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Renewal of Academic Chair in Space Sciences and Challenges
Innovation
Headed by Dr. Pascal Chabert, Research Director at the CNRS* Plasma Physics Laboratory in Paris and Professor at École Polytechnique, the Chair in Space Sciences and Challenges has been supported by ArianeGroup since its inception in 2019 and by Safran since 2024.
The Chair in Space Sciences and Challenges supports a comprehensive and ambitious university-level program combining theoretical lectures and practical industry-focused projects. To achieve this, it draws on the energy and enthusiasm of the engineering students at École Polytechnique’s Student Space Center (CSEP), the academic excellence of École Polytechnique and its laboratories, and the industrial expertise of the two industry sponsors. The Chair combines academic excellence with the contribution of industry leaders to tackle the technological challenges ahead in space, with a focus on the broader goals of knowledge, connectivity, climate and sovereignty.
The program is designed to support the two final years of the engineering track at École Polytechnique and offers hands-on, group-based science projects in the second year and an in-depth specialization in the third year, which is also open to students from the ENSTA Paris engineering school. The third year includes intensive lectures, supervised space-related projects and a choice of complementary modules, and is specifically aimed at students interested in careers in the space sector.
The purpose of the Chair is to train tomorrow’s experts with the versatile, wide-ranging knowledge and skills to meet the challenges of space and adapt to the changing needs of the sector.
Dr. Pascal Chabert, Academic Program Director, commented: “This Academic Chair was created in 2019 with the support of Thales Alenia Space and ArianeGroup. And it is now continuing with the support of Safran, with whom we have set up the COMHET laboratory for plasma space propulsion. The Chair has enabled us to raise the profile of space at École Polytechnique and more broadly at Institut Polytechnique de Paris, which is now an active member of the Paris-Île-de-France Space Academy. It has helped spur the tremendous development of École Polytechnique’s Student Space Center, which offers students a unique framework for ambitious space projects, such as the IonSat mission, a 6U CubeSat scheduled to launch into low-Earth orbit in late 2026.”
*France’s national scientific research agency.
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ABOUT ÉCOLE POLYTECHNIQUE / École Polytechnique, also known as L’X, is a French higher education and research Institution. L’X cultivates multidisciplinary and scientific excellence and combines research, education and innovation at the highest scientific and technological level. The Institution promotes a culture of excellence with a strong emphasis on science, anchored in humanist traditions. Through its various undergraduate and graduate-level programs – Bachelor of Science, Ingénieur Polytechnicien (Master’s level program), Master’s, and PhD – École Polytechnique trains decision-makers with a strong multidisciplinary scientific culture by exposing them to both the world of research and the world of business. With its 23 laboratories, 22 of which are joint research units with the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), École Polytechnique Research Center explores the frontiers of interdisciplinary knowledge to provide major contributions to science, technology, and society. École Polytechnique is a founding member of Institut Polytechnique de Paris.
Safran is an international high-technology group, operating in the aviation (propulsion, equipment and interiors), defense and space markets. Its core purpose is to contribute to a safer, more sustainable world, where air transport is more environmentally friendly, comfortable and accessible. Safran has a global presence, with 92 000 employees and sales of 23.2 billion euros in 2023, and holds, alone or in partnership, world or regional leadership positions in its core markets. Safran is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange and is part of the CAC 40 and Euro Stoxx 50 indices.
Safran Electronics & Defense offers its customers on-board intelligence solutions allowing them to understand the environment, to reduce mental load and to guarantee a trajectory, even in critical situations, in all environments: on land, at sea, in the sky or space. The company harnesses the expertise of its 13,000 employees towards these three functions: observe, decide and guide, for the civil and military markets. For more information: www.safran-group.com and www.safran-group.com/fr/societes/safran-electronics-defense
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