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Type | Non-profit interdisciplinary university |
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Established | 1987 |
Chairman | Chris Sallaberger |
Chancellor | Dr. Valanathan Munsami |
President | Nicolas Peter (acting) |
Vice-president | Gary Martin, Vice President, North American Operations |
Director | Sylvie Mellinger |
Students | 200/year |
Location | , , 48°31′23″N7°44′13″E / 48.5231°N 7.7369°E |
Website | www |
The International Space University (ISU) is dedicated to the discovery, research, and development of outer space and its applications for peaceful purposes, through international and multidisciplinary education and research programs. ISU was founded in 1987 and is registered in France and in the US as a non profit organisation. The university offers a one or two-year Master in Space Studies (MSS) in Strasbourg and shorter professional development programs across the world. The latter include an itinerant nine-week Space Studies Program (SSP), a five-week Southern Hemisphere SSP in partnership with the University of South Australia, a 6-week Commercial Space graduate certificate in partnership with the Florida Institute of Technology, and one-week Executive Space Courses in Australia, Europe and the United States. [1]
The International Space University Central Campus and global headquarters are located in Illkirch-Graffenstaden which is a suburb of Strasbourg in northeastern France. ISU was founded on the "3-Is" philosophy providing an Interdisciplinary, Intercultural, and International environment for educating and training space professionals and post-graduate students. As of April 2020, there were over 5000 ISU alumni from 109 countries. In November 2017 the International Space University hosted a conference in Strasbourg that led to the formation of the Moon Village Association. [2] [3] The ISU faculty members include astronauts, space agency leaders, space engineers, space scientists, managers, and experts in space law and policy comprising an international collection of experts in technical and non-technical space-related fields. [4]
The Chancellor of the International Space University is Pascale Ehrenfreund, [5] Chair of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Executive Board and President of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). She was preceded by Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, [6] who succeeded then–European Space Agency Director-General Jean-Jacques Dordain and acclaimed science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke, in 2004. The sixth President of the International Space University is Juan de Dalmau who succeeded Prof. Walter Peeters, in September 2018. [7]
In 1985, three young space enthusiasts created the Space Generation Foundation, dedicated to fostering a sense of identity for those people born since the beginning of the space era. [8] The ISU founders are Peter Diamandis, one of the founders of SEDS and a medical doctor with a Master's in aerospace engineering from MIT; Todd Hawley, a graduate from Space Policy Institute at George Washington University; Robert D. Richards, an engineer and physicist, and former assistant of the well-known astrophysicist Carl Sagan. The three men generated a series of novel ideas from which a "Space University" was exceptionally well received. [9] The idea garnered the support of a number of important personalities in the space field, including Prof. U.R. Rao, president of the Indian Space Research Organization; Dr. Harrison Schmitt, an Apollo 17 astronaut and former senator; Dr. Burton Edelson, Associate Administrator of NASA for Space, Science, and Applications; Dr. Gerard K. O'Neill from the Space Studies Institute; space pioneer Prof. Hermann Oberth; and Arthur C. Clarke, the visionary writer, along with many others. [10]
This initiative was further developed and presented to the Advances in the Astronautical Sciences (AAS) Meeting dedicated to Aerospace Century XXI in Boulder, Colorado in 1986. [11] The following year, a three-day Founding Conference convened at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 10 to 12 April 1987. These dates were chosen to commemorate the flight of Yuri Gagarin (12 April 1961), the first human in space. The Founding Conference culminated in the formal creation of the International Space University, and established it as a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization in the state of Massachusetts, USA. The first ISU Summer Session Program (SSP) took place at MIT from 20 June to 20 August 1988 with the support of the major space agencies. A significant announcement in an article dating 5 July 1988, in the Christian Science Monitor introduced the four founders and their novel and exciting venture. In a ceremonial gesture, the first international participants in the summer session were led by the four founders in a walk across the Charles River from MIT in Cambridge to Boston. The artwork for the first brochure was made by Pat Rawlings and is still in use today. The original offices of the fledgling ISU were located in a Victorian townhouse overlooking bustling Kenmore Square in Boston.
Following an international competition for a host city for the Central Campus, the ISU home base moved from Massachusetts to Illkirch-Graffenstaden in the Urban Community of Strasbourg, France, in 1994. ISU is now a non-profit association registered in Alsace (France), and is still registered in the US as a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization. The Governing Members of ISU are international organizations, industries, space agencies, academic institutions, and individual members.
The French Ministry of Education formally recognized ISU as an institute of higher education in 2004 [12] The International Space University has had permanent observer status with the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs since 1998. ISU was also granted full membership of the Space Agency Forum (SAF) in 1995. ISU is a member of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and has been invited to contribute to a number of international activities including the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum, [13] the IAF Symposium on "Bringing Space into Education", the World Space Workshop on Education, and the National Science Week Steering Committee.[ citation needed ]
To ensure that the programs being offered meet the demands of a rapidly changing space sector, ISU regularly conducts surveys to ascertain the latest educational needs of the global space enterprises and updates its programs accordingly. The milestones of the history of ISU are noted in the Table below:[ citation needed ]
Date | Milestone |
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1987 | ISU Founding Conference and Incorporation in the USA |
1988 | First Administrative office of ISU established in Kenmore Square Boston |
1988 | First Summer Session at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts |
1993 | Strasbourg selected as Location for ISU Central Campus |
1993 | First Affiliate Conference, Huntsville, Alabama |
1994 | ISU relocates to Strasbourg and incorporates in Alsace |
1995 | First Master of Science in Space Studies (MSS) |
1996 | First Short Programs (Symposium, Workshops and PDP) |
2000 | Groundbreaking for ISU Central Campus in Illkirch-Graffenstaden |
2002 | Official Opening of ISU Central Campus |
2003 | First Introductory Space Course (now the Executive Space Course) |
2004 | Official Recognition by the French Ministry of Education |
2004 | First Master of Science in Space Management (MSM) |
2009 | Beginning of the Space Executive MBA (EMBA) |
2011 | Beginning of the Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program (SH-SSP) |
2012 | 25th Anniversary of ISU celebrated on 12 April |
2014 | 20th Anniversary of ISU in Strasbourg |
2015 | 20th Anniversary of Master of Science in Space Studies (MSS) |
2017 | 30th Anniversary of ISU celebrated |
2020 | 25th Anniversary of the Masters of Science in Space Studies (MSS) |
ISU originally evolved in a geographically decentralized way, with summer sessions convened in a different country each year. In 1994 the Central Campus was established in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, because of its central European location and unique[ citation needed ] character. During the first years, the Master of Science classes took place in the Pôle API of the École Nationale Supérieure de Physique de Strasbourg.
Since 2002 ISU has had its own building, thanks to the support of the local authorities. The Central Campus is now located in the Parc d'Innovation of Illkirch-Graffenstaden just south of Strasbourg, less than 30 minutes from the city centre by public transportation. [14]
ISU's organizational structure includes a Board of Advisors, chaired by the Chancellor, and a board of trustees elected by the Governing Membership of the ISU. The Board of Trustees determines ISU's overall objectives, oversees the university's affairs and appoints the ISU President. The President is supported by an executive committee, Academic Staff (who prepare and deliver ISU programs) and Administrative Staff (responsible for the daily operation of the Institution). The Academic Staff are led by the Dean, who is supported by staff responsible for ISU's academic programs (Masters and SSP) and library services. The Academic Council of ISU is responsible for ensuring the academic quality of ISU's teaching and research activities. ISU academic staff include a number of Resident Faculty, augmented by other Faculty and Lecturers as needed for the programs. [4]
The programs offered by ISU are dedicated to the space-related fields, as well as sports programs.
Participation in these programs is open to individuals and institutions of all nationalities.
The Master of Science in Space Studies (MSS) and the Master of Science in Space Management (MSM) are graduate-level degree programs in the space field. These one-year degree programs include a three-month professional internship and several professional visits. The main elements of the Masters are: [15]
Year | Team Projects |
2021-2022 |
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2019-2020 |
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2018-2019 |
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2017-2018 |
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2016-2017 |
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2015–2016 |
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2014–2015 |
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2013–2014 |
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2012–2013 | |
2011–2012 | |
2010–2011 | |
2009–2010 | |
2008–2009 | |
2007–2008 | |
2006–2007 | |
2005–2006 | |
2004–2005 | |
2003–2004 | |
2002–2003 | |
2001–2002 | |
2000–2001 | |
1999–2000 |
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1998–1999 |
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1997–1998 |
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1996–1997 |
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1995–1996 |
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The Space Studies Program (SSP) is an intense two-month course for postgraduate students and professionals of all disciplines. The curriculum covers the principal space related fields, both non-technical and technical and ranges from policy and law, business and management and humanities to life sciences, engineering, physical sciences and space applications. The shared experience of an international, interactive working environment is an ideal networking forum leading to the creation of an extensive, international, multidisciplinary professional network.
Each year the SSP convenes in a different location around the world. The SSP curriculum includes:
Future Space Studies programs are planned for: [47]
Past Space Studies Programs, Locations and Team Projects
Year | Location | Team Projects |
2019 | Strasbourg, France |
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2018 | Delft, The Netherlands |
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2017 | Cork, Ireland |
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2016 | Haifa, Israel |
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2015 | Athens, USA |
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2014 | Montréal, Canada |
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2013 | Strasbourg, France | |
2012 | Florida Institute of Technology and NASA Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA | |
2011 | Graz, Austria | |
2010 | Strasbourg, France | |
2009 | NASA Ames Research Center, United States | |
2008 | Barcelona, Spain | |
2007 | Beijing, China | |
2006 | Strasbourg, France | |
2005 | Vancouver, Canada | |
2004 | Adelaide, Australia | |
2003 | Strasbourg, France | |
2002 | Pomona, United States | |
2001 | Bremen, Germany | |
2000 | Valparaíso, Chile | |
1999 | Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand | |
1998 | Cleveland, United States | |
1997 | Houston, United States | |
1996 | Vienna, Austria | |
1995 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
1994 | Barcelona, Spain | |
1993 | Huntsville, United States | |
1992 | Kitakyushu, Japan | |
1991 | Toulouse, France |
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1990 | Toronto, Canada | |
1989 | Strasbourg, France | |
1988 | Cambridge, United States |
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The Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program (SH-SSP) is a five weeks course open to undergraduate students and professionals of all disciplines with space interest. As in all ISU programs, the curriculum covers not only space-related fields and space applications but also non-technical fields such as policy, law, space business, and management techniques.
The intention of a second program, next to the established SSP program of ISU, was to extend the offering to participants of the Southern Hemisphere, in line with the local summer holidays, but participants from all nations are welcomed.
The program is offered in partnership with the University of South Australia in Adelaide (Mawson Lakes Campus) and benefits from scholarship support from the Australian Space Research Program. The intention is to have the program iterating to different locations in the Southern Hemisphere, in particular in Africa and South America, but regularly returning to Australia.
Year | Location | Whitepaper Topic |
2018 | UniSA, Australia |
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2017 | UniSA, Australia |
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2016 | UniSA, Australia |
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2014 | UniSA, Australia |
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2013 | UniSA, Australia |
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2012 | UniSA, Australia |
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2011 | UniSA, Australia |
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Previous White Paper executive summaries and full reports are available for download from the ISU Library.
The Executive Space Course (ESC) provides an overview of space and of space-related subjects for professionals of diverse backgrounds, including marketing, finance, law, and contract management, intended to improve their communication with technical colleagues.
Since 1995, the collection of the ISU Library has grown to reach about 9,000 space-related documents. The collection supports the interdisciplinary aspects of the courses and includes subjects like space-related business and management, space policy and law, international cooperation, remote sensing and Earth observation, telecommunication, space engineering, space mission design, astronomy, space life sciences, and space medicine. The Library also features news about space, information from space agencies and research institutes around the world, and awareness and alerting services from journals. RSS feeds can be used to follow the library's new acquisitions. Interested people may subscribe to the feeds for receiving regular updates about books, electronic documents, or Team Projects reports that are added to the online catalog. [112]
With the strong support from ESA, the following facilities were installed and put into operation:[ citation needed ]
Several optical and radio telescopes at ISU give students the opportunity of performing observations as well as the necessary analysis, which introduces them to typical techniques of astrophysical research and gives them a first-hand experience in the study of the invisible Universe.
The satellite television Ku band (10–12 GHz) is suitable to perform observations of the Sun and the Moon, using conventional material, such as a 1.2-meter parabolic dish, placed on the roof of the ISU building. This telescope, developed under ESA contract by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits in Dresden for use in schools, has been given to ISU by ESA. It is capable of providing properly calibrated data and hence allows to determine the surface temperatures of the Sun and the Moon. Since its in-depth testing by ISU Masters students, it has been extensively used in the framework of workshops and individual student projects. With the ESA-Dresden Radio Telescope, the students can experience and perform all the necessary steps from observation, calibration, and data reduction to the interpretation and evaluation of the results.
The Haystack Observatory, run by MIT, developed a Small Radio Telescope (SRT) for educational purposes, consisting of a 2.3-meter diameter standard satellite dish antenna. This radio telescope operates at a 1.42 GHz frequency (21-cm wavelength) where hydrogen atoms emit a strong spectral line. This allows radio astronomers to detect hydrogen, the most abundant element of the Universe. One SRT has been donated to ISU by ESA and is operational since 2009. This new asset, named the ESA-Haystack Radio Telescope, provides the students with the opportunity of performing observations of astronomical objects even outside the Solar System.
When the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) acquired a new Concurrent Design Facility, its initial CDF was set up at the ISU Central Campus in 2008. The CDF brings the Masters's students the possibility of familiarizing themselves with concurrent engineering and its application processes through workshops and assignments. These hands-on activities always have double-oriented tasks, by combining the CDF process with the development of space-related topics. As the usefulness of concurrent engineering extends much further than space mission design, the use of the ISU CDF for design processes in other industry fields than space is also under consideration.
A fully automated satellite tracking station is installed at ISU since 2008. This ground station provides several hands-on training opportunities for the Masters' students, as satellite communication is now a reality at ISU. The ISU Tracking Ground Station was built in the scope of the Global Educational Network for Satellite Operations (GENSO) project, an endeavor involving students worldwide and promoted by the International Space Education Board (ISEB), an organization including the educational departments of some of the major space agencies worldwide.
Established in 2009, the ISU Human Spaceflight Laboratory includes a rotating chair, the training model of the ultrasound echocardiograph, and body motion analysis equipment that flew on Mir in 1988, and the flight model of the neuroscience Pocket equipment that flew on the Space Shuttle STS-51G mission. This equipment was all donated by CNES. In addition, NASA has loaned a training model of the ISS Advanced Life Support Pack (ALSP) and ESA has loaned a training model of the ISS 3DSPACE experiment. The Human Spaceflight Laboratory is also equipped with a clinostat, an autoclave, a laminar flow cabinet, microscopes, medical diagnosis and surgery tools, and other laboratory equipment to provide realistic hands-on training on the experiments performed in space by astronauts.
The goal of the Self Deployable Habitat for Extreme Environments (SHEE) is to develop a deployable space analog habitat demonstrating technologies and architecture that may one day be used in extreme environment habitats on the Earth, Moon, and Mars. This project is a partnership between seven different companies and institutions representing five different European nations. This habitat is designed to support two "astronauts" for missions of up to two weeks in duration. Construction was completed in July 2015, after which the SHEE was shipped to ISU for validation and testing. ISU faculty and students will spend the next six months evaluating the habitat and delivering a report on their findings to the European Commission. The SHEE will live in the ISU High Bay until April 2016 when it will take part in a Mars Analog mission called Moonwalk in Rio Tinto, Spain.
Up until 2013, an annual ISU symposium was convened to address a topic with broad interest both with the space industry and among the space agencies. The Symposium has been suspended until further notice. Other international conference-style events are being planned and convened on the ISU campus. Refer to the ISU web site for more details. The following table presents the topics covered from 1996 to 2013.
Year | Subject |
2013 | Space Technology and Tele-Reach: Benefiting Humanity on Earth and Beyond |
2012 | Sustainability of Space Activities: International Issues and Potential Solutions |
2011 | The International Space Station: Maximizing the Return from Extended Operations |
2010 | The Public Face of Space |
2009 | Space for a Safe and Secure World |
2008 | Space Solutions to Earth's Global Challenges |
2007 | Why the Moon? |
2006 | |
2005 | Space Exploration: Who, What, When, Where, Why? |
2004 | Civil, Commercial and Security Space: What Will Drive the Next Decade? |
2003 | Satellite Navigation Systems: Policy, Commercial and Technical Interaction [113] |
2002 | Beyond the International Space Station: The Future of Human Spaceflight [114] |
2001 | Smaller Satellites: Bigger Business? Concepts, Applications and Markets for Micro/Nanosatellites in a New Information World [115] |
2000 | The Space Transportation Market: Evolution or Revolution? [116] |
1999 | International Space Station: The Next Space Marketplace [117] |
1998 | Space and the Global Village: Tele-services for the 21st Century [118] |
1997 | New Space Markets [119] |
1996 | Space of Service to Humanity: Preserving Earth and Improving Life [120] |
The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 22-member intergovernmental body devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, the ESA was founded in 1975. Its 2024 annual budget was €7.8 billion.
Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. While the exploration of space is currently carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration is conducted both by uncrewed robotic space probes and human spaceflight. Space exploration, like its classical form astronomy, is one of the main sources for space science.
Phobos is the innermost and larger of the two natural satellites of Mars, the other being Deimos. The two moons were discovered in 1877 by American astronomer Asaph Hall. It is named after Phobos, the Greek god of fear and panic, who is the son of Ares (Mars) and twin brother of Deimos.
The Canadian Space Agency is the national space agency of Canada, established in 1990 by the Canadian Space Agency Act.
The space program of the People's Republic of China is about the activities in outer space conducted and directed by the People's Republic of China. The roots of the Chinese space program trace back to the 1950s, when, with the help of the newly allied Soviet Union, China began development of its first ballistic missile and rocket programs in response to the perceived American threats. Driven by the successes of Soviet Sputnik 1 and American Explorer 1 satellite launches in 1957 and 1958 respectively, China would launch its first satellite, Dong Fang Hong 1 in April 1970 aboard a Long March 1 rocket, making it the fifth nation to place a satellite in orbit.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is the Japanese national air and space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and launch of satellites into orbit, and is involved in many more advanced missions such as asteroid exploration and possible human exploration of the Moon. Its motto is One JAXA and its corporate slogan is Explore to Realize.
The Italian Space Agency is a government agency established in 1988 to fund, regulate and coordinate space exploration activities in Italy. The agency cooperates with numerous national and international entities who are active in aerospace research and technology.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to space exploration.
A moonbase is a human outpost on or below the surface of the Moon. More than a mere site of activity or temporary camp, moonbases are extraterrestrial bases, supporting robotic or human activity, by providing surface infrastructure. Missions to the Moon have realized single-mission bases,, as well as some small permanent installations.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. Established in 1958, it succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) to give the U.S. space development effort a distinct civilian orientation, emphasizing peaceful applications in space science. It has since led most of America's space exploration programs, including Project Mercury, Project Gemini, the 1968–1972 Apollo Moon landing missions, the Skylab space station, and the Space Shuttle. Currently, NASA supports the International Space Station (ISS) along with the Commercial Crew Program, and oversees the development of the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System for the lunar Artemis program.
Vladimir Pletser is Director of Space Training Operations at Blue Abyss since 2018, where he is in charge of developing astronaut training programs. From 2016 to early 2018, he was a Visiting Professor and Scientific Adviser at the Technology and Engineering Centre for Space Utilization (CSU) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China. He supported the preparation of scientific experiments in microgravity for the Chinese Tiangong space station and for aircraft parabolic flights. He worked previously from 1985 till early 2016 as a senior Physicist Engineer at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) of ESA.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center "MBRSC is a Dubai Government organisation, working on the UAE space program which includes various space satellites projects, such as the Emirates Mars Mission, the Emirates Lunar Mission, and the UAE astronaut program. The center actively works to promote space science and research in the region and encompasses the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST).
The Lunar Gateway, or simply Gateway, is a space station which is planned to be assembled in orbit around the Moon. The Gateway is intended to serve as a communication hub, science laboratory, and habitation module for astronauts as part of the Artemis program. It is a multinational collaborative project: participants include NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC). The Gateway is planned to be the first space station beyond low Earth orbit.
Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) is a robotic space probe set for launch in 2026 to bring back the first samples from Mars' largest moon Phobos. Developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and announced on 9 June 2015, MMX will land and collect samples from Phobos once or twice, along with conducting Deimos flyby observations and monitoring Mars's climate.
As the space race came to an end, a new rationale for investment in space exploration emerged, focused on the pragmatic use of space for improving life on Earth. The legacy of the space race is that nations continue to pursue space exploration to enhance their prestige. As the justification for government-funded space programs shifted to "the public good", space agencies began to articulate and measure the wider socio-economic benefits that might derive from their activities, including both the direct and indirect benefits of space exploration. However, such programs have also been criticized with several drawbacks cited.
HERACLES is a planned robotic transport system to and from the Moon by Europe (ESA), Japan (JAXA) and Canada (CSA) that will feature a lander called the European Large Logistic Lander, a Lunar Ascent Element, and a rover. The lander can be configured for different operations such as up to 1.5 tons of cargo delivery, sample-returns, or prospecting resources found on the Moon.
Article 1 - The ISU Institute called "International Space University", located in the innovation park, boulevard Gonthier d'Andernach in Illkirch-Graffenstaden (Bas-Rhin)) is recognized by the State as of the start of the 2003 academic year.(translated to english)
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