ESA Academy

Your thesis in Microgravity/Space! The European Space Agency offers a variety of possibilities how you can do your thesis in an hands-on project

Imagine your experiment flying onboard the Airbus 310 Zero-G, experiencing free-fall conditions through multiple parabolas. You and/or your teammates are there to directly operate the experiment while discovering the exciting effects of weightlessness. Provided that it doesn’t require a too high quality level of microgravity and can be performed within 20 seconds, flying your experiment is a much cheaper option than launching it into space.

Call open until October 25, 2020

Imagine dropping your experiment from 120 meters height to the floor below. For the few seconds it takes the experiment to fall, the payload experiences weightlessness similar to the perpetual free fall of being in orbit. If the experiment can collect data quickly, then dropping it in a specialized facility is a much cheaper option than launching it into space.

Call open until November 22, 2020

Hypergravity Experiments in a Large Diameter Centrifuge: ESA offers university students (bachelor, master and PhD level) to perform experiments under hypergravity conditions on a Large Diameter Centrifuge (LDC) at ESTEC (NL). Students from many fields, including physics, engineering and life sciences are encouraged to submit a proposal together with their endorsing professors. Read more

Call open until November 15, 2020

ESA opened already three times a call under the name "Fly your Satellite!" where students could design and develop their own CubeSats that were launched into space. The students were able to learn from ESA's specialists and develop their satellite within the ESA infrastructure. Check out the current project on their webpage and watch out for the next open call that will certainly open soon.

The Orbit Your Thesis! (OYT) programme gives master and PhD candidates the opportunity to fly a scientific experiment in microgravity conditions onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Successful applicants will be given the opportunity to design, build and operate a fully autonomous experiment that will stay onboard the ISS for a period lasting up to 4 months in the ICE Cube facility. Check out the current projects and watch out for the next call.