News

ONERA, ThrustMe, and Airbus Defence and Space have initiated the IPISC project (Iodine Propulsion Interaction with Satellites and Components), supported by ESA and CNES. This project aims to evaluate the potential of iodine as a new propellant for satellites weighing over 500 kg, focusing on the interaction between iodine propulsion systems and a range of satellite materials and components. Iodine-based propulsion offers an alternative to noble gases like xenon.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has entrusted ONERA with the development of MicroSTAR accelerometers for the future NGGM (Next Generation Gravity Mission) space geodesy mission.

Tuesday 20 June, attend the opening presentation of the IFAR Early Career Network « Research to help addressing present and future challenges facing aviation » and the following panel on sustainable aviation.

On December the 1st 2021, the European consortium led by Naval Group Belgium kicked off the MIne RIsk CLearance for Europe (MIRICLE) project. This project aims at achieving a European and sovereign capacity in the future mine warfare and will create a path for the next generation ‘made in Europe’ countermeasure solutions. ONERA takes part to this project.

ONERA welcomes the award of the Nobel Prize to Alain Aspect, for his experiments with entangled photons, paving the way for the second quantum revolution.

On 23 September 2022, ONERA and JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, signed a new framework agreement. This was an opportunity for ONERA to welcome its Japanese counterpart to its premises for the first time, and to strengthen our cooperation.

September 14, the MICROSCOPE mission has delivered its latest results : it has confirmed the equivalence principle with unprecedented accuracy of 10-15. These results mean that the principle of equivalence remains unwavering today, to mark yet another victory for the Theory of General Relativity as proposed by Albert Einstein more than a century ago. ONERA participated to this MICROSCOPE experience with by supplying its accelerometers.

The 3id of June 2022, in Brussels, the Association of European Space Research Establishments (ESRE) currently chaired by ONERA organized a landmark workshop with the European Commission on “space challenges for the EU”. The Commission was represented by Mrs Catherine Kavvada, Director of Unit B “Innovation & Outreach” of the General Directorate for Defence, Industry & Space (DG DEFIS) accompanied by several key officers..

The 4S (Small Satellite Systems and Services) symposium brought together the entire Nanosatellites community, and ONERA, with its spatial and scientific cross-disciplinary expertise and its testing facilities making it a natural stakeholder in the subject, was there. Focus on its activities in this area.