Share this page :

Horizon Europe Pathfinder, the European IPROP project

Publication Date

25 July 2023

Category

Research

Tag

Decarbonization

Sustainability

Presentation of the project

The IPROP project, part of the Horizon Europe Pathfinder framework, aims to raise the level of maturity of atmospheric ion thrusters for aeronautics. Ionic thrusters, which have no moving parts, offer robustness and silent propulsion with low CO2 emissions.
IPROP’s initial ambition is to develop optimised propulsion units and implement them on an ion-propelled airship demonstrator. Ultimately, the aim is to design a full-scale, long-range stratospheric airship using solar-powered ion thrusters.

The work entrusted to ISAE-SUPAERO is of an experimental nature, supervised by Nicolas Binder of the Aerodynamics and Propulsion Department (DAEP). In close partnership with the plasma laboratory of the Ecole Polytechnique and the Toulouse Institute of Fluid Mechanics (IMFT), the aim is to explore the physics surrounding ion thrusters when they are immersed in a high-speed flow. Direct measurements of the electric field in the zone of high ion concentration (drift zone) are also envisaged, which would constitute a major experimental achievement. Finally, advanced anode configurations that boost the ionic concentration in the drift zone will be tested in the DAEP wind tunnel.

A few details about the project

European funding
HORIZON-EIC PATHFINDER
Led by Marco Belan – Politecnico di Milano (PoliMi)
ISAE-SUPAERO contribution
235k€
Supported by Nicolas Binder – DAEP
List of partners :
Politecnico di Milano (It) / Universita Di Bologna (It) / Karlsruher Institut Fuer Tecnologie (Ger) / Von Kaman Institute (Bel) / ISAE-SUPAERO / CNRS (Institut de Mécaniques Fluides de Toulouse -IMFT + Lab Plasma X) / Technische Universität Dresden / Aeronord SAS

Clean Aviation – The European CONCERTO project

Publication Date

20 July 2023

Category

Research

Tag

Decarbonization

Sustainability

European CONCERTO project

ISAE-SUPAERO is taking part in the European CONCERTO project under the Clean Aviation programme, led by Dassault Aviation and involving 32 partners, as well as benefiting from close collaboration with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Its aim is to develop new certification methods and new means of demonstrating conformity for the 3 disruptive aircraft concepts identified by Clean Aviation: the hybrid-electric regional aircraft, the optimised Short-Medium-Range aircraft and the hydrogen-powered aircraft.

In this context, ISAE-SUPAERO is participating in the work on the hydrogen-powered aircraft coordinated by Airbus. The challenges are to define an architectural concept incorporating disruptive hydrogen technologies, to formalise the expected safety objectives, to analyse existing regulations in order to identify gaps and major risks, and to prepare the development of the regulatory corpus for certification.

ISAE-SUPAERO is involved in more detail, as leader in the analysis of regulatory risks, the identification of gaps in current regulations and means of compliance, and the identification of critical points in the regulations to be developed for H2 aircraft.

It is contributing to the definition of the generic concept of a hydrogen-powered aircraft, and the generic concept of operation for a hydrogen-powered aircraft, which will serve as a basic assumption for the construction of regulations. Pipistrel is the sponsor of this working group.

It is also contributing to the preparation of new certification regulations, and means of demonstrating compliance, for H2 aircraft. The leader of this working group is Safran.

20 European funding: €20M project led by DASSAULT AVIATION
200 ISAE-SUPAERO contribution: €200k over 4 years (Project leaders: Joël Jezegou and Yves Gourinat)
32 partners

Clean Aviation – the European HERA project

Publication Date

19 July 2023

Category

Research

Tag

Decarbonization

Sustainability

HORIZON-JU-CLEAN-AVIATION HERA European project

ISAE-SUPAERO is taking part in the European HORIZON-JU-CLEAN-AVIATION HERA project, which has a budget of €35 million and brings together 40 partners led by the Italian aircraft manufacturer Leonardo.

HERA aims to identify concepts for hybrid-electric regional aircraft flying over typical distances of less than 500 kilometres that can meet the challenges of climate change.
The aim is to evaluate the key technologies and architectures with a view to proposing a range of regional-interurban transport solutions for the 2030s.

ISAE-SUPAERO is involved in studies on the overall, optimised design of the aircraft, with a particular focus on the integration of high aspect ratio wings and thermal management solutions. This activity will enable the extension of projects already carried out by the aircraft design and flight dynamics team of the Aerospace Vehicle Design and Control Department (DCAS), such as the Clean Sky U-HARWARD project.

One of the major challenges for the team is to strengthen the capabilities of the open platform for preliminary aircraft design, FAST-OAD, developed by ISAE-SUPAERO and ONERA and which will be implemented in HERA.

35 European funding – €35 million project led by LEONARDO
280 ISAE-SUPAERO contributions €280k over 4 years Emmanuel BENARD – DCAS
More than 40 European partners

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

Publication Date

08 June 2023

Category

Research

Tag

Decarbonization

Sustainability

Convinced that higher education and research are major levers in the transition to a sustainable society, ISAE-SUPAERO is placing environmental issues at the heart of its commitment, and is mobilising its teaching skills and scientific expertise to help invent the low-carbon air transport of tomorrow. AeroMAPS, a unique academic tool, is a major contribution to this effort.

Aimed at all stakeholders in the aviation sector, this tool enables a detailed assessment of the environmental impact of aviation transition scenarios. Users can define the scenarios for which they wish to analyse the impacts by playing on the sector’s transition levers: introduction of new types of aircraft and fleet renewal, use of new fuels (biofuels, hydrogen, etc.), air traffic growth rate, etc. On the basis of the hypotheses chosen, AeroMAPS evaluates the corresponding CO2 emissions, but also the other climatic impacts (notably linked to condensation trails) and the associated consumption of energy resources (biomass, electricity).

AeroMAPS was developed by a team of ISAE-SUPAERO researchers and doctoral students led by Thomas Planès, Scott Delbecq and Antoine Salgas. It is the result of three years of development, and is an enhanced version of the CAST tool, which will be published in open-access in 2021. The AeroMAPS code is published as open source, so that the scientific community can test it and follow and participate in its development. In addition, a simplified graphical interface will be made available to facilitate its basic use.

In parallel with this publication, efforts to enhance AeroMAPS are continuing within the framework of the Institute for Sustainable Aviation (ISA), which brings together seven partners from a wide range of disciplines around ISAE-SUPAERO. Ultimately, the researchers aim to use AeroMAPS to offer a multidisciplinary assessment of aviation transition scenarios for society. The tool is designed to model, with several levels of fidelity, the different components of air transport, the associated impacts and their many interactions. New developments are underway to model the costs of transition (alternative fuels, new aircraft) and integrate the effects of regulatory tools (EU-ETS, CORSIA). Over the coming year, a wide range of disciplines (engineering, environment, economics, regulation, sociology, etc.) will be integrated into the project.

Find out more about AeroMAPS here: https://aeromaps.isae-supaero.fr

The AeroMAPS code is available here: https://github.com/AeroMAPS/AeroMA

ISA: Institute for sustainable aviation

Making the transition that will make aviation compatible with the Paris agreements is a challenge that combines technical, economic and social dimensions. It is not just a challenge for engineers and technicians, but also a societal, economic, financial, legal and geopolitical issue that cannot be resolved by a purely techno-scientific approach.

To meet this immense and exciting challenge, a fruitful dialogue must be established between the physical sciences and the human and social sciences. By founding the Institute for Sustainable Aviation (ISA), an interdisciplinary research structure, ISAE-SUPAERO and its partners intend to give life to this dialogue and strengthen the link between science and society.

Created in Toulouse, the European capital of aeronautics, the ISA brings together eight partner institutions: ISAE-SUPAERO, ENAC, Météo-France, CERFACS, Toulouse School of Economics, TBS Education, Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès and Université Toulouse Capitole.

Its aim is to address the issue of the sustainability of aviation through collaborative research at the interface of the social sciences and humanities, financial and industrial economics, aerospace engineering and flight operations, transport and environmental laws and regulations, energy and atmospheric physics.

isa-toulouse.com

Mission Insight: the contribution of researchers from ISAE-SUPAERO

Publication Date

03 May 2023

Category

Research

Tag

DEOS

Space

Powerful seismic waves Insight

Presentation

Probing the heart of Mars: that was the aim of the InSight mission. Although the mission has not been operational on Mars since last December, the information transmitted by the SEIS seismometer has enabled scientists to characterise more precisely the composition of the Red Planet’s core. This is fundamental information for geophysicists, who can use the new data to constrain their planetary models and gain a better understanding of how Mars was formed and how it is changing.

In 2021, the seismometer detected two high-intensity seismic events: an earthquake and a meteorite impact causing a second ground tremor. Scientists captured the seismic waves that then propagated through the Martian core.

Raphaël Garcia, a researcher at ISAE-SUPAERO specialising in planetary cores, worked alongside researchers from various international laboratories to analyse the signals received and determine the distances travelled by the waves. The further away an earthquake occurs from the InSight station, the deeper the seismic waves can penetrate into the planet before being detected. Luckily, this was the case!

Seismic waves travel to the heart of Mars

Until now, discoveries about the Red Planet’s core have been based on seismic waves reflected on its outer boundary with the mantle, providing less precise information.

“We had only been able to constrain the internal structure of Mars up to the surface of the core. We had to wait until days 976 and 1000, i.e. more than two Earth years of the mission, to obtain the last piece of the jigsaw and probe the interior of the Martian core”, explains an enthusiastic Mélanie Drilleau, a seismology researcher in the Space Systems for Planetology and its Applications research group at ISAE-SUPAERO. “We used the data provided by the seismometer, in particular the travel times of seismic waves propagating inside the core compared with those propagating in the mantle alone, to constrain the properties of the core and build the first models of the elastic properties of the planet as a whole,” she adds.

Analysis of the data has enabled the researchers to deduce that the core of Mars is composed not only of iron but also of light elements such as oxygen, sulphur, carbon and hydrogen, and could suggest that the base of the core is liquid.

The analysis work will continue over the coming years. With more than 1300 seismic events recorded over the four years of the mission, scientists hope to make further progress in understanding the structure of Mars.

*Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences

Find out more about the InSight mission

InSight is part of NASA’s Discovery programme, managed by the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supported spacecraft operations for the mission. Several European partners, including France’s Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission. CNES provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument to NASA, with the principal investigator at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP). Major contributions to SEIS came from IPGP; the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany; the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) in Switzerland; Imperial College London and Oxford University in the UK; and JPL. The Marsquake Service is led by ETH Zurich, with major contributions from IPGP; the University of Bristol; Imperial College; ISAE-SUPAERO; MPS; and JPL. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument, with major contributions from the Space Research Centre (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. The Spanish Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) provided the temperature and wind sensors.

Related Content

View Other Pages

News

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

Company

Job

Space

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

Pages

Prior Experience Accreditation

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

Advanced Master

Aeronautics

Aerospace

News

Landing on Mars: a unique experience for seven students

Seven ISAE-SUPAERO students have been selected to join the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in the United States. This replica of a Martian base will host the crew for four weeks, during which they will live in conditions similar to those found on Mars. The objective is to conduct experiments in situ in collaboration with research partners.

Space

Student club

Student life

News

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

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

Exploration

Innovation

Space

Pages

Learning, Decision, Optimisation (ADO) Scientific Group

DISC

Doctoral student

PhD

News

Capturing the seismic activity of an asteroid: our Apophis rendezvous

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

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

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

DEOS

Researcher

Space

Events

16th EASN International Conference

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

News

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

Aeronautics

Event

Fair

Testimonials

Testimony from Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez, elected member of the Air and Space Academy

DCAS

Space

Teacher researcher

Events

2026 edition of "Les Entretiens de Toulouse"

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Event

Pages

Job offers

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Pages

Photonics Antenna Microwave PlasmaA (PAMPA) Scientific Group

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

DEOS

Doctoral student

PhD

News

3 questions to... Marie-Bertille Mosnier, S-Cube member from 2018 to 2022

Meet Marie-Bertille Mosnier, member of the S-Cube - SUPAERO Space Section - ISAE-SUPAERO's experimental rocket club, from 2018 to 2022.

Space

Student club

Student life

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

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

Pages

Aerospace Summer Programme

Enjoy a unique experience at the heart of aeronautics and space technology with intensive courses, exclusive industrial visits, and an international immersion in Paris, Poitiers and Toulouse.

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Aerospace summer program

News

Space: Thomas Pesquet and Arnaud Prost will embark on two unprecedented space missions in 2027

France is stepping up its space ambitions. At the Choose France summit, the President of the Republic announced that French astronauts Thomas Pesquet and Arnaud Prost will take part in two commercial space missions in 2027, as part of an agreement between France and the American company Vast.

Alumni

Exploration

Space

Pages

Our Semester & Short Programmes

Discover ISAE-SUPAERO's academic excellence through our semester and short programmes, open to international students.

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Aerospace summer program

Pages

Innovating in a World of Transition - Safran

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Chair

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

Videos

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

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

DEOS

Researcher

Space

Pages

Scientific and research integrity

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

DAEP

DCAS

DEOS

Testimonials

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

Advanced Master

Aerospace

Space

Pages

Integrated Image Sensors (CIMI) Scientific Group

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

DEOS

Doctoral student

PhD

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

News

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

Aerospace

Master in Aerospace Engineering

Scholarship

News

ISAE-SUPAERO back on mission with Hera

The Hera mission, an international planetary defence mission, is on its way to study the asteroid Dimorphos, which will be struck by DART in 2022. ISAE-SUPAERO is actively collaborating in this international planetary defence programme through the research work of Naomi Murdoch and the SSPA team.

DEOS

Space

Pages

Applied Mathematics (MA) Scientific Group

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

DISC

Doctoral student

PhD

News

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

Valentin Leloup, R&D engineer at Thales, combines two fields of expertise: quantum physics and space. He holds an engineering degree from ISAE-SUPAERO 2022 and a Master 2 in fundamental physics and applications.

Alumni

News

Research

News

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

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

DEOS

Researcher

Science

News

MMX, Idefix® and cameras to understand Mars' moon

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

DEOS

Researcher

Space

News

ISAE-SUPAERO and Spaceflight Institute join forces to train tomorrow's manned flight experts

On July 29, 2025, ISAE-SUPAERO and the Spaceflight Institute signed a partnership agreement for the joint creation of a “Certificate of Advanced Studies in Human Spaceflight”. This new semester-long program aims to train a new generation of space professionals, combining academic excellence with operational expertise.

Certificates of advanced studies

Education

Space

News

3 questions to... Ervan Kassarian, S-Cube member from 2015 to 2017

Meet Ervan Kassarian, member of S-Cube - SUPAERO Space Section - ISAE-SUPAERO's experimental rocket club, from 2015 to 2017.

Space

Student club

Student life

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

Pages

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

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

DEOS

Doctoral student

PhD

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

News

ISAE-SUPAERO's researchers are working on establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon.

While last year marked the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 17 mission, the last manned trip to the Moon, the development of ‘New Space’ has revived the space sector's interest in lunar exploration.

DCAS

Space

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

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

Videos

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

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

DEOS

Researcher

Space

News

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

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

Videos

Start-up insights: interview with Ugo Bonnet from the Space Flight Institute

In recent years, ISAE-SUPAERO has developed a range of services and comprehensive support for its project leaders (students, doctoral students, teacher-researchers, and alumni), earning it the title of incubator. It is in line with this support philosophy that the Institute currently hosts numerous startups that were created within its walls. Today we welcome Ugo Bonnet, CEO of the Space Flight Institute, a company that offers innovative training (in partnership with ISAE-SUPAERO) to future professionals in human spaceflight, whether on Earth or in orbit. Ugo Bonnet discusses the creation of the organization, its major successes, and its plans for the future.

Alumni

Space

Startup

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

Videos

Discover... the ISAE-SUPAERO plasma bench

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 white plasma! With the emergence of #NewSpace, more and more CubeSats are being launched. On these small platforms (CubeSats consist of one or more standard 10 cm cubes), several subsystems must coexist. While electric propulsion solutions save space and weight on board, their electromagnetic compatibility with on-board communication systems is still being questioned today. ISAE-SUPAERO, in collaboration with CNES and LAPLACE, is currently developing simulation tools and characterisation methods to provide engineers with tools for designing CubeSats and effective testing methods to address this issue. This experimental bench developed at ISAE-SUPAERO allows the characterisation of a plasma discharge representative of an electric thruster, as well as the measurement of its interactions with microwave signals generated by nearby communication antennas. Finally, the experimental data obtained will be used to calibrate the numerical analysis tools currently being developed by our teams.

DEOS

Pages

Connected Systems (SysCo) Scientific Group

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

DISC

Doctoral student

PhD

Events

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

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Air transport

Pages

Spring Semester in Aeronautical Engineering

Immerse yourself in the world of aerospace in Toulouse, the European aerospace capital, with a semester taught in English combining excellent courses, cultural immersion, and proximity to major industrial players.

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Aerospace summer program

News

Apply today for a program at ISAE-SUPAERO or ENAC - École Nationale de l'Aviation Civile!

The TSAAE application platform is now open: discover our world-renowned programs and apply online for the 2026 academic year before November 28 at midnight (French time)!

Advanced Master

Aeronautics

Aerospace

News

DART: ISAE-SUPAERO students publish new scientific findings in Nature Communications

Naomi Murdoch, a planetary science researcher at ISAE-SUPAERO, is actively involved in scientific analysis and data interpretation for NASA's DART mission.

DEOS

Space

Videos

Visiting professors at ISAE-SUPAERO: DAN SCHEERES

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

DEOS

Researcher

Space

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

Pages

Semester Research Projects

Take your studies to the next level by participating in a semester-long research project at ISAE-SUPAERO: immerse yourself in cutting-edge laboratories alongside international experts and contribute to advances in aeronautics and space technology.

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Aerospace summer program

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

News

The COMETES project - Skills and Careers in Space - is launching its website, a platform dedicated to skills and careers in the space sector.

The space sector is undergoing profound change driven by New Space, accelerating technological innovation, and environmental challenges. These transformations are leading to rapid changes in the careers and skills required within the industry. In this context, COMETES is launching a platform dedicated to space-related skills, careers, and training.

Education

Space

News

Hera probe captures exceptional images of Mars and its moon Deimos

DEOS

Researcher

Science

Pages

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

News

“My summer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory”: Axel’s account, a student on the TAS Astro Advanced Master’s programme

Since May, Axel Coulon has been interning at NASA's famous JPL in Los Angeles. He is working on detecting helicopter landing sites on Mars. A student in the MS TAS Astro programme, he recounts this incredible space adventure that took him from his native Lorraine to California.

Internship

Programme

Space

News

Luca Parmitano, Artemis III astronaut: an ISAE-SUPAERO graduate at the heart of the next step in the return to the Moon

On June 9, 2026, NASA announced the crew for Artemis III, a key mission in the U.S. lunar program scheduled for 2027.

Advanced Master

Alumni

Space

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

The Jupiter system: a unique laboratory for a major scientific breakthrough

Nicolas André, teacher-researcher at ISAE-SUPAERO, co-authors a major discovery in Nature Communications.

DEOS

Exploration

Space

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

Videos

Sylvestre Maurice, astrophysicist and ISAE-SUPAERO alumnus

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

Alumni

Researcher

Space

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

Pages

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

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

News

Meeting with Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez, elected member of the Air and Space Academy

At ISAE-SUPAERO, Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez heads SaCLaB, a research laboratory focusing on future space systems. A professor of space systems engineering, she has just been elected to the French Air and Space Academy.

Award

Space

Teacher researcher

Videos

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... ISAE-SUPAERO's mobile ground robots

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'd like to introduce you to mobile ground robots! Whether robots, airplanes, cars or even telephones, all these technologies are equipped with perception systems. Depending on the application, these sources of information make it possible to perceive the environment in which a system is evolving, and also to measure its own characteristics, such as speed or acceleration. This multitude of data must then be used, cross-referenced and interpreted within the navigation system to obtain the vehicle's position, but also, in the case of mapping applications, that of surrounding objects. Within the DEOS NAVIRRES team, researchers are interested in navigation systems and their application in complex environments where sensor information may be degraded, erroneous or unavailable. Mobile acquisition platforms are being developed. These are equipped with cameras, lidars, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers, radars and inertial units, with the aim of obtaining the most efficient navigation system for the application in question. One of the team's research themes is the analysis of the degradation of sensor information, enabling the development of new robust and adaptive algorithms to compensate for environmental constraints. The aim is to make navigation systems more accurate and safer, for critical applications requiring strong reliability constraints, such as autonomous cars or exploration robotics.

DEOS

News

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

The European Ariane 6 launcher incorporates major technological innovations such as the Vinci engine, capable of reigniting in space. At ISAE-SUPAERO, researchers are tackling the challenges posed by the rocket engines of tomorrow.

Space

Videos

Sylvestre Maurice presents the SUPERCAM / Martian Exploration educational kit

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

Diversity program

Equal opportunities

Researcher

Videos

Training courses: space studies

Find out more about our courses and #information in the field of space! The space dimension is strongly developed within our various training courses, whether in specific streams or dedicated programs. French and international students alike are showing a keen interest in our educational programs in Earth observation and the sciences of the Universe, as well as in the design and operation of space systems. Space research and industry employ many ISAE-SUPAERO engineers. Explore the world of space!

Programme

Space

Testimonials

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

Advanced Master

Space

Testimonial

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

News

RAMSES: ISAE-SUPAERO at the heart of a historic planetary defense mission

Le sismomètre SIA développé par l'ISAE-SUPAERO est une première mondiale pour explorer l'astéroïde Apophis

DEOS

Research

Space

Pages

Electronics, Optronics, and Signal Processing Department (DEOS)

At ISAE SUPAERO, the Department of Electronics, Optronics and Signal Processing (DEOS) studies, designs and produces scientific instruments for aeronautics, space and defense applications, with a strong focus on advanced systems and planetary exploration missions.

DEOS

Pages

UNIVERSEH

UNIVERSEH, the European Space University for Earth and Humanity, is an alliance of European universities created as part of the European Universities initiative launched by the European Commission in 2019.

Education

International

Science

Testimonials

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

Alumni

Space

Testimonial

Testimonials

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

Alumni

Space

Testimonial

Pages

French Space Defence Academy

In order to drive and implement the ambitions set out in the Space Defence Strategy, the creation of a space defence expertise sector offering attractive programmes is a major challenge. In this regard, the French Space Defence Academy (ASD) offers programmes available within the Armed Forces Ministry and leverages synergies between them to provide a personalised approach to space programmes.

Defence

Education

Partner

Pages

Research

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

DAEP

DCAS

DEOS

News

An exceptional scholarship for an innovative project

Naomi Murdoch, a researcher in physics and planetology at ISAE-SUPAERO, has just been awarded the prestigious Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for her planetary body study project called GRAVITE. This ambitious scientific project aims to design a variable gravity machine that will enable the simulation and study of extraterrestrial soils.

DEOS

Scholarship

Space

News

CASTOR Chair: Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse and ISAE-SUPAERO, a win-win partnership

The official signing of the industrial chair, called CASTOR, between Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse and ISAE-SUPAERO took place on Tuesday 9 July at the institute's campus. This research partnership contributes to research into carbon-free aircraft.

Aeronautics

Chair

Company

News

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

The SILOE experimental drop tower project aims to study the cohesion of planetary surfaces. This student project is supported by ESA as part of its European ‘Academy Experiments’ program. Alexia Duchêne, SILOE project leader, has been awarded a scholarship of excellence from the Fondation des Ailes de France.

DEOS

Space

News

BROMO: the joint venture project involving major European space industry players presented to ISAE-SUPAERO students

In December 2025, ISAE-SUPAERO welcomed major players in the European space industry (Airbus, Thales and Leonardo) for an exceptional conference on the BROMO project.

Conference

Space

Pages

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

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

DISC

Doctoral student

PhD

Videos

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

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

DEOS

Researcher

Space

News

3 questions to... Loïc Jecker, S-Cube member from 2011 to 2013

Meet Loïc Jecker, member of S-Cube - SUPAERO Space Section - ISAE-SUPAERO's experimental rocket club, from 2011 to 2013.

Space

Student club

Student life

News

Alexandre Bouraoui Takes Gold at the 2025 International Astronautical Congress

Final-year engineering apprentice, specializing in Industrialisation and Methods for Aeronautics and Space, Alexandre Bouraoui was recently honored at the 76th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2025) in Sydney, where he won the prestigious Hermann Oberth Gold Medal in the Graduate category. We spoke with him about his award and his studies at ISAE-SUPAERO.

Congress

DEOS

Event

Pages

Design and Analysis of Critical Systems (CASC) Scientific Group

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

DISC

Doctoral student

PhD

Events

AASTRA Certificate: presentation webinar on March 25 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Air transport

Events

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

Event

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

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

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

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

News

Focus on... quantum physics in ISAE-SUPAERO training courses

ISAE-SUPAERO has been integrating quantum physics into its training and research activities uninterruptedly since 1980, and for the past two decades has been offering courses linked to the second quantum revolution.

DEOS

Ingénieur généraliste (MSc)

Teacher researcher

Videos

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

News

« Académie Spatiale de Défense »: A Day of Strategic Reflection on the Future of Space

On May 19, 2026, ISAE-SUPAERO and its partners at the Defense Space Academy hosted and organized a day of discussions focused on France’s National Space Strategy. Bringing together government decision-makers, industry representatives, researchers, and military officials, this event provided an opportunity to pool expertise and foster collective reflection on the major challenges of sovereignty, training, and strategic autonomy in the space sector.

Defence

Event

Space

Testimonials

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

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Congress

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

Unlocking the secrets of earthquakes with stratospheric balloons

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

DEOS

Researcher

Science

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

Space

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

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

News

Seven ISAE-SUPAERO students set out to conquer Mars in the Utah desert

For four weeks, seven engineering students will experience a simulation of life on Mars in the Utah desert in the United States. From 18th February to 16th March, they will conduct experiments in collaboration with CNES and several research laboratories at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS).

Space

Student club

News

Mars hit by meteorites more often than previously thought

Two researchers from ISAE-SUPAERO contributed to new discoveries based on data from the seismometer sent to Mars during the InSight mission, one of whose main objectives was to measure seismic activity on the Red Planet.

Space

Events

AASTRA Certificate: Introductory Webinar on May 26 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Air transport

Testimonials

Testimonial from Sylvain ASSOGBA, an AM IEM student participating in the “Startech Summer School – Space Entrepreneurship: from Business Ideas to Start-Ups” in Rome

Education

International

Space

Videos

3 questions to Marie Delaroche, 3ᵉ year student and MDRS 293 crew commander

Since February 18, seven ISAE-SUPAERO engineering students have been living a simulated Martian life and carrying out experiments in collaboration with CNES and several research laboratories at The Mars Society's Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in UTAH (USA)! For the second time, the mission is led by a woman: Marie Delaroche, a passionate #spaceexplorer, who was already part of crew 275 departing in 2023. We asked her 3 questions to find out more about the challenges of this mission and her feelings as #flightcommander! Alongside her, three young women and three young men in their 2ᵉ year of #engineering studies have taken on the roles of astronomer, scientist, botanist, journalist, health worker and onboard engineer. They are all members of the Mars Club ISAE-SUPAERO, a student association for the popularization of science focused on the Red Planet and the missions dedicated to its exploration and study. They are currently experimenting with AI4U, the artificial intelligence that assists astronauts in their daily tasks (environmental measurements, voice recognition, emergency exercises). They are also conducting a science popularization experiment in collaboration with secondary school pupils. Inspired by the film The Martian, in which an astronaut grows potatoes on the Red Planet, the aim of this experiment is to compare plant growth in Martian soil with growth in terrestrial soil! To follow their adventure, click here: https://mars.bde-supaero.fr/

Space

Student club

Student life

News

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

DEOS

Doctoral student

Ingénieur généraliste (MSc)

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

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

Publication Date

17 April 2023

Category

Research

Tag

Decarbonization

Partnership

Sustainability

The cooperation between the two organisations in terms of the transition of the aerospace sector is fully in line with the priorities of both countries in terms of sustainable mobility.

The agreement will begin with a pilot project focusing on optimising the weight and aerodynamic performance of aircraft, which, alongside traditional safety issues, is a major area of research for sustainable aviation.

Three theses will be launched, focusing on:

New bio-inspired composite materials,
aerostructure design methods that minimise the amount of waste produced,
innovative composite assembly techniques to better anticipate potential failures.

This work will make use of AI, digital twins and additive manufacturing, and will be supported by life-cycle analyses. The three PhD students will be co-supervised by ISAE-SUPAERO and TU Delft, and will work in both Toulouse and Delft.

The agreement also provides for intensified collaboration between the two institutions on European innovation projects. Companies from both countries will be able to participate in the funding of these projects.

This new cooperation agreement was signed by François Alabrune, the French ambassador to the Netherlands, and Eva Voûte (TU Delft), in the presence of Sylvie Retailleau, the French Minister for Higher Education and Research, and Robbert Dijkgraaf, the Dutch Minister for Education, Culture and Science. At the same time, other agreements were also signed between Dutch organisations and leading French research establishments, such as CEA with TNO, INRIA with CWI, IFREMER with Wageningen University, ENSM with the STC group and a joint declaration between INRAE and Wageningen University.

Researchers at ISAE-SUPAERO have been awarded the Newcomb Cleveland Prize for their article ‘Seismic detection of the Martian core’ published in the journal Science!

Publication Date

14 March 2023

Category

Research

Tag

Prize

The Newcomb Cleveland Prize is awarded once a year to an “outstanding” article published in the journal Science during the previous year. The winning article is chosen on the basis of the quality of the research, innovation, the likelihood of influencing the field of research and the interdisciplinary importance of the article.

"From the reflections of seismic waves on the boundary between the core and mantle of Mars, the team was able to determine that Mars has a large core. A large core implies a mantle that is mineralogically similar to Earth's upper mantle and transition zone. However, Mars differs from Earth in terms of its core. The Martian core is much less dense, implying that a number of light elements such as oxygen and sulphur are dissolved in the iron and nickel core. This observation is difficult to reconcile with conventional models of planet formation.

"We will receive 25,000 dollars, which we have decided to donate to Médecins sans Frontières, to help the victims of the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria."

Mélanie Drilleau, Raphaël Garcia

Direct access to the article for subscribers: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abi7730

To download the article (link expires on 11 April 2023): https://jirafeau.isae-supaero.fr/f.php?h=1q62giG-&d=1

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

Publication Date

10 February 2023

Category

Research

Tag

Decarbonization

Sustainability

"Drone Mermoz" demonstrator

The demonstrator, with a wingspan of 4 metres, has a design inspired by the albatross, which exploits atmospheric turbulence to fly for very long periods of time while limiting its efforts. The “Défi Mermoz” has a long way to go, with the ambition of crossing the South Atlantic by 2025 on the legendary Aéropostale route between Dakar (Senegal) and Natal (Brazil), opened by Jean Mermoz.

A real challenge, indeed, for this future lightweight electric drone, with total autonomy and zero CO2 emissions. The aim of this exploit is to demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of this aircraft, powered electrically by an energy package combining fuel cells and photovoltaic panels, capable of flying over very long distances and light enough to enter the French certification category for out-of-sight flights.

Liquid hydrogen, a real technological leap forward

Hydrogen is one of the most promising energy carriers for decarbonising aviation. For drones, hydrogen-electric propulsion will first and foremost extend the performance of these aircraft by significantly increasing their range. This will reduce the costs of aerial activities that are currently expensive and time-consuming: searching for shipwrecked people at sea, surveillance of vast areas such as woodland to identify fire outbreaks, mapping missions or inspections of large linear networks (power lines, railways, gas pipelines, etc.).

In 2023, ISAE-SUPAERO will develop a liquid hydrogen version of the drone. Storing hydrogen in liquid form means that the quantity of hydrogen on board can be tripled for the same volume, which means that the distance covered can be multiplied by the same amount. The switch from gas to liquid does, however, raise a number of technical challenges: the challenge is to master the storage and thermal control of the fluid on board, and to optimise the available energy flows (solar, hydrogen, aerological), while maintaining a high level of reliability and aerodynamic performance. This new phase of development will culminate in flight tests in early 2024.

From the drone to the Mermoz challenge, expert contributions at every stage

The project was initiated in 2018 by a team of researchers from ISAE-SUPAERO led by Professor Jean-Marc Moschetta, who worked on the aerodynamic and propulsive design of the demonstrators, the energy modelling of the hydrogen chain and conducted the wind tunnel test phase on campus.

H3 Dynamics, the world leader in airborne hydrogen-electric propulsion systems and a partner in the “Drone Mermoz” project, helped finance the manufacture of the two demonstrators, supplied the hydrogen fuel cell system and contributed its expertise in the integration, use and safety of hydrogen on board the aircraft.

At this stage, a number of other players also collaborated: H2PULSE, the Laplace laboratory, the Nogaro high school, the Ecole Nationale de la Météorologie (Météo-France), ENAC, LAAS-CNRS, and the Eole Muret aeromodelling club. The project was co-financed by the Occitanie Region and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), with H3 Dynamics as the industrial partner. It has also received support from the ISAE-SUPAERO Foundation, which, thanks to donors to the Class Gift Inter-Promotions 2020-2000-1980, has raised funds to contribute to the purchase of equipment to fly the demonstrator.

For this pioneering“Drone Mermoz” project, we are carrying out major academic work on the hydrogen chain. Our aim is to validate the models developed during this phase so that they can be used for larger-scale aircraft. This work is also enabling us to enrich the teaching given to our students and prepare them for the disruptive technologies destined for low-carbon aviation”, explains Jean-Marc Moschetta.

The next step in this great adventure is called the “Défi Mermoz”, and it will be piloted with DELAIR, a company specialising in the design and manufacture of several generations of professional drones.

This world first will be based on disruptive technologies that are part of the roadmap towards low-carbon aviation.

Jean-Marc Moschetta Professor at ISAE-SUPAERO

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

Publication Date

01 February 2023

Category

Research

Tag

Decarbonization

Sustainability

Presentation

The AIAA is a major player in the field of aeronautics, and this award is a “technical” prize awarded by experts such as Boeing, NASA and many others, from among a hundred or so international papers submitted.

It is an annual prize that is rarely awarded to a European player. It’s a great accolade for ISAE-SUPAERO and ONERA,” says Paul Saves.

This prize rewards the work of two ISAE-SUPAERO research departments, in numerical optimisation of the DISC (Prof. Y. Diouane), and in multidisciplinary optimal design of the DMSM (Prof. J. Morlier). The results obtained on a DRAGON-type hybrid electric aircraft are very encouraging in terms of decarbonising aviation by reducing induced pollution and fuel consumption in particular.

This prize is the fruit of a fruitful collaboration with Polytechnique Montréal and ONERA as part of Paul Saves’ doctoral thesis. It also rewards a long-standing collaboration, since 2011, between ONERA and ISAE-SUPAERO on the subject of optimisation using substitution models for MDO and aircraft design, with ONERA Toulouse research engineers Nathalie Bartoli and Thierry Lefevbre.

Solve an optimisation problem at lower computational cost

Paul wanted to work in aeronautics, and being from Toulouse, he was in the right place. After graduating from INSA GMM (Mathematical Engineering and Modelling), he did an ENAC master’s degree to work specifically on optimisation in the aeronautical field. As he was still young, he took the opportunity to do a bit of research, and it was at ISAE-SUPAERO and ONERA, which he considers to be excellent laboratories, that he found his doctoral position. His thesis is in the same field as his prize-winning paper, the pre-project optimisation of more environmentally-friendly aircraft concepts. The idea here is to digitally optimise the shape and/or electrical configurations of the aircraft as quickly as possible. A numerical calculation can be very energy- and time-intensive, and one of the subsidiary aims is to optimise the use of expensive models by evaluating them as little as possible. Optimisation has therefore been a personal theme for Paul for a long time.

The title of his thesis is Bayesian optimisation for mixed variables using an adaptive dimension reduction process: applications to aircraft design.

Paul sums up his work as follows:

“Multidisciplinary design optimisation methods aim to adapt numerical optimisation techniques to the design of engineering systems involving several disciplines. In this context, a large number of mixed continuous, integer and categorical variables may arise during the optimisation process, and practical applications involve a large number of design variables. Recently, there has been a growing interest in Bayesian mixed-variable constrained optimisation, but most existing approaches significantly increase the number of hyperparameters related to the surrogate model.”

In this paper, we address this problem by constructing substitution models that use fewer hyperparameters. The reduction process is based on the partial least squares method. An adaptive procedure for choosing the number of hyperparameters is proposed. The performance of the proposed approach is confirmed by analytical tests and by two real applications linked to aircraft design.

To find out more, his paper is available here: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03514915/. And the core of the work is available as open source here: https://github.com/SMTorg/smt

This prize was the subject of an article in Aerospace America and on Aerospace Research Central. It is already listed among the best papers in MDO and aircraft design by the AIAA. A new presentation of Paul Saves’ work took place in January at the National Harbor, near Washington, in front of numerous industrialists and technical experts such as NASA and Boeing, but also non-American aerospace companies such as Airbus, Aurora, Leonardo, ATR, etc.