This Wednesday, September 30, from 6 to 11 pm, the Cité de l’espace in Toulouse celebrates the start of Year 39 on Mars. Comat is taking part in this festive and scientific evening alongside the major players of the Toulouse space community.
New Year’s Eve… on Mars
On Mars, time does not pass the way it does on Earth: a Martian year lasts 687 Earth days. The Earth calendar is therefore not suited to exploration missions. This is why a Martian calendar was developed. It divides the year into 24 months of 27 to 28 “sols”, the name given to Martian days. Today, this calendar is mainly used by scientists and by the teams operating the rovers, which run on sols.
September 30, 2026 marks the beginning of Year 39 on the Red Planet. To celebrate, the Cité de l’espace is hosting a one-of-a-kind evening, free of charge upon registration.
Comat and Mars: a long-standing story
For Comat, Mars is more than a celebration. For many years, we have contributed to Martian missions, including Curiosity and Perseverance, whose rovers are still exploring the surface of the Red Planet.
Space exploration is one of the fields we equip. It calls for mechanisms that can withstand extreme environments and operate reliably over the long term, far from any human intervention.
Our scope goes beyond Mars.
Lunar missions are also part of our expertise, with similar challenges: abrasive dust, extreme temperature swings, and reliability throughout the entire mission.
Visit our booth in the Véga room
Throughout the evening, from 6 pm to 10:15 pm, our team welcomes you in the Véga room. You will discover the mechanisms we develop to remove dust from the Martian surface. We will also present equipment designed for lunar missions. It’s a great opportunity to talk with our engineers and see up close what lies behind planetary exploration.
Programme :
IMAX and planetarium screenings, a show on the Martian terrain, talks with scientists, the inauguration of a “Martian embassy” and, at 10:15 pm, a countdown to ring in the new year together. The event brings together Airbus Defence & Space, CNES, Comat, OMP-IRAP, ISAE-SUPAERO, Thales Alenia Space and Université Toulouse Capitole.
Practical information
Wednesday, September 30, 2026, 6 pm to 11 pm (last admission at 10:30 pm)
Cité de l’espace, avenue Jean Gonord, Toulouse
Free admission upon registration: Eventbrite link
Full programme: cite-espace.com
