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| Type | Non-profit interdisciplinary university |
|---|---|
| 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″N 7°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]
History
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 |
|---|---|
| 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) |
Campus
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]
Organization and administration
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]
Academics
The programs offered by ISU are dedicated to the space-related fields, as well as sports programs.
Programs delivered each year on a regular basis
- A twelve-month Master of Science in Space Studies (MSS)
- A two-month Space Studies Program (SSP)
- A five-week Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Studies Program (SHSSP)
- A one-week Executive Space Course (ESC) providing a basic introduction to space topics for corporates executives.
Short programs delivered on demand
- Professional Development Programs
- Workshops
- Short Courses
- Forums
Participation in these programs is open to individuals and institutions of all nationalities.
Masters of Science
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]
- Lectures covering all major disciplines related to space, with corresponding workshops and roundtables,
- Lectures on contemporary space-related issues and events which as a whole provide an interdisciplinary and intercultural education,
- Team Projects involving most, if not all, of those disciplines (see Table below),
- Individual Projects performed during the academic year and during an internship period,
- Professional Visits and participation to ISU Annual Symposium,
- Specific skills training.
| Year | Team Projects |
| 2021-2022 |
|
| 2019-2020 |
|
| 2018-2019 |
|
| 2017-2018 |
|
| 2016-2017 |
|
| 2015–2016 |
|
| 2014–2015 |
|
| 2013–2014 |
|
| 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 |
|
| 1998–1999 |
|
| 1997–1998 |
|
| 1996–1997 |
|
| 1995–1996 |
|
Space Studies Program
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:
- Core Lectures covering fundamental concepts across all relevant disciplines,
- Theme days presenting keys/issues of space with an interdisciplinary approach,
- Hands-on workshops providing practical applications of the concepts presented in the lectures,
- Departmental Activities of the seven SSP departments providing in-depth lectures & workshops, professional visits, and individual research projects,
- Team Projects in which the SSP participants address a relevant space topic as an international, interdisciplinary, and intercultural team.
- Future Space Studies Programs
Future Space Studies programs are planned for:[47]
- 2020: Postponed to 2021 in Granada. An online experience is offered during the summer of 2020: the Interactive Space Program (ISP).
- 2021: Granada, Spain.
- 2023: São José dos Campos, Brazil.[48]
Past Space Studies Programs, Locations and Team Projects
| Year | Location | Team Projects |
| 2019 | Strasbourg, France |
|
| 2018 | Delft, The Netherlands |
|
| 2017 | Cork, Ireland |
|
| 2016 | Haifa, Israel |
|
| 2015 | Athens, USA |
|
| 2014 | Montréal, Canada |
|
| 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 |