac.uk . The conference is to be hosted by the University of Dundee and is sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), British National Space Centre (BNSC), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Dundee City Council, Scottish Enterprise Tayside and NASA.>