Share this page :

The project for an unmanned, zero-emission aircraft to cross the South Atlantic

Publication Date

20 October 2020

Category

Institute

Tag

Innovation

Researcher

Sustainability

Presentation of the Drone Mermoz project

An exploratory project

Faced with the physical limits imposed by battery-powered electric flight, a team of researchers and students led by Professor Jean-Marc Moschetta is working on the design of a small unmanned aircraft with electric propulsion and no greenhouse gas emissions during flight.

“ It ‘s an exploratory project that is completely in line with the breakthrough technologies needed for aeronautics,” explains the specialist who leads the Institute’s research into drones.

Launched at the start of the year, the experimentation phase will see the creation of a 4-metre demonstrator to test and validate all the technological building blocks in flight. The initial design of the drone is currently taking shape, and its aerodynamics are being finely tuned to give it all the capabilities and qualities needed to cover a distance of more than 3,000 kilometres.

Liquid hydrogen: a clean alternative

ISAE-SUPAERO is working with H3 Dynamics, a company that manufactures and markets hydrogen fuel cells. Through the work of its subsidiary HES Energy Systems, the company is developing cutting-edge expertise in the manufacture and integration of hydrogen energy systems for robotic and airborne applications. The use of a hydrogen fuel cell enables a totally electric propulsion chain to be used, since the hydrogen, stored in gaseous or liquid form, is transformed into electricity. This technology has been extensively tested in flight for several years. The choice of storage method depends on the mission profile.

A real technological breakthrough, the use of liquid hydrogen aims to solve the problem of the low energy density of the lithium batteries used in conventional UAVs, which severely limit the range of aircraft in flight. Electric propulsion with liquid hydrogen storage would provide more than 6 times more energy per unit of mass than conventional battery electric propulsion, while emitting only water vapour during flight.

A drone in the footsteps of Mermoz

The researchers want to show that a crossing of the South Atlantic from Senegal to Brazil, in the footsteps of Jean Mermoz, is possible with an unmanned aircraft system powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and capable of flying very long distances. The project also incorporates a weight constraint: to be light enough to fall within the French certification category for flying out of sight. That’s the target for 2023! A second major objective is being pursued: “Mermoz” could represent the first tangible building block of tomorrow’s low-carbon aviation.

This project is supported by the Occitanie Region and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), as well as by the ISAE-SUPAERO Foundation, which, thanks to donors to the Class Gift Inter-Promotions, has raised funds to contribute to the purchase of equipment to fly the demonstrator. Further fund-raising efforts are still required to complete all the activities.

Two teacher-researchers publish a book on drones

Introduction to the control of mini-UAVs: from design to implementation - Modelling, identification and synthesis of control laws.

Author(s): Bordeneuve-Guibé Joël (ISAE-SUPAERO), Brière Yves (ISAE-SUPAERO), Condomines Jean-Philippe, Miquel Thierry - Editions Ellipses

Related Content

View Other Pages

News

ISAE-SUPAERO develops a methodology to quantify the environmental impact of its research projects

The Research Department has introduced a metric to assess the ambition of ISAE-SUPAERO's research activities in the transition to a sustainable society. The assessment reveals that more than a third (35%) of the research projects carried out at the Institute aim to have a significant impact on the environment.

Horizons

Sustainability

Pages

Our Startups

Entrepreneurship

Fablab

News

Horizon Europe Pathfinder, the European IPROP project

Environmental issues are central to the strategy of ISAE-SUPAERO's Department of Research and Pedagogical Resources. This commitment is reflected in its participation in IPROP, Ionic Propulsion in Atmosphere, one of the European research projects on decarbonisation in aviation.

Decarbonization

Sustainability

News

CUBE ÉTAT Awards Ceremony: ISAE-SUPAERO Takes the Top Spot

From November 2024 to November 2025, ISAE-SUPAERO participated in the second edition of the CUBE État competition. This national challenge pits government buildings against one another with a noble goal: to achieve maximum energy savings by focusing solely on adjustments and usage patterns.

Corporate responsibility

Institute

Prize

News

HACKATHON Data Sciences: AI in action!

From February 24 to 26, forty-five students will explore three topical issues involving Artificial Intelligence (AI) during a three-day hackathon. The student teams involved will attempt to meet the challenges posed by three industrial partners on the themes of the environment, industrialization and digitization technology. ISAE-SUPAERO confirms its commitment to training in data science and artificial intelligence through its Decision and Data Sciences (DDS) course.

Artificial intelligence

Hackathon

News

ISAE-SUPAERO publishes its carbon footprint assessment

The average French person emits 9 tonnes of CO2e per year. In order to comply with the Paris Agreement and limit global warming to +1.5°C, the carbon footprint must be reduced to 2 tonnes of CO2e per person per year by 2050.

Sustainability

Testimonials

Testimony from Alice Fabre, 2021 graduate of the TAS AERO Advanced Master

Aeronautics

Alumni

Decarbonization

Pages

Prior Experience Accreditation

The validation of prior experience is an individual right enshrined in the French Labor Code and Education Code. It enables candidates to obtain all - or part - of a professional certification (Diploma, Professional Title, Certificate of Professional Qualification), based on their professional, salaried or non-salaried and/or voluntary experience. This scheme can be used if the candidate is seeking personal recognition, or more generally to support a professional project that he or she wishes to put into practice.

Advanced Master

Aeronautics

Aerospace

News

Our alumni have their say: Meeting with Nathanaël Lecompte (S2021)

Nathanaël is a recent graduate of ISAE-SUPAERO with a degree in engineering. Of all the opportunities available to him, he chose to pursue a career in renewable energy. He explains his motivations and his career path!

Sustainability

Testimonial

News

Electric aircraft flights to raise awareness of carbon-free aviation

In June, twenty-four students and staff members from ISAE-SUPAERO had the opportunity to fly on the Velis Electro, the world's first certified 100% electric aircraft.

Aeronautics

Decarbonization

Sustainability

Pages

Space Systems for Planetology and Applications (SSPA) Scientific Group

The “Space Systems for Planetology and Applications” (SSPA) scientific group focuses on one main area of research: The development of missions and associated technologies for geophysical exploration of the solar system.

DEOS

Doctoral student

PhD

News

Unlocking the secrets of earthquakes with stratospheric balloons

A team of DEOS researchers has achieved a significant milestone in the use of infrasound data captured by stratospheric balloons to understand seismic signals. This breakthrough, published in Earth Planets Space*, opens up new perspectives for the study of earthquakes, both on Earth and on other planets.

DEOS

Researcher

Science

News

Aviation and Climate: an assessment of transition scenarios for sustainable aviation compatible with the Paris Agreement

In 2021, ISAE-SUPAERO researchers Scott Delbecq, Jérôme Fontane, Nicolas Gourdain, Florian Simatos and Thomas Planès published the ‘Aviation and Climate’ report, summarising international scientific publications in order to provide the scientific information needed to understand the challenges of decarbonising air transport.

Aeronautics

DCAS

Decarbonization

Events

Webconference: Perspectives on Sustainable Aviation from TSAAE x MIT - “Vulnerabilities in a Changing World”

Aviation

Conference

Decarbonization

News

Decarbonisation of aviation: ISAE-SUPAERO launches training programme for professionals with GIFAS

This one-day training course aims to help employees in the aeronautics sector play an active and informed role in the decarbonisation of the sector. The first two sessions will be held on Thursday 3 April 2025 in Toulouse and Thursday 10 April 2025 in Paris.

Aeronautics

Decarbonization

Programme

News

AeroSCOPE, the first open-source database for exploring CO2 emissions from air transport

A doctoral student at ISAE-SUPAERO, Antoine Salgas has produced a photograph of CO2 emissions from air transport by country and by region. This unique work feeds into AeroMAPS, an open reference platform aimed at exploring scenarios for decarbonising air transport.

Aeronautics

Decarbonization

Sustainability

Pages

Exploring, Sharing, Transforming

Creating open discussion forums to facilitate exchanges on the challenges of transition in the aerospace sector, contributing to innovation, sharing our expertise and making it accessible, crossing viewpoints, promoting inclusion and openness around these subjects: we are acting collectively for transition on an international scale.

Horizons

Sustainability

News

Nicolas Cruaud, Engineer at ISAE-SUPAERO and co-founder of the start-up Néolithe

Meeting

Presentation

Startup

Videos

The sound of a Martian dust devil captured by the SuperCam microphone on Perseverance

This video and audio show the results obtained by NASA's Perseverance Mars rover and its SuperCam microphone when recording the sounds of a Martian dust devil passing overhead on 27 September 2021, the 215th Martian day or sol of the mission. The dust devil was 25 metres wide and at least 118 metres high, moving at a speed of approximately 19 km/h. This is the first time such a recording has been made, as capturing a dust devil requires a bit of luck. Indeed, it flew over the rover at a time when all of Perseverance's sensors measuring wind, pressure, temperature and dust, plus the NavigationXXX (Navcam) camera, were running. This allowed scientists to combine sounds, images and atmospheric data. The unique combination of this data, along with atmospheric modelling, enabled researchers to estimate the dimensions of the dust devil. Scientists cannot accurately predict when these vortices will occur. Rovers such as Perseverance and Curiosity monitor them regularly. When scientists notice that they are more frequent at a certain time of day or approaching from a certain direction, they focus their monitoring to try to capture a dust devil with all the sensors at their disposal. > To better understand the video, it shows three rows of images: - the row

DEOS

Researcher

Space

News

ISAE-SUPAERO is co-hosting the 16th EASN International Conference in Toulouse

ISAE-SUPAERO is pleased to host the 16th edition of the international conference organized by EASN in Toulouse from October 27 to 30, 2026, dedicated to the theme: “Innovation in Aeronautics and Space for Sustainability Today and Tomorrow.”

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Innovation

News

The SOLAR BOOST project helps address the problem of urban transport

Decarbonization

Sustainability

Pages

Training for the Future

At ISAE-SUPAERO, we train our students to meet the challenge of the energy transition. By supporting them in their systems approach, their ability to master complex systems and their commitment to public debate, we give them the keys to inventing the world of tomorrow.

Horizons

Sustainability

News

Investing and committing to training and research to meet the challenges of the energy transition

ISAE-SUPAERO and the ISAE-SUPAERO Foundation work together and take their share of responsibility for addressing these major challenges facing our society. Actions include raising awareness and training future aeronautical engineers, and setting up research programmes to better address energy and climate issues.

Aerospace

Sustainability

Pages

Aerodynamics, Energetics, and Propulsion Department (DAEP)

At ISAE SUPAERO, the Aerodynamics, Energetics, and Propulsion Department has a staff of 62, 30 research projects including 5 on a European scale, an exceptional fleet of test facilities for teaching and research purposes, and three research groups contributing to a growth strategy focused on 4 themes of current scientific and social-economic challenge, supported by 2 structuring projects: the SAA wind tunnel and the IC3 large-scale simulation code.

DAEP

PhD

Researcher

News

COP2 Student: ISAE-SUPAERO affirms its commitment to ecological transition by signing the Grenoble Agreement

Sustainability

Events

"Futurs Proches" Festival

Event

Sustainability

Pages

Our Incubation Sites

Committed to innovation, we are passionate and dedicated to providing everyone with the keys to training, researching, initiating, innovating, and pursuing entrepreneurship!

Fablab

Incubator

Innovation

News

Hera probe captures exceptional images of Mars and its moon Deimos

DEOS

Researcher

Science

News

The Institute is involved in the ecological transition of the aerospace ecosystem

Aerospace

Meeting

Sustainability

News

Best Scientific Paper Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 2024 Multidisciplinary Design Optimization

Six researchers from ISAE-SUPAERO, EPFL and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology have been awarded the AIAA Best Scientific Paper Award for their paper “DeepGeo: Deep Geometric Mapping for Automated and Effective Parameterization in Aerodynamic Shape Optimization”.

Prize

Researcher

Scientific publication

Pages

Mechanics of Structures and Materials Department (DMSM)

The Mechanics of Structures and Materials Department is responsible for organizing and supervising all teaching activities in deformable solid mechanics for ISAE-SUPAERO training courses, in synergy with upstream and applied research activities on aeronautical materials and structures. This strong interaction between teaching and research is the foundation of our department's organization.

DMSM

PhD

Researcher

Pages

DMSM at the Clément Ader Institute (ICA)

The Clément Ader Institute (UMR CNRS 5312) is the solid mechanics research laboratory for Toulouse and its region, under the aegis of the CNRS. It brings together research teams from four institutions and three ministries: the University of Toulouse III Paul Sabatier (National Education), INSA (National Education), ISAE-SUPAERO (Defense), and the École des Mines d'Albi (Industry). These institutions are located in three cities in Midi-Pyrénées: Toulouse, Albi, and Tarbes.

DMSM

Doctoral student

PhD

Events

First edition of the Occitanie Talent Marketplace

On November 13, 2025, at the Cité de Toulouse, ISAE-SUPAERO will be taking part in a first-of-its-kind event, the “Occitanie Talent Marketplace”, which will bring together start-ups from the university world in the Occitanie region and talents & skills wishing to take part in an entrepreneurial adventure.

Entrepreneurship

Event

Innovation

News

First edition of the Occitanie Talent Marketplace fair

Entrepreneurship

Fair

Innovation

News

ISAE-SUPAERO Environmental Engineering Certificate: training engineers in the challenges of environmental and energy transitions

Aeronautics

Certification

Sustainability

Videos

Feedback: a Latecoere engineer in the ISAE-SUPAERO laboratories

To strengthen the links between industry and research, more than 10 industrial R&D engineers have been made available to ISAE-SUPAERO as part of the France Relance plan! Cyril Geneste, research engineer at Latecoere, is one of them. Together with Miguel Charlotte, Associate Professor at the Institute, he looks back on this fruitful two-year collaboration. Their work, carried out in the ISAE-SUPAERO laboratories, focused on the behavior of aircraft door seals, which ensure cabin airtightness. Thanks to the Institute's cutting-edge equipment and academic expertise, Cyril Geneste was able in particular to carry out numerical modeling of seals in order to test their behavior. Students in their 3rdᵉ year of engineering studies were also involved in this work.

Aeronautics

Researcher

Pages

Innovation & Entrepreneuship at ISAE-SUPAERO

Entrepreneurship

Fablab

Incubator

News

A protocol chosen to secure communications with quantum computers

DISC

Researcher

Scientific publication

Pages

Communication and Information Theory (ComiT) Scientific Group

The “Communication and Information Theory” (ComiT) scientific group is involved in the disciplines of digital communications, radar, and channel access techniques. Its fields of application include space systems, civil and military aviation, terrestrial cellular networks and the Internet of Things (IoT).

DEOS

Doctoral program

Doctoral student

Pages

Living a Low-carbon Campus

One of the main thrusts of our ‘Horizons’ strategy is based on our actions to promote our campus. A sustainable campus that exemplifies our commitment to setting an example. This means implementing a low-carbon strategy aimed at reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, adapting our campus to future environmental impacts and reducing other environmental impacts (notably biodiversity and resources).

Horizons

Sustainability

News

Our partners are going green!

Partner

Sustainability

News

Work on decarbonising aviation recognised by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)

Paul Saves, a doctoral student at ISAE-SUPAERO/ONERA, has won the 2022 Best Paper Award from the AIAA for his work in Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO).

Decarbonization

Sustainability

Events

16th EASN International Conference

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Event

News

AeroMAPS: a tool for assessing the environmental impacts of the aviation sector's transition

ISAE-SUPAERO has released AeroMAPS, an open-source tool for modelling transition scenarios for the aviation sector. The result of three years of research at the Institute, it enables users to accurately assess the effectiveness of different impact reduction strategies in relation to international commitments to combat climate change.

Decarbonization

Sustainability

News

ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) Congress: Laurent Joly, Deputy Director of Research at ISAE-SUPAERO, talks about the Institute's commitments

Event

Sustainability

Videos

Energy efficiency at ISAE-SUPAERO

ISAE-SUPAERO is fully committed to reducing its environmental footprint, particularly its energy consumption and dependence on fossil fuels. Since 2019, our campus has been evolving to improve the energy performance of our buildings. Let's find out together how this progress is being translated, the actions that have been put in place and our objectives for the future. To find out more: https://www.isae-supaero.fr/fr/horizons-186/vivre-un-campus-bas-carbone/vivre-un-campus-bas-carbone/

Corporate responsibility

Horizons

Sustainability

News

Clean Aviation – the European HERA project

Environmental issues are central to the strategy of ISAE-SUPAERO's Department of Research and Pedagogical Resources. This commitment is reflected in its participation in HERA, Hybrid Electric Regional Aircraft, one of the European research projects on decarbonising aviation.

Decarbonization

Sustainability

Pages

Institute for Sustainable Aviation

Created in 2021 on the initiative of internationally renowned academic institutions with longstanding academic expertise in aeronautics and air transport, the ISA is an institute dedicated to the challenges of aviation's transition to sustainability.

Aeronautics

Aviation

Decarbonization

News

DMSM's SA-I research team wins best poster award at 14th EASN conference

Several DMSM researchers received the best poster award at the 14ᵉ EASN (European Aeronautic Science Network) conference dedicated this year to the theme “Innovation in Aviation & Sace towards sustainability today & tomorrow”!

Conference

Prize

Researcher

Pages

Meeting Environmental Challenges

Crossing the Atlantic in an aeroplane or sending a human being to the Moon: for a century, aerospace research has never ceased to achieve what many thought impossible. At ISAE-SUPAERO, we are mobilising to meet this challenge and respond to the environmental and societal issues we face. 35% of internal and collaborative research projects are directly aimed at decarbonisation or are linked to the transition to sustainable aerospace.

Horizons

Sustainability

Pages

Our Network

Artificial intelligence

Entrepreneurship

Pages

Learning, Decision, Optimisation (ADO) Scientific Group

DISC

Doctoral student

PhD

Pages

Research

At ISAE-SUPAERO, we conduct cutting-edge research in the service of innovation, technological sovereignty and the ecological transition of the aerospace sector, thereby affirming our role as a leading player in the scientific and industrial community.

DAEP

DCAS

DEOS

Pages

Our Innovation & Entrepreneurship Policy

Committed to a dynamic of invention, it is with passion and commitment that we provide the keys for everyone to train, research, initiate, innovate, and undertake innovation and entrepreneurship projects!

Fablab

Incubator

Innovation

News

"Futurs Proches" Festival in October 9: tickets are now available!

ISAE-SUPAERO's CSR department, in partnership with the Toulouse Community of Universities and Establishments (COMUE), invites you to join us on Thursday, October 9 for the 2ᵉ edition of the Festival Futurs Proches, Festival des Campus en transitions!

Corporate responsibility

Decarbonization

Event

Videos

Entrepreneurship and Innovation at ISAE-SUPAERO

“Who wants to be my partner?” at the ISAE-SUPAERO Aérothèque! In the spirit of the M6 TV show, Romain Buquet, Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the team from ISAE-SUPAERO's #innovation and #entrepreneurship department organized a first-of-its-kind #businessentrepreneurial event: ⇾ eight “Made in ISAE-SUPAERO” entrepreneurs had the opportunity to pitch their project to a panel of investors: talented Business Angel Stéphanie Delestre (Volubile), Lucie Baillif (Baillif), Pierre Carli (Capitole Angels), Jean-Michel Darroy (Aerospace Angels) and Emma Ribes (IRDI Capital Investissement). To prepare for the exercise, our entrepreneurs had the opportunity to be trained on the mechanics of fund-raising by Aram Attar, the coach of the successful show. With some valuable and benevolent advice: "I have three values in mind that have carried me along: hard work, audacity and courage. If you can do all that, you'll be the best entrepreneurs and the best innovators. So don't give up, because the entrepreneurial life is really worth it!" - Stéphanie Delestre "The only limit is, don't go too far & take care of your psychological well-being" - Aram Attar The start-ups VIRAJ H2, ELDA Technology, TIDAV Aero, EMBRYA, SOLTEO, Nelson Mobility & Allergenius are passionately driven by ISAE-SUPAERO students and researchers in various fields, including low-carbon aviation, snow management in ski resorts, solutions for solar panel installers and electrification of corporate fleets.

Entrepreneurship

Innovation

Startup

News

Ranking of the top schools most committed to ecological transition: ISAE-SUPAERO in 2nd place!

Ranking

Sustainability

News

Our alumni have their say: Vinh Ly, co-founder of Kyanos

Alumni

Career

Startup

Pages

Our Challenge for the Environmental Transition

At ISAE-SUPAERO, we are committed to a sustainable society through “Horizons” in the field of environmental transition. Supported by a manifesto and a carbon footprint, our strategy mobilizes researchers, teachers, staff, and students to accelerate the transition and design the low-carbon aeronautics of tomorrow.

Horizons

Sustainability

News

ISAE-SUPAERO launches “Horizons”, its new Sustainable Development strategy

ISAE Group

Sustainability

News

ISAE-SUPAERO and ENAC invite you to the “Rendez-vous Aéro de l'Innovation” on Thursday, February 5, 2026!

Aeronautics

Event

Innovation

News

CIME 2025: Where Science Meets Adventure to Push the Limits of Exploration

At ISAE-SUPAERO, the 2025 Interdisciplinary Congress on Extreme Worlds (CIME) gathers researchers and adventurers determined to push human limits in the planet’s most extreme environments.

Exploration

Innovation

Space

Videos

AeroMAPS: an ISAE-SUPAERO reference tool for exploring the possible futures of aviation

The AeroMAPS tool, developed by two ISAE-SUPAERO researchers, Scott Delbecq and Thomas Planès, can be used to assess the environmental impacts of air transport and the effectiveness or limitations of levers to decarbonize the sector! Initially designed for research and training purposes, the tool is now a multidisciplinary, open-source platform, accessible to experts as well as institutional, industrial and associative decision-makers. Its development has been integrated into the work of the Institute for Sustainable Aviation (ISA), an interdisciplinary research institute headed by Laurent Joly, whose aim is to address the issue of #aviation's ecological transition in all its complexity. By playing on the sector's transition levers, AeroMAPS users can define the scenarios whose impacts they wish to analyze. For example, the introduction of new aircraft types, the use of new fuels or the rate of growth in air traffic. AeroMAPS is the first air transport scenario exploration platform built on an open-source scientific methodology. It was initially designed and developed to enable researchers to explore air transport transition scenarios in detail. It was then rapidly integrated into training programs: first in the ISAE-SUPAERO engineering curriculum, then in continuing education programs. To facilitate use of the tool, a partnership was formed with Sopra Steria. This major tech player built the platform's new web interface to enhance the user experience and make it accessible to decision-makers. Research work recently took on a socio-economic dimension with a PhD prepared by Antoine Salgas, in partnership with TBS Education. Antoine Salgas has also created a traffic and emissions inventory in collaboration with the Dutch Delft University of Technology. These two aspects of his thesis gave rise to an AeroMAPS “satellite” tool, called AeroSCOPE, which enables analyses to be partitioned and regionalized. Today, the comprehensive, multi-disciplinary aspect of AeroMAPS is a decision-making aid for the entire #aeronautics ecosystem. Through its scientific expertise, ISAE-SUPAERO contributes to the debate and to the future of aviation.

DCAS

Decarbonization

Sustainability

News

AeroMAPS: the go-to tool for exploring the possible futures of aviation

The AeroMAPS tool, developed by researchers at ISAE-SUPAERO, makes it possible to assess the environmental impacts of air transport and the effectiveness or limitations of levers for decarbonising the sector.

Aeronautics

DCAS

Decarbonization

News

ISAE-SUPAERO ranked among the top three institutions most committed to ecological and societal transition!

Ranking

Sustainability

Pages

Photonics Antenna Microwave PlasmaA (PAMPA) Scientific Group

The “Photonics Antenna Microwave PlasmaA” (PAMPA) scientific group is interested in electromagnetism in the fields of microwaves and photonics, as well as wave-plasma interactions.

DEOS

Doctoral student

PhD

News

ISAE-SUPAERO is broadcasting the webinar "Air transport in crisis and the climate challenge: towards new paradigms" on campus!

Aerospace

Event

Sustainability

Pages

Connected Systems (SysCo) Scientific Group

The scientific dynamic of the “Connected Systems” (SysCo) scientific group focuses primarily on network-related issues in aerospace applications, i.e. space communications, embedded networks and certain types of connected systems.

DISC

Doctoral student

PhD

News

ISAE-SUPAERO participates in the Futurs Proches festival

ISAE-SUPAERO, in partnership with the University of Toulouse, invites you to join us on Thursday, 3 October for the Futurs Proches Festival, a festival celebrating campuses in transition. Naturalist walks, escape games focusing on disability, presentation of the Aviation Climate Reference Framework, and more. Discover our campus programme!

Sustainability

News

ISAE-SUPAERO and ENAC are collaborating on the design of a 100% digital degree programme in English on the subject of aviation transitions!

ISAE-SUPAERO and ENAC train engineers with a high level of scientific expertise, humanistic values and innovative skills to master the complex challenges of tomorrow's world in the fields of aerospace and air transport.

Decarbonization

Sustainability

News

ISAE-SUPAERO awarded Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility (SD&CSR) label

The Institute has been awarded the label "Développement Durable et Responsabilité Sociétale" (DD&RS), official recognition of its environmental and societal strategy. By obtaining this label, our school confirms its determination to make the ecological and social transition a lever for innovation in training, the transformation of industrial sectors and the evolution of practices in everyday life on campus.

Corporate responsibility

Label

Social responsibility

News

Thales and ISAE-SUPAERO strengthen ties to work towards a more sustainable air transport system

The French high-tech group supports the Institute through a research chair. The prize: a thesis on an integrated approach to air transport and eleven scholarships of excellence to support high-achieving European students.

Aeronautics

Decarbonization

Partnership

Videos

The future of aeronautics is being written today by its engineers!

At the controls of an electric aircraft, the President of ISAE-SUPAERO speaks to us and embodies a new era of pioneers: that of more sustainable, more responsible aviation. This symbolic flight marks the Institute's commitment to the ecological transition of the aviation sector and illustrates the conviction that decarbonization is not only a technological challenge, but also a human and collective adventure. ISAE-SUPAERO, alongside its academic and industrial partners, trains the engineers who will invent the aviation of the future—silent, efficient, and environmentally friendly. ✈️ Discover this exciting moment and join us in transforming the skies.

Aeronautics

Aviation

Decarbonization

Videos

The "Lanceurs d'étoiles" startup support programme

Discover the “Lanceur d'étoiles” startup support program! Born of the association of thirteen national and regional partners, experts in DSA and Deeptech startup creation (academic institutions, national organizations, SATT, regional incubators and gas pedals) and brought together in a consortium, “Lanceur d'étoiles” aims to guide and help project leaders propel their innovative technologies through value-creating startups. The program is led and coordinated by Toulouse Tech Transfer on behalf of its partners, under the impetus of the University of Toulouse. It is supported by the PUI UT Innovation, one of whose key actions is to stimulate the creation of deeptech startups through tailor-made support for project leaders. Find out more about the “lanceur d'étoiles” support program and the startups it hosts: https://www.isae-supaero.fr/IMG/pdf/lanceur-dossier_de_presse-0310.pdf Video credit: Toulouse Tech Transfer.

Entrepreneurship

Innovation

Startup

Videos

Visiting professors at ISAE-SUPAERO: DAN SCHEERES

ISAE-SUPAERO est un établissement d'enseignement supérieur axé sur la recherche et l'innovation, qui s'engage à concilier excellence scientifique, visibilité académique et proximité avec les objectifs industriels. Ses activités de recherche ont contribué à faire de l'école un leader international non seulement en termes de programme d'ingénierie aérospatiale, mais aussi de programmes de troisième cycle, notamment ses masters (MSc) et ses programmes de doctorat en sciences de l'ingénierie. C'est pourquoi de nombreux acteurs internationaux clés de la recherche rendent visite à leurs homologues de l'ISAE-SUPAERO. Nous avons rencontré Dan Sheeres, professeur émérite de l'université du Colorado et titulaire de la chaire A. Richard Seebass au département des sciences de l'ingénierie aérospatiale Ann et H.J. Smead de l'université du Colorado à Boulder. Les recherches de Dan Scheeres couvrent des sujets allant de l'astrodynamique et de la navigation spatiale à la science planétaire et à la mécanique céleste, et il a publié de nombreux articles dans ces domaines. L'astéroïde 8887 a été baptisé « Scheeres » en reconnaissance de ses contributions à la compréhension scientifique de l'environnement dynamique des astéroïdes. Pendant son séjour à l'ISAE-SUPAERO, le professeur Scheeres et l'équipe des systèmes spatiaux pour les applications planétaires ont collaboré à l'analyse des données DART et au développement de concepts visant à étudier la structure interne des astéroïdes lors de futures missions spatiales. De plus, Dan Scheeres et l'ISAE-SUPAERO ont publié conjointement plusieurs articles dans « Nature » sur les astéroïdes et la mission DART.

DEOS

Researcher

Space

News

World Engineer Day 2020: a young alumni puts his engineering skills to work for the climate

On the occasion of ‘World Engineer Day 2020,’ which focuses on the theme of sustainable development, we present the profile of Maxime Efoui Hess.

Alumni

Portrait

Presentation

Videos

ISAE-SUPAERO publishes its Aviation and Climate Reference Framework

The ISAE-SUPAERO #Aviation and #Climate reference framework aims to provide #scientific information useful for understanding the challenges facing aviation and the climate. This work has undergone a specific review process involving both ISAE-SUPAERO staff and external researchers from various institutes.

Decarbonization

Researcher

Sustainability

News

MMX, Idefix® and cameras to understand Mars' moon

Studying the formation and origin of Mars' moons and bringing back samples: this is the extraordinary, ambitious international mission led by JAXA, in which ISAE-SUPAERO is participating alongside CNES.

DEOS

Researcher

Space

Videos

ISAE-SUPAERO students' commitment to sustainable development ISAE-SUPAERO

More information at: https://www.isae-supaero.fr/fr/

Decarbonization

Sustainability

Pages

Applied Mathematics (MA) Scientific Group

The “Applied Mathematics” (MA) scientific group covers a wide range of topics: Stochastic processes (especially Markov processes), numerical optimization (especially multidisciplinary optimization) and parallel computing, stabilization, control and numerical solution of partial differential equations, and financial engineering.

DISC

Doctoral student

PhD

Pages

Innovating in a World of Transition - Safran

The challenges facing the aerospace industry (energy transition, New Space, digitalization) are driving a growing need for professionals with the ability to innovate. Against this backdrop, Safran and ISAE-SUPAERO are creating the Innovating in a World in Transition Chair.

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Chair

Videos

Advanced Master in Sustainable Aviation, delivered by ISAE-SUPAERO and ENAC

Advanced Master

Decarbonization

Education

News

Listening to the Martian past: ISAE-SUPAERO at the heart of the ExoMars mission

ESA's ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission to explore Mars will carry a unique instrument for recording sound and atmospheric data from the planet. The Institute has been selected by ESA and CNES for this major scientific collaboration.

DEOS

Researcher

Science

News

Interview with Frederico Baptista, co-founder of Zéro, a startup recently incubated by ISAE-SUPAERO

Zero, a startup created by three aerospace engineers and recently incubated by ISAE-SUPAERO, offers a visual positioning system for drones designed to operate in environments without GPS.

Aerospace

Incubator

Innovation

Pages

Languages, Arts, Cultures, and Societies Department (LACS)

At the Languages, Arts, Cultures, and Societies Department (LACS), we teach languages, interculturality, geopolitics, general culture, economics, sports, etc. Multidimensional skills that bring out knowledge, interpersonal skills, know-how and the ability to act.

LACS

PhD

Researcher

Videos

Sylvestre Maurice, astrophysicist and ISAE-SUPAERO alumnus

Awarded a prize by the Académie des Sciences in 2020, Sylvestre Maurice #astrophysicist at the Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP) in Toulouse witnessed the landing of the #Perseverance rover on Mars on February 18, 2021. A historic moment for this enthusiast, who is also the scientific manager of the onboard SuperCam instrument. A 1990 graduate of ISAE-SUPAERO, Sylvestre Maurice tells us about his career.

Alumni

Researcher

Space

Pages

Design and Analysis of Critical Systems (CASC) Scientific Group

The “Design and Analysis of Critical Systems” (CASC) scientific group focuses on methods, processes and tools to support System Engineering and Systems Engineering.

DISC

Doctoral student

PhD

News

ISAE-SUPAERO and its talented students are once again showcasing Toulouse’s dynamism on the international stage

At ISAE-SUPAERO, talented students continue to distinguish themselves, both in the academic world and in the realm of innovation: a look back at the Amelia Earhart Award won by Elena Lopez-Contreras, a doctoral student at the Neuroergonomics Center, and at the French final of the ActInSpace hackathon, won by her team Solete for their Satell-EYE project.

DCAS

Event

Human factors

News

Let's make together a durable commitment to new horizons

Aeronautics

Horizons

Sustainability

Pages

Our doctoral training

Doctoral program

Doctoral student

PhD

Pages

Design and Operation of Aerospace Vehicles Department (DCAS)

At ISAE-SUPAERO, the Design and Operation of Aerospace Vehicles Department (DCAS) develops methods, simulation tools and experimental platforms for the design and operation of aerospace vehicles.

DCAS

PhD

Researcher

News

ISAE-SUPAERO publishes an aviation and climate report

Sustainability

Teacher researcher

News

ISAE-SUPAERO researchers explore the quantum universe

DISC

Researcher

Scientific publication

News

Envision responsible air transport

Aeronautics

Sustainability

Events

2025 edition of "La nuit des chercheurs"

Meet ISAE-SUPAERO researchers at the Nuit des Chercheurs de Toulouse, on October 3 at 6pm at the Halles de la Cartoucherie, on the theme of “Intelligence(s)”!

Aerospace

Researcher

Science

Videos

Research, Innovation & Training supporting Aviation Sustainability: web Conference by TSAAE

Aeronautics

Aviation

Conference

Videos

HORIZONS, ISAE-SUPAERO's renewed sustainable development strategy

At ISAE-SUPAERO, environmental issues are at the heart of our commitment. We are therefore mobilizing our teaching skills and scientific expertise to help build the aeronautical and space components of this sustainable society, and in particular to invent the low-carbon air transport of tomorrow.

Horizons

Sustainability

Videos

Romain Buquet - Head of the IEM Advanced Master programme

Advanced Master

Education

Entrepreneurship

Pages

Making a Lasting Commitment to New Horizons

Our world is facing major technological, health and environmental challenges. Although they are diverse in nature, they all share one thing in common: their great complexity, which combines scientific and social dimensions. It is the job of engineers to build bridges between science and society, using science to take concrete action in society. To address the complexity of these challenges, engineers have a voice to speak with and solutions to propose.

Horizons

Sustainability

Pages

Complex Systems Engineering Department (DISC)

Within ISAE-SUPAERO, the Complex Systems Engineering Department (DISC) develops skills in mathematics and computer science for aeronautical and space engineering. In both teaching and research, it focuses on the models, methods, and tools needed to control the behavior and performance of complex systems. This complexity may be induced by the multi-physics or multi-scale nature of the systems studied, their dynamic behavior, or their distributed and communicating structure.

DISC

PhD

Researcher

Pages

The “Certificate of Advanced Studies in Human Spaceflight” offered by the Spaceflight Institute in collaboration with ISAE-SUPAERO

The Spaceflight Institute is the first institute dedicated to training in human spaceflight. In partnership with ISAE-SUPAERO, it offers an intensive training program that enables participants to gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges of human spaceflight and to position themselves within a rapidly expanding ecosystem, marked by future lunar and Martian missions as well as the rapid emergence of commercial space stations and private initiatives in low Earth orbit.

Education

Innovation

Partner

News

Decarbonised aviation: first successful flight test for the hydrogen-powered Mermoz drone

In January, the first ‘Drone Mermoz’ demonstrator carrying hydrogen gas, developed by ISAE-SUPAERO in partnership with H3 DYNAMICS, successfully completed its first radio-controlled flight on the runway of the Muret model aircraft club in the Toulouse region (31).

Decarbonization

Sustainability

Videos

Perseverance collects first Martian sounds: explanation by Dr. Naomi Murdoch & Dr. Alexander Stott

Dr Naomi Murdoch, researcher in space instrumentation and planetary science, and Dr Alexander Stott, post-doctoral fellow, tell us more about the physical characteristics of Mars' atmosphere, in particular the speed of sound and its attenuation. These analyses were published in Nature on April 1, 2022 by an international team led by a teacher-researcher from Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier University, and including scientists from CNRS and ISAE-SUPAERO.

DEOS

Researcher

Space

News

Clean Aviation – The European CONCERTO project

Environmental issues are central to the strategy of ISAE-SUPAERO's Department of Research and Pedagogical Resources. This commitment is reflected in its participation in CONCERTO (Construction Of Novel CERTification MethOds and Means of Compliance for Disruptive Technologies), one of the European research projects on decarbonisation in aviation.

Decarbonization

Sustainability

Videos

The Dart mission has hit its target: explanations from Dr Naomi Murdoch, planetary scientist at ISAE-SUPAERO

Researchers from ISAE-SUPAERO are participating in this first planetary defence mission. Dr. Naomi Murdoch, a researcher at ISAE-SUPAERO and scientific member of the #DART and #HERA missions, comments on the objectives of DART and those of the European HERA mission, which will arrive in the area in 2026 to characterise the crater left by DART and study the internal structure of the asteroid #Dimorphos!

DEOS

Researcher

Space

Videos

“We spark the future”: a new label for ISAE-SUPAERO startups

Convinced that innovation, intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship, combined with a strong technical culture, are essential levers for addressing today's major challenges, ISAE-SUPAERO develops its students' spirit of innovation and supports business creation. The Institute is today launching its ‘We spark the future’ label, awarded to start-ups ‘by ISAE-SUPAERO’. Discover our support and our offer.

Entrepreneurship

Innovation

Label

News

ISAE-SUPAERO expands its collaboration with TU Delft on sustainable aviation

During President Macron's state visit to the Netherlands, five agreements were signed to strengthen collaboration between the two countries in the field of science and technology. Among them, an agreement between TU Delft and France provides for close collaboration between ISAE-SUPAERO and TU Delft in the field of sustainable aviation.

Decarbonization

Partnership

Sustainability

News

Carbon neutrality: What strategy should ISAE-SUPAERO adopt?

Sustainability

Events

"Les Entretiens de Toulouse - Training through debate”: April 9 & 10, 2025 on the ISAE-SUPAERO campus

"Les Entretiens de Toulouse" has become a must-attend event for the aerospace industry. A forum for the exchange and transmission of skills, this training through debate provides an opening onto subjects with high industrial stakes. The 2025 edition of the Entretiens de Toulouse will take place on April 9 & 10, 2025, in person, at ISAE-SUPAERO!

Aeronautics

Artificial intelligence

Defence

Testimonials

Testimony from Nathanaël Lecompte, 2021 alumni of the ISAE-SUPAERO engineering programme

Alumni

Sustainability

Testimonial

News

OSE L'ISAE-SUPAERO: a long-term commitment

Diversity program

Sustainability

Pages

Scientific and research integrity

ISAE-SUPAERO is one of the signatories of the National Charter of Ethics for Research Professions, adopted in January 2015 by the Conference of University Presidents (CPU) and all national research organizations, and incorporated into the Institute's internal regulations.

DAEP

DCAS

DEOS

Pages

Theory, Modelling, and Systems Engineering (ThéMIS) Scientific Group

The “Theory, Modeling and Systems Engineering” (ThéMIS) scientific group is dedicated to the study and development of advanced methods for the design, modeling and validation of complex systems.

DISC

Doctoral student

PhD

Pages

Integrated Image Sensors (CIMI) Scientific Group

The “Integrated Image Sensors” (CIMI) scientific group, develops and characterizes active-pixel image sensors (CMOS Image Sensors (CIS)) on silicon for visible and infrared radiation.

DEOS

Doctoral student

PhD

Events

8th edition of Future Intelligence

Artificial intelligence

Cyber

Videos

FRENCH SUPERCAM INSTRUMENT RECORDING THE SOUND OF INGENUITY'S 4th FLIGHT

Located 80 meters from the rover at the moment of take-off, the small helicopter rose to 5 meters above the ground before covering a distance of 133 meters before returning to land where it had taken off from. SuperCam's scientific microphone, developed by ISAE-SUPAERO, recorded the sound emitted by the rotation of the Martian drone's blades during its flight. This sound has a characteristic frequency of 84 Hz, equivalent to the low “E” of a piano or the bass voice of a human being. “This is a big surprise for the whole scientific team,” says Naomi Murdoch, a researcher at ISAE-SUPAERO who is studying the data from the microphone. "Tests carried out in a Martian atmosphere simulator to design this instrument, and our theories of sound propagation, indicated that the microphone would have great difficulty picking up the sounds of the helicopter. Indeed, Mars' thin atmosphere strongly attenuates sound transmission. We needed a bit of luck to record the helicopter from such a distance. We're very pleased to have succeeded in obtaining this recording, which is proving to be a goldmine for our understanding of the Martian atmosphere". Developed jointly by ISAE-SUPAERO and a consortium of CNRS laboratories and its partners, coordinated by CNES, SuperCam's microphone is derived from a consumer model adapted to withstand the Martian environment. It pursues 3 substantial scientific and technical objectives of the Mars 2020 mission: Study the sound associated with laser impacts on Martian rocks, to gain a better understanding of their mechanical properties. Improving our understanding of atmospheric phenomena (wind turbulence, dust eddies, wind interactions with the rover, and now with the helicopter). Understanding the sound signature of the rover's various movements (robotic arm and mast operations, driving on normal or uneven ground, pump monitoring, etc.). The microphone was first switched on a few hours after Perseverance landed. It recorded the first Martian sounds generated by turbulence in the atmosphere. It is used daily in conjunction with laser rock ablation for chemical analysis of Mars. ABOUT THE MARS 2020 MISSION: NASA is relying on Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the development of the Mars 2020 mission. SuperCam was developed jointly by LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA) and a consortium of laboratories attached to the CNRS, French universities and research establishments. Several Spanish universities, led by the University of Valladolid, are also contributing to the instrument. CNES is responsible to NASA for the French contribution to SuperCam. The instrument is operated alternately from LANL and the French Operations Center for Science and Exploration (FOCSE) at CNES in Toulouse.

DEOS

Researcher

Space

Pages

Navigation, Radar, and Remote Sensing (NAVIR² eS) Scientific Group

The “Navigation, Radar and Remonte Sensing” (NAVIR² eS) scientific group is interested in the theoretical study of information sources and hybridization approaches for autonomous vehicle navigation applications.

DEOS

Doctoral student

PhD

News

ISAE-SUPAERO is officially a Pro-Vélo Employer!

Championed by the Fédération des Usagers de la Bicyclette (FUB) and supported by ADEME, the Employeur Pro-Vélo label recognizes employer sites that implement ambitious pro-bike initiatives. ISAE-SUPAERO is proud to announce its Silver level certification.

Corporate responsibility

Label

Sustainability

Pages

Understanding the Issues via our Aviation and Climate Reference Framework

Can we characterise the impact of aviation on the climate? What are the aviation and climate issues? Can we compare CO2 and non-CO2 effects? What technological solutions are being studied to make aviation sustainable? Can we link the rate of growth in air traffic to the proportion of the carbon budget devoted to aviation? Can we assess the energy resources available?

Horizons

Sustainability

Events

5th edition of the "Defense and Innovation" Forum

Conference

Defence

Event

Pages

Lasbordes Air Operations Center (COAL)

The Department of Design and Operation of Aeronautical and Space Vehicles (DCAS) is part of the Lasbordes Air Operations Center (COAL), located on an airfield a few kilometers from the ISAE-SUPAERO campus. As part of its aeronautical training and research activities, COAL operates a fleet of 8 light aircraft.

DCAS

Doctoral student

PhD

Events

Web conference "Research, Innovation & Training supporting Aviation Sustainability" - TSAAE by ISAE-SUPAERO & ENAC

Would you like to discover how ISAE-SUPAER and ENAC have fully integrated the challenges of sustainable aviation ?

Aviation

Conference

Decarbonization

Pages

Job offers

Aeronautics

Aerospace

News

Corentin Lefloch, an engineering student, wins first prize at the USAIRE STUDENT AWARDS for his ideas on the future of aviation

Prize

Sustainability

Videos

Sylvestre Maurice presents the SUPERCAM / Martian Exploration educational kit

The ‘SUPERCAM - Martian Exploration’ educational kit project was initiated by five partners: ISAE-SUPAERO, the Toulouse Academy, CNRS, CNES and Cité de l'espace. Under the guidance and supervision of astrophysicist Sylvestre Maurice, first-year students at ISAE-SUPAERO developed this educational tool to raise awareness of space exploration in classrooms, from sixth form to final year. This kit is available to middle and high school teachers and can be adapted to offer educational lessons related to this theme.

Diversity program

Equal opportunities

Researcher

Home
ISAE-SUPAERO
Our Newsroom
News
Content Related To'Sustainability'

The Institute is involved in the ecological transition of the aerospace ecosystem

Publication Date

02 October 2020

Category

Institute

Tag

Aerospace

Meeting

Sustainability

By being invited to the virtual seminar organised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) “CO2 Emissions Reductions in the Aviation Sector” and to the third edition of the Space Forum La Tribune, the Institute was able to debate and present its research and programmes in energy transition and Earth observation for climate to decision-makers in the aeronautics and space sectors.
An ICAO international seminar aimed at finding solutions for the use of sustainable fuel, where industry, institutions and research bodies specialising in the environment took part to debate and present their work to implement innovative solutions.

For its new edition, “What are the challenges for the next decade in the space sector in France and Europe?”, the Space Forum La Tribune aims to debate the issues of space at the service of the Earth and the study of the impact of COVID-19 on the sector. Marie-Hélène Barroux also took part in the round table discussion on the climate and its challenges, alongside Corinne Mailles, Deputy Managing Director of Telespazio, a provider of satellite services and applications, and Marc Pontaud, Scientific Director at Météo France.
She outlined the Institute’s expertise in optical sensors for climate observation satellites and the fight against global warming.

The LARGO7M sensor onboard the Korean KOMPAT2 satellite for ocean observation was developed under a CRISTAL agreement with AIRBUS, and is a concrete example of this.
As part of this partnership, the Institute is developing chairs covering a number of scientific research areas. These chairs resonate with the themes of the ICAO forum, “Stimulating and implementing innovation to reduce CO2 emissions in the aviation sector”.

ISAE-SUPAERO SUSTAINABLY

One example is the CEDAR chair, developed with AIRBUS, which aims to implement air transport solutions that reduce its ecological footprint. In this way, it is helping to raise awareness and train future aeronautical engineers in the sustainable development of air transport by integrating a more global approach to environmental engineering. The DAHER chair, signed in 2019, is developing research into the design and certification of light aircraft with hybrid-electric propulsion. In the field of propulsion, the AEGIS Chair aims to consolidate the innovative concepts of propulsion architectures that will equip the next generations of aircraft.
The creation of these chairs has also been made possible by the Fondation ISAE-SUPAERO, whose “raison d’être” is to accelerate the realisation of innovative projects contributing to a sustainable world.

ENGINEERING STUDENTS "OUT OF THE BOX

Sustainable development is a subject that is increasingly relevant to the Institute’s students in a complex context. For deputy president Marie-Hélène Barroux, “they have a key role to play, and the institute provides them with the skills and creative space to play it. The school is also adapting to meet these challenges and new demands, and is making changes to its training courses.

Programmes are being developed in this area, such as the environmental engineering certificate offered in the third year, which takes a lifecycle approach to aircraft design and covers eco-mobility, eco-design and the economics of air transport.

“We want our students to be agents of change! The movement is very powerful and far-reaching, and our students are getting involved by taking part in low-tech competitions, creating student associations such as Supaero4Earth, and developing projects such as Solarboost (a concept for a mobile tricycle with an electric motor powered by solar panels)… Our alumni are also involved with the SUPAERO DECARBO association, in the climate fresk, in which all first-year engineering students take part, and by supporting the ISAE-SUPAERO Foundation,” explains the Sustainable Development Manager at these forums.
The aim this year is to train 100% of students in climate issues.

” Having invented and developed air transport, the aeronautical sector now needs to decarbonise it. It’s a new challenge, just as ambitious as the previous ones. To meet it, we’re going to have to invent new aircraft, drawing on all the technological and creative strengths of our engineers. “

Olivier Lesbre – President of ISAE-SUPAERO

THE SKY AT THE SERVICE OF THE EARTH

More and more students are going into the space sector, with a clear focus on sustainable development in space. One third of the R&D budget is devoted to space-related research, including the development of nanosatellites and new multispectral sensors.
The research groups in the Department of Electronics, Optronics and Systems (DEOS) are working to develop sensors that are increasingly accurate, resistant to radiation and efficient in terms of data collection. This research is carried out in collaboration with manufacturers in the sector. Chairs have also been created in this field, such as SAC lab, Nuclétudes, etc.

The stakes in this sector are high if we are to recover ever more data and steer the space industry towards a data economy. Sensors are the eyes of the world, monitoring the Earth and anticipating changes. More precision for more modelling to anticipate climate change due to human activities.

Students are also involved in programmes to test new technologies in space through scientific missions from design to launch of nanostallelites, such as Entrysat and Eyesat, experimental cubsats, to be put into orbit in collaboration with CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales) in 2019.
ISAE SUPAERO is home to the CSUT (Centre Spatial Universitaire de Toulouse) control centre.

PRESENTATION OF THE OBSERVATION PRIZE FOR THE EARTH PRIZE

Marie-Hélène Baroux was therefore entirely justified in presenting the Earth Observation prize to KERMAP, a company specialising in observation for regional planning, the environment and agriculture. KERMAP has also launched a website open to the general public, where key figures on urban vegetation in French municipalities are just a click away. An example of the complex management and analysis of satellite data.
The prize was awarded by a panel of scientific experts from research and industry in the space sector, including Laurent JOLY, Deputy Director of Research at ISAE-SUPAERO.

Envision responsible air transport

Publication Date

03 July 2020

Category

Institute

Tag

Aeronautics

Sustainability

The students behind the project

Quentin Barascud, Antoine Salgas and Victor Lauféron are all passionate about aeronautics and are in their third year of the engineering programme. Joining ISAE-SUPAERO has always been an obvious choice for them.

Deprived of their gap year internship because of the health crisis, they didn’t hesitate to work on a micro-project proposed by the Institute’s management to outline some solutions for improving the climate impact of aviation. They sought to understand the issues surrounding these questions from a technological point of view, but also from a societal and economic point of view, in order to propose a sustainable future for this industry by 2040.

Based on public data and their academic knowledge, this report has enabled them to put forward a number of ideas to kick-start the shift towards truly greener aviation.

“We have proposed a list of measures aimed at moderating this impact while preserving the very raison d’être of aviation, which is to open up to the world,” says Antoine Salgas.

Sustainable development is everyone's business

The idea of this project is also to exchange and compare these analyses with experts from the Académie de l’air et de l’espace, former programme directors and pioneers of the French and European aeronautics industry. This is an opportunity to create inter-generational exchanges to refine their ideas and gain an inside view of the field. The aim is to gather outside opinions and understand the constraints on progress and open up to other, less theoretical horizons.

It’s also an opportunity for us to understand that our generation is not the only one concerned about these issues,” says Antoine after their video conference discussions.

The discussions gave the students a better grasp of the complexity of some of the points raised in their report “15 ideas for more sustainable air transport”.
It also gave us the impression that we really can help this industry to evolve. We also sensed a strong desire on the part of the industry to change the paradigm and commit to the development of green aviation “, says Victor Lauféron.

Following these discussions, the students will go back to their work to incorporate the academics’ comments. It is important for both the protagonists and the management to share this work with all ISAE-SUPAERO students in ways that have yet to be defined. Because, as the members of the Academy pointed out during the discussions, the circulation of ideas is a key component of the challenge of the energy transition.

The theme of sustainable development is unavoidable and has been selected by the ISAE-SUPAERO Board of Directors as a key element of the teaching programme. These exchanges and feedback are part of this teaching approach and should be of benefit to all students, not only to extend their knowledge but also to introduce reliable elements into the treatment of sensitive subjects such as sustainable development. The academics made a number of proposals, such as extending these discussions to the different modes of transport, through inter-school relations, to further increase exchanges between these future leaders.

The future in green

Victor hopes that this initial brainstorming will spark off new ideas among the other students, helping them to find solutions to the colossal problem of global warming.

Antoine can see himself working to solve this challenge.
While I remain very cautious about the government’s announcements of ‘zero carbon’ aircraft, the political will is there and promises some great projects for our generation to work on.

Quentin Barascud concludes: “This may be the biggest challenge the sector has ever faced, but I think we have to aim for green and sustainable aviation to keep the best of what it has to offer. Because if we, as future aeronautical engineers, don’t believe in it, this type of project will never see the light of day.”

Nicolas Cruaud, Engineer at ISAE-SUPAERO and co-founder of the start-up Néolithe

Publication Date

03 June 2020

Category

Institute

Tag

Meeting

Presentation

Startup

Sustainability

Could you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your background?

My name is Nicolas Cruaud, and I’m a polytechnique engineer doing a year of specialisation at ISAE-SUPAERO. At X, I took courses in mechanics and entrepreneurship, and at ISAE-SUPAERO I’m studying Space Systems Design and Operation and Industrial Engineering.

Could you tell us more about Néolithe?

Néolithe aims to turn household waste into stone. We produce mineral aggregates that can be used in the construction industry, particularly for road underlay and concrete, from all types of non-recyclable waste (household waste, industrial waste, etc.).

It was originally a family project, which we developed with my father, my brother and Clément Bénassy, a young graduate of AgroParisTech. The idea came from my father, a stonemason and concrete formulator, who, observing the limestone he was cutting (resulting from the fossilisation and sedimentation of prehistoric waste), wondered whether we could also ‘fossilise’ our own waste, a little more quickly, to reduce the associated pollution.
We then pitched the idea at a Start-up Weekend at Ecole Polytechnique in March 2018, and have been working on the project ever since.

What are the benefits of your project in terms of sustainable development?

The environmental impact is the main advantage of our technology. Fossilising waste avoids incineration or landfill, and the associated pollution. Compared with incineration, our process reduces CO2 emissions by 80%. In France as a whole, this would represent a 5% reduction in the country’s total CO2 emissions, all industries combined! That’s twice as much as all the CO2 produced by air traffic. And because our aim is to implement our process on a very large scale, the cost of treating waste by fossilisation is the same as the cost of incineration: for the same price, you’re going green!

What are your plans and prospects for Néolithe?

This September, we will be commissioning our first fossiliser, a mobile (container-based) waste treatment facility. The aim is to demonstrate our technology, and then to replicate it rapidly in France and Europe with local authorities and industry. Thanks to its agility, the Fossilisateur can be set up directly in a district, a small town, or on the site of a factory or building site, to treat waste on the spot. Our aim is to relocate waste processing as close as possible to where it is produced, so as to avoid transporting waste, which on average travels 100km by lorry before being landfilled or incinerated.

Engineering and sustainable development: what is the relevance of bringing these 2 sectors together?

I think there are different kinds of sustainable development. There’s a lot of talk about the little things we can do on a daily basis to reduce our environmental impact. I think that, although this is necessary, it is not the most important lever for sustainable development. In my opinion, the main lever is technological and industrial. We need to seek to achieve ecology on an industrial scale, through replicable and economically viable models. I think that’s why it’s vital to have engineers working in sustainable development. We need to find real technical solutions capable of revolutionising polluting sectors to reduce the environmental footprint of entire industries.

Our partners are going green!

Publication Date

03 June 2020

Category

Institute

Tag

Partner

Sustainability

Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse SAS commits to sustainable development

Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse SAS, the Liebherr Group’s centre of excellence for air systems, has published its 2019 greenhouse gas emissions report for its sites in Toulouse and Campsas (Tarn-et-Garonne). Developments in terms of energy management within the company have produced encouraging results since 2014, with a 34% reduction in emissions despite the company’s growth.

Actions such as improving infrastructure, switching to electric power for certain vehicles and replacing oil-fired boilers help to explain these positive results. Further reductions are expected in the coming years, with the installation of photovoltaic panels currently in progress.

The company is also committed to preserving biodiversity and raising employee awareness of environmental issues. At its Toulouse site, 575 m² of flowery fallow land have been created in 2019 to attract pollinating insects, and this approach has recently been supplemented by the installation of 4 insect hotels. The company is also planning to install nesting boxes for bats and birds, and is studying the possibility of setting up beehives, as well as planting melliferous shrubs and flowers.

Finally, every year the company organises awareness-raising sessions on car-pooling and other alternatives to the private car, and encourages its employees to use public transport.

MBDA, a major defence player committed to the environment

In the heart of the Sologne region, the MBDA site at Selles-Saint-Denis covers more than 250 hectares of forest. A centre of excellence for missile integration located in an environment classified Natura 2000, this industrial site is the focus of special attention aimed at preserving its fauna and biodiversity through numerous protection and maintenance actions carried out throughout the year.
Far from being limited to the exterior, environmentally-friendly initiatives are also naturally in place within the company: selective sorting, replacement of neon lights with LED lighting, operation of a biomass boiler fed by local wood since 2006, etc.

These measures, which are already numerous, will also be reinforced in the future by the launch of work aimed at improving the energy management of the buildings, in particular by combining the production of hot water and chilled water. The aim is to transfer heat, thereby saving energy and reducing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. There’s no shortage of topics, and the Health, Safety & Environment and Infrastructure teams are always keen to develop new projects!

Thales, a strategy for a low-carbon future

In line with its values, its corporate social responsibility strategy and as part of a voluntary initiative, Thales is strengthening its commitment to a low-carbon future. This new strategy is based on three pillars

Reducing direct and product emissions

Thales aims to achieve an ambitious reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions by involving its entire value chain, with absolute targets in line with the 2°C trajectory:

A 40% reduction in direct operational emissions by 2030 (internal operations, staff mobility) with an intermediate point of 20% in 2023,
15% reduction in indirect emissions by 2030 (purchases, use of Thales equipment by customers) with an intermediate point of 7% in 2023.

Offering the Group’s customers innovative and eco-responsible functions and services to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions

By developing intelligent traffic management solutions (rail, road, sea and air), leading to a reduction in emissions,
By optimising the energy efficiency of the digital world through the development of “low energy by design” solutions for digital data science, algorithms and artificial intelligence.

Contributing to a better understanding of climate phenomena, in particular through the development of dedicated space systems.

Dassault Aviation, for sustainable and optimised aviation

Sustainable aviation is based on the continued development of aircraft and engine technology, in a relentless quest to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Thanks to their aerodynamic qualities and optimized weight, aircraft in the Falcon range have long been recognized as among the most fuel-efficient on the market.

Dassault Aviation is the business aviation representative on the European Clean Sky research project. The aircraft manufacturer is taking part in studies into the shape, life cycle and use of aircraft in order to develop innovations in on-board energy management, advanced aircraft control, drag reduction and pure eco-design.

(more…)

World Engineer Day 2020: a young alumni puts his engineering skills to work for the climate

Publication Date

04 March 2020

Category

Institute

Tag

Alumni

Portrait

Presentation

Sustainability

As a 2017 ISAE-SUPAERO graduate, Maxime Efoui Hess has made defending the climate his personal and professional leitmotiv. Convinced that engineers have a major role to play in protecting the environment, the young graduate has taken the high road by joining The Shift Project, a public interest lobby working for a carbon-free economy. He believes that engineers have the necessary technical skills and a scientific vision capable of changing current economic and industrial models by taking account of environmental and social issues.

From conquering space to protecting the environment: a commitment to the climate

As a young high school graduate, Maxime Efoui Hess dreamed of working in space research. Amazed by the human adventure of the conquest of space, he joined ISAE-SUPAERO in 2013.

During his gap year, he began to think about how to include environmental issues in his professional life and drew parallels between the climate and space.

In these two fields, which seem to be poles apart, a closed ecosystem to which no new resources can be added is being studied. Above all, we become aware of the planet we live on and the damaging effects of global warming on it.

Indeed, who better than an astronaut to see the Earth as a whole and measure, from a distance, the impact of carbon constraints on its health?

In his 3rd year at ISAE-SUPAERO, the student chose to follow the ” Energy, Transport, Environment ” course offered by the Institute. It was during this course that Maxime discovered The Shift Project, a public interest lobby that advocates a scientific vision capable of providing solutions for engineering to free it from the carbon constraint. The Shift Project deals with concrete, physical problems, including technical skills and scientific analysis. Students are seduced and see a career path taking shape that is in line with their commitments.

So, at the end of his studies, Maxime joined the lobby to put his engineering skills at the service of the climate. The young graduate is certain of this: engineers have a role to play in every industrial project, integrating environmental concepts from the outset and reducing society’s ecological impact as far as possible.

Engineers must use their skills and global vision to change the current model

When Maxime joined The Shift Project, he didn’t follow the traditional route of a graduate from a top engineering school. And for good reason: he is convinced that engineers have a role to play in the ecological transition. Engineers have learned to take an overall view of the various stages in a project: from its inception to its final use, from the choice of components to their recycling.

Their role? To make the right decision by encompassing all the components, all the aspects, all the purposes. So even if a decision has no direct bearing on the climate at a given moment, it can nevertheless change everything. By contributing their technical and intellectual skills, engineers help to change a model. To change society’s model using the “engineer’s vision”, the grandes écoles have a role to play.

At the end of 2019, The Shift Project produced a report on the place of the environment and climate in higher education programmes. There is strong demand from students and lecturers to take environmental constraints into account when setting up research projects and training programmes. Higher education establishments are developing curricula in which the environment is a key priority, and are setting up numerous initiatives to raise awareness and train students in their role in defending the climate. All that remains is to add these initiatives to a systemic vision and prove to students that their skills are useful and even essential for changing the current model and adapting it to the climate challenges.

Students aware of environmental issues

As soon as they started their new academic year, the 1st year engineering students took part in a climate awareness day at the beginning of September.

Caroline BERARD, former Head of Engineering Programme, reminded the 220 new students that “ the aeronautics industry has met three challenges: making aircraft fly, making them safe and making them accessible to a wider public by lowering production costs. Now there’s a fourth, and it’s up to you to rise to it: designing carbon-free aircraft. The tone is set!

More than 80% of first-year students at ISAE-SUPAERO want to be trained in sustainable development.
To meet this demand, ISAE-SUPAERO is offering an “Energy Transition” module as part of the engineering curriculum. In 3rd year, students can choose “Energy, transport and environment ” as their field of application.

An “environmental engineering” certificate is also offered to all ISAE Group students.

Climate change a priority in higher education

In 2019, Olivier Lesbre, Managing Director, signed the manifesto issued by The Shift Project, a think tank working for a carbon-free economy. Recent work on the teaching of climate and energy issues in higher education has revealed a strong desire on the part of the higher education teaching community and students for an organised response to training on climate issues. More than 80 heads of higher education establishments and 1,000 teachers and researchers, leading a list of some 7,500 signatories, are calling on the government to “initiate a transition strategy for higher education that positions the climate as a top priority”.

ISAE-SUPAERO RESEARCH: major initiatives to invent the sustainable air transport of tomorrow

We are working on new air transport concepts through several research chairs

The Cedar Chair for Eco-Design of AiRcraft, created by Airbus 6 years ago, supports research into innovative concepts to prepare the next generation of transport aircraft.
The Safran-AEGIS Chair, launched in 2016, aims to reduce the environmental footprint (pollutant discharges and noise emissions) of aircraft propulsion by working on new engine and airframe integration formulas.
The Daher Chair, launched in 2019, to conduct research into the design and certification of light aircraft with hybrid-electric propulsion.

Investing and committing to training and research to meet the challenges of the energy transition

Publication Date

27 September 2019

Category

Institute

Tag

Aerospace

Sustainability

From awareness-raising to training

Students aware of environmental issues

Caroline BERARD, Director of Engineering Training, reminded the 220 first-year students that “the aeronautics industry has met three challenges: making aircraft fly, making them safe, and making them more accessible to the general public by lowering production costs. There is now a fourth challenge, and it will be up to you to meet it: designing carbon-free aircraft. The tone is set.

The aim of the climate fresk is to raise questions, raise awareness and get the pupils to interact in a situation of collective intelligence. The aim of this creative workshop is to find and explain, in three hours, the links of cause and effect between the 42 cards in the game, and to co-construct a real ‘Fresk’ of climate change.

This innovative teaching approach is part of #Larentréeclimat, a national initiative aimed at training 10,000 students from the grandes écoles in these issues. 80% of first-year students at ISAE-SUPAERO want to be trained in sustainable development.

To meet this demand, ISAE-SUPAERO offers an “Energy transition: what role for the engineer” module as part of the first and second year engineering curriculum . In 3rd year, students can choose the “Energy, transport and environment” module as their field of application.

To take this further, ISAE-SUPAERO’s OSE social outreach programme plans to extend the climate fresco workshop to 22 partner middle and high schools to raise awareness among younger students from the 2019/2020 school year.

Climate change a priority in higher education

More broadly, ISAE-SUPAERO, through its Managing Director Olivier Lesbre, has signed the manifesto issued by The Shift Project, a think tank working to promote a carbon-free economy. Its recent work on the teaching of climate and energy issues in higher education has revealed a strong desire on the part of the higher education community and students for an organised response to climate issues. More than 80 heads of higher education establishments and 1,000 teachers and researchers, leading a list of some 7,500 signatories, are calling on the government to “initiate a transition strategy for higher education that positions the climate as a top priority”.

Alumni get involved

The SUPAERO-DECARBO collective, made up of around twenty engineers who graduated in 2000 and 2001, questioned the ISAE-SUPAERO Foundation about its role in the energy transition in the aeronautics industry. In response, the Foundation decided to make the environmental dimension part of its raison d’être by focusing on major issues that go far beyond the short term. “The Foundation works to develop the Institute’s influence and global leadership, by proposing and accelerating innovative projects that contribute to a sustainable world”.

Major initiatives for the air transport of tomorrow

With the help of the Foundation and aerospace manufacturers, several research chairs have been created at ISAE-SUPAERO in recent years to work on new concepts for high-quality air transport, while reducing their ecological footprint.

The Cedar Chair for Eco-Design of AiRcraft, created by Airbus 6 years ago, aims to define disruptive air transport concepts by introducing innovative technologies right from the aircraft design stage. Renewed at this year’s Paris Air Show, it takes up these major orientations by integrating a more global approach to environmental engineering.

In this way, the Chair is helping to raise awareness and train future aeronautical engineers in the sustainable development of air transport. It supports research into innovative concepts to prepare the next generation of transport aircraft.

This is also the aim of the Safran-AEGIS Chair launched in 2016, which aims to reduce the environmental footprint of aircraft propulsion by cutting pollutant and noise emissions. It is working on new engine and airframe integration formulas. From an economic point of view, fuel consumption is a key concern, but operability, maintenance and missions are also taken into account.
Launched in 2019, the Daher Chair aims to conduct research into the design and certification of light aircraft with hybrid-electric propulsion.

“ No student should be able to complete a higher education course without having understood the causes and consequences of climate change and worked on identifying possible solutions. “

Day-to-day initiatives on Campus

Creation of a Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility Unit (DDRS), comprising students, teachers, lecturers and staff.
Its purpose is to work on projects, studies and events relating to sustainable development and social responsibility.

Training ISAE-SUPAERO students in animation, to use the Fresque du Climat as a collaborative tool to raise awareness among middle and high schools (In collaboration with OSE l’ISAE-SUPAERO).

A zero waste hostel, student associations involved (SUPAERO for Earth)
The institute’s participation in the European Week for Waste Reduction, air quality, mobility and the promotion of student initiatives.
Innovation and creativity project on sustainable development, ecological vegetable garden, installation of beehives, recycling, etc.
Mobility plan, participation in sustainable development week, the “Allons y a vélo” event, car pooling, etc.