Some of the world’s leading names in space exploration are heading to Coimbra later this month for a two-day summit covering everything from lunar science and the search for another Earth to Venus and the use of space technology to protect our planet.
GLEX Ignition 2026, taking place on October 29 and 30, will bring together 11 international speakers including NASA scientist Kelsey Young, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen and former NASA Ames Research Center director Pete Worden.
Young was NASA’s Artemis II lunar science lead and is now Artemis Science Flight Operations Lead, responsible for integrating scientific objectives into flight operations and Mission Control. She will speak in Coimbra about the science behind Artemis II, the crewed lunar flyby completed earlier this year.
Mogensen, a former commander of the International Space Station and now head of the European Astronaut Corps, will open the main programme at Coimbra’s Convento São Francisco.
Also taking part is Sue Smrekar, principal investigator of NASA’s VERITAS mission to Venus, while Worden – now executive director of Breakthrough Starshot – will address efforts to explore beyond our solar system.
Other sessions will explore Earth observation, coastal and forest ecology, extreme medicine, astronomy and the relationship between scientific exploration and ancestral knowledge.
Why Coimbra?
For organisers, the choice of venue is no accident.
“Coimbra has been producing knowledge for centuries,” said Manuel Vaz, CEO of Expanding World and co-founder of the GLEX Summit.
He said the event aims to reaffirm “the historical and future role of Portugal and Coimbra in exploration”, while connecting international scientists and innovators with the city’s growing research and technology community.
University of Coimbra rector Amílcar Falcão believes the city already has the ingredients to become a national reference point for the space sector.
“It is already clear that Coimbra is a magnet – or, let’s say, a beacon – in the field of space at national level,” he said.
That ambition has been developing for more than a decade.
Between 2014 and 2024, the ESA Business Incubation Centre programme coordinated by Coimbra’s Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN) supported more than 60 space-related companies in Portugal. The programme entered a new phase this year with the launch of ESA BIC Centro, while the University of Coimbra has also introduced a new degree in Aerospace Engineering.
The local ecosystem includes companies such as Neuraspace, which uses artificial intelligence in space traffic and debris management, while other Coimbra-linked businesses have developed technologies ranging from satellites to critical software for the aerospace sector.
Falcão said the challenge now is to turn scientific capability into stronger links between research, companies and international partners.
Two-day programme
The main GLEX Ignition programme takes place at Convento São Francisco on October 29, beginning at 9.20am and running into the afternoon.
The following day will feature Coimbra Supernova – Frontiers in Action, a smaller, limited-capacity forum built around two keynote sessions and an audience Q&A.
Coimbra Mayor Ana Abrunhosa said hosting the event provides an opportunity to connect the city’s researchers, institutions and businesses with an international community working at the forefront of science and technology.
“Coimbra has knowledge, talent, scientific and technological capacity, and businesses capable of competing internationally,” she said.
“Our challenge is to transform this knowledge into innovation, investment, economic activity and skilled employment.”
GLEX Ignition is organised by Expanding World Portugal in partnership with The Explorers Club of New York.
The full programme is available through the GLEX Summit website.