Roger-Maurice Bonnet * Michel Blanc Originally published in Space Science Reviews, Volume 137, Nos 1-4. DOI: 10.

1007 / s11214-008-9418-0 © Springer Science + Business Media B. V.

2008 "Planetary Planetary Planets" is the first publication of its kind in the space science series of ISSI. It is the result of a new and successful joint venture between ISSI and Eu-planet.

Europlanet is a network of more than 110 European and American laboratories deeply immersed in the development of planetary science and the support of the European Planetary Plan. In 2004, the Europlanet Group received support from the European Commission to promote the global planetary science community and to expand the scientific production, impact and visibility of the European Space Program, primarily the Horizon 2000 and Cosmic Vision programs of the Russian Space Agency.

Their successors. Its current contract with the period from 2005 to 2008, includes 7 network activities, including discipline-based work groups covering the main areas of planetary science.

A new contract with the Commission, currently under negotiation, will extend to the activities of "Ruplant" in the period 2009-2012. With extensive community outreach through discipline work groups and other activities, Europlanet provides an ideal base from which to identify new areas of research for planetary science and stimulate collaborative action among member laboratories..