The Cité de l’espace in Toulouse promises the Moon to weld the crisis
The scenographic presentation of LuneXplorer, new animation of the Cité de l’espace which promises a trip to the Moon without leaving terra firma, is still approximate. And for good reason: if, in this center of scientific culture based in Toulouse, work will start in April, the commissioning, scheduled for July 2023, is still far away. But the contours of the new equipment are beginning to take shape.
After an explanatory introduction, in the reception hall, to the space missions of the American programs Apollo (1961-1972) and Artemis (launched in 2017), visitors will board a centrifuge equipped with a capsule. Informed about the safety rules to be observed in flight and the actions to be taken within the framework of an imaginary scenario, the crew will then be propelled at a speed of 2 to 2.5 G.
“They know the sensations of acceleration and descent, but not of weightlessness. We are not in the International Space Stationimmediately warns Jean-Baptiste Desbois, the general manager of Semeccel, the operator of the Cité de l’espace, very attached to the educational dimension of the site. We will bring sensations to life in the service of a project of scientific culture and education. »
“Showcase for the sector”
Above all, the objective of this equipment, integrated in place of the Terradome (a building in the shape of an earthly sphere), is to boost attendance at this four-hectare park, open to the public since 1997 and recognizable by its imposing replica of the Ariane-5 rocket, 53 meters high.
While 2019 had been a record year, with just over 408,000 visitors, attendance plummeted due to the cumulative nine months of closure imposed to curb the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, 171,000 visitors pushed through the site’s front door, 268,000 in 2021. Inevitable consequence: turnover fell, compared to the eleven million euros in 2019, by 50% in 2020 and by 30% in 2021.
“Our challenge is the attractivenessadmits, in all frankness, Mr. Desbois. We envisage between 30,000 and 40,000 additional visitors per year with this unique equipment in France and Europe. » For Jean-Luc Moudenc, president (Les Républicains) of Toulouse Métropole, who funded 40% of the 11.8 million euro flight simulator, this equipment is “a showcase for the entire space sector and the reflection of this ecosystem”.
Because the Toulouse conurbation concentrates 15,000 jobs and 260 companies in the sector. “Toulouse is the European space capital, with a quarter of the jobs” French, owner M. Moudenc. And, in comparison with aeronautics, the Covid-19 has less disrupted this healthy sector, which recorded a 10% drop in turnover in 2020.