Summer School Alpbach 2025
Organizer
- Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG)
- European Space Agency (ESA)
Content Description
Participants will be engaged in an in-depth learning experience, attending stimulating lectures on relevant aspects of space science and engineering, and working intensely within four groups to define and design a space mission under the supervision of noted scientific and engineering experts.
You will be exposed to real-life challenges, such as long working days (before proposal submission) and an expectation that you are able to immediately apply knowledge and techniques that you have only recently been exposed to. You will also have to handle the trials of establishing and maintaining an international and multi-disciplinary team composed of both scientists and engineers. You will need to balance the mission's scientific objectives and requirements with the realistic constraints of mission-design, spacecraft-design, technology and mission cost.
On the final day of the Summer School, each team presents their mission proposal to a jury of experts (and to all Summer School participants). Occasionally, some designs have actually gone on to represent a real space mission in ESA.
As expected learning outcomes and benefits for Summer School Alpbach participants:
- Will view space as an exciting and challenging enterprise
- Will be challenged to overcome the trials and reap the rewards of working in an international and multi-disciplinary team
- Will be exposed to a range of scientific and engineering topics relevant to designing space missions
- Will learn to balance scientific objectives and requirements with the realistic constraints of mission-design, spacecraft-design, and mission cost
- Will develop the ability to work together as a team towards the common goal of preparing presentations and reports under incredible time constraints
- Will forge long-term friendships that might eventually evolve into professional collaborations later in life
- Will enjoy the unique and enriching "Alpbach experience".
The Alpbach Summer School is complemented by the Post-Alpbach Summer School Event, which will take place in winter of 2025 (date tbd) in the ESA Academy's Training and Learning Facility at ESEC-Galaxia in Belgium.
Target Audience
The Summer School is open to 60 selected young science and/or engineering students and graduates from among the member, associate and cooperating states of the European Space Agency (ESA)*).
*) ESA has 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Associate Members are: Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia and Lithuania
Five other states have Cooperation Agreements with ESA: Canada, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta
Participant Information
The working language of the Summer School will be English.
To be eligible for participation, you need to be
- a citizen from an ESA member state or from one of the European associate and cooperating countries
- enrolled as a student (Bacherlor, Master or PhD) in a university
Selection criteria are:
- qualification, academic grade
- experience and background
- expertise in the specific topic of the Summer School
- science and/or engineering expertise
- skills valuable for a space summer school
- diversity as regards gender, nationality & member states, age, across universities
Application Phase:
Registration:
Contact Address
FFG
Konstanze FILA
Tel.: +43 (577) 55 3312
E-Mail: konstanze.fila@ffg.at