Présentation de l'Académie Spatiale de Défense

The constitution of a pool of experts in space defence and the creation of attractive new career paths will be key factors in guiding and achieving the ambition expressed in France’s Space Defence Strategy. In this context, the aim of France’s new French Space Defence Academy (FSDA) is to provide education opportunities for personnel from the Ministry of the Armed Forces and to utilize the synergies between these courses to provide a personalized approach to space training.

As the Ministry’s expert resource centre in this domain, the FSDA can provide targeted top-level training with recognized qualifications. The available courses range from short conversion courses to specialist master’s degrees within various institutions, especially elite engineering schools under ministry oversight, generating a foundation of expertise.

The FSDA was established in 2023 and is composed of a partnership of three entities coordinated on a rotating basis by one of its members. The three members are ISAE-SUPAERO (Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace - National Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space), EAE (Ecole de l’Air et de l’Espace – French Air and Space School) and CFOSM (Centre de Formation aux Opérations Spatiales Militaires – Space Operations Education and Training Centre), which is part of French Space Command (Commandement de l’Espace - CDE). This pooling of resources provides a clear and shared training framework, covering both the academic and operational aspects of space defence (scientific and technological expertise at ISAE-SUPERO, scientific and military at EAE and space operations at CFOSM).

The FSDA is open to partners from other ministries and other countries, as well as to other stakeholders in the sector (CNES, ONERA, industry etc.). It will constitute a prime forum for exchanges and encounters with key academic and industrial players in the space sector.

French Space Command (CDE)

The CFOSM is the entity of the CDE tasked with generating expertise in the operational aspect of space defence. It contributes to the establishment of professional training curricula of the personnel assigned to this domain.

The CFOSM provides general training courses termed “Space Courses” for Ministry personnel and for members of other ministries and external organizations (CNES, ONERA etc.). These courses comprise three independent sessions tailored to the functional level of the participants (basic, advanced and strategic). They provide a 360° view of the specific challenges of the space domain for national defence and are adapted to the needs of each participant.

The aim of these courses is to provide participants with a shared fundamental space culture and a global understanding of the space domain (technological, industrial and institutional). The courses will also provide an understanding of space technologies and, in conclusion, the military uses of these technologies.

These courses are available in French. One “Space course advanced” is also provided in English. The CFOSM is based in Toulouse at the site of the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES). This location puts it close to key operational players and to partners from the space industry.

French Air and Space School (EAE)

The EAE is a French military higher education establishment that trains the officers of the French Air and Space Force. On the basis of its expertise and the excellence of its research, the school also provides training courses to a broader military and civilian public.

The EAE’s degree-level and master’s courses are open to officers of other nations, who can follow all or part of these courses. These training opportunities cover all aspects of space and provide a range of recognized qualifications (certificates, master’s degrees etc.).

Additionally, the EAE, in partnership with the CDE, CNES and ONERA, offers a specialized master’s degree - Mastère Spécialisé® “Defense and Security in Space”. This degree is designed to train senior military officers and civilian executives with an integrated vision of the security of space systems in civilian and military space operations. This expertise can subsequently be applied to space programme research and development, the implementation and operational use of space systems and crisis analysis, prevention, monitoring and management.

The “Mécanique Spatiale et Systèmes Spatiaux” (Space Mechanics and Space Systems) module provides key foundations for defining and identifying a space system and its missions and environment. This module includes practical training in operational scenarios, using digital reconstitution and simulation tools to develop and consolidate awareness of the space situation and thereby refine decision-making.

National Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space (ISAE-SUPAERO)

ISAE-SUPAERO (National Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space) is one of the leading training institutes in the world for aviation and space engineers.

It operates under the authority of the Ministry of the Armed Forces and delivers the following qualifications for the space sector:

• ISAE-SUPAERO engineering diploma, initial student-level training;
• Engineering diploma in “Industrialization and methods for aviation and space”, initial internship-based certificate;
• National Master’s diploma in “Aerospace Engineering”, initial training course in English;
• Specialized master’s degrees in space systems and space applications, with courses taught in English;
• Specialized study certificates in English and, with its subsidiary EUROSAE, short modules on space technology as part of vocational training,
• Tailored on-demand courses to respond to the needs of employers in the sector,
• Master’s degrees and doctorates in a broad range of scientific disciplines.

ISAE-SUPAERO is located in Toulouse.