The Île-de-France Space Academy organises its first Summer School
In January 2024, the Académie spatiale d’Île-de-France (Île-de-France Space Academy) was awarded the official label Compétences et métiers d’avenir (Skills and Jobs of the Future) as part of the French government investment plan, France 2030. From 17 to 21 June 2024, the Academy organised its very first summer school – the Junior Space Academy, for approximately 30 undergraduate students studying in the Paris region, who all share a passion for space.
Run by Philippe Keckhut, a geophysicist at Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), the Île-de-France Space Academy brings together several higher education institutions. The Junior Space Academy, which is run by Laurence Croizé, an engineer at the Onera Optics Department, gave students the chance to learn about careers in the space field, the academic world and industry, as well as related programmes in the Île-de-France region.
As part of the school, participants were also able to:
- Get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the giants of the space industry: visit the facilities and platforms at ONERA - the French Aerospace Lab, the Atmospheres, Space Observations Laboratory (LATMOS - Sorbonne université/UVSQ/CNRS), the Institute of Space Astrophysics (IAS - Univ. Paris-Saclay/CNRS), the Paris Institute of Planetary Physics (IPGP – Université Paris Cité), the Interuniversity Laboratory for Atmospheric Systems (LISA – UPEC/UPC/CNRS), the Space Campus at Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC) and renowned companies such as Airbus, Thales and Safran.
- Discuss and share about space issues: a range of themed presentations and conferences on topics such as space exploration and innovation, environmental impacts, space law and much more.
- Meet space industry professionals: meetings with professionals, learning about their experience and the many jobs on offer in the space industry.
Through the organisation of the first edition of the Junior Space Academy, the Île-de-France Space Academy hopes to introduce young people to the wealth and variety of careers on offer in the space industry, and identify and support the young talents who will contribute to the future of space innovation. The initiative is part of a strong regional drive which has made Île-de-France a leading region for the space industry.
About the Île-de-France Space Academy
Created in January 2024, the Académie spatiale d’Île-de-France (Île-de-France Space Academy) was awarded the official label Compétences et métiers d’avenir (Skills and Jobs of the Future) as part of the France 2030 government investment plan. It aims to develop the industrial competitiveness of the space industry and future space technologies throughout the Paris region. Its mission is to bring together, improve and disseminate training programmes to meet the needs of the region’s space industry; Île-de-France has the highest number of space-related institutions nationally, and the region is equally the second biggest employer of space professionals in France (1/4 of the national workforce). It offers a varied range of job opportunities, open to men and women alike.
The Île-de-France Space Academy brings together eight higher education and research institutions from the Paris region: Université Paris-Saclay, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), Sorbonne Université, Université Paris-Sciences-Lettres (PSL), Université Paris Cité, Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne (UPEC), Institut Polytechnique de Paris and the French Aerospace Lab, ONERA.
Find out more (in French) on the Île-de-France Space Academy’s website