Welcome to the site of the Student Aerospace Challenge

^{2026-2027: 21th exercise for the Student Aerospace Challenge}

^{Registration period for the 21th exercise is open}

For this new exercise, two vehicles are proposed: a high-speed, long-range suborbital vehicle and an orbital vehicle servicing low-Earth orbit. As every year, the work packages have been reviewed.

The website has a "My Challenge" tab, which should make it easier for participants to find useful information during the exercise. An "FAQ" tab will soon be available.

Here are the key dates for 21^th exercise:

• From 7^th to 31^st October 2026: application period
• 15^th November 2026: deadline for sending the Work Package sheet
• 15^th December 2026: deadline for sending first progress report
• 18^th January 2027: deadline for validation by Experts
• 19^th February 2027: deadline for sending second progress report
• 3^rd March 2027: deadline for answer from Experts
• 4^th April 2027: deadline for sending a 10-line summary explaining the work done
• 8^th April 2027: webinar presenting the "Aerospace Challenge Day"
• 23^rd April 2027: deadline for sending final report, poster and bilingual work summary
• 3^rd June 2027: « The Aerospace Challenge Day », a special event, gathering students and Partners, ending the exercise

The Challenge, proposed by Astronaute Club Européen (ACE) and its industrial and institutional partners (ArianeGroup, Dassault Aviation, the European Space Agency and Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace), allows students to participate to the study of a manned suborbital vehicle which is a reusable vehicle designed either for high speed, long-range suborbital flights or a space manned vehicle servicing Low Earth Orbits.

If you are an undergraduate or a graduate student 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...). 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.

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 ability to join the professional world.

Good reading and see you soon!

01/10/2026

Results for the twentienth exercise

Of the twenty-three teams registered for the twentieth exercise of the Student Aerospace Challenge, fifteen teams, represinting 64 students, submitted their final report. This high number of teams is a record for the Challenge. Following evaluation by the Steering Committee of the Challenge, composed of partners and experts, the list of winning teams is as follows:

• Pangea Astralis (Ecole Centrale de Lyon - Ecully, France) received ESA Grand Prix for the design of a portable, non-invasive device for cardiac assessment and regulation,
• PoliTOrbital - Propulsion (Politecnico di Torino - Turin, Italy) was awarded by ArianeGroup Prize for their work on the design of a propulsion system using Spike,

• ASTRONIKE (University of Caen Normandy - Caen, France) was awarded by CNES Prize for the design of a textile-integrated ultrasound countermeasure system to combat muscle deconditioning in microgravity,

• ImpAerials (Imperial College London - Lodon, United Kingdom) received Dassault Aviation Prize for the definition of a mission profile suited to a high-speed very long range suborbital  vehicle,

• AeroProp DesignTeam (Wroclaw University of Technology - Wroclaw, Poland) was awarded by the Communication Prize, sponsored by ACE, for the emphasizing of work related to the design of a lhybrid propulsion system for a suborbital vehicle.

In addition, during the Aerospace Challenge Day, on 5 June 2026, PoliTOrbital - Medical Aspects (Politecnico di Torino - Turin, Italy) received the Aerospace Challenge Day’s Special Prize, sponsored by Air and Space Museum, for the best presentation related to its work on a system to protect against cerebral haemodynamic impacts.

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