About ESA
The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
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Space in Member States
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Germany
Austria
Belgium
Denmark
Spain
Estonia
Finland
France
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Luxembourg
Norway
The Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Czechia
Romania
United Kingdom
Slovenia
Sweden
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Science & Exploration
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
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Enabling & Support
Making space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Fly Your Thesis! 2017 - Flying Squirrels
Flying Squirrels is one of six student teams from all over Europe who recently performed - after more than a year of development – their Fly Your Thesis! 2017 experiments in the 'Zero-G' aircraft.
The Flying Squirrel's experiment tested a new technological system for attitude control of cubesats. This system is composed of a cluster of six mechanical actuators (Single-Gimbal Control Moment Gyros) and a new steering law for these actuators. Control Moment Gyros, already used in some satellites or space stations, have proven to be very power-efficient and have more torque capabilities than other actuators for the same mass. For micro-satellites or cubesats, their use is not common because of their mechanical complexity, the difficulty of steering them, and few systems are commonly available in the market.
Fly Your Thesis! is a recurring programme that ESA Education sponsors on a yearly basis. During the FYT! programme, students receive valuable feedback from ESA, Novespace, and European Low Gravity Research Association (ELGRA) experts; last but least, they get the extraordinary opportunity to execute their experiments in microgravity conditions on-board a state-of-the-art vehicle like the Novespace Zero-G aircraft, alongside professional researchers.
