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ISAE-SUPAERO acquires an innovative new additive manufacturing equipment

Publication Date

24 September 2025

Category

Research

Tag

Aeronautics

News

Research

ISAE-SUPAERO and the Institut Clément Ader (ICA) have just acquired a new Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) machine. This cutting-edge equipment opens up new prospects for research, teaching and innovation in the aeronautical field.

The inauguration of this new research facility was held on Tuesday 23 September on the ISAE-SUPAERO campus in the presence of financial and research partners.

Technology at the service of the sustainable aeronautics industry

WAAM technology makes it possible to manufacture large semi-finished parts using only the materials required. It therefore helps to reduce waste, limit the use of rare metals and improve the energy efficiency of manufacturing processes.

Thanks to its performance (more than 2 kg of material deposited per hour), it represents a promising alternative to traditional machining processes, particularly for parts such as jet engine masts or aircraft spars.

Research, training and industrial partnerships

This equipment will be used by our lecturers, PhD students and engineering students to explore new approaches to the design, multi-material manufacture and repair of high added-value aeronautical parts.

It will also pave the way for new industrial collaborations: a project is already underway with Segula Technologies, while discussions are underway with Airbus and Safran.

A collective investment in the future

The €700,000 acquisition of this machine was financed as part of a State-Region Plan Contract (CPER), with the support of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, the Occitanie Region and Toulouse Métropole. ISAE-SUPAERO also contributed by financing the infrastructure and installation of the equipment.

A further step towards responsible innovation

With the WAAM, ISAE-SUPAERO and the ICA are reinforcing their role as key players in the development of innovative, sustainable and competitive technologies, in line with the major challenges of the aerospace sector’s ecological and digital transition.

Inauguration de la machine WAAM - ISAE-SUPAERO / ICA

Valentin LELOUP, quantum and optical telecommunications systems engineer: the quantum and space tandem

Publication Date

02 July 2025

Category

Research

Tag

Alumni

News

Research

Space

Explorer, le maître mot de Valentin

« Guidé après les classes prépa par mon intérêt pour le domaine spatial, j’ai intégré l’ISAE-SUPAERO et ai découvert les cours de physique fondamentale. J’ai été happé ! » explique Valentin Leloup aujourd’hui ingénieur en Recherche et Développement chez Thales Alenia Space, fabricant européen de satellites destinés aux domaines des télécommunications, de l’observation de la Terre, de l’exploration spatiale et de la navigation par satellites.

Le jeune ingénieur double diplômé et multicompétences témoigne de son riche parcours qui lui permet de travailler dans le domaine de la physique quantique appliquée au spatial.

Un parcours de formation sur mesure

Quand Valentin entre à l’ISAE-SUPAERO en 2018 avec une appétence pour le spatial, les cours de physique fondamentale l’intéressent énormément et le conduisent à s’orienter vers des options en physique du laser. Durant la période Covid, il s’attaque à la lecture de l’ouvrage de référence « Mécanique quantique » de Claude Cohen-Tannoudji.

« Passionnant » confie-t-il !

Fort de cet enthousiasme, il s’inscrit en complément de son cursus de 3e année à l’ISAE-SUPAERO au Master 1 « Physique fondamentale et applications » dispensé par Sciences Sorbonne Université qu’il suit à distance. Sur cette bonne lancée, il obtient l’année suivante un aménagement de sa dernière année à l’ISAE-SUPAERO dans le domaine de la conception et opération des systèmes spatiaux afin de poursuivre à mi-temps un Master 2 en physique à l’Université de Toulouse.

« J’ai ensuite obtenu un stage de fin d’études dans le domaine des télécommunications par satellite chez Thales Alenia Space. Mon profil a donné satisfaction à mes employeurs et j’ai été séduit par ce stage qui associait le quantique au spatial » se souvient Valentin Leloup.

Physique et spatial au cœur de l’activité

Ce stage a été une excellente rampe de lancement qui lui permet d’être embauché chez Thales Alenia Space comme ingénieur système pour les télécommunications quantiques et optiques.

« C‘est rare et précieux de pouvoir relier dans mon activité professionnelle mes deux domaines de prédilection » précise Valentin Leloup.

Dans le secteur spatial, notamment dans les activités relatives à l’observation de la Terre, à la navigation par satellite ou encore la sécurité des systèmes de télécommunications, la physique quantique promet de nombreux développements.

« Je travaille sur des projets de Recherche & Développement (R&D) au sein du domaine Télécommunications de Thales Alenia Space afin de concevoir de nouvelles technologies pour des applications industrielles sur le marché du spatial » poursuit-il. « En parallèle de la distribution quantique de clés de chiffrement par voie spatiale, nous travaillons sur le modèle des expériences de photons intriqués du physicien Alain Aspect nobélisé en 2022. C’est à partir de recherches en laboratoire, que l’ingénieur recherche en physique que je suis, est à l’œuvre pour distribuer de l’intrication quantique à grande échelle via l’utilisation de satellites et pour développer ce qu’on appelle l’internet quantique » explique Valentin Leloup.

À cette activité de recherche s’ajoute la partie ingénierie qui lui permet de suivre la réalisation de maquettes des équipements (source de photons unique, détecteurs de photons uniques, etc.) comprenant les étapes de design, les phases de manipulation et de tests afin de disposer de toutes les métriques et performances. « Ma formation d’ingénieur spatial m’est très utile pour avoir une bonne approche du système global ainsi que pour maîtriser des différents sous-systèmes qui participent à la conception de cette nouvelle technologie » développe Valentin Leloup.

Les projets de R&D sont réalisés en collaboration avec les agences spatiales française et européenne, des laboratoires de recherche ainsi que des startups. Le travail en équipe pluridisciplinaire, le croisement de différents domaines d’expertise et de compétences en composants photoniques spatiaux, architecture réseau, systèmes orbitaux, télécommunications spatiales sont au cœur des innovations industrielles. Pour Valentin Leloup toutes les composantes d’une activité professionnelle stimulante sont réunies.

« Compte tenu mon expérience, si j’avais un conseil à donner aux étudiants, ce serait de s’ouvrir et d’explorer plusieurs domaines et ne pas se focaliser sur une idée de départ. En un mot, il faut être acteur de son avenir. » conclut Valentin Leloup.

From modeling to decarbonation: MDO as a driver of transformation at the 4th European workshop

Publication Date

11 June 2025

Category

Research

Tag

DMSM

Structures and materials

Workshop

From 3 to 5 June, ISAE-SUPAERO opened its doors to the 4ᵉ European Workshop on MDO for Industrial Applications in Aeronautics. For three days, researchers, engineers and industrialists came together to discuss advances in a field that has become essential to aeronautical design.

An international workshop at the heart of advances in MDO

The event, organised in collaboration with ONERA, DLR, IRT Saint Exupéry and NASA, brought together nearly 150 participants, facilitating a fruitful dialogue between academic research and industrial needs.

The programme was rich and varied, led by Joseph Morlier, Professor of Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation at ISAE-SUPAERO, Nathalie Bartoli, Director of Research at ONERA and Associate Professor at ISAE-SUPAERO, and Christian Gogu, Professor of Structural Optimisation and Reliability at ISAE-SUPAERO.

Among the key topics, multi-fidelity modelling was widely discussed, illustrating how to combine fast models and high-fidelity models to optimise efficiently without sacrificing accuracy. Approaches incorporating artificial intelligence also attracted attention, notably through the use of machine learning techniques to accelerate simulations and guide optimisation processes. And the environmental dimension took centre stage, with presentations dedicated to reducing the carbon footprint of aircraft.

” Whereas a few years ago it was difficult to get industry to move forward, mainly because of disciplinary barriers, MDO is making progress, and the benefits of academic research are now being rapidly integrated, mainly thanks to the availability of open source code (SMT, OpeMDAO, Gemseo, etc.) and multidisciplinary benchmarks (NASA CRM wing, DLR jet engine, etc.) “, emphasised Joseph Morlier, putting the recent evolution of the MDO ecosystem into perspective.

Key events and interdisciplinary collaborations

The keynote address by Benjamin Philips (NASA Langley Research Center) was one of the highlights. Entitled “Transforming MDAO: How We Can Bridge the Gap Between Academic Development and Industry Adoption”, his keynote offered a critical reflection on current MDO tools and practices as part of NASA’s Transformative Tools and Technologies (TTT) project. Benjamin Philips highlighted the persistent tensions between advances in academic methodology and the demands of industrial robustness, while also outlining ways in which the two can be reconciled. His presentation ended with a lively discussion.

Laura Mainini, Professor of Aerospace Computational Design in the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College London, focused on the benefits of exploiting different levels of fidelity in optimisation processes. She showed how the combined use of fast and high-fidelity models makes it possible to balance accuracy and computational cost, particularly when it comes to integrating environmental considerations right from the design phase. His approach, at the interface between advanced modelling and sustainability, opens up prospects for a more agile MDO adapted to the growing complexity of aerospace systems.

The technical sessions brought together a wide range of participants from ONERA, DLR (the German Aerospace Centre), IRT Saint Exupéry, Dassault Aviation, Airbus, Safran, Imperial College London, Rolls-Royce, the Universities of Sheffield and Southampton, Vicomtech and the University of Cagliari. These contributions addressed concrete issues, such as the coupling between disciplines in hybrid-electric configurations, the management of multi-fidelity models and optimisation geared towards environmental performance.

A collaborative approach to sustainability

The final day was marked by a special session dedicated to the European NEXTAIR project, funded as part of Horizon Europe. This programme aims to develop new methodologies for optimising complex systems in the aeronautical sector, by integrating environmental and sustainability criteria right from the design stage. This session provided an opportunity to present concrete examples of applications and to highlight the results obtained from industrial scenarios.

The workshop also highlighted the excellence of French research in MDO, and in particular the structuring role played by ISAE-SUPAERO, whose work in optimisation for aeronautical design is part of a European and collaborative dynamic.

” We have all demonstrated the importance of interdisciplinary coupling through intense and productive discussions. Taking these couplings into account will help to change attitudes within the aerospace industry: the problem is no longer to optimise aerospace vehicles or their trajectories, but mainly to enable a traveller to get from point A to point B while minimising the impact on the planet”, pointed out Joseph Morlier, “and this trend was demonstrated during the very interesting poster sessions presented by numerous international doctoral students “.

The involvement of the Institute’s young researchers and doctoral students (Shantanu Sapre, Ousmane Sy, Shubham Deshmukh) made a major contribution to the smooth running of the event, both logistically and scientifically. ” This workshop required a great deal of upstream preparation, but thanks to the dedication of all the members of the organising team, we were able to build on the success of previous editions and further increase the number of participants, with this year’s event being by far the largest in terms of numbers, ” commented Christian Gogu.

Finally, as Nathalie Bartoli summed up: ” This event was both technically and humanly rich, marked by the quality of the exchanges, a warm atmosphere, and a great dynamic of collaboration within the European MDO community “.

MDO in the DMSM

The Structures and Materials Mechanics research department (DMSM) focuses its research on damage to composite structures, fatigue of metallic materials and structures, vibration dynamics and numerical methods for mechanics. Within the department, Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) is a methodological approach that aims to optimize the design of complex systems by simultaneously taking into account several engineering disciplines.

Unlike traditional methods where each discipline is optimised sequentially, MDO integrates the interactions between disciplines from the earliest design phases, enabling globally optimal solutions to be identified.

In aeronautics, MDO integrates several disciplines, such as aerodynamics, structure and propulsion, into its research, enabling the overall optimisation of aircraft by reconciling performance, safety, weight and fuel consumption. Today, this systemic approach is an essential response to the sector's technical and environmental challenges.

Capturing the seismic activity of an asteroid: our Apophis rendezvous

Publication Date

10 June 2025

Category

Research

Tag

DEOS

Research

Space

Our meeting on Apophis

Asteroid exploration is always a topical issue at ISAE-SUPAERO. Researchers with expertise in the sciences of the Universe, who are heavily involved in international planetary defence missions such as NASA’s DART and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) HERA, have a challenge to take up on Apophis: the design of a seismometer to be carried on board a CubeSat. A team of scientists and engineers is hard at work, with a target date of 2029.

"The first-ever seismometer on an asteroid

On 13 April 2029, the 375-metre Apophis asteroid will graze the Earth without danger. With this in mind, the European Space Agency – ESA – is preparing the Ramses mission (Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety), which should be launched in 2028 if it receives sufficient support. Ramses will observe Apophis during its flyby using a main probe and two CubeSats. The aim is to study the asteroid: its shape, surface, rotation, orbit and response to Earth-induced tidal forces. This data will help us to better understand the behaviour of asteroids and develop strategies for deflecting them in the event of a future threat.

One of the Ramses mission’s CubeSats will use radar to analyse the internal structure and dust around Apophis, while the other CubeSat will measure its seismic activity using the Seismic Instrument for Asteroids (SIA). The SIA is being developed at ISAE-SUPAERO by the Space Systems for Planetology and Applications (SSPA) research team, in collaboration with CNES, and with the scientific support of the Institut du Globe de Paris (IPGP).

Since the beginning of planetary exploration, seismometers have been key instruments for probing the interior of planetary bodies. They have been deployed on the surface of the Moon, Mars and Venus, but never before on an asteroid. ” The SIA instrument will therefore be the very first seismometer to operate on an asteroid. We expect the gravitational pull of the Earth during the close encounter with Apophis to generate earthquakes in the asteroid that we will be able to record “, explains Naomi Murdoch, the scientific manager of this scientific instrument, with enthusiasm.

For her part, electronics engineer Pauline Carpi explains: ” SIA, which is about the size of a milk carton, will carry our capable sensors and the electronics to control the instrument and acquire the data.

” This seismometer is the culmination of more than a decade of research and development at ISAE-SUPAERO, incorporating advances in projects such as CNES’s Apophis 2029 studies, ESA’s COPINS CubeSats and the European Commission’s NEO-MAPP Horizon 2020 project,” comments Raphaël Garcia, a researcher in planetary geophysics and SIA project leader.

For his part, Tomohiro Ishizuka, a researcher in astrodynamics and robust control in the Aerospace Vehicle Design and Control research department at ISAE-SUPAERO, is working on the Ramses mission on the tricky part of landing the CubeSat deployed from the main spacecraft. ” We’re working to ensure that the CubeSat lands safely in a well-lit area during the hours when Apophis passes closest to Earth,” he explains.

We’ll be there!

Training new skills for the future of space: COMETES is launched!

Publication Date

09 June 2025

Category

Research

Tag

Company

Job

Space

To meet the growing needs of the space and New Space industries, COMETES embodies a strong collective dynamic. Supported by the Toulouse Community of Universities and Establishments in conjunction with academic establishments (in particular the ISAE group, several universities and schools and 5 university space centres), local authorities (Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions) and industrial players, COMETES is part of a national synergy.

The aim is to “train 11,000 apprentices and raise awareness of space-related issues among 300,000 people”.

The South-West Skills Space Diagnostic (DESCO) produced by the Aerospace Valley cluster in 2023 highlighted the need to expand post-baccalaureate provision for technicians and to strengthen training at engineer and master’s level. COMETES is responding to these challenges by developing training pathways and skills in the Space professions. The objectives are ambitious: to train 11,000 apprentices in five years, create around ten initial and continuing training courses and raise awareness of space-related issues among 300,000 people.

“The partners have been in action for several months now, and from September 2025 the new courses will welcome their first students on topics such as access to space, data processing and space surveillance,” explains Thibault Bremaud, head of the COMETES project.

The project is based on existing courses, which will be enriched by new courses of excellence, to meet the growing need for skills in a space sector undergoing major transformation, with major civil and military issues at stake. Joint modules will also be developed between institutions in areas such as Big Data, systems engineering and space launchers. ” The training will incorporate the major challenges of sustainable space: reusable launchers, micro-launchers, systems life cycle analysis and the environmental impact of launch operations,” adds the project leader.

Launched for 5 years, COMETES has an overall budget of €45 million, with an allocation of €20 million received as part of the “Skills and professions of the future” call for expressions of interest .

A protocol chosen to secure communications with quantum computers

Publication Date

16 May 2025

Category

Research

Tag

DISC

Researcher

Scientific publication

Teacher researcher

HQC: French technology at the heart of post-quantum cybersecurity

In 2016, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States launched a major international appeal to design the cryptographic systems of the future, capable of withstanding the power of quantum computers. These machines of the future could render obsolete the current protections for our communications, whether on the Internet, military networks or even satellites.

Among the solutions proposed, a 100% French protocol stood out: HQC (Hamming Quasi-Cyclic). Designed to withstand attacks from quantum computers, HQC enables two parties to share a secret – even if their exchange is being spied on – and then use it to encrypt their communications.

This ambitious project is being led by a consortium headed by Philippe Gaborit from the University of Limoges, joined by researchers from ISAE-SUPAERO and ENAC. Together, they have contributed to the development, optimisation and validation of this “post-quantum” cryptography solution.

International recognition

NIST recently announced the selection of HQC for future standardisation. This is a major achievement for this protocol, which is set to become a pillar of global cybersecurity for decades to come, particularly in sensitive sectors such as telecommunications.

Toulouse expertise on the front line

The success of HQC is based on the key contributions of several researchers from Toulouse:

Carlos Aguilar, a professor in the DISC department at ISAE-SUPAERO from 2018 to 2022, is one of the founding members of the project. He was involved in the initial design of the algorithm and was one of the project’s main supporters throughout the standardisation phase.

Jérôme Lacan, also a professor at ISAE-SUPAERO, worked on the error coding and decoding mechanism, an essential component of the system.

Arnaud Dion, a teacher-researcher at ISAE-SUPAERO, produced a hardware implementation of the protocol on an integrated circuit, demonstrating its performance against other competing solutions.

We implemented the entire encryption/decryption algorithm directly in an integrated circuit. The aim was twofold: to prove that this algorithm could be embedded in a chip dedicated to cybersecurity, and to demonstrate its concrete performance. This meant completely rewriting the code to make it compatible with a hardware architecture, while ensuring that this implementation could be easily reproduced by an industrial company.

An international team coordinated by Limoges

Coordinator : Philippe Gaborit, University of Limoges

HQC project partners (4ᵉ round):

Carlos Aguilar Melchor (SandBox)
Nicolas Aragon (University of Limoges - Xlim Institute)
Slim Bettaieb, Loïc Bidoux (Technology Innovation Institute, UAE)
Olivier Blazy (École Polytechnique - CNRS/LIX)
Jurjen Bos (Worldline, NL)
Jean-Christophe Deneuville (ENAC, University of Toulouse)
Arnaud Dion, Jérôme Lacan (ISAE-SUPAERO, University of Toulouse)
Edoardo Persichetti (Florida Atlantic University, US)
Jean-Marc Robert, Pascal Véron (University of Toulon - Mathematics Institute)
Gilles Zémor (University of Bordeaux - Bordeaux Mathematics Institute)

ISAE-SUPAERO researchers explore the quantum universe

Publication Date

05 May 2025

Category

Research

Tag

DISC

Researcher

Scientific publication

Teacher researcher

At the crossroads of disciplines, quantum shapes the future

Quantum computing: first steps, communications security in focus

” Quantum computing is based on completely different foundations to classical computing and represents a revolution that could change the world,” comments Arnaud Dion, a teacher and researcher in embedded systems.

Quantum computing will, for example, enable the optimisation of processes such as the programmed maintenance of aircraft for companies with very large fleets, and increased reliability beyond weather forecasts, particularly for agriculture, transport and energy production. In the field of health, these developments will accelerate our understanding of diseases and improve the precision of treatments, as well as simulating increasingly complex molecules.

The second quantum revolution will rapidly revolutionise computer security as we know it today. Researchers from ISAE-SUPAERO’s Complex Systems Engineering Department have been involved for nearly 10 years in a cryptography research programme initiated by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST – USA). Launched in 2016, this campaign to standardise new algorithms has included projects submitted by ISAE-SUPAERO and its partners.

Hamming Quasi-Cyclic (HQC), a protocol developed by researchers at ISAE-SUPAERO, ENAC, the University of Limoges and other universities, has just been selected to meet the future threats posed by quantum computers. This technology will ensure the security of digital exchanges in the fields of telecommunications and sensitive networks. This choice marks a decisive turning point in the history of cryptography and places HQC at the heart of global cybersecurity.

” When quantum computers are operational in 10 to 15 years’ time, they will unlock codes in a matter of hours. If we don’t take an interest in post-quantum cryptography now, IT infrastructures could collapse overnight,” says Arnaud Dion.

The Institute is also developing a quantum computing research activity to explore space and aeronautical applications such as image analysis and orbital probe trajectography, which could be envisaged in the future.

Quantum communications networks and signal processing: research on the move

At the heart of the Electronics, Optronics and Signal Processing (DEOS) department, researchers have been working for several years on quantum telecommunications and laser links in free space. Their interest focuses on ground satellite communications, the effects of which are being modelled and quantum entanglement links are being tested.

“From an experimental point of view, we have our own satellite laser link / infra-red bench on the ground satellite links. The experiment using entangled photons, which is currently used for teaching practical work in quantum physics based on the work of Alain Aspect (winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize), will in the future be used to develop our research “, explains Angélique Rissons, professor and head of the DEOS department.

Meryem Benammar, a researcher specialising in information theory, is working on physical layer security techniques. She is particularly interested in the generation of secure keys to connect users, while ensuring their resistance to attacks and interception by spy networks.

We are developing algorithms for extracting secure communication keys that are useful in quantum key distribution (QKD) schemes,” she explains.

These codes are based on quantum sources of randomness such as entangled photons or photon polarisation, and are by construction robust to quantum computers, unlike mathematically generated keys. The practical applications of satellite-transmitted QKD schemes are large-scale, as they offer the opportunity to distribute quantum sources over long distances via optical communication links. In fact, Europe is leading major projects to develop its own quantum key distribution networks.

In terms of training, ISAE-SUPAERO, in partnership with ENSEEIHT, ENAC and INSA Toulouse, is offering 3rd year engineering students the ‘Advanced Communication Systems’ Master’s degree, one of the few courses to address the security of the physical layer for research purposes.

From basic research to collaborative projects: the next stage

At ISAE-SUPAERO, the expertise and disciplinary advances in the field of quantum physics are now making it possible to build bridges between the various specialists.

In the future, all these skills will be put to good use on cross-disciplinary subjects through applied theses in conjunction with industrial partners.

Fundamental research, which increasingly combines the sciences of telecommunications, signal processing and quantum computing, is evolving towards engineering.

ISAE-SUPAERO will have its place at the heart of these technologies!

ISAE-SUPAERO announces new partnership with ESA Academy to support future Master in Aerospace Engineering students

Publication Date

10 April 2025

Category

Research

Tag

Aerospace

Master in Aerospace Engineering

Scholarship

Space

A new strategic partnership

This partnership strengthens ISAE-SUPAERO’s position as a leader in aerospace engineering education in Europe and reaffirms its commitment to training the next generation of aerospace professionals.

Through this collaboration, the ESA Academy will offer three prestigious scholarships to deserving students, enabling them to continue their studies and contribute to the development of the aerospace sector.

About the ESA Academy scholarship

This scholarship programme aims to facilitate access to European space-related academic programmes at higher education establishments. It covers the tuition fees of selected students from ESA Member States, Associate Members and Canada, in order to complement their academic knowledge and better prepare them for a space-related career.

Within this framework, the ESA Education Office is offering 3 scholarships to 3 students who will participate in the 2025-2027 edition of the Master in Aerospace Engineering.

Scope of the grant

The ESA Academy scholarship will cover thefull tuition fees for the duration of the programme, subject to successful completion of the first academic year. This financial support will enable students to concentrate fully on their studies and take advantage of the rich academic and research opportunities available at ISAE-SUPAERO.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for this academic scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria at the start date of the academic programme in September 2025:

Beat least 18 years old on the official start date of the academic programme.

Be a national of one of the ESA member states, associate members or Canada: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, United Kingdom or Canada.

Have confirmed their admission to the programme for the start of the academic year in September 2025.

Not be participating in the programme as an incoming Erasmus student.

Not receive additional financial aid to cover the tuition fees for the university programme.

Agree to the terms and conditions set out in the ESA AcademyPrivacy Policy.

Accept the conditions and guidelines of the academic scholarship.

How to apply

Eligible candidates will be contacted by e-mail to inform them of the application procedure.
Applications are open until midnight (French time) on 27 April.

Priority will be given to :

students who demonstrate a strong interest in a career in the space sector.
Students who have never been sponsored by ESA.
Students with less than 2 years’ professional experience.
Students who should benefit more from financial aid.
International students of various origins and nationalities.

Looking to the future

This new partnership between ISAE-SUPAERO and the ESA Academy represents a significant step forward in strengthening Europe’s position at the forefront of aerospace education and research. By supporting talented students from ESA member states and Canada, this collaboration will play a vital role in training the next generation of professionals and engineers for the European space industry.

For more information on the ESA Academy scholarship and the ISAE-SUPAERO MAE, please contact info-programmes@isae-supaero.fr.

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

Publication Date

17 March 2025

Category

Research

Tag

DEOS

Researcher

Science

Space

Teacher researcher

The ExoMars mission is a European Space Agency (ESA) programme to explore Mars for signs of past life. Planned for 2028, the mission will involve the Rosalind Franklin rover, designed to analyse the Martian surface for biosignatures and to understand variations in the aqueous and geochemical environment of Mars. This programme represents a crucial step in the search for extraterrestrial life and in understanding the evolution of our solar system.

Researchers from ISAE-SUPAERO’s Space Systems for Planetology and Applications research group are contributing to the development of instruments for collecting atmospheric data and sound during the mission’s entry, descent and landing phases. This expertise is recognised by the Institute.

A key mission for the future of Mars exploration

ESA, CNES and six French laboratories and universities are in charge of various instruments and instrumental contributions on the Rosalind Franklin rover, which will have 8 pieces of equipment on board and a drill.

ISAE-SUPAERO will develop PACIS (Platform Atmospheric Characterization Instrumentation Suite), located on the landing platform and designed to measure sound, pressure and temperature during the critical entry, descent and landing phases of the ExoMars probe. The PACIS microphone and atmospheric instruments will contribute to our understanding of the atmosphere and environment on Mars by collecting unique data during descent and after arrival.

Funded by ESA and CNES, this project is being carried out in partnership with the University of Padova and the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) and marks a further step in ISAE-SUPAERO’s commitment to scientific excellence and innovation in the service of space. All these elements will be an essential prerequisite for the success of the next stages in the exploration of the Red Planet.

Planetary acoustics, expertise made in ISAE-SUPAERO

This new scientific collaboration in space is based on ISAE-SUPAERO’s heritage in the field of planetary missions, and in particular its contribution to the Perseverance rover on NASA’s Mars2020 mission. The Martian microphone, integrated on Perseverance’s SuperCam instrument, designed and developed by a team of researchers from the Institute in cooperation with IRAP (Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie) and CNES, paved the way for a new approach to Martian exploration by inaugurating a new science, planetary acoustics. “The instrument developed for ExoMars embodies our ability to innovate in response to the most complex challenges of space exploration”, emphasises David Mimoun, Deputy Director of Research.

"ISAE-SUPAERO has made a significant contribution to the development of some fifteen space missions in the past or in development.

David Mimoun Deputy Director of Research at ISAE-SUPAERO

Cutting-edge research guarantees top-level space training

This project promotes the close synergy between research and education at ISAE-SUPAERO. The work that led to this selection by the ESA is the fruit of cutting-edge research carried out in the Institute’s laboratories in close collaboration with teaching. This approach guarantees high-level training in the space sector, both in the Earth Observation and Universe Sciences stream of the engineering curriculum and in the various courses in the Space sector. Students benefit directly from the technological and methodological advances developed for missions such as ExoMars.

Space training at ISAE SUPAERO

ISAE-SUPAERO engineer

Master 2 Advanced Communication Systems (ACS)

Specialised Master in Space Applications and Services (SPAPS)

Space Imaging, Navigation and Communication major in the Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering

Hera probe captures exceptional images of Mars and its moon Deimos

Publication Date

13 March 2025

Category

Research

Tag

DEOS

Researcher

Science

Space

Teacher researcher

Exceptional images of Mars and Deimos

On 12 March, the Hera probe completed a key stage in its mission with a close flyby of Mars. By exploiting the gravitational assistance of the Red Planet, it gained speed and adjusted its trajectory to continue its journey towards the Didymos binary system.

Although not essential to the main mission, this close encounter represents a valuable scientific opportunity. Several on-board instruments were activated to observe Mars and its moon Deimos, located less than 1,000 km away.

Hera has sent us some exceptional images from the farthest reaches of space, and we have asked our scientists involved in the Hera and Perseverance space missions to make a selection of them and comment on them.

View of Mars taken by the Asteroid Framing Camera

” In this image from Hera, acquired with the Asteroid Framing Camera, we can see the geologically varied surface of Mars, including the icy poles and the distinct differences between the northern and southern hemispheres.

Mars has a surprisingly complex environment, including a tenuous atmosphere containing clouds and sometimes even dust storms.

At ISAE-SUPAERO, we are studying Mars’ atmosphere as part of NASA’s Perseverance mission. As Hera flew over Mars, the Perseverance mission used its cameras and meteorological instruments to observe the sky and help interpret what Hera can see from orbit.”

Alexander Stott, researcher in the SSPA team at ISAE-SUPAERO and co-leader of the NASA Perseverance atmospheric science working group.

Credits : ESA

To find out more about the work of ISAE-SUPAERO’s Space Systems in Planetology & Applications research group for the Perseverance mission: https: //www.isae-supaero.fr/fr/actualites/pour-ecouter-les-premiers-sons-de-la-planete-mars-le-rover-perseverance/

Mars and Deimos seen by Hera's TIRI

” Hera has a pair of visible cameras (AFC), a hyperspectral imager (HyperScout) and a thermal imager (TIRI), all of which will be used to study the properties and characteristics of the binary asteroid system.

This image shows Deimos and Mars as seen by the thermal imager (TIRI). The images of Mars and Deimos will be used to calibrate the various instruments and enable the Hera team to prepare for the probe’s arrival in the binary asteroid system (Didymos – Dimorphos) at the end of next year.

In the SSPA team, we have been analysing data from NASA’s DART mission since 2022 and we are looking forward to studying asteroids in even greater detail using data from the Hera mission.”

Alexia Duchêne, PhD student in the SSPA team at ISAE-SUPAERO and member of the Hera scientific team

Credits: ESA/JAXA

To find out more about the work of ISAE-SUPAERO’s Space Systems in Planetology & Applications research group for the DART mission: https: //www.isae-supaero.fr/fr/actualites/dart-des-etudiants-de-l-isae-supaero-publient-de-nouveaux-resultats/

Mars and Deimos seen by Hera's Hyperscout H

” This image, taken with Hera’s HyperScout instrument, shows Deimos – the smaller (12 km) of the two Martian moons – passing directly in front of Mars. Deimos has a very dark surface compared with that of Mars. Hera’s images of Deimos will contribute to our knowledge of these small bodies. We still don’t know where the moons of Mars come from or how they formed. This is a major scientific question that will be addressed by the future Japanese mission Martian Moons eXploration (MMX).

The IDEFIX rover, developed by France and Germany as part of the MMX mission, will even attempt to land and travel on the surface of Phobos (Mars’ largest moon)! The Hera and MMX teams are working closely together to ensure that these images of the Martian moons taken by Hera provide as much information as possible to help with the preparations for the MMX mission“.

Naomi Murdoch, planetary scientist in the SSPA team at ISAE-SUPAERO and member of the DART, Hera and MMX scientific teams.

To find out more about the work of ISAE-SUPAERO’s Space Systems in Planetology & Applications research group for the MMX (Martian Moon eXploration) mission: https: //www.isae-supaero.fr/fr/actualites/mmx-idefix-r-et-des-cameras-pour-comprendre-la-lune-de-mars/

Mars and Deimos seen by Hera's Asteroid Framing Camera

” These images, taken by Hera’s visible camera (AFC), show the small dark Martian moon, Deimos (12 km), passing in front of Mars. Hera captured these images at a distance of around 1000 km from Deimos.

We are observing a side of Deimos that is rarely visible, which means that we are discovering parts of a planetary surface that have never been seen before. Behind Deimos, we can see the cratered surface of Mars.

In the lower right-hand corner of the image, we can make out the Hellas basin, one of the largest known impact craters in the Solar System – with a diameter of 2,300 km and a depth of more than 7 km.”