The 49th Paris Air Show will take place 20-26 June at Le Bourget, bringing together key players from international space agencies and industry to highlight the increasingly important role of space in a rapidly changing world.

The ESA Pavilion, themed as "Space, a key asset for Europe; L'espace, un atout essential pour l'Europe", will be located in its usual place between the full-scale models of the Ariane 1 and Ariane 5 launchers.

It will showcase the importance of space systems and applications in facing global challenges and providing decision-makers with tools to respond to critical challenges such as climate change and global security.

At the same time, the pavilion will showcase the key importance of space to inspire new generations and to foster a knowledge-based society. Le Bourget is also the opportunity for ESA to underline the importance of international cooperation to build the future of space.

The exhibition features the many dimensions of space: space for a better understanding of our Earth and its place in the Universe; space as a generator of new technologies and innovation; space for improving the quality of life and fostering European growth, knowledge and employment.

CryoSat is measuring changes in the thickness of continental ice sheets and marine ice.

GOCE has provided a new gravity model of Earth and a new reference height model for the oceans.

SMOS is measuring soil moisture and ocean salinity for a better understanding of the water cycle, a vital indicator for weather patterns, climate monitoring and predicting extreme events.

Earth observation plays a key role for rapid response to major disasters: by combining data from different space agencies, an international Charter allows timely delivery of data for rapid risk and damage assessment to assist the coordination of resources and expertise from around the world.

ESA will show how space allows meteorological satellites to provide data on the atmosphere, clouds, temperature, humidity, ozone levels and wind flow.

Examples of services from the EU-led GMES initiative - Global Monitoring for Environment and Security - will be displayed for improved land use, atmospheric, ocean and coastal monitoring, risk and emergency management.

The first satellites to be launched in 2011 as part of the Galileo satellite navigation system will be shown together with a special focus on aviation applications of EGNOS, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service.

Telecommunication satellites will be highlighted with the coming launch of Alphasat I-XL satellite, a public-private partnership between ESA and Inmarsat.

A unique film will show images of the station with the Shuttle and ATV attached taken by ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli some weeks ago, at the end of his MagISStra mission.

During the weekend, ESA experts will give overviews of ESA programmes on exploration of the Solar System and deep space, Earth observation and meteorology, launchers, human spaceflight and space laboratories.

ESA astronauts will be at the pavilion to share their exciting experiences working and living on the Space Station, along with a virtual tour of the orbital outpost.

The audience is also invited to discover more about space with a new 3D space quiz.

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