Defense Space Academy

To drive and implement the ambition of the Space Defense Strategy, building a defense space expertise sector with attractive training programs is a major challenge. In this regard, the Defense Space Academy (DSA) aims to offer training programs available within the Ministry of the Armed Forces and leverage synergies between them to provide a personalized approach to space training.

As a true expert within the Ministry in this field, the DSA provides targeted, high-level, certified, and recognized training, ranging from job-ready courses to diploma or qualifying programs at leading engineering schools under the Ministry's supervision, thus contributing to the generation of expertise.

Created in 2023, the DSA is made up of three entities grouped into a consortium whose coordination is ensured on a rotating basis by one of the members: the Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space (ISAE-Supaero), the French Air and Space Force Academy (FASFA) and the Military Space Operations Training Center (MSOTC) of the French Space Command (SC). This merger makes it possible to offer a clear and common range of courses covering both the academic and operational aspects of the space domain (scientific and technological skills for ISAE-Supaero, scientific and military skills for FASFA, mastery of space operations for MSOTC).

The French Space Command, the French Air and Space Force Academy, and ISAE-Supaero will soon organize a seminar dedicated to space issues. This seminar, covering the entire space spectrum, will provide a holistic overview of the challenges facing technology, military operations, and space operations.

Over two days, taking place partly at the French Air and Space Academy in Salon-de-Provence and partly at ISAE-Supaero in Toulouse, in late 2023. It will highlight the prospects and challenges of the space sector, addressing major themes such as space surveillance, Earth observation, launchers, in-orbit services, space data processing, security, and economic and geopolitical changes.

Each member of the Defense Space Academy will showcase their expertise :

* Founded in 1909, ISAE-Supaero has established itself as a world leader in training civil and military engineers for aeronautics and space. Focused on the future needs of the aerospace sector, the Institute will showcase current technological breakthroughs.

* The French Air and Space Force Academy, founded in 1935, not only trains Air and Space Force officers, but also civilian students, with a view to commanding in increasingly uncertain situations and multifaceted conflicts.

* The Space Command, which brings the Ministry's military operational expertise to this field, will contribute to the discussion on military space operations: support for space capabilities, support for operations, space surveillance, and action in space.

Open to interministerial and foreign partners, as well as to other stakeholders in the field (CNES, ONERA, industry players), the SDA represents one of the preferred vectors of learning in the field and also of exchanges and meetings with the academic and industrial world of the space ecosystem.

"The Defense Space Academy will work to build a defense space expertise pipeline, from theory to implementation. Open to a wide audience, it offers training courses in which the SC will share their vision of the issues and challenges ahead for military operations." - GDA ADAM Philippe

The MSOTC is the French Space Command's (SC) entity responsible for generating defense space expertise in its operational aspect. It contributes to the creation of professional training programs for personnel assigned to this field.

The MSOTC provides general training courses called "Space Courses" for Ministry staff, as well as for other ministries and external organizations (CNES, ONERA, etc.). These training courses, divided into three independent sessions based on the participants' functional level (basic, advanced, strategic), provide a 360° view of defense space issues tailored to each participant's needs.

The objective of these training courses is to provide participants with fundamental space culture and a comprehensive understanding of the space sector (technological, industrial, and institutional). It also aims to enable them to understand space technologies and ultimately their military uses.

These courses are available in French, and an "Advanced Space Course" is also offered in English. Located in Toulouse, on the CNES campus, the MSOTC is closely linked to operational stakeholders and partners in the industrial space ecosystem.

Find more information on the MSOTC website > here <

"The French Air Force Academy became the Air and Space Academy (FASFA) in 2021 and has since provided specialists in the military space field. Participating in the Defense Space Academy with the SC and ISAE-Supaero allows us to offer our training in an international context rich in opportunities." - GBA REAL Pierre

The FASFA is a French military higher education school that trains officers for the Air and Space Force. Drawing on its expertise and the excellence of its research, it also provides training for a diverse audience, both civilian and military.

The FASFA welcomes officers from other nations to its bachelor's and master's level programs, who complete all or part of these programs. These training programs, whether leading to certifications or diplomas, all incorporate the space dimension.

Furthermore, in partnership with the SC, CNES, and ONERA, the FASFA offers an Advanced Master® in "Defense and Security in Space." It aims to train civilian and military executives with an integrated vision of space system security in civil or defense space operations. This expertise can be used in the research or development of a space program, the implementation and operational use of a space system, or crisis analysis, prevention, monitoring, or management.

The "Space Mechanics and Space Systems" module provides the keys to defining and identifying a space system, its missions, and its environment. It includes operational scenarios, using digital simulation and retrieval tools, which help develop and consolidate space situational awareness and thus refine decision-making.