SGAC France
National Points of Contact France
Welcome to the country page of SGAC France! The main objective is to reach and connect students and young professionals in order to inspire France’s next space generation.
France has been a major player in institutional and industrial space activities at the European and international level since the early space age. It is one of the key actors for the future of European space activities with its contribution to the European Space Agency and the top commercial launch provider of satellites with the Guiana Space Center.
The French space sector offers many opportunities for students and young professionals that SGAC brings to them: enabling to build your international space network, offering you leadership opportunities and giving you a voice (at the United Nations, at space agencies, at academic institutions and in industry) through our different activities and events.
Our SGAC activities in France
The SGAC French community is one of the largest and most dynamic of all SGAC communities. We count approximately 300 members represented in more than 90 different organizations. We regularly meet in person through formal and informal events, or exchange online on different space topics. The SGAC French community has been particularly invested in building the momentum for the Space Generation Congress and the International Astronautical Congress 2022 as these two global events were held in Paris in September 2022!
SG[France] events
Each year since 2019, we organize our SGAC local event in a different city. The idea is to provide our SGAC french community with opportunities to engage in dialogue about the current space issues, with other SGAC members as well as experts and key actors from the space sector.
SG[France]2019 – Moon for @LL – Paris
The first SG[France] (SG[France]2019: Moon for @all) took place on June 16th and June 17th 2019 in Paris, and gathered 50 students and young professionals and 12 experts for a one-day workshop and a visit to the International Paris Air Show (Salon du Bourget). The event was focused on the Moon as 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of the first Human Moon landing. A total of 32 recommendations were produced on various topics related to: lunar in-situ resources exploitation, cohabitation of commercial and open-source projects on the surface on the Moon and the daily-life of future astronauts on the Moon (including arts and culture).
SG[France]2020 – Our Giant Leap – Toulouse
The second SG[France] (SG[France]2020: Our Giant Leap) took place on September 26th 2020 in Toulouse. It gathered 44 students and young professionals from 10 different nationalities and 8 experts, to learn more about gender equality in the aerospace sector and to propose solutions to existing issues addressed through three round table topics: discrimination, mentorship strategies and space research. A total of 71 recommendations were elaborated during the day and synthesized in the final report. SG[France]2020 has been the first SGAC on-site event since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the event, the Our Giant Leap team has been recruiting new members and has been working on implementing the delegates recommendations through concrete and long-term SGAC projects. In July 2021 (2 years after the beginning of its first activities), Our Giant Leap became the 11th SGAC Project Group on Diversity and Gender Equality.
SG[France]2021 – When Space Comes to You – Lille
The third SG[France] (SG[France]2021: When Space Comes to You) took place on July 3rd 2021 in Lille, in conjunction with the Summer Space Festival. It gathered 63 students and young professionals out of the 90 participants in total to discuss how the space sector could benefit our lives on Earth. SG[France]2021 has been the first SGAC on-site event of 2021 and the second SGAC on-site event since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the first one being SG[France]2020.
SG[France]2022 – Road to Newspace – Strasbourg
In 2022, space is not only a matter of national prestige, defense and pre-defined private markets anymore. the NewSpace sector grows fast in the French and European industrial landscape, becoming increasingly essential to any organisation having beyond-Karman line interests. This is the topic that the SG[France]2022: Road to Newspace team chose for their event in Strasbourg – and it was a success! In addition to gathering 29 different nationalities and thus breaking the record of a SG[France] event, this 4th edition with its 87 delegates has seen more participants than the previous years.
SG[France]2023 – Make Space! – Bordeaux
After 4 successful years of SG[France] in Paris, Toulouse, Lille and Strasbourg, 2023’s event took place in Bordeaux to celebrate an anniversary edition ! The event gathered more than 100 space enthusiasts, from 23 different nationalities, around 5 different working groups on the topics of previous SG[France]. It was the occasion for participants, sponsors and experts to share about their passion for space. The event concluded with a nice networking cocktail and a great surprise cake from the organizing team.
SG[France]2024 – Sustainable Earth, Space and Future – Lyon
More info on the following page!
Newsletters
We have launched a local newsletter in order to share the latest news and opportunities of interest for the french SGAC community. SGAC members are encouraged to actively contribute in its writing by submitting articles on space-related topics to the two French NPoCs. The newsletters (in French) can be downloaded below. Stay tuned for the next edition!
SGAC french newsletter – February 2024
SGAC French newsletter – January 2023
SGAC French newsletter – November 2021
SGAC French newsletter – October 2020
SGAC French newsletter – April 2020
SGAC French newsletter – January 2020
Webinars
We organize webinars regularly in order to present SGAC, its objectives and the opportunities to get more involved in the organization and our activities in France. The webinar from 2023 was recorded and is available on SGAC Youtube Channel. You can join our French mailing list or check the SGAC event calendar to be informed of the next one (log in to your SGAC account, click on “MailingList Signup” on the top blue bar and select “France” in the country mailing list)..
We are also supporting the SGAC French community in organizing webinars or online events to present an organization, an event or a project, or to exchange on a space-related topic through a panel discussion. If you are interested, feel free to reach out to contact the two NPoCs!
Informal events
Finally, we regularly meet in France through informal events. Our French community is particularly active in Paris and Toulouse, but we also have SGAC members in Lille, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Cannes, Nantes, Lyon… therefore feel free to join our next informal meeting!
SGAC-partnered events in France
We are supporting the organization of space-related events in France. We can help you spread out the words about your activities through our mailing list, newsletter, webinars, SGAC website and social media, or support you in finding partners, sponsors, speakers and experts. Reach out to the two French NPoCs to know more!
Young Space Activities Overview in France
France offers plenty of opportunities for the next generation. The two main geographical areas for the space industry in France are Toulouse and the Paris area. Both regions have high-level universities, a space museum (Cité de l’Espace and Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace) and host alternatively international conferences (Toulouse Space Week and the Space ForumShow and the Paris Air Show). The Paris area mainly gathers industries in the sector of space transportation and Toulouse mainly gathers orbital systems industries. There are other regions highly involved in the space industry, namely Bordeaux (with for example Novespace) and Cannes (with for example Thales Alenia Space).
There are also plenty of opportunities for students to grow their knowledge by participating for example to the PERSEUS (Projet Etudiant de Recherche Spatiale) Program from CNES or attending the Ariane City Network Summer School. In addition, since France is a member state of the European Space Agency, any French student is entitled to participate in any program organised at ESA as well as to attend any program from any EU member state countries.
Country-Specific Events in 2024 and in previous years
Main events
- SG[France]2024 – Lyon (stay tuned for more info)
- SpaceCon 2023 – 16-19 November 2023, Palaiseau
- Salon du Bourget 2023 – 19-25 June 2023, Paris
- SG[France]2023: Make Space! – 13 May 2023, Bordeaux
- CYSAT – 26-27 April 2023, Paris
- International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2022 – 18-22 September 2022, Paris
- Space Generation Congress (SGC) 2022 – 13 – 17 September 2022, Paris
- SG[France]2022 – 4 June 2022, Strasbourg
- IAF Spring Meetings 2022 – 29-31 March 2022, Paris
- Paris Space Week 2022 – 14-15 March 2022, Paris
- Summer Space Festival – 4 July 2021, Lille
- SG[France]2021: When Space Comes To You (SGAC) – 3 July 2021, Lille
- SpaceCon – 19 and 24 June 2021, Paris
Others
- Les Mardi de l’Espace – Third Tuesday of each month, Café le Lutèce, Paris and Grand Café Le Florida, Toulouse for some Tuesdays
- TheLastJeudi – Last Thursday of each month, Paris/Toulouse/Bordeaux/Strasbourg/Cannes/Nantes/Angers/Lille
Courses
- Executive Space Course (ISU)
- Techniques & Technologies des Véhicules Spatiaux (TTVS)
- Université d’Eté sur les Systèmes Orbitaux (UNIVERSPACE)
Interesting Web Links
Groups, People, Institutions
- Aerospace Valley– European competitiveness cluster in the aerospace sector (South of France)
- Association Aéronautique et Astronautique de France (3AF)
- Association Planète Mars (French branch of Mars Society)
- Centre Nationale d’Etudes Spatiales
- Communauté des Villes Ariane – Community of Ariane Cities
- Communauté d’Experts (COMET)
- ESA BIC Sud France and ESA Bic Nord France – European Space Agency Incubator
- Eurisy
- Groupe Parlementaire sur l’Espace
- Groupement des Industries Françaises Aéronautiques et Spatiales
- Institut du Droit de l’Espace et des Télécommunications
- Institut Français d’Histoire de l’Espace
- International Space University
- Moon Village Association
- Planete Science
- Office National d’Etudes et de Recherches Aérospatiales
- SEDS (Student for the Exploration and Development of Space) France
- Student Aerospace Challenge
Job Offers
Main companies
Start-ups
- Exotrail
- Gama Space
- Ground Space
- Hemeria
- Kineis
- Latitude (ex Venture Orbital Systems)
- Leanspace
- Maia Space
- Nimesis
- RIDE! Space
- The Exploration Company
- ThrustMe
- UnseenLabs
- U-Space
- Zephalto
Studies
- ISAE-SUPAERO
- Institut Polytechnique des Sciences Avancées
- Ecole de l’Air
- Formations spatiales – Space Training
- University Paris-Sud 11 (Masters Degree in Space and Telecommunication Law)
- International Space University (ISU)
- Institut du Droit de l’Espace et des Télécommunications
- University of Western Brittany (Masters Degree in International Law of Spaces)
- Intespace
- EUROSAE (Advanced Training)
- Ecole Nationale de l’Aviation Civile
- ESTACA
Read
- Air et Cosmos – Aeronautics and Space Magazine
- Ciel et Espace – Astronomy focused magazine
- CNESMAG – Space news by CNES
- Espace & Exploration – Space focused magazine