International Space University

The International Space University (ISU) is a higher education institute headquartered in Illkirch-Graffenstaden, a suburb of Strasbourg, France. It is dedicated to the discovery, research, and development of outer space and its applications for peaceful purposes, through international and multidisciplinary education and research programs. ISU was founded in 1987 and is registered in France and in the United States as a non profit organisation. As of April 2020, there were over 5000 ISU alumni from 109 countries. The chancellor of the International Space University is Eytan Stibbe, founder of Rakia, a public benefit company, advancing Israel’s space sector through local and international partnerships, with a focus on human spaceflight. Former Chancellor Pascale Ehrenfreund, Chair of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Executive Board and President of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). Previous chancellors have included Buzz Aldrin, Jean-Jacques Dordain, and Arthur C. Clarke. The sixth President of the International Space University is Juan de Dalmau who succeeded Walter Peeters in September 2018. History In 1985, space enthusiasts Peter Diamandis, Todd Hawley, and Robert D. Richards created the Space Generation Foundation, with the aim of fostering a sense of identity for people born since the beginning of the space era. One of the ideas developed by the foundation was for a dedicated 'Space University', which gained the support of a number of well-known figures in the space field, including U.R. Rao, Harrison Schmitt, Burton Edelson, Gerard K. O'Neill, Hermann Oberth, and Arthur C. Clarke. The initiative was further developed and presented to the Advances in the Astronautical Sciences (AAS) meeting dedicated to Aerospace Century XXI in Boulder, Colorado in 1986. The following year, a three-day founding conference was convened at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 10 to 12 April 1987; the dates were chosen to commemorate the first spaceflight of Yuri Gagarin (12 April 1961). The founding conference culminated in the formal creation of the International Space University, established as a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization in Massachusetts. The first ISU Summer Session Program (SSP) took place at MIT from 20 June to 20 August 1988, with the support of major space agencies. The first international participants in the summer session were ceremonially led by the founders in a walk across the Charles River from MIT in Cambridge to Boston. The artwork for the first brochure was made by Pat Rawlings, and is still in use today. The original offices of the ISU were in a Victorian townhouse overlooking Kenmore Square in Boston. ISU originally evolved as a geographically decentralized institute, with summer sessions convened in a different country each year. Following an international competition for a host city for the Central Campus, the ISU moved from Massachusetts to Illkirch-Graffenstaden, just south of Strasbourg, France, in 1994. During the first years, the Master of Science classes took place in the Pôle API of the École Nationale Supérieure de Physique de Strasbourg. ISU is now a non-profit association registered in Alsace, and is still registered in the US as a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization. In 2002, with the help of local authorities, ISU obtained its own building in the Parc d'Innovation of Illkirch-Graffenstaden. The French Ministry of Education recognized ISU as an institute of higher education in 2004. ISU has had permanent observer status with the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs since 1998. ISU was also granted full membership of the Space Agency Forum (SAF) in 1995. ISU is a member of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and has contributed to various international projects including the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum, the IAF Symposium on "Bringing Space into Education", the World Space Workshop on Education, and the National Science Week Steering Committee. In November 2017 the International Space University hosted a conference in Strasbourg that led to the formation of the Moon Village Association. Academics The university offers a Master in Space Studies (MSS) in Strasbourg, which can be completed in one year with an internship or in two years with a research thesis leading to the Master of Science (MSc) degree. It also offers a fully online research master's degree, the Master in Space Research (MPhil). The university also offers shorter professional development programs across the world. These include the itinerant eight-week Space Studies Program (SSP), a five-week Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program (SHSSP) in partnership with Adelaide University, Executive Space Courses offered worldwide, and Advanced Studies courses in Strasbourg. Organization and administration ISU's organizational structure includes a Board of Advisors, chaired by the Chancellor, and a board of trustees elected by the Governing Membership of the ISU. The Board of Trustees determines ISU's overall objectives, oversees the university's affairs and appoints the ISU President. The President is supported by an executive committee, Academic Staff (who prepare and deliver ISU programs) and Administrative Staff (responsible for the daily operation of the Institution). The Academic Staff are led by the Dean, who is supported by staff responsible for ISU's academic programs (Masters and SSP) and library services. The Academic Council of ISU is responsible for ensuring the academic quality of ISU's teaching and research activities. ISU academic staff include a number of Resident Faculty, augmented by other Faculty and Lecturers as needed for the programs. Notable people Founders Peter Diamandis Todd B. Hawley Robert D. Richards Chancellors 1987–2004: Arthur C. Clarke 2004–2015: Jean-Jacques Dordain 2015–2018: Buzz Aldrin 2018–2021: Pascale Ehrenfreund 2022-2025 Dr. Valanathan Munsami 2025- present Eytan Stibbe Presidents 1991–1994: George Van Reeth 1994–1998: Roland Doré 1998–2004: Karl Doetsch 2004–2011: Michael Simpson 2011–2018: Walter Peeters 2018–2021: Juan De Dalmau 2021–2023: Pascale Ehrenfreund 2023–2024: Nicolas Peter (Acting) 2024-Present: John Wensveen Notable faculty Ben Finney, 1994-2003 co-chair of Space and Society department Dustin Bates, 2006 ISU Summer Session Program Teaching Associate Astronauts Oleg Atkov, Russian Railways, Faculty James H. Newman, NASA, the first ISU alumnus (SSP 1989) to go into space Jeffrey Hoffman, NASA & MIT, Faculty Chiaki Mukai, JAXA, Faculty Reinhold Ewald, ESA, lecturer Jean-Jacques Favier, CNES, lecturer Robert Thirsk, CSA, lecturer Soyeon Yi, KARI, lecturer, the first astronaut to attend ISU (SSP 2009) Anousheh Ansari, the first person to receive an ISU honorary doctorate while in space Sergei Krikalev, Energya, Special Guest Lecturer Yang Liwei, CASC, Special Guest Lecturer Michel Tognini, CNES & ESA, Special Guest Lecturer Jessica Meir, NASA, alumna (MSS 2000) References External links Official website ISU Library public page on Netvibes Dave Haslam about "25 years of the ISU" (YouTube Video) SpaceUp Stuttgart 2012 Space University takes off with the first international summer institute