During the festival, five conferences will be held as well as a round table discussion lead by author and specialised journalist, Michel Polacco.

Also on the programme, for two days from 10am till 6pm under the dome of the Astralia at the Cité de l’Espace, we’re inviting experts and the general public to discuss the core subjects of our festival between the Air and Space. This year we’re building an “aerial bridge” between the past and the future. Starting with the history of the Aéropostale (French Post Service), a reminder of those mythic pioneers who will soon be getting their own museum in Montaudran, Toulouse, and finishing with a “back to the future” look at electric planes – the future of flight or just wishful thinking?

Exploration of the red planet, Mars and its satellites...

We’re also going to be exploring our solar system and its 4th planet, Mars; the mythical red planet which continues to capture our imagination and inspire science fiction stories...or not.

Keeping our eye to the telescope, we’ll focus on a common project of 3 different associations:  La Ferme des Etoiles, patroned by Hubert Reeves. The associations have been working on a joint scientific knowledge development project on the theme of Earth Science (festival d’Astronomie / Marathon des sciences and festival Astro-Jeunes).

The festival coincides with two anniversaries this year:

« Celebrating 60 years of Sputnik » The Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first artificial Earth satellite in 1957 from Baikonur Cosmodrome. This event marked both the beginning of space exploration and the space race between the Soviet Union and the USA. So what’s the status today?

« The 100th anniversary of Latécoère » The aircraft company founded in 1917 by Pierre-Georges Latécoère, particularly known for its seaplanes which marked the start of the aeronautical industry in Toulouse. Latécoère’s story is full of aviation romanticism with the adventurous pilots Jean Mermoz and Antoine de St Exupéry sharing his pioneering passion.