What is the ISU Summer Session Programme (SSP)?
The International Space University is a private university offering post-graduate inter-disciplinary programmes on space subjects (Master of Sciences in Space Studies (MSS) and Master of Space Management (MSM)) in Strasbourg and a summer session programme (SSP), which takes place every year in a different city worldwide.
The ISU SSP is a unique 2-months inter-disciplinary vocational training which gathers over a hundred space professionals and students from all over the world. The SSP offers a variety of courses such as project management, thermo-dynamics, space law or space medicine. Each year, students are also involved in team projects, which objective is to provide innovative solutions to challenging space-related issues (telecoms, earth observation, exploration...).
These uneasy and fruitful projects allow students and professionals, from different backgrounds and culture, to think and work for a common objective (Satellite-based fire prevention, management of a Mars mission, and broadband access for rural and remote areas, satellite-based water management...). These projects also give the SSP participants an amazing opportunity to feel the meaning of international cooperation.
According to the statistics, French space companies and institutions have been relatively well represented at the SSPs. It is indeed a great opportunity for companies to train their employees to international environments and space issues (dozens of nationalities represented) over a 2-months full immersion programme.
From 1988 (1st SSP) to 2004 (SSP’04), 186 French students participated to the SSPs. Engineers, students, military officers, telecom professionals, doctors, lawyers, and many other specialists have been involved in the SSP and are now ISU alumni.