Lectures, workshops and mentoring are now available!

The EU Space Academy Learning Platform offers enthusiastic entrepreneurs a free and customisable online development programme tailored to their unique goals.

Motivated to shake up your industry by employing the latest knowledge in space data? You’ve come to the right place.

Our academy brings you:

An introduction
Course
curriculum

Explore the following modules:

  • The Space Economy
  • Access to Space for Founders
  • EU Space Market Insights
  • New Space & Start-up Insights

Explore the following modules:

  • Secure Satellite Communication
  • Space Situational Awareness
  • Earth Observation
  • GNSS
  • Enabling Technologies

This course is coming soon!

Explore the following modules:

  • Copernicus Programme
  • Copernicus for Developers
  • Deep Dive on Remote Sensing Data Use Cases

Explore the following modules:

  • Galileo Programme & EGNOS
  • Galileo for Developers
  • Deep Dive on GNSS Use Cases

Explore the following modules:

  • Business Strategy
  • Business Model
  • Building a Team
  • Minimum Viable Product
  • Concept and Design
  • Marketing
  • Sales

Explore the following modules:

  • Opportunities under CASSINI
  • Public & Private Funding
  • Investor Pitching (Coming Soon)

Explore the following modules:

  • EU Space Policy
  • European Government Procurement (Coming Soon)
  • Regulatory Guidelines

This course is coming soon!

Explore the following modules:

  • Foundational Context
  • Governance and Institutional Cooperation in Space Security
  • Cybersecurity and Digital Resilience in Space Security

Explore the following modules:

  • Strategic and Industrial Dimensions of Space Security
  • Operational Applications of EU Space for Security
  • Frontier Technologies in Space Security
Deepen your knowledge

Our partners offer further learning opportunities across key areas of the space sector, from entrepreneurship and technology to policy and regulation. Explore their resources to continue your learning journey.

ESA Academy helps university students build space expertise through hands-on projects, technical training, and learning opportunities across space science, engineering, mission design, and business.

Lecturers
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Elena
Elena Megias

Elena Megias has more than 15 years of experience in the design and implementation of web and desktop applications and services. Elena works at the European GNSS Service Centre and supports EUSPA in future Galileo Services development. She has a geodesy and cartography degree.

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Norbert
Norbert Frischauf

Norbert Frischauf is a Chief Technologist at SpaceTec Partners with more than 13 years of management consulting experience. Norbert is a science journalist at the Austrian National television and technology strategist in EC, EUSPA, GJU, and ESA. He has a scientific and technological background ranging from high energy physics, IT, aviation, and aerospace to space systems engineering.

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Thomas
Thomas Tanghe

Thomas Tanghe is one of the Partners at Novaspace, with over 10 years of experience in consulting, leading the innovation advisory practice. He is author of several reports about access to finance, innovation financing and alternative financing of the space industry. 

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Elena Vellutini picture.jpg
Elena Vellutini

Elena Vellutini is a Project Engineer at the Italian Space Agency, specialising in mission design, trajectory optimisation and space-debris environments. Her work supports Italy’s contribution to international debris coordination and European space-surveillance initiatives, following earlier experience in guidance, navigation and control for Vega launcher missions.

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Dushinka
Dushinka Karani

Dushinka Karani is an expert in marketing, communications, innovation, sales, and trade marketing. Dushinka worked as a Marketing Director for multinational companies, and she is now the Global Marketing Director at FundigBox. She helps SMEs and start-ups in shaping and scaling their tech solutions.

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Guerric
Guerric de Crombrugghe

Guerric de Crombrugghe is an enthusiastic and self-driven expert in aerospace, including aeroplanes, drones, rockets, satellites, and their applications, with an emphasis on company growth and innovation. He launched ScanWorld, a hyperspectral images and analytics company, in 2020. He now works as Chief Product Officer at ConstellR with the goal of creating a European champion in satellite photography for agriculture.

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Frank
Frank de Jong

Frank de Jong is a tech enthusiast with over 30 years of experience as a hard- and software developer, and project manager. Frank has been a Business Innovation consultant at Orange for several years, leading the Smart Industry practice. He is now working as a Tech Evangelist and Program Director of Edge Computing in the CTO office of Orange.

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Elena Vellutini

Elena Vellutini is a Project Engineer at the Italian Space Agency, specialising in mission design, trajectory optimisation and space-debris environments. Her work supports Italy’s contribution to international debris coordination and European space-surveillance initiatives, following earlier experience in guidance, navigation and control for Vega launcher missions.

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Maria Gross
Maria Gross

Maria Gross is driven by change. She studied non-profit management and started her career at Daimler. Maria worked for different accelerators & incubators. She joined GERMANTECH as the Managing Director where she loves bringing together diverse stakeholders to learn from each other and work on a sustainable future.

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Franck Perrin Picture
Franck Perrin

Franck Perrin leads space-development activities at Thales, with longstanding expertise in cybersecurity for satellite systems. He has shaped strategic cybersecurity roadmaps and security offerings for space programmes, drawing on earlier leadership roles in managed security services, critical infrastructure and high-availability systems.

Mentors
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Michael Schon
Michael Schön

CEO & Founder @ MeridianVertex
Senior advisor with 30+ years of experience across space, aerospace, automotive, AI, and deep-tech. He worked at ESA/ESTEC on major missions including EarthCARE, CryoSat, Aeolus, GOCE, and ExoMars, later led autonomous driving programmes at Volvo Cars, and worked in deep-tech investment at Volvo Cars Tech Fund. He now advises startups on strategy, commercialisation, and scaling space and dual-use technologies.

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Vittorio Bava
Vittorio Bava

Venture ecosystem builder @ Verhaert
Venture ecosystem builder supporting space, fusion and deep-tech start-ups through mentoring, incubation and technology transfer. He leads CASSINI Hackathons and works as a technology broker for ESA and fusion initiatives. A four-time founder, he co-founded Mindesk, a VR software company acquired by an ASX-listed group in 2020.

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Alexandre Mencik
Alexandre Mencik

CEO @ Space Platform
Entrepreneur, investor and board member with over 30 years of international experience across aerospace, communications and life sciences. He has co-founded several deep-tech ventures, supported start-ups through public funding and angel investment, and mentors emerging space companies through European acceleration programmes and investor networks.

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Giampiero Bonfigli
Giampiero Bonfigli

Chief Information Security Officer @ L'Oréal
Cybersecurity leader with over 10 years of experience designing information security, business resilience and data-protection programmes in regulated environments. He has built security teams and services across international organisations, combining technical expertise with governance and compliance.

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Pablo Garrido
Pablo Garrido

Investment Manager @ EIT Urban Mobility
Investment and M&A professional with 15 years of experience across venture capital, private equity and early-stage technology. He has invested in more than 130 companies across 28 European countries, with a focus on sustainability, clean energy, smart cities and mobility. He also mentors entrepreneurs and evaluates innovation funding proposals.

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Rudy Van Raemdonck
Rudy Van Raemdonck

Embedded Lab Coordinator @ Verhaert
Electronics engineer with extensive experience in the space sector, specialising in hardware and embedded systems. Currently coordinating electronics and IoT projects, overseeing development from concept to deployment. Previously led the hardware and software engineering team at QinetiQ Space, managing multidisciplinary teams and complex system integrations for space applications. Skilled in project coordination, system design, and bridging the gap between electronics, software, and mission-critical requirements.

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Alexandre Mencik
Alexandre Mencik

CEO @ Space Platform
Entrepreneur, investor and board member with over 30 years of international experience across aerospace, communications and life sciences. He has co-founded several deep-tech ventures, supported start-ups through public funding and angel investment, and mentors emerging space companies through European acceleration programmes and investor networks.

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Orfeas Voutyras
Orfeas Voutyras

Associate @ Corallia Ventures
Entrepreneurship and space-ecosystem adviser with experience supporting more than 300 startups and teams. He coordinates programmes at ESA BIC Greece, supports investment due diligence at Corallia Ventures, and advises founders through incubation and acceleration. His background also includes research engineering, systems architecture and European innovation-project coordination.

Pablo Garrido
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Dr. Barnabás Tomka
Dr. Barnabás Tomka

Founder & CEO @ DANS CEE 
Defence and aerospace consultant with 25 years of experience in procurement, business development and industrial cooperation. He previously led procurement entities at Hungary’s Ministry of Defence and advises global OEMs and Central and Eastern European suppliers. He also coaches SMEs through the European Defence Fund’s EUDIS programme.

FAQ

Any individual of legal age established in the Member States of European Economic Area, EU candidate countries and Horizon Europe associated countries.

Register anytime during the academy by clicking at the courses on our website. 

No, not at all. We encourage anyone with a passion for entrepreneurship and EU space data and signals to participate in the academy. You can learn about the opportunities of the downstream sector and business practices to create a successful start-up.

Yes, there is no requirement as such for participation in the EU Space Academy Learning Platform. Although the course is aimed at entrepreneurs within the space sector, the lessons are designed so any interested person regardless of their background can find modules of interest.

No, you can register to the online programme anytime! Once you registered, you will gain access to all the available courses that you can watch at your own convenience. 

Each member of your team can individually join and benefit from the academy. 

No, you can watch the lessons in your preferred order.

Yes, you will get a certificate after completing the academy. Additionally, after the completion of each course, you can download a completion badge and share it with your network.

Yes, feel free to join all the courses you like.

You can book up to 4 mentoring sessions in any 365-day period, either with the same mentor or different ones. Note that places are limited and mentor availability cannot be guaranteed