Immersion in the space universe – The Junior Space Academy
>>> Cliquez ici pour la version française
JSA#2
SECOND EDITION IN SUMMER 2025
This Summer School is open to Bachelor’s students (1st to 3rd year) or equivalent, offers 30 face-to-face places and unlimited distance learning places.
> Stay tuned : registration opens in January 2025 !
From 17 to 21 June 2024, we had the pleasure to organise the first edition of our summer school, the Junior Space Academy. This week of immersion in the world of space in the Paris region brought together 30 undergraduate students passionate about space.
This event was possible thanks to the commitment of:
- Philippe Keckhut, professor at the UVSQ and director of the IDF Space Academy
- Laurence Croizé, research officer at ONERA and director of the Junior Space Academy
- Fanny Duret, Training and Research Manager at GS Géosciences Paris-Saclay
- Blandine Oudin, Assistant Director of GS Géosciences Paris-Saclay and OI CPS3
We had the privilege of welcoming Erika Velio as the patron of this first edition. Director of Services at a space research institute and President of the PIKALI RUN OI association, she accompanied the students throughout the week, sharing her expertise and passion for the space sector.
Over the course of the week, we took the students to the heart of renowned institutional and industrial establishments in the space field: OVSQ, ONERA, IPGP, Sorbonne University, Thalès, Safran, IAS and UPEC.
Really great experience to live. You meet new friends. You learn so much and that’s have no price.
– 2024 participant
Internships in the aerospace field can be incredibly valuable. They provide an opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects, gain hands-on experience, and collaborate with experienced professionals. These internships also offer insight into the technical challenges and industrial processes specific to the aerospace sector. Overall, they are a great gateway to a career in this field.
– 2024 participant
An experience so rich in discoveries! it’s an experience that allows us to have stars in our eyes!
– 2024 participant
Monday 17 june – OVSQ
The students were welcomed at the Observatoire de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (OVSQ). This observatory, which has OSU (Observatoire des Sciences de l’Univers) status, has a teaching, observation and research mission.
After an introduction by Philippe Keckhut and a welcome speech by Erika Velio, the day began with a presentation by Thomas Garnier, M2 Newspace & MSc&T Space Business Strategy space engineer, of the University of Paris-Saclay’s master’s programme for the space sector.
The students then visited the Integration and Test Platform (PIT), where they discovered equipment such as the vibrating pot, the thermal-optical vacuum tank, the MIRE multi-screen display system, the clean rooms, etc.
The afternoon was devoted to presentations by a series of experts:
- The POLDER, PARASOL and MicroCarb missions by François-Marie Bréon, Deputy Director of LSCE
- Earth observation data by Richard Moreno, Technical Director, Data Terre research infrastructure, CNES
- Organisation of a space project by Pierre Maso, Technical Director of OVSQ
- Space transportation near you, by Elisa Cliquet Moreno, Reuse Project Manager, and Titouan Riou, Business Manager for Innovation and Coordination of the Space Transportation HUB, CNES
- DraMS project, instrument for the NASA-Dragonfly mission (drone for Titan) by Charlotte Corbel, head of the « systems » department at LATMOS and project manager for the DraMS instrument
- An agile method project, the UVSQsat NG nano-satellite by Moustafa Meftha, head of the « small satellites » department at LATMOS and UVSQ, and head of the NanoSat UVSQsat NG project.
The day ended with a talk by our patron Erika Velio:
A freed-up space for transmission and reconstruction
Tuesday 18 june – ONERA
ONERA (Office National d’Études et de Recherches Aérospatiales), the French aeronautics, space and defence research centre, opened its doors to Junior Space Academy students for a day of visits and exchanges with ONERA experts.
ONERA is a key player in aeronautics and space research, preparing the defence of tomorrow, meeting the aeronautics and space challenges of the future, and contributing to the competitiveness of the aerospace industry.
The day was marked by visits to ONERA’s equipment: lidars, microscope, atmospheric electricity, hyperspectral and the Mascotte cryogenic bench.
Students also attended presentations by ONERA research teams:
- Pre-projects, trajectory by Mathieu Balesdent, Director of Research at ONERA
- Taking into account the environmental impact of launchers, by Loïc Brevault, research engineer at ONERA
- Control and monitoring: health of launcher structures with a view to their reuse by Jean-Michel Roche, R&D team leader at ONERA
- Aerodynamics of extreme environments by Pierre-Elie Weiss, research engineer at ONERA
- Liquid propulsion by Yves Mauriot, research engineer at ONERA
- Space law: professions and training. A science fiction approach by Quentin Gueho, doctoral student in space law
- Nanosat at ONERA by Antoine Miniussi, Nanosat project manager at ONERA
- The SCARBOn mission by Laurence Croizé, Research Officer at ONERA, and Yann Ferrec, Research Engineer at ONERA
Wednesday 19 june – IPGP and Sorbonne Université
The morning session took place at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP). A CNES space laboratory and part of the Université Paris Cité, the IPGP is a world-renowned higher education establishment and research institute in the geosciences.
After a welcome from Philippe Lognonné, Geophysicist and Planetologist at the IPGP, the students had the pleasure of visiting:
- the cosmochemistry laboratories with Frédéric Moynier, professor at Université Paris Cité
- the planetary seismology test platform with Sébastien de Raucourt, project leader at IUP Paris 7 Diderot, and Tanguy Nebut, research engineer at IPGP
The morning was also marked by discussions with the speakers:
- Planetology by Mark Wieczorek, Director of Research at IPGP
- Cosmochemistry
- Geodesy by Isabelle Panet, research director at the IPGP
- Geomagnetism by Pierdavide Coïsson, deputy physicist at the IPGP
- Cosmology and astroparticles in space by Hubert Halloin, lecturer at Université Paris Cité
- And presentation of the SPACE master’s degree, the École d’ingénieur Denis Diderot (EIDD) and the Master’s degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environment (STePE).
In the afternoon, the students moved on to the Pierre and Marie Curie campus of Sorbonne University, a world-renowned multidisciplinary research-intensive university.
They were welcomed by Laurence Picon, a professor at Sorbonne University, who gave a welcome speech and presented the masters courses in the Space sector.
Alongside the round tables, the students were taken in small groups to the roofs of the campus for a tour of the Qualair platform by Camille Viatte, a researcher at LATMOS.
A number of presentations were made during the afternoon:
- Master of Chemistry in Analytical Techniques by Véronique Peyre, research professor
- The IASI mission by Cathy Clerbaux, CNRS research director
- Rotational movements of celestial bodies and their internal structure by Nicolas Rambaux, lecturer at Sorbonne University
- Micrometeorites in aerogels by Farah Mahieddine, research engineer
- Linking ground and sky: FTIR remote sensing in support of space by Yao-Veng TE, Senior Lecturer at Sorbonne Université
Thursday 20 june – Thalès, Safran and IAS
Thalès is a French high-tech group specialising in aeronautics & space, defence & security and cybersecurity & digital identity.
During their visit to Thalès, the students were accompanied by Stephane Bredon, Head of Development at Thalès, and Daniel Dos Reis, Head of the Space Product Engineering Department (HOD). The programme included a tour of the cleanrooms, a presentation of Thalès’ activities and discussions with the two managers.
Safran is a high-technology group operating in the aerospace (propulsion, equipment and interiors), space and defence sectors.
The class was able to find out more about Safran REOSC’s (Research and Studies in Optics and Related Sciences) skills and expertise in the industrialisation of innovative instruments for astronomy and earth observation from space.
In the afternoon, the students met up at the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS). The IAS is a research unit of the CNRS and the Université Paris-Saclay, whose activities cover a wide field of physics, from our Sun to the physics of galaxies, including the study of planet formation and evolution.
The visit provided an opportunity to talk about planetology with Benjamin Bultel, lecturer at the University of Paris-Saclay, and astrophysics with Mathieu Langer, professor of physics at the University of Paris-Saclay.
After a tour of the IAS calibration station, the day ended with a presentation of the OSAE Master 2 (Tools and Systems for Astronomy and Space) by Jean-Christophe Le Clec’h, head of department at the IAS, and Pierre Guiot, research engineer at the IAS.
Friday 21 june – UPEC
The final day of the summer school took place at the Université Paris-Est Créteil Val de Marne (UPEC). This higher education and research institution is renowned for its diversity of academic programmes and its commitment to innovation and development.
The morning began with a presentation by Marc Rapin, Head of Innovation at ASTech, on space innovation in the Paris Region. This was followed by two presentations:
- Remote sensing of atmospheric composition from the ground by Pascale Chelin, senior lecturer at LISA
- Satellite observation of atmospheric pollution by Jean Cuesta
Lastly, 4 visits enhanced the day:
- OASIS Observatory
- CESAM experimental simulation chamber
- Molecular spectroscopy platform
- UPEC Space Campus
The week ended with a report from Erika Velio, the year’s patron, in the form of a slide show summarising the week’s activities, as well as exchanges and friendly words from the students in the Class of 2024.
« Go as far as you can » Believe in your potential and you will see beyond your own limits. I may not have a scientific background or the brightest mind in the room, but I’m driven by passion, perseverance and curiosity and that’s enough, you’re enough. JSA is only for 5 days but you’re going to fly away for your dreams, because believe me it’s a reality waiting for you.
– SV
For me, the JSA was an experience that was as enriching as it was important for my career orientation. I was able to discover various training courses and professions that will help me in my future choices. I also had the opportunity to explore other branches of professions that I may not practice, but with which I might collaborate one day. I visited research centers and had the chance to speak with professionals, which broadened my perspective on the world of aerospace and allowed me to immerse myself in the field.
– Noémie Brossut, geology student
Had a great time there ! If you are curious, love learning, then this summer school is definitely made for you ! Even if you don’t have a strong technical background in aerospace engineering, you could still discover tons of things related to space that will interest you. I loved every presentation we had, as the speakers prepared a really good presentation of their research or of their field of expertise. I would recommend it 100 %
– 2024 participant
