ESA Academy opportunities

ESA Academy is ESA’s flagship educational programme for university students and early-career professionals. It offers training sessions, practical hands-on project support and sponsorships. This page offers a complete overview of all ESA Academy opportunities. More info about the ESA Academy can be found here. 

Jump to ESA Academy opportunities: ESA training sessions, Projects & Testing with ESA,  ESA sponsorships.

ESA training sessions

ESA Academy’s Training Programme offers an extensive portfolio of training sessions designed to prepare university students and early‑career professionals for a future in the space sector. 

Delivered by ESA experts, academics, and industry leaders, the courses combine theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience across a wide range of interdisciplinary topics.  

For more information visit the ESA Academy Training Programme page or contact: academy.training@esa.int

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Projects & testing with ESA

ESA gives university students and young professionals the chance to go beyond the classroom and take part in real space projects. Through ESA Academy’s Projects Programme, students can engage in hands-on opportunities, from conducting cutting-edge scientific and technology experiments to launching and operating their own small satellites. 

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Programme	Current cycle	Contact
Rocket and Balloon Experiments: REXUS/BEXUS	Next call for proposals expected to open in June 2027	rexus-bexus@esa.int
CubeSats: Fly Your Satellite!	Next cycle expected to open in 2027	cubesats@esa.int
CubeSats: Fly Your Satellite! Design Booster	Call for proposals open until 2 October 2026, 13:00 CEST	cubesats@esa.int
Hardware testing: Test Opportunities	TBD	cubesats@esa.int
Access to ground and space-based platforms: ESA Academy Experiments	Next cycle expected to open Q3 2026	academy.experiments@esa.int
Rockets: Rocketry Training Programme	Currently closed, next cycle to be announced	ESA.Academy@esa.int

ESA Engagement opportunities

ESA Academy’s Engagement Programme brings together ESA, academia, industry, and institutions through structured collaboration models. ESA sponsors university students to take part in short courses, conferences, Master’s programmes and other international events, helping them strengthen their knowledge, skills, and hands‑on experience in a professional context. 

If you wish to be sponsored for an event  that does not appear in the list above, please submit your conference or course suggestion to ESA Academy.   

For more information visit the Engagement Programme page or contact: academy.engagement@esa.int 

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Detailed information about each opportunity is available on the corresponding webpages. 

List of sponsored short courses  

List of sponsored conferences 

*For this conference/short course, Canadian students enrolled in a Canadian post-secondary institution may apply for Canadian Space Agency grant under Category A of this Announcement of Opportunity (grant applications must be submitted by the application deadline outlined in Appendix A – create an account as soon as possible!)