As part of our educational mandate, eSpace supports a number of student associations acknowledged by EPFL and projects that offer a hands-on and challenging experience of space-related technology and applications.
Through these associations, eSpace students have access to many interdisciplinary EPFL projects, known as MAKE projects. Note that not all associations are MAKE projects.
Because a solid background in a core discipline is not enough, students are asked to develop other abilities they will need in their professional future. MAKE projects offer an opportunity to gain a first hands-on experience on a real-world project, developing skills such as team-work and project management, collaborating with peers from different sectors. It is an important step in their improving journey to educational excellence in the space community.
EPFL Rocket Team
MAKE Project
The EPFL Rocket Team brings together more than to 200 students driven by a shared passion for space. Founded in 2016, the team enables students to turn classroom knowledge into real-world aerospace projects. The mission is to engage students in hands-on work fostering innovation and collaboration, with the goal of reaching space by the end of the decade.
The team is currently working on four projects, each advancing different aspects of rocketry.
EPFL Spacecraft Team
MAKE Project
The EPFL Spacecraft Team is an association for motivated students who want to be part of ambitious space projects. The objective is to perform scientific research with student-made satellites. Their first mission called CHESS involves EPFL, HES-Luzern, HES-SO and the University of Bern. Together they design, build and will operate a constellation of satellites that will orbit the Earth to acquire data based on the payload they’re going to install.
Xplore
MAKE Project
EPFL Xplore is a new interdisciplinary project with students from various backgrounds that aims to build a Mars Rover from scratch. The team aims to participate in the European Rover Challenge that takes place in September 2021. The Rover will namely be able to navigate autonomously over challenging terrains and make in-situ life detection on a soil sample it will collect.
Space Situational Awarness
The Space Situational Awarness team is a newly created EPFL project whose goal is to make a live catalog of every object orbiting earth, thus reducing the future risks of unplanned collisions. With the help different images from optical telescopes, we train algorithms and neural networks to extract the orbits of the satellite and debris. Our motivated team is now looking forward to build our own telescope!
Callista
Callista’s objectives are to promote interest in astronomy at the university sites of EPFL and UNIL by several means. On the other hand, for more motivated people, the possibility of studying certain subjects in depth in the framework of presentations and scientific projects intended for members of the club, or the possibility of making more specific astronomical observations.
Asclepios
The Asclepios project is a program of analog missions designed by students for students, under the mentorship of trained professionals. The interdisciplinary project, based at EPFL, unites students and scientists all around the globe to achieve a common goal: successfully perform a "do-it-yourself" space mission. Asclepios seeks to simulate a short-term space mission on other celestial bodies thus paving the way to the future space exploration of our solar system.
Gruyère Space Program
Gruyère Space Program is a student association composed of 5 EPFL students developing the world's first student-built rocket hopper. Since 2019, they are gaining experience in the scope of stabilized rockets and are now developing the first student-built rocket able to take off and land vertically (VTVL).
Colibri, their vertical landing rocket demonstrator, is now assembled and in its integrated test campaign. It will fly by the end of the year.
From the beginning, this independent team has relied on self-learning and the dynamics of a small team to achieve its goal. Their ultimate goal is to continue their dream as a start-up.
Space @ Your Service
Space@yourService (S@yS) is an EPFL association, whose main goal is to promote and popularize space sciences (astronomy, astrophysics and space engineering) among the general public and EPFL students. They organize events open to everybody and accessible to anyone, such as the Astronomy on Tap in local bars in Lausanne. They are also the owners of a SciComm mobile escape room.