A broad scientific field
Planetary science is a scientific field situated at the interface of the geosciences and astronomy. Research in this domain relies on methods championed by these respective fields and targets key questions related to planet formation, planetary evolution, habitability and the origins of life. Within the Netherlands the planetary science field is mainly demarcated by research focussed on geoscience topics targeting solar system objects. In parallel important interfaces and collaborations with astronomy subfields have evolved, where planetary geoscience and (exo-)planetary astronomy offer complementarity and create an interdisciplinary ecosystem to solve scientific questions of mutual research foci.
A national platform
Within this diverse national ecosystem, the Netherlands Platform for Planetary Science (NPP) aspires to be a leading entity for connecting researchers from various fields in all stages of their careers, fostering synergies between science and industry, and advising policy makers. Its leadership comprises of dr. Sebastiaan de Vet (chair, TU Delft, Naturalis), Prof. dr. Wim van Westrenen (VU Amsterdam) and Prof. dr. ir. Inge Loes ten Kate (UU, UvA) who foster links to geoscience and astronomy communities and origins of life consortia. During 2025 we will strive to set up a steering group flanking the NPP core team with four posts dedicated to support initiatives focussed on: industry; early-career researchers; laboratory infrastructure; and community & outreach. Since 2024 the NPP also coordinates the Expertise Network on Observables of Planetary Habitability, a flagship project that aims to form a national collaborative network to prepare the community via postdoctoral research projects for future involvement in planetary missions.
History
The roots of the Netherlands Platform for Planetary science (NPP) can be traced back to 2004, aiming to bring together Netherlands-based planetary scientists and engineers from universities, institutes and industry.
Strategy & roadmaps
We aim to align and prepare the Dutch community for contributions to future mission outlines in national and international space exploration strategies.
Activities & Agenda
The NPP contributes and organises meetings and events where planetary scientists and other interested researchers or industry partners can meet-up. In addition, our agenda includes relevant (inter)national meetings with relevance to our community.