EPFL Space Center at EUCASS 2025: highlights
EPFL Space Center at EUCASS 2025 © Adrian Koch
Members of the EPFL Space Center had the pleasure of participating in the 11th European Conference for AeroSpace Sciences (EUCASS), held in Rome. As one of Europe’s largest aerospace research gatherings, EUCASS brings together scientists, engineers, students, and industry leaders to share insights on current challenges and advancements in aerospace technologies. Sustainability, innovation, and collaboration were at the heart of many discussions and we were proud to contribute across all these fronts.
As part of its commitment to student development, the EPFL Space Center also sponsored the participation of 11 students currently studying space-related topics at EPFL, giving them the opportunity to engage directly with the international space research community.
A week of space innovation and sustainability in Rome
Monday: engineering for sustainability
The conference began with a joint presentation by Mathieu Udriot, Marnix Verkammen (EPFL Space Center engineers), and Martin Lemaire (student), titled “Space Sustainability in Systems Engineering and Design Processes – Industry Overview and Case Study at EPFL.” Their talk explored how sustainability principles are (and aren’t yet) embedded in space systems engineering. Drawing on both industry trends and EPFL projects, including a concurrent engineering class, they assessed how future engineers are being prepared to integrate sustainability into space missions.
Also on Monday, two student groups from the Spacecraft Design & Systems Engineering course (part of the Minor in Space Technologies at EPFL) presented their conceptual mission designs:
- “Satellite-Enabled Lunar Exploration Network Expansion”
- “SOL: Solar Observatory at Distant Lagrange Point”
The presenting students - Jérémie Moullet, Florent Gaspoz, Florent Piton, Aurélien Enin, Adrien Dupont, and Alexandre Corbaz - showcased ambitious, creative, and technically sound concepts, highlighting the strong foundation EPFL provides in mission design education.
Tuesday: rockets, sustainability, and posters
On Tuesday, Guillaume Hueber presented his work on the EPFL Rocket Team's lander project, titled “Experimental Validation of a Flexure-Based Gimbal for Thrust Vector Control on a Bi-liquid Rocket Engine Propelled Lander.” His contribution underlined the technical innovation taking place within EPFL’s student teams.
Later that morning, Emmanuelle David (EPFL Space Center’s Executive Director) and Camilla Colombo (Politecnico di Milano) co-chaired the plenary session featuring two high-profile talks:
- “Greenhouse Effects” by Carole Deniel (CNES)
- “Sustainable Transition and Innovation” by Noelia Sanchez-Ortiz (Arribes)
These talks reflected on how space technologies, especially Earth observation, can contribute to climate science and sustainability innovation.
During the afternoon’s poster session, EPFL students presented two contributions:
- “MORPHEUS: Martian Observatory of Radiation Phenomena for the Heliospheric Environment and Unprecedented Shielding Experiment” by Thibault Bardet, Sarah Marciniak, and Jérôme Mayolet: a creative Martian mission concept from the same course as Monday’s student presentations.
- “Sustainability in the Space Launch Sector: Research Overview and Recommendations for EPFL’s Handbook on Sustainable Space Mission Design” by Thibault Bardet and Marnix Verkammen: the result of a semester project extending EPFL’s internal sustainability guidelines to include launch systems.
Wednesday: tracking debris, rating missions, and investor perspectives
Wednesday featured a broad and diverse set of EPFL contributions.
Stephan Hellmich (LASTRO) presented ongoing work in debris tracking titled “Detecting and Characterizing Space Objects in the ESO VST Astronomical Data Archive.” His research uses faint streaks in astronomical images to identify and determine the orbits of space debris.
Emmanuelle David then presented “SWISS SPACE SUSTAINABILITY RESEARCH DAYS 2025: Outcome and Strategic Roadmap,” summarizing the outcomes and key directions established at this year’s national sustainability forum.
Upekha Yapa presented her work on advancing the Space Sustainability Rating (SSR) initiative, focusing on digital innovation through the Rate-Space platform, which aims to scale and automate mission sustainability assessments.
Rounding out the day, Angelina Frolova shared insights from her master’s thesis in her talk “Investor’s Perception on Sustainability Aspects in Space Ventures.” While not accompanied by a conference paper, her presentation provided valuable perspectives on how sustainability is viewed by investors, an increasingly critical stakeholder group in the space sector.
Thursday: wrapping up and looking ahead
EPFL had no scheduled contributions on Thursday, but the momentum and engagement continued through informal meetings, networking, and follow-up discussions.
Beyond the talks: connections and collaboration
Throughout the week, the EPFL Space Center booth served as a lively hub for interaction. Visitors ranged from curious students learning about study opportunities at EPFL to seasoned researchers and engineers seeking new avenues for collaboration. We are especially grateful to the EPFL students from the Rocket Team, Spacecraft Team, and the Space Minor program, who volunteered their time to represent EPFL and engage with the international space community.
EUCASS 2025 was not only a valuable opportunity to present our work but also to learn from others and foster new connections. The conference made it clear: space sustainability is gaining momentum across disciplines, from technical design to investor decision-making. We're returning to Lausanne with renewed inspiration and practical insights that will inform our ongoing work at the EPFL Space Center.
