Welcome to the site of the Student Aerospace Challenge 2015/2016

As a consequence of the high number of competitors during the last exercise and the quality of the produced work, the ACE and its Partners renew for 2015-2016 the Student Aerospace Challenge allowing students to take part in a Manned Suborbital Vehicle study.

If you are an undergraduate from a European college or university, you are given an opportunity to create a team with fellow students and to work on a meaningful project covering many topics (technical, medical or legal aspects, etc...). In this way, you can put your knowledge into practice within the framework of a project (linked to your core activity or in complement) concerning an evolving field.

The reference to the different concepts of Manned Suborbital Vehicles around the world, the support of the manufacturers, the support of educational establishments make the Student Aerospace Challenge a unique project for your ambitions.

Go through this web site, speak about it around you, form your team and send your application to the Selection Committee to possibly, as hundreds of engaged students during former years, actively take part in this adventure while strengthening your abiliity to join the professional world.

Good reading and see you soon!

 WPs - Overview

Challenge News

# 28/10/15 -The team awarded by the ESA Grand Prix at the ELGRA symposium

Medicosmos Team

During the ELGRA symposium, we met many people; some have told us that the ELGRA has helped them to build their careers. As far as we are concerned, these few days in Corfu may have helped guiding our own, insofar as some of us seriously think of getting involved in research. Besides, the whole team is now very motivated to fly an experiment on parabolic flights. There is no reason we stop in such a good way!

Jérémy Rabineau :

I am glad I could have taken part in the Student Aerospace Challenge, because it brings a new twist to my aerospace engineering training. I consider this as my first experience in the field of manned spaceflights and their medical aspects and I would like to orientate my career toward this latter field. It has been a great opportunity to win the Grand Prix of ESA because in addition to taking part in the “Suborbital Day”, we have been invited to the Bourget Air Show and the ELGRA Symposium. During each of these events, I have met fascinating people (students as well as scientists) that I would like to thank, because they strengthened my career choices.

Willy Bonneuil :

The Student Aerospace Challenge allowed me to carry out a large-scale project in a field that particularly appeals to me: the medical aspects of spaceflight. Winning the Grand Prix of ESA provided us with several new prospects; through the major stakeholders of space industry and policy we met at the Bourget air show, and through the scientists and students whom we presented our poster at the ELGRA symposium. Discussions with them were very enriching and could lead to going deeper into our work…

Tristan Cosculluela :

A few lines to bring down the curtain on this experience are very few to express the pleasure we had to work together on this project. Dreamers, we mentioned the possibility of final victory but it was a huge surprise to receive the Grand Prix of ESA. For me who did not know much about the world of space research, it was a very rewarding discovery. In addition to take place in an exceptional environment with remarkable people, the ELGRA Congress allowed us to get an insight into the scientific world itself and to make a first presentation work in front of a qualified audience. This stay will remain in my memory for long, unless one day being supplanted, who knows, by a suborbital flight, medically monitored of course...

Natacha Benmesbah :

Taking part in the Student Aerospace Challenge, winning the Grand Prix of ESA and finally attending both the Paris Air Show and the ELGRA Congress are experiences that only a few medical students have lived. Being a member of Team Medicosmos has been a great opportunity. Indeed, for me Medicosmos means exchanges, debates and especially meeting students from other fields to run a common project. Thanks to this I met talented people from many different backgrounds but all passionate about one thing: space.

# 07/24/2015 - « Ninth exercise results »

17 teams, gathering 66 students, competed for the ninth exercise of the Student Aerospace Challenge. The reports, returned on May 11th, 2015, were evaluated on May 27th, 2015 by the Steering Committee of the Challenge, composed of partners and experts. The prizes rewarded the following teams:

• Team EPFL (EPFL – Lausanne - Switzerland) received Airbus Group Prize for its work related to the sizing of the primary propulsion system of MSV;
• Ensicalarium (ISAE Ensica – Toulouse) received Dassault Aviation Prize for its detailed definition of a boarding system for the MSV;
• ISAErmes (ISAE ENSICA - Toulouse) received Safran Prizefor its design of an electromagnetic propulsion system used to catapult a MSV equipped with a ramjet;
• AM WP4 (ENSAM - Châlons-en-Champagne) received Thales Prize for its work on trajectory control using innovative actuators.

DAST2015 (IDEST - Sceaux) received the Suborbital Day’s Special Prize for the best presentation during the annual seminar for its work concerning particularly the legal status of crew members and passengers.

Medicosmos (ISAE SupAéro & UT3 Paul Sabatier – Toulouse) received the Esa Grand Prix for its outstanding study on screening, monitoring and training of the passengers related to medical aspects. The team will present a summary of its work during ELGRA 2015 symposium (European Low Gravity Research Association) next September in Corfu (Greece).

The ceremony of the handing over of the prizes was held on June 3rd, 2015 at Le Bourget Air and Space Museum in the frame of the eighth “Suborbital Day”. This seminar enabled the teams to present their work to the other students, the partners and the schools’ representatives.

On June 19th, 2015, a special awards ceremony for the winning teams was organized by ESA during the 51st Paris Air Show. This event concluded the ninth exercise of the Student Aerospace Challenge.

# 2014 - 2015 Program and works

# 13/11/14 - 2014 Arts & O’Space team : from Challenge to International Astronautical Congress in Toronto
 More information

# 10/09/14 - The ENSAM team awarded by the Grand Prix Esa 2014 at the 65th IAC in Toronto.
 More information