26 September 2026
Alpbach Summer School 2026
Read the report of SpaceMaster Students Niklas Herzig and Josephine Balan:
This summer, we had the incredible opportunity to participate in the Alpbach Summer School 2026, organized and sponsored by FFG, ESA, and Austrospace. The program brought together 60 students from across ESA member states to attend lectures by European experts on this year’s theme: "High Energy Processes in the Planetary Systems."
Following the lecture phase, we were divided into four teams of 15 people. Our ultimate challenge was to design a complete, coherent space mission concept from scratch based on the school's theme. This comprehensive exercise required us to cover every phase of mission development, from defining scientific objectives and requirements to orbit design, mission analysis, engineering subsystems, and financial planning. On the final day, we presented our complete mission concepts to an expert jury for an insightful review and evaluation.
Both of us were thrilled to contribute to award-winning mission concepts:
- Niklas Herzig was part of the Yellow Team, which developed ICARUS (Investigating the Chronology of stellar Activity and Radiation using UV Spectra). This project was awarded the prize for the Best Scientific Case.
- Josephine Balan was part of the Green Team, which developed UMEO (Uranus Magnetosphere Exploration Orbiter). This project was awarded the prize for the Best Inspirational Case.
The 10-day program was about much more than just the technical work. We had the invaluable opportunity to exchange ideas with expert tutors from the space sector who were always there to guide us. Being surrounded by the beautiful Austrian Alps, we also enjoyed school-organized hiking trips, nightly group dinners, and a spectacular final gala dinner featuring the award ceremony.
Overall, it was a truly unforgettable and enriching experience that allowed us to apply our SpaceMaster knowledge in a highly collaborative and ispirational environment!
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