European Space Astronomy Centre

The European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) is ESA’s space-science operations campus near Madrid, hosting mission science teams, archives, astronomy expertise and planetary-defence work. CESAR educational visits can explore the communications antenna, a full-scale Gaia mission model, ESAC facilities and the science behind ESA programmes. For 2026, the CESAR registration period for September–December visits ran from 15 April to 31 May; visits are for organised universities, associations, adult and similar groups, not individual visitors or families, while schools use separate CESAR options. Visits run Monday–Friday between 10:00 and 17:00 for groups of up to 20, with requests sent to project.cesar@esa.int. Check the current CESAR page for the next registration window and assigned dates before travelling.