Everything you need to know about the CubeSat Summer School 2024
ESA’s Education Office is developing a new multi-week training opportunity: the CubeSat Summer School 2024. In the frame of ESA Academy’s Training Programme, this Summer School is designed for university students with either engineering, physics or business administration backgrounds who are highly motivated to participate in a CubeSat project or pursue a career in the space sector, but currently lack knowledge or experience within this area. The Summer School will run for four weeks from 5 to 30 August 2024 at ESEC-Galaxia (Transinne, Belgium).
In the frame of ESA Agenda 2025, and Space for Education 2023 the Summer School aims to transfer a set of multidisciplinary space-related skills and know-how to participating students, complementing their academic studies and helping prepare them to meet the employability demands of the European space sector.
During the four weeks, ESA and external experts will deliver an extensive mix of lectures and hands-on activities. Students will:
- Learn about the entire project lifecycle of a satellite mission, from design to verification, and onto launch and operations, including typical milestone reviews, new methodologies, and project management best practices.
- Identify economic, legal, and regulatory conditions relevant to space projects, and how they should be considered when undertaking a CubeSat project.
- Visualise the paths available to turn a CubeSat project into a viable business opportunity, identifying the skills needed to become a successful space entrepreneur.
- Become familiar with the engineering and project management standards applied in the European space sector.
- Develop a good understanding of the resources and multidisciplinary skills required to undertake a space project, and understand the interdependencies of the various disciplines.
Before the Summer School begins, students will be given the opportunity to participate in an online preparatory event. This will feature a tutorial on the Concurrent Model-based Engineering Tool (COMET), as well as providing useful information on Arduino, C/C++ and other tools that will be used which will act as a springboard into the Summer School itself.
To apply for the CubeSat Summer School 2024, please follow the steps given in the Call for applications.
The CubeSat Summer School 2024 is designed as follows:
Week 1:
The fundamentals of satellite engineering and related disciplines. Focus will be given to CubeSat missions and all the different sub-systems of a CubeSat. Students will learn through theoretical lectures and experiments on Educational Satellite (ESAT) models.
Week 2:
Students will be challenged to use the knowledge and skills gained so far to design a CubeSat mission using the Concurrent Engineering methodology, with tools available in ESA Academy’s Training and Learning Facility (TLF).
Week 3:
The students will discover how to conduct Assembly, Integration and Verification (AIV) in space missions, along with how to plan, prepare, and execute an environmental test campaign using hardware in the CubeSat Support Facility (CSF).
Week 4:
Training on the launch and operations phases will take place. Through simulated live passes with the real OPS-SAT Engineering Model and Mission Control System the students will gain a solid understanding of the subsystems involved in communications (both on-board and on the ground), and just how challenging it is to communicate with a spacecraft. In addition, there will be lectures and exercises about Cybersecurity, business skills and space entrepreneurship, providing insight into how a CubeSat project can be turned into a profitable business opportunity.
Students will be evaluated throughout the four weeks via group exercises and group presentations. Upon completion of the Summer School, students will receive a certificate of participation and a course transcript, allowing them to request ECTS credit(s) from their respective universities.
Besides the learning experiences, students will also have the chance to participate in additional events including a team-building activity, professional visit, and networking session. Weekends are kept free (except for one day), and recommendations will be given for activities in and around Belgium.
Preliminary schedule
A typical weekday of the Summer School will be from 8:30 to 18:30 CEST.
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Week 1: Fundamentals (5 August – 9 August) |
Space Systems Engineering CubeSats and their subsystems Hands-on Practice with Educational Satellite Models |
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Week 2: Design (12 August – 16 August) |
Project Management for Space missions Model-based Systems Engineering principles Preliminary design of a CubeSat mission using Concurrent Engineering methodology |
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Week 3: AIV - Testing (19 August – 23 August) |
Introduction to Space Product Assurance, Production and Procurement Assembly, Integration and Testing (AIV) Techniques in Space |
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Week 4: Cybersecurity, Operations and Business Development (26 August – 30 August) |
Cybersecurity Awareness Launch and Operations Space Law and Space Debris Mitigation Developing skills for Space Business and Entrepreneurship Simulated live passes with the real OPS-SAT Engineering Model and Mission Control System Networking Event with ESA and External delegation |
For Business students
For this edition of the Summer School, we are looking for 10 motivated students with a Business background to join the 30 students onsite! The Business students will follow the Summer School online from the 19th to 27th of August joining Business related lectures for about 3 to 4 hours a day in morning sessions and at the same time will work in teams with the students at ESEC Galaxia to design a Space Business opportunity! Additionally, will be invited to join the other students from the 28th to 30th of August at ESEC-Galaxia (Transinne, Belgium) and take part in the final presentation as well as in the final Networking day.
Business students will be evaluated at the end of the CubeSat Summer School via a final group presentation. Upon completion of the two weeks, students will receive a certificate of participation and a course transcript, allowing them to request ECTS credit(s) from their respective universities.
If you are interested to participate as a Business student to the CubeSat Summer School please make sure to select “Business Management” in the relevant questions that you will find in the application form about the Concurrent Engineering Disciplines! Please keep the same selection for all three disciplines.
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Week 3: Space Business (19 August – 23 August) |
Satellite Subsystems Commercialisation and Patenting Technology Transfer from an Idea to Reality |
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Week 4: Business Development (26 August – 30 August) |
Space Law and Space Debris Mitigation (Onsite at ESEC- Galaxia) Developing skills for Space Business and Entrepreneurship (Onsite at ESEC- Galaxia) Networking Event with ESA and External delegation (Onsite at ESEC- Galaxia) |
For Online students
For this edition, students will have the chance to participate in the CubeSat Summer School 2024, remotely! ESA Academy team designed a dedicated 2-week reduced online version of the CubeSat Summer School which will allow the students whowill not be selected or are willing to participate online to follow all the lectures of the first 2 weeks of the CubeSat Summer School and work in teams to design a Space mission which at the end of the second week will be presented in a group of ESA experts.
Online participants will be evaluated at the end of the second week via a final group presentation. Upon completion of the two weeks, students will receive a certificate of participation and a course transcript, allowing them to request ECTS credit(s) from their respective universities.
If you are interested to participate remotely to the CubeSat Summer School please make sure to select “Yes” in the relevant questions that you will find in the application form!
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Week 1: Fundamentals (5 August – 9 August) |
Space Systems Engineering CubeSats and their subsystems Group Project – Design a mission |
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Week 2: Design (12 August – 16 August) |
Project Management for Space missions Model-based Systems Engineering principles Group Project – Design a mission, final phase |
To apply for the CubeSat Summer School 2024, please follow the steps given in the Call for applications.
