The Space Studies Program 2023 – Online Edition (SSP23-online) is a 4-week professional development course for postgraduate students and professionals of all disciplines.
SSP23-online participants will attend a series of 55 core lectures live, covering the principal space related fields, both non-technical and technical, and range from policy and law, business and management and humanities to life sciences, engineering, physical sciences and space applications.
Each of these lectures will be delivered by world renowned space experts and will be live streamed from the SSP onsite location in Brazil.
SSP-online participants will also be given access to the recordings of these lectures during the program for further viewing.
The full fees for SSP-ONL-23 are EUR 7,000.
Payment may also be made in US dollars at the inter-bank exchange rate on the date of payment.
SSP-ONLINE applicants should apply on the ISU website by 31 May 2023 at the latest.
Early applications are highly recommended. From now on, remaining partial scholarships will be granted to eligible candidates on a first come first served basis until they run out.
If you are applying for the SSP-ONL-23, please indicate it in your motivation essay.
ISU’s online Interactive Space Program (ISP) is a 5-week full-time professional development opportunity designed for university graduates from any discipline and for professionals with any background wanting to pursue a career in the space sector.
It will be conducted in English and follow the international, interdisciplinary and intercultural learning methodology for which ISU is well known.
ISP will prepare participants wanting to enter one of the face-to-face ISU programs such as the Master of Space Studies (MSS) or the Space Studies Programs (SSP and SHSSP).
The program is also a refresher for ISU alumni seeking an update on the latest developments in the international space arena and wanting to enlarge their network of professional contacts.
Participants will learn about all disciplines linked to space and will conduct teamwork similar to that of a Space Analog where crew members, mission control, scientists and experts collaborate remotely in an intense mode.
ISP will prepare participants (“the crew”) well for the challenges of producing quality work in a distributed environment such as teams on the Earth, orbit, Moon, Mars and interplanetary space.
The Team’s Mission will be to produce an influential report and a presentation on how space can help in the monitoring, mitigation as well as the prevention & preparedness of pandemics.
To better simulate human space missions running across different time zones, the ISP operations will be conducted based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). A typical day at ISP will start with a Daily Seminar at 07:30 UTC (1,5 hours including Q&A), and will continue with a Team Mission session for individual work, small-group discussion or mentoring (at least 2 hours), followed by an All-Hands session (1 hour). The afternoon activities will include an Interactive Workshop (2,5 hours) and conclude at 17:00 UTC.
The Daily Briefs will help analyse space from a multidisciplinary perspective covering policy, economics, law and regulations, business and management, science, engineering, satellite applications, human performance in space and the contribution of the humanities.
The Interactive Workshops will deal with practical aspects of space: remote sensing applications, satellite and communications technology; artificial intelligence; telehealth/telemedicine, space technology transfer, business and entrepreneurship, ethics, policy, regulatory frameworks and international collaboration at government, research and corporate level.
The Team Mission work will allow for individual, small-group and full-crew work with mentors on literature survey, analysis, discussion, converging to conclusion and recommendations and preparation of the final deliveries.
The daily hand-over sessions will have a flexible format and can include cross-habitat meetings, Team Mission work handovers, social interaction, or important announcements from Mission Control at ISU’s Central Campus in Strasbourg.
The team of mentors will include more than one hundred ISU faculty and alumni from all disciplines, active in academia, government agencies and companies from around the world.
Upon successful completion of the academic requirements, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion from ISU and will be eligible for discount to enroll in other – face to face – ISU programs such as the Master of Space Studies (MSS) and the Space Studies Programs (SSP and SHSSP).
The leading Faculty members are a dedicated team of professionals from academia, government agencies and private industry from around the world.
The Faculty’s role is to plan an deliver the curriculum and to draw upon other experts, giving you access to an impressive lineup of about one hundred experts during the course of the ISP: astronauts and cosmonauts, space agency officials, entrepreneurs, engineers, scientists, lawyers, project managers, educators, communicators, artists and more.
Crew members will be distributed over a dozen “3I space habitats” (i.e. each with an International, Intercultural and Interdisciplinary crew”) virtually located on Mars, on the Moon and in Earth orbit. Each space habitat will have its own operational timeline, where daily schedules of individual crew members will range from early shifts to late shifts.
To better simulate human space missions running across different time zones, the ISP operations will be conducted based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). A typical day at ISP will start with a Daily Seminar at 07:30 UTC (1,5 hours including Q&A), and will continue with a Team Mission session for individual work, small-group discussion or mentoring (at least 2 hours), followed by an All-Hands session (1 hour). The afternoon activities will include an Interactive Workshop (2,5 hours) and conclude at 17:00 UTC
The Daily Briefs will give insights into the Team Mission from an interdisciplinary perspective, covering space sciences, space policy, economics and law, space and the humanities, satellite applications, space engineering, human performance in space, and space management and business.
The Interactive Workshops will deal with practical aspects of space and pandemics: remote sensing, satellite and communications technology; artificial intelligence; telehealth/telemedicine, space technology transfer, business and entrepreneurship, ethics, policy, regulatory frameworks and international collaboration at government, research and corporate level.
The Team Mission work will allow for individual, small-group and full-crew work with mentors on literature survey, analysis, discussion, converging to conclusion and recommendations and preparation of the final deliveries.
All space habitats will be connected live once per day for a Hand Over session. This one-hour slot will have a flexible format and can include cross-habitat meetings, Team Mission work handovers, social interaction, or important announcements from Mission Control at ISU’s Central Campus in Strasbourg.
We hope that you will one day enjoy the beautiful environment of the library at ISU’s Central Campus. For the whole duration of the ISP, you will have remote access to a comprehensive catalog of eBooks and online reports covering all aspects of space, ISU Team Projects, and student reports of our Master in Space Studies program. The library’s website includes access to online bibliographic databases, reading lists, online guides and tutorials on literature search, referencing and more. You can choose to receive regular updates via social media: https://isulibrary.isunet.edu/
No, but you should consider the following basics:
Additional details to operate during the ISP will be shared with program participants on a dedicated platform.
Like any ISU program, the ISP requires your entire attention. ISP is designed as a full-time experience, and even if the number of hours of online sessions is limited, the full potential is achieved through individual study and work in small teams outside of the scheduled sessions.
We rather encourage you to take leave during the five weeks. Your employer may be able to offer you a mix of (paid or unpaid) leave plus paid leave for training, to make up for the 5 weeks.
Obviously, we cannot promise something that is more in your hands than in ours, but we can say that about 80% of the 5000 ISU graduates are working in the space or high-tech sectors. They are spread in more than 100 countries.
The wealth of contacts that you will make during ISP and the insights into programs, projects and entrepreneurial activities in startups etc. is a valuable asset that will help you during your entire career, especially if you know how to nurture it. Professional networking is definitely something you will practice and enjoy during ISP.
ISU is privileged to benefit from partnerships with space agencies, public administrations, foundations, corporations and private donors from around the world who provide scholarship money to the best candidates. These partnerships make it possible for numerous candidates to obtain a portion of their fees covered by a scholarship.
For more information on financial help in your particular case, please contact the Admissions Office.
After successful completion of an ISP, you will already be familiar with the International, Intercultural and Interdisciplinary “3I” approach to Space activities, and you will be an accomplished team player ready to integrate into the new ISU learning experience.
To find out about discounts to other programs that may apply to your particular case, please contact the Admissions Office.
Yes, under some conditions. For more information in your particular case, please contact the Admissions Office.
The time that the applications for the next ISP opens will be announced on this page later.
Financial help is available through ISU for applicants from many countries and will be considered once the full application is received.