Europe’s largest place for space is little visited, but hugely influential: this October you get the chance to see for yourself. ESA’s technical centre ESTEC is opening its doors to the public – a must for all space enthusiasts.

Mark your calendar: this year’s ESTEC Open Day will take place on Sunday 4 October – the 58th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik-1 – as part of the Netherlands’ national Weekend of Science and World Space Week.

This is your chance to meet astronauts and space experts, tour key facilities and examine actual space hardware in close-up. This year’s event will focus on our longer-term space future, highlighting new technologies being developed to change the space industry state-of-the-art, and the new destinations being opened up in the process.