Roger-Maurice Bonnet

French astrophysicist and academic who started his research observing in the ultraviolet, the spectrum and the disc of the Sun from space-borne instruments which he himself designed.

In 1977, he became Director of research at the French National Centre for Scientific Research. He was also Director of the Laboratoire de Physique Stellaire et Planétaire (LPSP) at Verrières-le-Buisson (1969-1983).

In April 1983 he was appointed Director of the Scientific programme of the European Space Agency. As an instrumentalist he was in charge of constructing the telescope of the camera which took pictures of Halley’s Comet nucleus on board the European Giotto spacecraft. He promoted the new field of helioseismology in the European space programme and also promoted the techniques of interferometry from space. He established the first Long Term Plan for Space Science called “Space science – Horizon 2000”. This plan is now considered as a central reference for the different member States, as well as other countries such as the USA, Russia and Japan.

Through his activities, Professor Bonnet always worked to increase international cooperation in space research, in particular in Europe. In 2002 he became Scientific Deputy General Director of the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) in France.

Author of many scientific articles and publications, articles and books aimed at the general public, Professor Roger M. Bonnet was awarded Officier de la Légion d’Honneur. Dr. Honoris Causa from London University, he was Fellow of the European Geophysical Society, member of the Academia Europaea and of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), and was awarded several important distinctions.

Roger-Maurice Bonnet died on 19 January 2026 at the age of 88 in Clermont-Ferrand, France.