ONLINE INFORMATION SESSION : Join us for a live, online interactive Information Session on Monday, October 27, from 13:00 to 14:00 (CET) to learn more about the program.
Register here
Target audience
Space stakeholders (engineers, scientists, non technical managers, policy practitioners, etc.) active in space agencies, aerospace industries or related fields and concerned about preserving the sustainability and safety of the space environment in the long-term.
The course will be given in English.
Overview
In recent years, the exponential growth of spatial activities, driven in part by the expanding commercial use of space, has yielded promising business opportunities. However, this expansion has also left behind a significant challenge – an ever-increasing population of space debris, with over 40,000 objects currently observable in Earth’s orbit. With the number of satellite launches continuing to increase, ensuring the enduring viability of this vital frontier for future generations is critical.
As active participants in space agencies and aerospace industries, how can we secure the long-term usability of space? And, how can we design and operate missions and space businesses with a keen focus on sustainability?
Objectives
- Understand what space sustainability means (history, geopolitical challenges, latest research updates) and how to measure it from economic, societal and environmental perspectives
- Acquire tools and methodologies to develop more sustainable missions (ESA’s MASTER and DRAMA suite, Space Sustainability Rating, Life Cycle Assessment & Environmental Impact Assessment, etc.)
- Grasp how the space sector can benefit from the adoption of Environmental Social Governance (ESG) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) approaches
- Engage with space sustainability researchers, industry experts, and fellow members of the space community
ProgramME
Day 1: Introduction to Space Sustainability
- Introduction to Space Sustainability: What are the metrics or space sustainability
Emmanuelle David - Space Sustainability: History, Geopolitics, Challenges & Space Law
Dr. Benjamin Guyot - Group Work
- Practitioner’s testimony: Swiss Space Diplomacy at the United Nations (UN)
Day 2: Technologies and Tools Incorporated in Space Sustainability
- The metrics of space sustainability and how to measure sustainability in the economic, societal, and environmental perspective
Emmanuelle David - Technical Challenges and Enablers of Space Sustainability: Space Logistics, SSA
Emmanuelle David & Dr. Stephan Hellmich - Space Sustainability Rating (SSR): How it works and how SSR can contribute to the development of more sustainable missions
Emmanuelle David - Group Work
- A vision on space sustainability from above and through time
Prof. Claude Nicollier
Day 3: The metrics of Sustainability
- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) & Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) from an eco-design perspective during mission development
Mathieu Udriot & Marnix Verkammen - Group Work
- ESA’s tools to develop more sustainable missions: MASTER (Meteoroid and Space Debris Terrestrial Environment Reference) & DRAMA suite (Debris Risk Assessment and Mitigation Analysis)
Vitali Braun - Group Work: Practical experimentation of tools and methods
- Practitioner’s presentation
Romain Buchs
Day 4: ESG / CSR and Economics of Space Sustainability
- ESG/CSR and economics of space sustainability
Sabrina Alam - Group Work
- Conclusion
Emmanuelle David
Assessment Format: Short case study analysis
Click here to consult the full PROGRAMME (coming soon).
Instructors
- Sabrina Alam, Director, Sustainability Services, KPMG Luxembourg
- Vitali Braun, Space Debris Engineer, IMS Space Consultancy
- Mathieu Udriot, Engineer, EPFL Space Center (eSpace)
- Dr. Marnix Verkammen, EcoDeltaV
- Dr. Benjamin Guyot, Space Talk
Guest Lecturers
- Prof. Claude Nicollier, Swiss Astronaut
- Romain Buchs, Space Policy & Strategy, Clearspace
- Dr. Stephan Hellmich, Scientist, EPFL
Testimonial from a participant
“The course was a great mix of technical applications and policy assessment exercises to get us thinking about space sustainability, a key element to further innovation in low Earth orbit. I learned a lot about life cycle assessment of space technology and the history of space sustainability policy at the global level. It was extremely interesting!”
Kristi
Innovation Commissioner
Certification
Microcredential (MC)
Participants who complete the entire programme and pass the assessment will obtain a Microcredential (MC) worth 2 ECTS credits.
Organisation
- EPFL Space Center (eSpace), EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne), Switzerland
In collaboration with:
- Karman Project
- European Space Agency (ESA)
Steering Committee
- Emmanuelle David, Executive Director, EPFL Space Center (eSpace)
- Prof. Jean-Paul Kneib, Academic Director, EPFL Space Center (eSpace) ; Director of the Laboratory of Astrophysics (LASTRO), School of Basic Sciences (SB), EPFL
Practical information
Dates and schedule
- Monday, March 16, 2026, 1 pm to 6.30 pm
- Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 9 am to 5 pm
- Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 9 am to 5.30 pm
- Thursday, March 19, 2026, 8 am to 12 pm
Course venue
EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
Required Material
Participants should bring their own laptop (for hands-on experience).
Course fee
2’400.- Swiss Francs
10% special discounts:
- For contributing members of EPFL Alumni
- For EPFL partners
The discounts are not cumulative.
Registration deadline
December 14, 2025
Number of participants is limited
Explore Space Sustainability (EPFL 3-day course spread over 4 days) in 1 minute.
