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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Usue Donezar Hoyos Picture v2
Usue Donezar Hoyos

Usue Donezar Hoyos leads the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service at the European Environment Agency. An agricultural engineer with over 15 years’ expertise in satellite-based land-cover and land-use mapping, she supports environmental monitoring and European policy through Earth observation data, products and services.

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Dany
Dany Robberecht

Having worked at Verhaert for more than 25 years, Dany Robberecht focuses on strategic innovation: this includes value and business model engineering and value proposition design, as well as strategic product, design and (open) innovation management in a B2B, B2C and the public context.

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Joao Alves

João Alves leads EUSPA’s Space Surveillance and Tracking team, overseeing the EU SST Front Desk—the central interface between the EU SST Partnership and satellite operators. His work advances collision avoidance, re-entry and fragmentation-analysis services, helping safeguard European space operations and support the development of space traffic management.

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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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Jean-Marc Pieplu

Jean-Marc Pieplu is EGNOS Exploitation Programme Manager at EUSPA, overseeing the operation of Europe’s satellite-based augmentation system. With over 30 years’ experience in complex aerospace systems, he has held senior roles in Galileo deployment, GNSS services and ground-segment development at the European Commission and Thales Alenia Space.

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Usue Donezar Hoyos Picture v2
Usue Donezar Hoyos

Usue Donezar Hoyos leads the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service at the European Environment Agency. An agricultural engineer with over 15 years’ expertise in satellite-based land-cover and land-use mapping, she supports environmental monitoring and European policy through Earth observation data, products and services.

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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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Ingo
Dr. Ingo Baumann

Ingo Baumann is a co-founding partner of BHO Legal, a boutique space and technology law. With more than 20 years of professional experience, Dr Baumann is an expert advisor in the geospatial, R&D and defence sectors. He is a member of various professional organisations such as the International Institute of Space Law

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Christian Thaler-Wolski
Christian Thaler-Wolski

Christian Thaler-Wolski is a start-up advisor to early and growth-stage entrepreneurs. After years of working with VC firms in Europe investing in and advising B2B SaaS founders, he is now focused on space technology. Christian has served as a speaker, panellist, mentor, and advisor for numerous start-up organizations and events.

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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.

Mentors
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Lys
Matthieu Lys

Head of Innovation Management @ Airbus Defence and Space
Passionate about aerospace, adaptable and creative programme and team manager. Entrepreneur, startup mentor and astronaut candidate (ESA 2008 and 2021). Experience within Airbus, DGA (French MoD) and Thales - customer qualification, flight and integration tests, design and innovation.
 

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Gottfriedsen
Julia Gottfriedsen

Data Science Team Lead @ OroraTech 
Data science and AI leader specialising in Earth observation, machine learning and climate technology. She develops satellite-derived data products for environmental monitoring, including wildfire and land-surface temperature models. Her experience spans research and innovation roles at Siemens, DLR and ESA, with a focus on translating advanced research into operational products.

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Liccardi
Giorgio Licciardi

Technologist @ ASI - Italian Space Agency
Ph.D. in Geoinformation. He spent 10+ years at the GIPSA-Lab in Grenoble conducting research activity focused on hyperspectral image processing. He is among the founders of Data Science Experts, a french startup specialized in AI+EO. In 2021 Giorgio joined the Italian Space Agency as Technologist specialized in hyperspectral data processing.

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Steve Bochinger
Steve Bochinger

Executive Advisor & Associate Professor in Space Economy, Policy & Law
Former COO at Euroconsult, where he led global consulting missions on space and satellite strategy, including market, policy, and programme financing. He holds degrees in international law from McGill University and La Sorbonne and has over 50 publications. Since 2025, he has been Associate Professor of Space Economy, Law & Policy at Université Paris-Saclay.

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Marco Sabatini
Marco Sabatini

Business Development Telecom @ Compoxi
Aerospace, Defence & Deep-Tech strategy expert with 15+ years of experience across satellites, launchers, electronics, and AI. With a background in telecommunications engineering and an Executive MBA, he bridges high-tech R&D and institutional market entry. He has managed €35M+ in projects and secured €10M+ in public funding across Europe, the USA, and Asia.

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Anilkumar Dave
Anilkumar Dave

Strategy & Alliances @ Space Cargo Unlimited
Space economy and innovation professional with experience in IT, EU-funded R&D and technology transfer. He founded and led ASI’s Innovation and Technology Transfer Unit, covering start-ups, risk finance and intellectual property, before advising its President on open innovation. He now supports space entrepreneurship, strategy and commercialisation across European innovation ecosystems.

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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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Christophe Christiaen
Christophe Christiaen

Innovation and Impact Lead @ University of Oxford
Working at the nexus of sustainable finance and geospatial technologies. Currently at University of Oxford developing, leading research on Spatial Finance and creating open datasets. Background in commercialising satellite data applications with a strong interest in climate-, nature- and biodiversity-related financial risks and impacts, sustainability-linked financial products and impact investing.

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Manuel Cuba
Manuel Cuba

Managing Director @ Helix Space
Space and defence technology professional with 30 years of experience in product development, business development, sales, marketing and customer-facing operations. An ISU alumnus, serial entrepreneur and angel investor, he has worked across start-ups and public companies, including HighLift Systems, Hewlett-Packard and SES, with expertise in innovation and customer experience.

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Xavier Banque
Xavier Banqué

CEO @ Rokubun
Former Rokubun co-founder and CEO, he is a Space R&D Engineer and Product Manager with 20+ years’ experience in downstream Earth Observation and Satellite Navigation. Educated in Telecommunications Engineering and ICT research, with a Master in Project Management, his career spans academia, ESA-ESTEC, and leading European space companies. He now serves as Strategic Marketing Manager at Trimble Inc.

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