Student teams in ESTEC’s Orbital Robotics Laboratory

University students getting to know the flattest floor in Europe, found in ESTEC’s Orbital Robotics Laboratory.

Student teams from Denmark, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and the UK were selected through the ESA Academy Experiments programme to make use of ESA’s state-of-the-art facilities.

During this year’s kick-off workshop, the selected teams familiarised themselves with the facilities through hands-on exercises, applying problem-solving skills under the guidance of experts. To supplement the team-based activities, various lectures were held to provide the students with background on systems engineering, project management and outreach.

At ESTEC, the teams were introduced to the Orbital Robotics Laboratory, which they will visit again to carry out their experiments in the coming months. Along the way, ESA engineers and mentors from the European Low Gravity Research Association will provide them with guidance on refining experimental designs, testing strategies, and help them advance towards their research objectives.