20th Student Aerospace Challenge
On June 25, 2026, a momentous occasion unfolded at the Air and Space Museum in Le Bourget (93) as the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Astronaut Club (ACE), ArianeGroup, the National Center for Space Studies (CNES), Dassault Aviation, and the Air and Space Museum collectively organized the closing ceremony of the 20th edition of the Student Aerospace Challenge.
This year, the competition saw participation from fifteen teams representing schools and universities across six European nations: Germany, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Each team presented their final reports along with project posters, showcasing a steady involvement that reflects the competition’s enduring success.
The Dassault Aviation Award was notably presented to the five students of the ImpAerials team hailing from Imperial College London for their pioneering project involving a hypersonic suborbital vehicle designed for long-range flights.
In an inspiring touch, Yves Pleindoux, who is slated to become a future passenger on a suborbital flight aboard Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo Delta in 2027, shared his experiences with the students present.
Award Ceremony for the 20th Competition
2026 Winners:
- The ESA Grand Prize: the Pangea Astralis team from École Centrale de Lyon (France)
- The ArianeGroup Prize: the PoliTOrbital-Propulsion team from Politecnico di Torino (Italy)
- The CNES Prize: the ASTRONIKE team from the University of Caen Normandy (France)
- The Dassault Aviation Prize: the ImpAerials team from Imperial College London (United Kingdom)
- The Communication Prize, sponsored by the ACE: the AeroProp Design Team from Wrocław University of Science and Technology (Poland)
- The Special Prize for Aerospace Challenge Day, sponsored by the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace: the PoliTOrbital-Medical Aspects team from the Politecnico di Torino (Italy)
Source: Dassault Aviation (2013-04-26T19:27:12+00:00)
