The InternationalSpace UniversityThe InternationalSpace University

T he International Space University (ISU)offers, with the support of the world spacecommunity and within an international and

intercultural environment, interdisciplinarypost-graduate programmes in space studies.These graduate programmes prepareprofessionals from all sectors to meet thechallenges of international space cooperationand the restructuring of the space sector.Although it was created as recently as 1987,the ISU is remarkably successful: by 2005 ithad around 2400 alumni, forming a strongnetwork in the space community.

IntroductionWhereas many universities in the worldhave excellent space departments, theInternational Space University (ISU) at itscampus in Strasbourg (F) concentratesexclusively on the ‘space’ aspect in itscurriculum. Another difference is thatspace is treated as interdisciplinary ratherthan as a specialised area by looking at allaspects related to space. Diversity isensured by selecting students and facultyon the ‘3I principle’: international,intercultural and interdisciplinary. Indeed,a specific effort is made to ensure thatgroups are as international as possible,typically composed of more than 20nationalities.

The intercultural character creates amicrocosmos in which the participants,even if they are nationals of highlycompetitive (space) nations, work closelytogether. Another goal is to improve gender

Roger Elaerts & Walter PeetersESA Education Department, ESA Directorate forExternal Relations, ESA Headquarters, Paris,France

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distribution in the future space world byaiming at 30% female participation, whichis far superior to today’s genderdistribution in the space sector.

The interdisciplinary character isunique. It is reflected in the distribution ofthe participants, faculty and lectures overthe different disciplines. All space-related

aspects are covered in each programme,ranging from science and engineering, lifesciences and medicine, business andmanagement, policy and law and even purehumanities topics such as philosophy andart. Students with backgrounds in anydiscipline may be accepted for theprogramme, on condition that they clearlydemonstrate their interest in spaceactivities to the admissions committee.

The ISU ProgrammesThe programmes offered by the ISU arededicated to the career development ofgraduate students and professionals fromall nations seeking advancement in space-related fields. Tailored to the needs ofpostgraduates and professionals in thespace sector or those who wish to workthere, ISU offers two kinds ofprogrammes:

Programmes delivered each year on aregular basisthree graduate programmes: a 12-month

Master in Science (MSc) of SpaceStudies (MSS), a 12-month MSc ofSpace Management (MSM), and a2-month Summer Session Programme(SSP);

an Introductory Space Course: a 1-weekcourse providing a basic introductionto space topics;

two annual conferences: the Alumni

Conference (organised by the alumni)and the ISU Annual Symposium.

Short programmes (1-day to 2-weeks)Delivered on demand and/or to respond toa specific need, these programmes includeprofessional development programmes,workshops, short courses and forums.

Participation in ISU programmes is opento individuals and institutions of allnationalities. They are presented in moredetail in the programme handbooks and atwww.isunet.edu

In order to meet the needs expressed byindustry, the courses aim at giving eachISU student:

– an understanding of the interactionsbetween all the space-related disciplines,leading to a coherent view of spaceand related activities, understood as acomplex system;

– an appreciation of the global perspectiveand of the challenges presented by theinternational character of spaceactivities and their applications,including the differences in methodand logic underlying planning anddecisions, largely influenced by culturaland disciplinary backgrounds.

In addition, the active participation ofthe students is encouraged through hands-on exercises, in order to give them theability:

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The three founders of ISU. From left: Peter Diamandis, ToddHawley and Bob Richards

ISU Milestones

1987 ISU Founding Conference and Incorporation in USA

1988 First Summer Session at MITin Cambridge, MA

1993 Strasbourg selected to host ISU Central Campus

1993 First Affiliate Conference, Huntsville, USA

1994 ISU relocates to Strasbourg and Incorporates in Alsace

1995 First Master in Space Studies (MSS) Program based in Strasbourg

1996 First Short Programs (Symposium, Workshops andPDP)

2000 Groundbreaking for Central Campus Building

2002 Official Opening of Central Campus Building

2003 First Introductory Space Course (ISC) held in Strasbourg

2004 Official Accreditation by French Ministry ofEducation

2004 First Master of Space Management (MSM) Program

An ISU symposium room

– to make appropriate decisions at theappropriate time, using critical thinkingand foresight;

– to understand the methods of workingand of management in various countries;

– to lead international teams and tomanage international projects by takingaccount of the different culturalapproaches, the political and legalimplications and the budgetary andfinancial issues;

– to communicate with the differentpartners and the public, while accom-modating the industrial, governmentaland academic perspectives.

Master of Science CurriculumMSS and MSM are graduate-level degreesdesigned for individuals seekingprofessional development or furtheracademic study. They entail 12 months ofhighly intensive graduate study, includinga 3-month professional internship andseveral trips of professional interest. Themain elements of the programmes are:

– a balanced series of lectures coveringall major disciplines related to space,with workshops and roundtables;

– a series of lectures on contemporaryspace-related issues and events whichas a whole provides an interdisciplinaryand intercultural education;

– Design Team Projects involving most,if not all, of those disciplines;

– Individual Projects performed duringthe academic year and during aninternship period;

– professional visits and participation inthe ISU Annual Symposium;

– skill training.

This broad programme is complementedby more detailed study in the area of theindividual student’s main interest, viaadvanced lectures, specialised seminars,Individual Projects and a StudentInternship for practical training at a chosenISU partner.

The course is divided into five modules,which can be taken over a period of up to7 years. Students who have completed aSummer Session can begin on Module 2.

The curriculum is structured to buildprogressively upon the knowledgeassimilated during each module,simultaneously broadening the cross-disciplinary range and acquiring morespecific knowledge in each field. Theprogramme ensures that studentsunderstand the relationships andinteractions between the variouscomponents and disciplines at each phaseof a space programme or mission.

The programme also provides for theacquisition of skills such as efficient team-working, international project manage-ment, presentation and computer skills,and information retrieval.

Summer Session Programme (SSP)The SSP is an intensive 9-week academicexperience at the post-graduate level,providing an overview of internationalspace activities. The interdisciplinarycurriculum offers the students newperspectives on the world’s spaceactivities. All the major space disciplinesare studied through interaction withinternational faculty members, eminentin their respective fields. This, incombination with the teamwork of aDesign Project, broadens the participants’knowledge and gives them a greatlyimproved awareness and understandingof all space activities.

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A hands-on workshop under way

CoreCurriculum

Common to

MSS

&

MSM

SSP

InternshipTeam Projects

by

Teams

composed

of students of

both Masters

Internship

Module1 Module3 Module 4Module 2 Module 5

MSS

MSM

The structure of the Master programmes and the interrelation with the Summer Session Programme

The general structure of a Summer Session Programme

The SSP curriculum comprises:

– a Core Lecture Series, providingfundamental knowledge on space andrelated activities;

– theme days, presenting key issues inspace with an interdisciplinaryapproach;

– a Distinguished Lecture Series, givingthe point of view people who havemade outstanding contributions tospace;

– faculty/student workshops, givingstudents the opportunity to discussproblems of interest with faculty or todemonstrate practical applications ofthe knowledge gained in the lectures;

– individual assignments performedunder the supervision of the Faculty;

– a Design Team Project, performedwithin an international team ofstudents, allowing them to practiseteam-working and project manage-ment within a Phase-A project;

– experience different cultures andproblem-solving within activities andDesign Team Projects.

The Introductory Space CourseQuestionnaires identified the need toorganise a 5-day introductory course toprovide a synopsis of space topics. Thetarget group is highly diversified,including:

– non-technical space managers fromfinance, legal affairs, outreach, etc.;

– technical specialists looking for arefresher course and an extension intoother domains, such as space law andpolicy;

– space enthusiasts in general;– policy-makers from (inter) govern-

mental organisations involved inspace-related applications.

The ISU is an international ‘NetworkUniversity’, composed of an institutionalnetwork, a professional network linkedby an electronic network;

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The SSP class of 2004, Adelaide, Australia

Example of an Introductory Space Course

– Sponsors and Partners (university andresearch institutes, industry, spaceagencies);

– ISU alumni, who form a vibrant andglobal network of 2400 highlydedicated professionals, groupedwithin different Alumni Associations;

– Governing members;– Members of the various ISU

governing boards and councils.

AchievementsThe ISU is increasingly recognised as aforum where space activities can bediscussed internationally, unconstrainedby national or political conditions andunencumbered by any particular bias. As

such, the yearly symposium is growingin importance and attracting participantsand decision-makers from differentspace organisations and companies.

Many organisations have discoveredthis ‘independent platform’ function ofISU’s symposium and strongly supportit. It is appreciated in cases where policyissues are concerned. For example, itwas the case in 2003 when US andEuropean experts openly discussedcompatibility issues of satellite navigationsystems, in particular Galileo.

Similarly, in 2005, exploration was thetopic. The theme of cooperationbetween the International Space Stationpartners and the leading role of the USin such an endeavour led to interestingdebates and exchanges of opinions.These included contributions fromRussian and Chinese space experts atthe symposium.

The origins of SSP and MSS/MSMparticipants are fundamentally different.Whereas the first category is a mixtureof graduates and professionals, the latterconsists mainly of recent graduates andprofessionals from space-related areasinterested in ‘reconverting’ to the spacesector.

The success of the ISU as a provider ofmanagers for the space sector is bettermeasured by the Master’s programmeflow. In 2004, extensive research traced the‘transfer function’ of the MSS programmein terms of which sectors students camefrom and where they went to aftergraduation. This was done by aquestionnaire to the three previousMaster classes, followed up by calls andcontacts that provided data on some 104past students from a total of 128members.

Participants had previous workingexperience in the space sector (21%), thenon-space sector (20%) or were freshgraduates (59%). Whereas those from thespace sector – mainly from space agencies

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The ISU Network

The origins and destinations of 104 graduates of the MScprogramme 2002-2004

– the Central Campus at Illkirch, a cityof the Strasbourg Urban Communityin France, where the Headquarters arelocated;

– ISU North American Office, inWashington DC;

– 21 Affiliate Campuses on fivecontinents;

– 18 Summer Session Host Institutions;– Internship Host Institutions, on four

continents;– National Liaisons and Foundations

spread throughout the world,– ISU Faculty and Lecturers from

around the world, who form aninvaluable international resource ofknowledge and experience;

or other governmental organisations –returned there, a large portion (39%) ofthose without previous working experiencefound a job in the space sector. Half ofthe participants from the non-space sector(20% incoming) found jobs in the spacesector, bringing the overall percentage ofnew graduates directly entering the spaceworkforce to 70%. Added to this shouldbe those continuing their academic careersby pursuing PhD programmes andentering the space sector later, as well asthose still looking for jobs at the time ofthe survey.

Indeed, a longer-term survey showsthat 83% of all ISU alumni eventuallypursue space careers. Since many of themreach important management functions,it demonstrates the role of the ISU as aprime provider of space professionals.

ISU and ESAFrom the beginning, ESA has stronglysupported the creation of the ISU. ESA’sthen Director General, Reimar Lüst,gladly became a member of ISU’sadvisory board. ESA’s present DG,Jean-Jacques Dordain, accepted theinvitation to become the secondChancellor of the University.

ESA annually provides a number ofscholarships for young Europeangraduates to attend the ISU. Comple-mented by an equivalent number ofscholarships sponsored by ESA Member-State delegations or national spaceagencies, space industry and satelliteoperators, these scholarships guaranteestrong participation by European students.

Thanks to a collaboration with ESA’sHuman Resources Department, ISUstudents from ESA Member States can

perform their internships under thesupervision of experienced practitionersat various ESA establishments.

As part of ESA’s internal trainingprogramme, a number of staff attend theIntroductory Space Course or SummerSession Programme. ESA experts regularlygive lectures at MSc or summer coursesand participate in ISU conferences andsymposia.

As a Governing Member, ESA has astrong interest in the major decisionsaffecting the future of the ISU. It thereforeplays a very active role in the 2-yearlymeetings of the Board of Trustees.

Another example of ESA/ISUinteraction was a Team Project to surveythe space technology R&D roadmaps ofmajor space agencies and to suggestpossible models for cooperation. Inaddition to the major assistance providedby specialists from ESA’s Directorate of Technology & Quality Managementas part of the Agency’s TechnologyHarmonisation and Strategy Process, thevalue of the ‘Tracks to Space’ finalreport was considerably increased by theparticipation of Chinese spaceprofessionals and staff members ofother agencies in the project.

ISU intends its alumni to develop theircareers and meet new challenges. Theirexperience in the ISU Design TeamProjects certainly enhances theircapabilities to negotiate with new partnerssuch as China and India.

ConclusionThe prime focus of the ISU is to developa future generation of space professionalsto satisfy the needs of space agenciesand industry. To achieve this, a spectrumof programmes has been developed,ranging from 1-year MSc courses to1-week introductory courses. All theprogrammes involve international groupstaught by an international faculty inspace-related topics.

Surveys have shown that 83% of ISU’s2400 alumni are working in the spacesector and forming a strong network. TheISU and ESA have developed a strongpartnership with clear mutual benefits.

Nevertheless, the changing space worlddoes not allow the ISU to stand still: itcontinues to adapt its programmes to meetnew circumstances. Constant feedbackfrom space agencies and companies isessential to ensure the quality of itsprogrammes and the provision of spaceprofessionals to meet the needs of itsprincipal stakeholders. e

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How to Apply for the ISU Programmes

The ISU Admissions Committee assesses applicants tothe MSS, MSM and SSP programmes primarily on the

basis of their academic and professionalqualifications, their achievements, their motivation

and their proficiency in English.

Candidates can apply online by visiting the ISU homepage at www.isunet.edu and clicking on the ‘NewUser’ button in the upper right corner. Queries on

scholarships, the equivalence of academicqualifications and English proficiency certificates can

be sent by email to admissions@isu.isunet.edu

ISU Chancellor Jean-Jacques Dordain at the ISU academic closingceremony