European Space Expo Shatters Records in Athens
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An astonishing 104,307 visitors attend the European GNSS Agency (GSA) supported event during its stop in Athens, Greece.
The European Space Expo’s stop in Greece exceeded everyone’s expectations – shattering numerous records along the way. The Expo’s iconic dome landed in the centre of Athens on March 28, where it proceeded to attracted huge numbers of people each day until it closed on April 5.
In total, 104,307 visitors attended the event. The previous record was the 2013 Rome Expo, where 52,459 visitors came through the gates. The Athens event also the broke record for highest average number of daily visitors.
The Expo got a little extra boost thanks to it happening in tandem with the launch of Galileo Satellite #8. Fifteen-year-old Anastasia Panagiotakopoulou, who was one of the drawing contest winners in 2011 to have a Galileo satellite named after her, attended the opening of the Expo and helped celebrate the launch of her namesake satellite into space. The mayor of Athens and other dignitaries also attended the inauguration.
Also read: Big Numbers at European Space Expo Ljubljana
The large number of attendees demonstrates the huge interest in space and space applications across Europe. Overall, the European Space Expo has attracted more than 700,000 visitors. The European Space Expo is an initiative of the European Commission, with support of the European GNSS Agency (GSA). It illustrates the many benefits, services and applications derived from such European space programs as Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus in a fun, interactive and accessible way.
The Expo, one of the most successful public exhibitions ever run by the EU, continues to tour around Europe, educating people about the benefits of space exploration and the benefits of investing in space. Next up is Riga, where the Expo will land from April 30 through May 10.
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More information:
The European GNSS Agency
European Space Expo
European Space Expo Slovenia