Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB)

Aeronomy is an interdisciplinary science
that studies the Earth’s atmosphere, the planets, comets
and interplanetary space.

Simply listing the problems associated with the ozone layer, the greenhouse effect, the propagation of radio waves in the ionosphere or the magnetic storms that affect telecommunications, is enough to demonstrate the importance of knowing and understanding all the phenomena observed in the upper atmosphere and the terrestrial environment.

In recent years, the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB ) has gained international recognition with its scientific study of the Earth’s atmosphere and those of the other planets, as well as its study of how the sun affects our environment.

The BIRA-IASB, which plays a central role in the study of global climate change, attempts to provide the answers to our society’s questions on the condition of our atmosphere.

The Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy is and has been an important partner for several space missions. The institute can play an essential role before the mission, during and/or after the mission. Recent space missions: ESA-NASA Exomars mission, ALTIUS, PICARD, EPT, ISS, SOLSPEC, ROSETTA, Venus Express, Mars Express.

The Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy main tasks are research and public service in space aeronomy, which is the physics and chemistry of the atmosphere of the Earth and other planets, and of outer space. Focus: Climate, Ozone, UV, Air Quality, Space Physics, Planetary Aeronomy and Scientific Services.

Aeronomy, a typically multidisciplinary science which was officially recognised as a field of science by the scientific authorities in 1954, has really taken off with the arrival of artificial satellites and the development of new techniques for observation from space.