Picture credits:
The ClearSpace Prize was presented to William Martin by Claude Nicollier, who was also a member of the jury.
© EPFL Space Center, 2025
We are proud to announce the winner of the very first edition of the ClearSpace Prize, which recognizes excellence in a semester project or Master's thesis by an EPFL student who has made a significant contribution to scientific or technical progress in the field of space sustainability.
Congratulations to William Martin, recipient of this inaugural award, for his outstanding semester project: “Enabling the Sauverny Observatory for space debris observations”, supervised by Stephan Hellmich at the EPFL Space Center.
William’s work stood out as a highly concrete and impactful contribution to improving our ability to monitor and address the growing challenge of space debris.
“This prize embodies our ongoing collaboration with EPFL to foster research excellence in the field of space sustainability. William Martin’s project represents a rigorous and meaningful contribution to enhancing our technical capacity for space debris observation for the future of space operations.” – Jacques Viertl, ClearSpace Switzerland Managing Director
The jury also highlighted the exceptional quality of all nominated projects:
- “Sustainability in Space Systems Engineering” by Martin Lemaire
- “Microgravity Object Capture on the ISS – Phase 0 Feasibility Study” by Clara Gloge
This first edition of the prize is an encouraging sign of the momentum building around this important topic, and we’re excited to see what EPFL students will achieve in the upcoming fall semester!
Learn more about the ClearSpace Prize and how to apply: