Space debris is a hazard to our satellites and spacecraft as well as a contributor to near-Earth space pollution. To help raise awareness of this issue, ESA’s Education Office is organising an online edition of ESA Academy’s Space Debris Training Course.
Due to the Covid-19 situation, ESA has decided to convert the third edition of the Space Debris Training Course to an online event.
Between 8 and 12 June 2020, University students will be provided with an introduction to the concept of space debris, why it is necessary to address this problem, and how the mitigation policies set by ESA apply to missions. Participants will not only learn about the space debris environment and mitigation technologies, but also about how it impacts spacecraft operations and potential future solutions. Taught by ESA experts as well as external experts in the sector, the course will be delivered through formal technical lectures complemented by hands-on exercises based on a real-life case study.
This training course is a collaboration between ESA’s Education Office and ESA’s Space Debris Office, which coordinates ESA's research activities in all major debris disciplines. These include measurements, modelling, protection, and mitigation. It also implements the space surveillance segment of the Agency’s Space Situational Awareness (SSA) programme and the space debris aspects of the Agency’s Space Safety programme (S2P), which operates ESA’s collision avoidance system for a fleet of 20 spacecraft and represents ESA on space debris matters at international bodies such as the IADC (Inter-Agency Debris Coordination Committee) and UNCOPUOS (United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space).
Day 1: The Environment | Introduction Forces Acting on a Space Object Space Debris Environment Legal Environment |
Day 2: Mitigation | Mitigation Principles and Guidelines Mitigation Context and Technology The Future of the Environment |
Day 3: Operations | Space Surveillance Collision Avoidance Operations in the Space Debris Environment Protection and Shielding |
Day 4: Re-entry | Aerothermodynamics Atmospheric Break-up On-Ground Risks |
Day 5: The Future | Design for Demise Active Removal Evaluation |
Upon completion of the training course students will be evaluated via an online questionnaire and will receive a certificate of participation and a course transcript, allowing them to request ECTS credit(s) from their respective universities.
In order to participate, students must fulfil the following eligibility criteria at the time of application:
be aged between 18 and 32;
be a citizen of an ESA Member State, Canada or Slovenia;
be enrolled as a full-time MSc (BSc completed) or PhD student in a university (not graduating before the training course);
be studying for a scientific or engineering degree and have minimum knowledge of space technology.
Fill in the application form;
Upload a motivation letter (PDF, maximum 1 page, no images);
Upload a CV (Europass format, PDF, maximum 2 pages);
Upload a formal recommendation letter (PDF, maximum 1 page, including signature, no images) from a university professor or academic supervisor of current university (if not possible due to current confinement situation in your country please ask a university professor or an academic supervisor to send a recommendation email to tlp@esa.int);
Upload a copy of academic records (PDF).
All answers and documents should be in English (except academic records if not available).
The deadline for applications is 11 May 2020.
For more information, please contact tlp @ esa.int
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