Welcome to EPSC2026!

The 21st Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) is taking place in The Hague, Netherlands this week. With around 1200 planetary scientists from over 40 countries in Europe and around the world expected to attend, EPSC2026 will be the largest international planetary science meeting this year. The meeting is fully hybrid, with recordings of sessions available for 12 months after the meeting for registered participants.

EPSC2026 covers the full spectrum of planetary research and technology across over 125 scientific sessions, keynotes, debates and community events. Topics include the latest results on the Solar System, exoplanetary and interstellar bodies, current and upcoming missions, ground-based observations, the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in planetary science, planetary defence, the emergence of life in our Solar System and beyond, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). Morning briefings, hosted by Niamh Shaw, will give a round-up of events and highlights to look out for.

The Hague – the first place in the Netherlands to host EPSC – has a special connection to planetary science. The world’s first written account of an astronomical observation using a telescope was published in The Hague, and the city was the birthplace of Christiaan Huygens, the telescope pioneer and discoverer of Saturn’s moon Titan. In the run-up to and during the week of the conference, a comprehensive public outreach programme will engage the local community with the city’s history and planetary science through a walking tour, concerts, arts installations, lectures and schools’ events.

If you haven’t yet registered, there is still time: https://www.epsc2026.eu