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SILOE, an experimental drop tower project selected by ESA and an ESPACE grant for Alexia Duchêne

Publication Date

18 July 2024

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Research

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DEOS

Space

After a degree in mechanics, Alexia Duchêne joined ISAE-SUPAERO to study for a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, which she obtained in 2022. From 2023, she will continue with a Master’s degree in Astrophysics (ASEP) at the University of Toulouse. Now a doctoral student in planetary sciences, she is working under the supervision of Naomi Murdoch on “Determining the mechanical properties of asteroids”, her thesis subject.

The SILOE project

Alexia Duchêne’s research focuses on determining the mechanical properties of asteroids through a morphological analysis of surface rocks. This is the background to the SILOE project, of which she is the project leader, alongside Colas Robin, also a PhD student, and 3 MAE students.

The aim of this experimental drop-tower project, which will enable experiments to be carried out at zero and reduced gravity, is to study the cohesion of planetary surfaces. The aim of the students’ work is to gain a better understanding of the behaviour of a granular medium, a medium made up of grains of rock and dust with little or no cohesion.

By quantifying the importance of these cohesive forces as a function of gravity, particularly as gravity decreases, Alexia Duchêne and her team hope to gain a better understanding of the mechanical properties of asteroids, so that they can better predict interactions with them. “The behaviour of the surfaces of small bodies is currently poorly understood and difficult to predict, not least because of the potentially major role played by cohesive forces at these scales of gravity”, explains the PhD student.

The results of this research could therefore be invaluable in predicting the reaction of the surface when it comes into contact with another body. This could help reduce the risks of space missions involving, for example, the landing of a Cubesat or a rover such as Idefix®, the rover on the MMX mission.

They could also be invaluable in advancing research into planetary defence and asteroid deflection missions. “As well as providing students with practical experience in experimental design, engineering, data analysis and project management, the SILOE project will provide answers to some very important questions in planetary science and space exploration,” says Naomi Murdoch.

A project supported by ESA and an ESPACE grant

This experimental project, which began in November 2023 and will be completed in April 2025, has several phases: design, manufacture, experimentation and reporting of results. The design work, which took several months, has just been completed. The students are currently working on manufacturing the housing that will be used for the drop tower experiments at ZARM, an institution of the University of Bremen in Germany.

“The experiment will be conducted in a vacuum chamber to recreate an environment similar to that of planetary bodies without an atmosphere, such as the moon and asteroids,” adds Alexia Duchêne. The experimental phase, in reduced-gravity conditions, will take place in December 2024, and “will enable us to measure the impact of a projectile on the surface of a granular medium and highlight the role of cohesion depending on the level of gravity”, adds the PhD student.

A project selected by ESA

The SILOE project has been selected by the ESA Academy Experiments programme. This programme enables universities and Grandes Ecoles to design and develop experiments to be carried out on a series of gravity platforms and in space.

Following the call for proposals, ESA received numerous applications of “exceptional quality” from universities and schools across Europe. The shortlisted teams were invited to present their projects to a panel of ESA experts, and answered questions from the experts on the scientific, technical and management aspects of their proposals. The SILOE project was selected alongside seven other European projects that were also chosen for their excellence. But it is the only one that will benefit from it for the fall tower!

An ESPACE Excellence Grant

Alexia Duchêne was also awarded the ESPACE Excellence Scholarship by the Fondation des Ailes de France. In partnership with CNES and Eutelsat Group, and with the support this year of the Fondation Antoine de Saint-Exupéry pour la Jeunesse, this ESPACE scholarship programme contributes to the knowledge and promotion of the aeronautical and space spheres, by supporting educational, scientific, cultural and sustainable development projects.

It rewards and supports “cutting-edge, varied and ambitious” projects such as space physiology, space vehicle design, cosmology, a thermal energy recovery system, etc. Last June, the doctoral student was presented with her excellence grant at a special ceremony by a number of high-profile personalities, including Claudie Haigneré.

It’s a great boost for a project whose results will be presented in April 2025!

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Discover... CMOS image sensors at ISAE-SUPAERO

ISAE-SUPAERO - as a center for training through research, research training and innovation - has a wide range of research equipment used in its 6 research departments. Today, we present CMOS image sensors! CMOS image sensors are playing an increasingly important role in our everyday lives. For several years now, our team at ISAE-SUPAERO has been developing CMOS image sensors with a number of players in the field, and innovating by proposing new architectures and conditions of use requiring studies of both elementary components and more complex structures. Measurements are carried out on transistors and diodes with the help of an under-tip tester and a parametric analyzer enabling very low current measurements (10 aA). Similarly, simple structures containing innovative pixels can be operated with the tester using spike cards coupled to a word generator specially designed for image sensors. All these studies not only contribute to our understanding of the physics of photodetection, but also provide models for our simulators. They are also used to monitor manufacturing processes during the various production phases.

DEOS

Videos

Discover... the ISAE-SUPAERO irradiator

ISAE-SUPAERO – as a centre for training through research, research training and innovation – has a wide range of research equipment used within its six research departments. Today, we present the irradiator! As part of its research activities, ISAE-SUPAERO develops electronic components and systems for scientific and space applications. Space is a very aggressive environment, particularly because high-energy particles emitted by the sun or trapped in radiation belts threaten the health of astronauts, the properties of materials and the proper functioning of electronic chips. In order to reproduce the effects of this ionising radiation on electronic technologies in the laboratory, ISAE-SUPAERO has acquired an X-ray irradiation chamber with an energy of up to 320 keV. This video shows a typical use of this equipment: an electronic component to be tested is placed in the irradiation chamber, the X-ray tube is switched on, and the effects on the component's operation (in this case, an image sensor) are observed and measured in real time.

DEOS

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

Events

Les Assises du New Space 2025: discussions and debates on NewSpace!

The 2025 edition of the Assises du New Space will be held this year on July 8-9, 2025 at the Centre des congrès de la Villette - Cité des sciences et de l'industrie in Paris. Aimed at all players in the French space ecosystem, this event is a unique opportunity to exchange ideas and debate around NewSpace, and to discover the latest technological innovations and project financing opportunities. Registration is now open!

Conference

Event

Round table

Testimonials

Testimony from Axel Coulon, student (class of 2024) of the TAS ASTRO Advanced Master®

Advanced Master

Space

Testimonial

Events

ISAE-SUPAERO will be at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget from June 16 to 22, 2025

ISAE-SUPAERO will be present at the 55ᵉ Salon International de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace at Le Bourget from June 16 to 22, 2025!

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Event

Videos

Arnaud Prost, ESA reserve astronaut and ISAE-SUPAERO alumnus: “I was incredibly lucky to be here”

Fighter pilot and reserve astronaut with the European Space Agency (ESA), Arnaud Prost returned to his former school on Thursday March 28 to meet 200 secondary school students as part of the ISAE SUPAERO OSE program. It was an opportunity for him to recall the “great memories” of his student experience at ISAE-SUPAERO, his long-standing commitment to the student social outreach program and the “Aquanauts” scheme he set up with OSE l'ISAE-SUPAERO. And in passing, he offers a few words of advice to young people who might dream of following in his footsteps: “Don't let yourself be convinced that one of these paths isn't for you!” A 2017 graduate of ISAE-SUPAERO, Arnaud Prost is among those selected for the ESA Astronaut Class of 2022, alongside Sophie Adenot and Anthea Comellini, both also alumni of the school. They join other illustrious ESA astronauts who have already studied at the school: Thomas Pesquet, Luca Parmitano and Samantha Cristoforetti. Since 1970, ISAE-SUPAERO has contributed to the progress of the space age through its training, research and innovation activities. As the only organization in France to offer degree courses (engineering, master's, specialized master's, doctorate) covering all 22 space-related themes identified by CNES, the Institute offers a royal road to space careers. For Arnaud Prost's full profile: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Astronauts/A

Alumni

Diversity program

Space

Videos

SUPERCAM Educational Kits / Martian Exploration: Students at the controls of the kits

Follow ISAE-SUPAERO students as they create educational kits, a digital educational tool designed to raise awareness of space exploration that can be used in classrooms from Year 7 to Year 13.

Diversity program

Equal opportunities

Space

Videos

Discover... ISAE-SUPAERO's cryogenic equipment for electrical testing

ISAE-SUPAERO - as a center for training through research, research training and innovation - has a wide range of research equipment used by its 6 research departments. Today, we present our cryogenic equipment for electrical testing! ISAE-SUPAERO's image sensor research group (CIMI) studies sensors in the visible wavelength range, but also sensors in different spectral ranges such as infrared. Detection of these longer wavelengths requires materials other than silicon for detection, combined with a silicon readout circuit for information processing, all operating at cryogenic temperature. In this context, ISAE-SUPAERO has developed electrical and electro-optical characterization benches for low-temperature microelectronic circuits, in order to extract and model their behavior and performance. These characterization benches can address both very simple circuits, such as transistors, and complex components (complete sensors) with up to 120 inputs/outputs.

DEOS

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

ISAE-SUPAERO contributes to the Artemis IV mission with the SPSS seismology instrument

NASA selects the JPL/CNES instrument suite for the Artemis IV mission, paving the way for unprecedented exploration of the Moon’s internal structure at the South Pole.

DEOS

Exploration

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

Mars mission simulation: a scientific experiment, a human adventure

Like nine other ISAE-SUPAERO crews before them, seven students took part in a simulation of life on Mars in the Utah desert in the United States this winter.

Space

Student club

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

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

Events

2026 edition of "Les Entretiens de Toulouse"

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Event

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

Videos

A surprise from elsewhere... from the ISS...?

Hello earth? Thomas Pesquet speaking! Thomas Pesquet, French astronaut and famous ISAE-SUPAERO alumnus (class of 2001), is currently in the ISS as part of his new Alpha mission. He sent our students a personalized message from the European laboratory Columbus...

Alumni

Diversity program

Space

News

CASTOR Chair: ISAE-SUPAERO and Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse celebrate 1 year of partnership

Aeronautics

Chair

Partnership

Pages

Our Specialised Studies Certificates

Our specialised studies certificates are designed for professionals. They enable you to develop skills and expertise in the fields of digital, aeronautics, space, project management, systems engineering, and artificial intelligence.

Advanced Master

Aeronautics

Aerospace

News

The 2025 Edmond Brun Prize from the French Academy of Sciences awarded to Annafederica Urbano, professor at ISAE-SUPAERO

On October 28, 2025, the Academy of Sciences awarded the Edmond Brun Prize to Annafederica Urbano, professor of space launch vehicles at ISAE-SUPAERO. This biennial physics award recognizes her entire body of work in the field of space propulsion.

DCAS

News

Prize

Events

The "Assises du NewSpace" returns on July 7 & 8, 2026!

Event

Space

News

Les Assises du New Space: update of the “Ambition NewSpace 2027” report

In 2022, the Assises du NewSpace collective - a group of players representing the French space industry - published the report “Ambition NewSpace 2027”. Today, the collective is launching another major national consultation to update this report and shape the future of French space!

Conference

Round table

Space

News

Historical Discovery: Mercury Does Indeed Have Electron Radiation Belts

An international team of researchers, including a scientist from ISAE-SUPAERO, has just published a study in the journal "Nature Astronomy" revealing the existence of electron radiation belts around Mercury. This discovery, based on an analysis of data from the MESSENGER mission and supported by previously unpublished observations from the BepiColombo mission’s MEA (Mercury Electron Analyzer) instrument, sheds new light on the physics of planetary magnetospheres and raises major challenges for the protection of space missions.

DEOS

Research

Space

News

Airbus Defence and Space and ISAE-SUPAERO train members of the Peruvian space agency

Twenty engineers from the Peruvian space agency attended a training course in Toulouse, jointly designed by ISAE-SUPAERO and Airbus Defence and Space, to develop their skills in the field of space systems and space missions.

DCAS

Short internship

Space

Videos

Sophie Adenot: from ISAE-SUPAERO to space

Meet Sophie Adenot, astronaut at the European Space Agency (ESA) and ISAE-SUPAERO alumna, who answers three questions! 🚀

Alumni

Diversity program

Space

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

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

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Advanced Space Concepts Laboratory - Airbus DS & ArianeGroup

Created in 2017 and renewed until 2027, this sponsorship partnership brings together Airbus Defense & Space and Ariane Group.

Aerospace

Chair

Company

Videos

Discover... the ISAE-SUPAERO radio anechoic chamber

ISAE-SUPAERO – as a centre for training through research, research training and innovation – has a wide range of research equipment used within its six research departments. Today, we present the radio anechoic chamber! Drones and nanosatellites have many applications in the media, industry, agriculture and telecommunications sectors. These two types of platforms share the common constraint of having to carry complex systems in a small space. One of the key elements of on-board communication systems is the antenna, which must also be compact and lightweight. ISAE-SUPAERO, in collaboration with ENAC and ANYWAVES, is currently developing dielectric antennas made by 3D printing ceramics that meet the demanding criteria for integration on drones and nanosatellites. Thanks to the anechoic chamber available at ISAE-SUPAERO, researchers involved in the development of these original antennas can accurately characterise their radiation properties and thus validate the new technological solutions proposed.

DCAS

DEOS

Pages

Support for the Development of the ISAE Group - GIFAS

GIFAS (Groupement des Industries Françaises Aéronautiques et Spatiales - French Aerospace Industries Group) supports the development of high-level academic and professional education in aerospace systems at the 6 Grandes Écoles that make up the ISAE Group (ISAE-ENSMA, ISAE-SUPMECA, ESTACA, Ecole de l'Air et de l'Espace, ENAC, ISAE-SUPAERO).

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Chair

Events

AASTRA Certificate: Introductory Webinar on July 9 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Air transport

Testimonials

Testimony of Giuseppe Cataldo, alumnus of the 2010 Engineer ISAE-SUPAERO programme

Alumni

Space

Testimonial

News

Focus on... quantum physics at ISAE-SUPAERO: a student journey

DEOS

Doctoral student

Ingénieur généraliste (MSc)

News

ISAE-SUPAERO Researchers Receive IEEE NSREC 2025 Outstanding Paper Award for Advance in Space Imaging Sensor Physics

Researchers from ISAE-SUPAERO and their partners have received the Outstanding Conference Paper Award at the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects Conference 2025 (NSREC) in Nashville, Tenessee, the most important international conference dedicated to radiation effects in electronic systems for space and nuclear applications.

DEOS

Prize

Research

Videos

Sophie Adenot is flying out on February 11th for a eight-month mission with Crew-12 on the ISS!

Today, the entire ISAE-SUPAERO community is coming together: students, staff, faculty, and alumni are showing their support for Sophie Adenot, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut and ISAE-SUPAERO alumna, as she embarks on a eight-month mission to the ISS. Sophie is the second French woman, 30 years after Claudie Haigneré, to fly on a long-duration mission. On the ISS, she will conduct around 200 scientific experiments, including 10 French experiments, covering fields such as medicine and materials physics. Have a good flight, Sophie. We will be following you throughout this amazing journey!

Alumni

Exploration

Space

News

Mission Insight: the contribution of researchers from ISAE-SUPAERO

The InSight lander deployed by NASA recorded two earthquakes that occurred on Mars in 2021, providing scientists with exceptional data, the first direct observations ever made of a planet's core.

DEOS

Space

Videos

ISAE-SUPAERO and Airbus Defence and Space organize an international training course on space systems

Twenty engineers from the Peruvian space agency CONIDA (Comisión Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Aeroespacial) attended a training course in Toulouse designed jointly by ISAE-SUPAERO and Airbus Defence and Space! The aim? To develop their skills in space systems and space missions. The entire program was placed under the academic responsibility of AnnaFederica Urbano, a lecturer and researcher in space systems and launchers at ISAE-SUPAERO. The engineers took part in a preliminary satellite design project. At the end of the five-week course, they all obtained the Certificate of Advanced Studies awarded by ISAE-SUPAERO. For ISAE-SUPAERO and Airbus Defence and Space, this experience opens up prospects for future collaborations in training courses of this type for international customers and industrial and institutional partners. For more information: https://www.isae-supaero.fr/fr/actualites/airbus-defence-and-space-et-l-isae-supaero-forment-des-membres-de-l-agence/

Programme

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Our Short Modules

Derived from the Institute's Advanced Master programmes, our short modules are aimed at professionals wishing to develop specific skills in Aeronautics, Space, Project Management, Systems Engineering, or Digital Systems.

Advanced Master

Aeronautics

Aerospace

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

News

Meteorite impact reveals new insights into Mars

In September 2021, NASA's InSight mission recorded a meteorite impact. Analysis of the data by scientists has revolutionised our understanding of the internal structure of Mars and its evolution. Its mantle is not homogeneous, as previously assumed, but composed of a layer of molten silicates overlying the core. Press release from the IPGP - Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris: ‘The InSight mission reveals a molten layer at the base of the Martian mantle’.

DEOS

Space

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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

News

Capturing the seismic activity of an asteroid: our Apophis rendezvous

DEOS

Research

Space

Testimonials

Testimonial of Baptiste Sigal, Advanced Master® TAS ASTRO student (class) 2025

Advanced Master

Aerospace

Space

Events

16th EASN International Conference

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Event

Testimonials

Testimony of Juan-Carlos DOLADO-PEREZ, alumni of the 2008 Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering

Alumni

Space

Testimonial

Testimonials

Testimony from Alexandre Bouraoui, engineering student by apprenticeship and IAC 2025 Award Winner

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Congress

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Researchers from ISAE-SUPAERO contributed to the success of the first images from ESA's Sentinel 2c observation satellite.

The Sentinel 2c Earth observation satellite, launched on 5 September as part of ESA's Copernicus mission, has delivered its first images. This success is partly due to the image sensor research team (CIMI) at ISAE-SUPAERO, which designed and oversaw the manufacture of the visible image sensors.

DEOS

Space

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ISAE-SUPAERO and Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology work on student space exploration projects

ISAE-SUPAERO received a visit from Professor Shine S R of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) on December 7 and 8. ISAE-SUPAERO signed a co #cooperation agreement with the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology in 2020 and this visit was a perfect opportunity to discuss the deepening of #training and #research collaborations between our two institutions. ISAE-SUPAERO and IIST have already been cooperating for 4 years within the framework of Franco-Indian collaborative academic projects, involving students from ISAE-SUPAERO and IIST on subjects related to space exploration missions and with the participation of experts from CNES, IRAP and the Indian space agency (ISRO)!

Space

Videos

Orbit Your Thesis: ISAE-SUPAERO in zero gravity with the AIM experiment

Artery In Microgravity (#AIM), the first student scientific experiment designed and developed in collaboration since 2018 by ISAE-SUPAERO and Polytechnique Turin, was launched on 23 November 2022 by Space X's Dragon cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS)! Selected by the ESA as part of its ‘Orbit your thesis’ programme, AIM aims to study the behaviour of the heart and its arteries in space, in order to determine whether people with heart problems will one day be able to stay there.

Prize

Space

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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.

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Ariane 6: at ISAE-SUPAERO, researchers are already working on the future

Publication Date

10 July 2024

Category

Research

Tag

Space

5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Top!

On Tuesday 9 July, the maiden flight of Ariane 6 marked a major new stage in Europe’s space odyssey, and a strategic turning point for the independence of Europe and France in terms of access to space. And it’s a jewel of technology that has risen into the sky above the Guiana Space Centre!

Meeting the demands of NewSpace

One of these technologies is the Vinci assembler: “It is capable of relighting in space, enabling several satellites to be placed in orbit on a single mission and offering unprecedented flexibility,” explains Annafederica Urbano, a lecturer and researcher specialising in space propulsion and space transport systems.

Another advantage of Ariane 6 over its predecessor is “its modularity and versatility”. It’s a rocket designed to be able to handle very different missions, and thus meet the requirements of the NewSpace market.

While this maiden flight represents major technological advances, researchers at ISAE-SUPAERO are also working on the engines of the future, at a time when competition from the United States and China is pushing Europe’s space industry to speed up its development.

Researchers in the Space Systems Design laboratory are working on future generations of launchers, in particular reusable engines, and on the behaviour of fluids in rocket engines. Their research work is supported by ArianeGroup and Airbus Defence & Space as part of the SaCLaB2 chair, CNES, ESA, ANR and the Occitanie Region.

Methane and its complexity

Annafederica Urbano and her team of four PhD students and two post-docs are particularly interested in liquid propulsion. In particular, methane, considered to be the fuel of the future. Methane is considered to be the fuel of the future: “It reduces the cost of hydrogen while maintaining satisfactory performance”, she explains. Although not used in the Ariane 6 engines, it will be used in the Raptor engines on the Starship produced by the American SpaceX. The problem: “Using it involves complex phenomena that are still poorly understood”.

Another challenge facing the researcher and her team is that of reusable engines and “the way in which fluids behave on landing compared with other phases of flight”. “By reducing the thrust of the engine to land, the oxygen injected into the engine becomes liquid”, explains Annafederica Urbano. The researcher has just obtained funding from the French National Research Agency (ANR) via a “young researcher” grant to gain a better understanding of this phenomenon, “the fundamental principles of which are poorly understood”.

Numerical simulations

In order to explore and better understand these phenomena, Annafederica Urbano’s team is working to establish numerical models of fluids and latest-generation rocket engines. It also relies on artificial intelligence algorithms to extract models based on calculations and thus create representative simulations, reducing the number of costly tests.

“In a decade’s time, we will be able to design rocket engines using digital modelling, supported by practical experiments”, predicts the researcher. Including those of the future Ariane?

Annafederica Urbano, Professor of Space Systems and Launchers at ISAE-SUPAERO

“Specialising in space propulsion and space transportation systems”, I obtained my PhD in 2012 from La Sapienza University in Rome after a thesis on the regenerative cooling system for liquid methane rocket engines. I continued my research in the fields of combustion and the study of two-phase flows. I joined ISAE-SUPAERO in 2019 as a teacher-researcher in space systems and launchers, in the Design and Operation of Aerospace Vehicles (DCAS) department. I am responsible for the chair in advanced space concepts (SaCLaB2), developed in partnership with Airbus Defense and Space and ArianeGroup. In the field of training, I give courses on launch systems and rocket propulsion to students on the Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering and the ISAE-SUPAERO engineering course.

Space-related training at ISAE-SUPAERO

Training in space engineering is an important part of the engineering and masters courses. The Space Systems Design laboratory regularly welcomes students from these courses for research projects or internships.

ISAE-SUPAERO also offers two Specialised Masters® – one year of post-Master’s specialisation – entirely devoted to space studies:

MS Space Applications & Services (SPAPS), in partnership with Airbus Defense and Space, which provides training in space telecommunications and Earth observation applications;
MS Space Systems Engineering (TAS ASTRO), which provides training in space systems engineering.

Meeting with Yves Gourinat, elected as a full member of the Air and Space Academy

Publication Date

08 July 2024

Category

Research

Tag

Aeronautics

Award

Teacher researcher

Meeting with Yves Gourinat

Key dates

1984: Graduated from ENSMA – Engineering degree and DEA, Mechanics & Materials
1985: Graduates from Supaéro – Masters specialising in Aerospace Mechanics and Space, followed by National Service at Supaero
1986: Engineer in industry (Aerospatiale Avions) to do a doctoral thesis (defended in 1989) and take part in the A340 programme (composites)
1993: Associate Professor at Ensica, hired to set up a Space programme
2003: joins Supaéro as Professor of Structural Mechanics in the Department of Structural Mechanics and Materials (DMSM)
2007: obtains his HDR (Habilitation to Supervise Research) in Solid Mechanics, Structures, Materials and Surfaces at the University of Poitiers
2011: qualified as a University Professor by the Conseil National des Universités (French National University Council)
2012: becomes Director of the Aeronautics-Astronautics Doctoral School (until 2016)
2013: appointed Deputy Director of the Institut Clément-Ader, Head of the Aeronautical and Space Structures Specialised Masters® programme and Head of the Mechanics of Structures and Materials Department at ISAE-SUPAERO (until 2018)
2024: elected full member of the Académie de l’Air et de l’Espace

Yves Gourinat has been passionate about music ever since he was a child, but he was not predestined for a career in the sciences.

It was at the age of 7 that he discovered his passion for aeronautics: “When I saw the picture of Concorde, I said to myself, that’s what I want to do”. At the time, his love of physics was “completely inseparable from his love of music”, and after completing his studies at the Conservatoire, he continued to pursue both at the same time until he was 19.

“A true enthusiast” is how he defines himself. After hesitating between music and physics, it was physics that finally won out professionally.

This “free electron”, who came from the conservatoire and university, took the competitive entrance exam for ENSI (now known as the Concours Commun Polytechniques) and entered ENSMA, graduating in 1984 as top of his class in Materials.

A career in three vocations

First of all, a vocation for teaching. He owes this in particular to Didier Bellet, professor of mechanics at Supaéro, “an extraordinary personality”, who took him under his wing as an assistant for a year as part of his national service.

It was during this period that his first opportunity arose, the year he turned 25: “He phoned me up one Sunday to say, ‘I’ve got flu, can you do my lecture for me tomorrow?”

The first lecture was given and the wheels were set in motion!

“I really enjoy giving lectures, because for me it’s theatrical improvisation. I arrive at a lecture without any notes and that’s what fascinates the students! My main accessory is a pair of glasses. Improvisation has a big part to play, it’s the heritage of the Conservatoire, and of the Organ!”

After obtaining his ENSMA engineering diploma and his doctoral thesis at SUPAERO, he joined Airbus in 1990 (formerly Aérospatial Division Avions) and stayed there for 4 years as Composite Structures Engineer on the A340.

A turn in space

In 1994, he flew to Russia for 6 weeks for a SOYOUZ-MIR training course at Star City (a childhood dream).

At the same time, he went back to school and became an associate professor at ENSICA, helping to set up a Space department alongside Pierre Sintes, for whom he was already doing some vacation work: he worked with him for 10 years on launcher dynamics and manned flight safety.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today if he hadn’t hired me. I owe my vocation in space to him.”

At ISAE-SUPAERO, “telling the science story”

It was finally in 2003 that he returned to SUPAERO to replace Serge Larose – with whom he had established an “old tradition” by replacing him in the lecture hall whenever the opportunity arose – as associate professor.

But also to follow the advice of his first mentor, Didier Bellet (“You have to do research”), by becoming director of research, after passing his HDR – Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches – in 2007.

“Scientific research is a permanent transgression: you have to go where others don’t go”.

Since 2008, Yves Gourinat has been head of the Specialised Masters® in Aeronautical and Space Structures. He is also Associate Professor of Structural Mechanics in the Department of Structural Mechanics and Materials, teaches biophysics at the Université Paul-Sabatier and also lectures at the University of Texas at Arligton.

In 2011, the International Astronautical Federation awarded him the Malina Astronautics Medal, a worldwide medal awarded each year to a single individual, in recognition of scientific and educational commitment to the service of Space.

Today, the physicist is fully devoted to his vocation for aeronautics, through his courses and research into his areas of application: cryogenic tanks, living cells and hull thermodynamics. Teaching, the common thread running through his career, remains at the heart of his commitment, as he is currently supervising four PhD students… bringing to 24 the number of PhD students he has supervised throughout his career!

Recognition for a brilliant career

Invited to all Academy meetings since 2015, Yves Gourinat was elected a corresponding member of the Académie de l’Air et de l’Espace in 2019. He joins various working groups on aircraft certification to provide a link between the Academy and the school’s national and international aerospace activities.

Five years later, this emeritus member, who was already active in several learned societies including 3AF, was appointed titular member, and was happy to take on “more responsibilities and duties to honour the Institute and enhance its prestige”.

He will be officially introduced on 6 December 2024 alongside Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez, recently elected corresponding member, in the Salle des Illustres at the Capitole in Toulouse!

Mars hit by meteorites more often than previously thought

Publication Date

05 July 2024

Category

Research

Tag

Space

A study ... results

A recent study led by Ingrid Daubar, a researcher at Brown University (USA), reveals that the frequency of space rocks hitting Mars is higher than previously estimated, and detects two of the largest impacts ever observed by scientists on the Red Planet. The scientific paper, published very recently in the journal Science Advances, states impact rates that could be two to ten times higher than previous estimates, depending on the size of the meteoroids.

The research team includes two teacher-researchers from ISAE-SUPAERO, Raphaël Garcia and Alexander Stott. They used the seismometer onboard the InSight mission to identify eight new meteoroid impact craters that had not previously been seen from orbit.

Previously, new impacts on Mars were identified using before-and-after images taken by cameras orbiting the planet. The seismometer made it possible to identify and detect these impacts, many of which could have gone unnoticed. Ingrid Daubar and the research team analysed the seismic signals emitted by InSight, then compared these seismic data with images taken by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

A better understanding of the level of meteorite activity

“We used the impacts recorded by the InSight seismometer and orbital imagery on Mars to carry out a statistical analysis of the data,” explains Alexander Stott, a researcher at ISAE-SUPAERO and co-author of the scientific article. “This makes it possible to determine the frequency with which impacts occur over the whole planet and therefore to better understand the level of meteorite activity.”

These results could change the current understanding of the distribution of craters on the surface of Mars, but also on other planets.

“The higher estimate of the flow of meteorites impacting Mars leads us to consider the risk of an asteroid impacting the Earth higher,” comments Raphaël Garcia, professor of planetary geophysics, co-author of the scientific article and involved for several years in the development of the seismometer and the analysis of the mission data at ISAE-SUPAERO.

“To this end, the asteroid missions led by NASA, JAXA and, very soon, ESA as part of the HERA programme, are providing essential information to protect our planet should an asteroid be discovered on a collision course with the Earth in the future. The scientific community is also supporting plans for missions to visit the Apophis asteroid before it passes close to Earth in 2029, in particular the RAMSES project currently under discussion at ESA”.

An international team

Alongside researcher Ingrid Daubar from Brown University, researchers from the Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace, the University of Oxford, Imperial College London, the U.S. Geological Survey, ETH Zürich, the University of Arizona, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Université Paris Cité took part in the study. This work was supported by NASA, CNES, the French Space Agency and the British Space Agency.

Electric aircraft flights to raise awareness of carbon-free aviation

Publication Date

03 July 2024

Category

Research

Tag

Aeronautics

Decarbonization

Sustainability

No engine noise… just the sound of the wind.

That’s what you hear at the controls of the first carbon-free aircraft!

From 10 to 14 June, twenty-four students and staff from ISAE-SUPAERO had the opportunity to discover electric flight. Instructors from the Institute’s Flight Operations Centre at Toulouse-Lasbordes aerodrome brought in a Velis Electro belonging to the Albi flying club to raise awareness of carbon-free aviation among students and teacher-researchers. This two-seater aircraft, produced by the Slovenian manufacturer Pipistrel Aircraft, is currently the only 100% electric aircraft certified in the world.

“The aim was to show future engineers what exists and works today, but also to give them a first-hand experience of the operational constraints associated with the aircraft’s current limited range,” explains Stéphane Juaneda, head of the Lasbordes Air Operations Centre.

The operation was a great success. “It’s a good way of putting our engineering training into practice,” says Valentin, a student in his 1ʳᵉ year of the engineering course. “It allows us to see in practice the progress of decarbonised aviation, its limits and what we could add to it for tomorrow.”

Training in the challenges of decarbonisation

The decarbonisation of the aviation sector is a major focus of ISAE-SUPAERO’s training programmes: students are trained in climate issues as part of the core curriculum for Engineering and Masters courses. In terms of research, the Institute has also fully embraced the subject. To date, 35% of the institute’s in-house and collaborative research topics relate to decarbonisation or are linked to the transition of the aerospace sector.

Private pilot training at ISAE-SUPAERO

ISAE-SUPAERO is currently the only institute offering its students (Engineering and Masters courses) the opportunity to learn to fly light aircraft. Every year, 35 students prepare for the Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL) with instructors from the Institute’s Flight Operations Centre, located at the Toulouse-Lasbordes aerodrome. This year, electric aircraft were included in the training.

The 11th Parachute Brigade and ISAE-SUPAERO sign a framework agreement for the development of innovative field drones

Publication Date

02 July 2024

Category

Research

Tag

Defence

Ingénieur généraliste (MSc)

Partnership

On June 27th, General Frédéric Danigo, representing the 11th Parachute Brigade (BP), and Olivier Lesbre, Director General of ISAE-SUPAERO, signed a framework agreement to develop innovative field UAVs. The aim of this partnership is to establish a secure legal framework for collaboration between the two organisations. The agreement, for an initial period of 5 years, will enable a number of partnerships to be set up in various areas of research.

François du Cluzel, Head of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Department at ISAE-SUPAERO, who is co-sponsor of this project, will ensure that the collaboration runs smoothly by means of the following actions:

exchanges of information, up to and including the provision of a state-of-the-art report on UAVs and the creation of concepts;
cooperative studies and analyses;
production of prototypes or demonstrators;
joint use of facilities for prototyping, testing, trials and experiments;
participation in integrated team projects, for a given period of human resources on the same site, including the possible use of reservists;
the loan of equipment and/or demonstrator(s) by one or other establishment.

In this way, the 11th BP will benefit from ISAE-SUPAERO’s expertise and facilities in drone research, as well as from the Institute’s innovation drive.

The topic of logistics drones is the first to give rise to a specific agreement. The aim is to be able to work together on a range of subjects of interest to the 11th BP and to its students and staff. This first project will most certainly also be the subject of an Engineering-Company Project (ECP) for 3rd year engineering students.

Alain Filipowicz – Alumni (S1988) and reserve colonel in the 11th BP, correspondent and responsible for monitoring and coordinating the agreement.

A win-win partnership!

Food allergies and intolerances: an app to simplify daily life, developed by an ISAE-SUPAERO student, will soon be available!

Publication Date

26 June 2024

Category

Research

Tag

Entrepreneurship

Incubator

Startup

Introducing a promising start-up

Antoine, aged 22, is in his 2nd year of an engineering course at ISAE-SUPAERO, and Lazare, his partner, is studying for a Master’s degree in entrepreneurship at Panthéon Sorbonne University. Two years ago, Lazare’s sister developed severe food allergies, and her life suddenly became complicated. The two boys wanted to help her, so they looked into the tools available.

The idea germinated, and the project was born: to develop a platform enabling people with food allergies and intolerances to eat easily. The aim was to “save time, make things easier and give people the confidence to identify and diversify the products that are right for them”, explains Antoine. Another objective: “To avoid the social isolation that is a problem for these people”.

Allergenius, which is based at lSAE-SUPAERO, benefits from the Institute’s incubation programme, which includes themed workshops (entrepreneurship, marketing, communication, fund-raising assistance, sales negotiation, etc.) and specific coaching sessions (pitch training, networking, etc.).

From 2025, the start-up will be housed in the InnovSpace incubator at the heart of the ISAE-SUPAERO campus. The start-up has also been awarded a €3,500 Jeunes Pousses Entrepreneuriat 2024 grant from the ISAE-SUPAERO Foundation.

3-in-1 functionalities

The platform has three functions:

a scanner to identify products that meet individual criteria;
a shopping tab so that you can do your shopping online in line with your dietary restrictions;
a community space for exchanging, sharing and cooking with people who have the same allergies.

“Today, existing applications such as Yuka, Allergobox and Jow don’t offer the full range of services we have in mind,” note Antoine and Lazare. They are advancing the development of a prototype, which should be completed in a few months’ time, and the start-up is in the process of being set up. AllerGenius is the name of this future app that says “no to restrictions, yes to solutions”.

3ᵉ prize at the regional competition for student entrepreneurs

The two co-founders have just been awarded the 3ᵉ prix CRECE 2024, which encourages the most innovative student initiatives in Occitanie. The Jeunes Pousses grant from the ISAE-SUPAERO Foundation was recently awarded to Antoine and the support provided by ISAE-SUPAERO’s InnovSpace are a bundle of encouragement and support.

Photos of the CRECE 2024 prize – startup ALLERGENIUS | ISAE-SUPAERO

"Thanks to all this, we had the opportunity to pitch our project, to meet the ecosystem of young companies, particularly at the Toulouse CCI thanks to the CRECE prize, and to benefit from support at ISAE-SUPAERO - real springboards for the future!

Focus on subsonic wind tunnels, aerodynamics in practice

Publication Date

25 June 2024

Category

Research

Tag

Aeronautics

DAEP

Focus on ISAE-SUPAERO's subsonic wind tunnels

There are seven of them. The subsonic wind tunnels at ISAE-SUPAERO are lined up in a room where students, doctoral students and researchers meet. Their function? To reproduce airflows, like those that suck in the wings of an aircraft, and enable them to be measured.

“This is where students learn about external aerodynamic metrology,” explains Patrick Chèze, head of the technical group in the Aerodynamics, Energetics and Propulsion (DAEP) research department at ISAE-SUPAERO. In other words, carrying out and interpreting measurements of pressure and forces related to the flow of air over an object, such as an aircraft wing profile.

For example, engineering and Masters students can practise measuring drag, the force that opposes a vehicle’s trajectory, and empirically look for solutions to reduce it. Or they can identify and measure the turbulence created at the back of a wing. “It’s a real educational test bed on which they learn the rigours of the test engineer’s job,” notes Patrick Chèze.

Measuring pressure or effort

The seven wind tunnels are standardised for practical work and operate in the same way: “The surrounding air is sucked in and compressed to give it a certain speed over the measurement section,” explains Adrien Thacker, aerodynamics test bench engineer at DAEP. This measurement section, known as the test section, is the removable part of the wind tunnels. This is where a model is placed (cylinder, aircraft wing profile, miniature car, model aircraft, etc.) connected to pressure sensors or a balance that measures aerodynamic forces. Once the wind tunnel is running, the pressure or force measurement data is displayed on a screen.

Since this year, one of the wind tunnels has been reserved for small student projects. For example, Lucas Nouveau-Duquesnes, a student on an apprenticeship speciality engineering course, is measuring the speed of the vortices created at the tip of an aircraft wing, using a model that he has printed using 3D prototyping.

A team of four people (an engineer, two technicians and a fitter) is attached to the subsonic wind tunnels within DAEP’s technical group to ensure that this equipment works properly on a day-to-day basis. “Our role is to prepare and set up the metrological data acquisition chain: calibrating and wiring the instruments, programming their control, setting up the study models and ensuring that the installations are working properly, and finally checking the measurement data”, explains Adrien Thacker.

35 research projects per year

However, their work is far from routine! “As well as managing practical work for students and trainees in vocational training, we set up projects for lecturers and researchers.” These involve experimental installations and high-precision set-ups, which often force us to be innovative and go beyond what we have already achieved.” For example, to be able to recreate in a wind tunnel the effects of air flow disturbances on aircraft wings that they are trying to understand better.

No fewer than 35 research projects are carried out each year in DAEP’s wind tunnels and on its test benches by lecturer-researchers from the Institute. “And one week of testing means three months of preparation for the technical team. So we’re involved in the research projects, and that’s really exciting!”

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

Publication Date

19 June 2024

Category

Research

Tag

Aeronautics

Decarbonization

Sustainability

AeroSCOPE: the first open-source database

How much CO2 is emitted each year by air transport between France and the United States? By aircraft departing from China? By type of aircraft?

A snapshot of CO2 emissions from air transport, country by country, region by region: that’s the painstaking work carried out by Antoine Salgas as part of his doctoral thesis at ISAE-SUPAERO. The result is AeroSCOPE, an interface based on an open-source database that covers all global emissions. “It’s an open-source tool that has no equivalent”, says the PhD student.

Attracted by the aeronautical sector, Antoine Salgas “became aware of environmental issues” during his engineering course at ISAE-SUPAERO, in particular through the Environmental Engineering Certificate, a module offered in 3rdᵉ year as part of a partnership with Airbus. It was therefore natural that he should take an interest in the work being carried out by Scott Delbecq and Thomas Planès at the Institute. AeroMAPS, the tool developed by these two researchers, aims to assess the environmental impact of the aviation sector and to make projections by playing on the levers to decarbonise the sector.

AeroMAPS, a reference tool for modelling decarbonisation scenarios in the aviation sector

Like many young people of my generation, I want to be a driving force behind an ecological transition that is vital for the future. Having joined ISAE-SUPAERO's engineering course in 2017 out of passion, it was natural for me to get involved in the aviation sector by joining the AeroMAPS development team. This tool enables us to take a step back from the various decarbonisation solutions proposed and evaluate them within prospective scenarios. My work provides an essential economic analysis, since many of the solutions envisaged generate additional costs. At the same time, I went to TU Delft to develop AeroSCOPE, a tool that enables us to regionalise our analyses: air transport is characterised by very different uses and dynamics around the world. These are fascinating subjects, tackled within a dynamic team, which gives a lot of meaning to my research.

Antoine Salgas PhD student in the Design and Operation of Aeronautical and Space Vehicles Department (DCAS) at ISAE-SUPAERO

Scott Delbecq, a lecturer and researcher in aeronautical systems design, and Thomas Planès, a lecturer and researcher in sustainable aviation and aircraft design, initially created this open-source platform for researchers to explore transition scenarios. To simulate the scenarios of the future, AeroMAPS has progressively integrated numerous parameters such as different aircraft models, different types of fuel and regulations.

This work is now part of the Institute for Sustainable Aviation, a multi-disciplinary research consortium founded on the initiative of ISAE-SUPAERO to work on the sustainable future of the aviation sector and to offer research, industry, decision-makers and the general public scientific tools and methods, without bias.

At the beginning of 2022, freshly graduated from ISAE-SUPAERO’s engineering programme, Antoine Salgas joined the AeroMAPS team to study the economic cost of each transition scenario for the aviation sector: “The different decarbonisation options do not have the same characteristics. For example, a more efficient aircraft is likely to be cheaper to operate; using more sustainable fuels will be more expensive than today,” he explains. “The first part of the thesis I am working on, in partnership with Toulouse Business School, concerns the development of models to quantify this.”

Once the environmental and economic impact of each scenario had been modelled on a global scale, the AeroMAPS team turned its attention to the geographical partitioning of the tool. “For an even more detailed analysis, we felt it was important to be able to propose scenarios on the scale of a region of the world, the EU for example, or a national scale. And even to be able, in the long term, to study the decarbonisation of an airline”, explains Antoine Salgas. This gave rise to the AeroSCOPE project, which was carried out during a three-month academic stay at the Dutch university of TU Delft, where the PhD student was hosted by researcher Junzi Sun.

To establish a database of CO2 emissions from air transport, Antoine Salgas referred to a real year, 2019, for which he set about finding all the relevant data. He drew up a manual inventory of global air traffic, region by region, company by company, aircraft type by aircraft type, before calculating the corresponding emissions.

To do this, “I began by looking at all the open data, as exists in the United States and Europe. It was more difficult for other regions of the world, such as Asia”. To make up for the lack of data, a solution was found via the Wikipedia platform. “We realised that it had a reliable framework, common to all the world’s airports, which enabled us to collect all the existing air routes.” Antoine Salgas then used a machine-learning approach to estimate the associated air traffic. From this work, he was able to draw up a map – a snapshot of CO2 emissions country by country.

As well as being a database of interest to researchers, industry and the general public, AeroSCOPE provides a projection basis for the AeroMAPS tool. “Thanks to the combination of the two tools, we can refine the scenarios and be much more precise about the decarbonisation solutions we can propose for each region”, notes Antoine Salgas. Linked to AeroMAPS, this tool is proving invaluable for exploring the possible futures of aviation, as a good example of the work being carried out at the Institute for Sustainable Aviation and in line with ISAE-SUPAERO’s commitment to mobilising its academic and scientific skills in support of the transition to a sustainable society.

Visit AeroSCOPE at https://aeromaps.eu/aeroscope.

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

Publication Date

17 June 2024

Category

Research

Tag

Horizons

Sustainability

How can the impact of research on the environment be quantified?

ISAE-SUPAERO’s Research Department has commissioned a working group of teacher-researchers to look into this question. Nicolas Gourdain (DAEP), Scott Delbecq, Thomas Planès and Annafederica Urbano (DCAS) have just developed a methodology to quantify the contribution of the Institute’s research projects to sustainable development and the environment.

“Our approach has been to establish a metric to enable us to quantify the Institute’s subjects that have an impact on sustainable development. As far as we know, there was no such metric at European level,” points out Grégoire Casalis, Director of Research. And this is despite the fact that funding for research projects is often linked to their positive impact on the environment.

35% of research topics linked to sustainable aerospace

The evaluation carried out at ISAE-SUPAERO revealed the strong impact of its research on environmental issues. In fact, more than a third (35%) of the projects carried out in 2024 are linked to the transition towards sustainable aerospace.

“What’s also important to note is that the other projects are not destructive: some have low environmental ambitions, while the others (often more related to upstream research) are not concerned by the issue”, explains Grégoire Casalis.

This assessment will be repeated every year for all the Institute’s teaching researchers. “The important thing is to show how the importance of environmental issues and sustainable development changes from year to year,” concludes Grégoire Casalis.

The Institute now wants to make this tool available to other research laboratories.

“The methodology we have used may not be adaptable to all areas of research, but it does provide a basis on which to work,” explains Ludmila Namolovan, Deputy Director of Research, who led the working group.

A single questionnaire for a wide range of subjects

The evaluation method developed at ISAE-SUPAERO takes the form of a questionnaire divided into three themes: the direct environmental impact of the research project; the environmental issues addressed; and any strategies and solutions implemented to reduce the environmental impact.

A coefficient is assigned to each question and an overall mark is given to the project based on the answers provided. “As the research topics carried out within the Institute are very diverse, we had to develop questions that could be adapted to each of them”, explain the teacher-researchers who are members of the working group. “We also had to take into account the fact that some subjects have a direct impact on the environment, while others have a more indirect impact.

To obtain a result that is representative of the wide range of work being carried out at ISAE-SUPAERO, the methodology measures all current projects and each research project is given a coefficient of 1, regardless of its importance (financial, partnership, etc.).

The teacher-researchers in the working group also took care to develop the most reliable evaluation methodology possible. “As the aim is to assess the ambition of each research project, we have favoured a self-evaluation by the researchers, with spontaneous responses.”

This self-assessment also enables all the researchers to raise their own awareness, particularly with regard to the actual drafting of research project proposals.