The 21st summer school of the Ariane Cities Community (ACC), dedicated to access to space, will take place from July 5 to August 9, 2022. Created in 1998, the ACC brings together partner cities and industries working on European space transport. It strengthens cooperation between stakeholders, provides information on space activities in Europe, and contributes to the training of future professionals in the sector.
A 2022 edition between Bordeaux and Bremen
For more than 20 years, students and young engineers have been selected to participate in the CVA summer school, which takes place each year in a different Ariane city, in partnership with an industrial company and a higher education institution. This year, the summer school will last five weeks, split between Bordeaux and Bremen. The program includes team building, the design, construction, and launch of experimental mini rockets, themed conferences, visits to companies and space agencies, and cultural tourism!
The Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Bordeaux-Talence, a key player in aeronautics and space training and a founding member of NAASC (New Aquitaine University Space Center), will host the Bordeaux portion of this summer school from July 5 to 23. Catherine Goetz, who is actively involved in this major event in the European space industry, has helped to develop the program, which will be taught in English, and will lead several training modules.
This event is sponsored by Bordeaux Métropole and supported by ArianeGroup, notably through AJSEP, an association for young space science enthusiasts, which brings together professionals to promote science and technology in the space sector.
The 18 students and young professionals selected—including an Arts et Métiers engineering student—will be divided into six multicultural teams (France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Italy) to carry out two "common thread" projects with the following objectives:
- Understanding the challenges of space transportation and identifying avenues for development for the Ariane 6 rocket that meet market needs.
- Design, build, and launch an experimental micro-rocket.
Understanding the challenges of space transportation and proposing solutions to develop Ariane 6 in line with market demands:
Students will be able to choose between two themes: transforming Ariane 6 into a partially reusable launch vehicle, or enabling Ariane 6 to carry out manned space flights.
To do this, they will need to conduct an analysis of the space transport market and an analysis of the design of the Ariane 6 launcher (Bordeaux), before proposing technical solutions for its development and analyzing the consequences of these solutions (Bremen).
Design, build, and launch an experimental mini-rocket: the Micro-Rocket Challenge
The teams will also have to design, build, and fly twice, first in Bordeaux and then in Bremen, a reusable micro-rocket (weighing less than 400 g, less than 70 cm long, with a maximum altitude of 130 m) that will carry out two successive missions: first in Bordeaux, transport a chicken egg—without breaking it—as high as possible while filming the flight, then in Bremen, characterize the micro-rocket's flight environment using various measurement chains installed in place of the chicken egg.
Official presentations before panels of professionals will enable the six teams of students and young professionals to be assessed and rewarded for the quality of their work.
