Lectures, workshops and mentoring are now available!

The EU Space Academy Learning Platform offers enthusiastic entrepreneurs a free and customisable online development programme tailored to their unique goals.

Motivated to shake up your industry by employing the latest knowledge in space data? You’ve come to the right place.

Our academy brings you:

An introduction
Course
curriculum

Explore the following modules:

  • The Space Economy
  • Access to Space for Founders
  • EU Space Market Insights
  • New Space & Start-up Insights

Explore the following modules:

  • Secure Satellite Communication
  • Space Situational Awareness
  • Earth Observation
  • GNSS
  • Enabling Technologies

This course is coming soon!

Explore the following modules:

  • Copernicus Programme
  • Copernicus for Developers
  • Deep Dive on Remote Sensing Data Use Cases

Explore the following modules:

  • Galileo Programme & EGNOS
  • Galileo for Developers
  • Deep Dive on GNSS Use Cases

Explore the following modules:

  • Business Strategy
  • Business Model
  • Building a Team
  • Minimum Viable Product
  • Concept and Design
  • Marketing
  • Sales

Explore the following modules:

  • Opportunities under CASSINI
  • Public & Private Funding
  • Investor Pitching (Coming Soon)

Explore the following modules:

  • EU Space Policy
  • European Government Procurement (Coming Soon)
  • Regulatory Guidelines

This course is coming soon!

Explore the following modules:

  • Foundational Context
  • Governance and Institutional Cooperation in Space Security
  • Cybersecurity and Digital Resilience in Space Security

Explore the following modules:

  • Strategic and Industrial Dimensions of Space Security
  • Operational Applications of EU Space for Security
  • Frontier Technologies in Space Security
Deepen your knowledge

Our partners offer further learning opportunities across key areas of the space sector, from entrepreneurship and technology to policy and regulation. Explore their resources to continue your learning journey.

ESA Academy helps university students build space expertise through hands-on projects, technical training, and learning opportunities across space science, engineering, mission design, and business.

Lecturers
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Kristina Nikolaus picture
Kristina Nikolaus

Kristina Nikolaus is Co-Founder and CEO of OKAPI:Orbits, which develops software for collision avoidance and space traffic management. Since co-founding the company in 2018, she has led its growth in orbital analytics and sustainable space operations, combining industrial engineering and business administration expertise with startup-scaling experience.

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Norbert
Norbert Frischauf

Norbert Frischauf is a Chief Technologist at SpaceTec Partners with more than 13 years of management consulting experience. Norbert is a science journalist at the Austrian National television and technology strategist in EC, EUSPA, GJU, and ESA. He has a scientific and technological background ranging from high energy physics, IT, aviation, and aerospace to space systems engineering.

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Elena Vellutini

Elena Vellutini is a Project Engineer at the Italian Space Agency, specialising in mission design, trajectory optimisation and space-debris environments. Her work supports Italy’s contribution to international debris coordination and European space-surveillance initiatives, following earlier experience in guidance, navigation and control for Vega launcher missions.

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Monika Kuffer Picture
Monika Kuffer

Monika Kuffer is Professor of Sustainability of Rural-Urban Systems at the University of Twente. Her research combines urban remote sensing, geo-information science and planning to address sustainable urban development. She is particularly recognised for using very-high-resolution imagery to map informal settlements and support evidence-based urban policy.

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César Carmona

César Carmona is Principal at Novaspace and Founder of C3 Space, specialising in secure satellite communications, cybersecurity and resilient aerospace systems. His experience spans secure-by-design architecture, programme leadership and complex communication infrastructure, including senior roles at Airbus Defence and Space, OHB and EUMETSAT.

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Martin Giese
Martin Giese

Martin Giese is a startup coach and active business angel in leading incubators. He regularly lectures on fundraising negotiations, entrepreneurial leadership and business model incubation in leading academic programs.He is author of two guidebooks for startups on startup fundraising and B2B sales.

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Monika Kuffer Picture
Monika Kuffer

Monika Kuffer is Professor of Sustainability of Rural-Urban Systems at the University of Twente. Her research combines urban remote sensing, geo-information science and planning to address sustainable urban development. She is particularly recognised for using very-high-resolution imagery to map informal settlements and support evidence-based urban policy.

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Simona
Simona Ciuciuc

Simona Ciuciuc is a tech enthusiast who spent 8 years in the tech industry with Orange. Simona worked in several areas as a functional architect for mobile money services at Orange and as a cloud architect for their public cloud solution. She is a senior Data&AI architect, and her main activities are to contribute to and support the Orange B2B Data AI transformation.

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Noelia Sànchez-Ortiz Picture
Noelia Sànchez-Ortiz

Noelia Sánchez-Ortiz is Co-Founder of Arribes Enlightenment and an aerospace engineer specialising in space safety. Formerly Director of Space Situational Awareness at Deimos Space, she brings expertise in space debris, surveillance and tracking, space weather, mission analysis and space traffic management.

Mentors
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Aikaterini Liakopoulou
Aikaterini Liakopoulou

Venture Partner @ Wefunder
Cleantech and deep-tech investment advisor with over 10 years of experience across Silicon Valley and Europe. She has supported more than 100 early-stage companies that collectively raised over €1 billion. Her work focuses on helping climate, defence and space ventures scale through strategy, partnerships, governance and fundraising.

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Steve Zerafa
Steve Zerafa

Founder @ PIXAM
GNSS engineer and geo-robotics specialist focused on high-precision positioning for robotics, IoT, and spatial analysis. As founder of PIXAM LTD, he develops hardware and software systems for mapping, measurement, and autonomous applications. He also supports startups in turning technical concepts into real-world systems and fostering innovation.

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Emmanuel Mondon
Emmanuel Mondon

Mentor of multiple CASSINI initiatives & Co-Lead of the Gaia-X Location Ecosystem
Geospatial and Earth Observation expert with 25+ years of experience in space and EO services. He has worked in leading geospatial organisations, co-founded Space Cooperative Europe SCE and AdviceGEO, and previously coordinated the Copernicus World Alliance. He now supports digital transformation in the space and geospatial sector across Europe.

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Gaetano Volpe
Gaetano Volpe

CEO @ Latitudo 40
Space-economy entrepreneur with 20 years of experience developing IT-enabled products and services using satellite telecommunications, navigation and Earth observation. He founded Latitudo 40 to make EO insights accessible to non-space users. His work spans digital transformation, innovation strategy and data-driven business models, alongside mentoring and evaluating European start-ups.

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Daniela Jovic
Daniela Jovic

CEO & Founder @ ORBITALYX 
Space-business advisor specialising in commercialisation, launch procurement, communications and market positioning. She led CroCube, Croatia’s first satellite mission, from concept to orbit and has supported multiple satellite missions. She mentors emerging space companies through the ESA BIC ecosystem, advises launch providers on commercial strategy, and was named among Via Satellite’s Top 50 Women in Satellite in 2026.

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Ines Mir
Ines Mir

UX/UI lead @ Zalando
Berlin-based product UX/UI designer, content creator and mentor. She has 14+ years of experience working in big tech companies like Zalando and Yandex and international agencies like Clay Global for top clients such as Corsair, Zenefits, Intuit, Michelin, and Ferrari.

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David Vinagre Fernández
David Vinagre

Senior Process and Quality Consultant @ ISDEFE
Defence and technology professional with over 15 years of experience in quality management, regulatory compliance and operational improvement. She leads quality systems for multinational defence programmes and previously advised the Ministry of Defence on process, quality and cost management. She also coaches EUDIS participants and mentors EUSPA start-ups and SMEs.

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Steve Zerafa
Steve Zerafa

Founder @ PIXAM
GNSS engineer and geo-robotics specialist focused on high-precision positioning for robotics, IoT, and spatial analysis. As founder of PIXAM LTD, he develops hardware and software systems for mapping, measurement, and autonomous applications. He also supports startups in turning technical concepts into real-world systems and fostering innovation.

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Alireza Taravat
Alireza Taravat

Senior Data Scientist / Project Manager @ Deimos Space
PhD in Geoinformatics from University of Rome. He has decades of experience working in the RS and ML fields, in several industries and research domains. Currently senior Remote Sensing scientist/project manager for Deimos Space, working on several ESA and EU funded projects related to Earth Observation data analysis.

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Clarisse
Guy Clarisse

Managing director @ Verhaert Digital
Entrepreneurial IT professional with experience as a consultant, manager and director in various IT domains such as infrastructure, security, cloud computing, IT operations, IT management and outsourcing. He has been focusing on AI/ML projects in food, agronomy, chemistry, healthcare, automotive, logistics and engineering.

FAQ

Any individual of legal age established in the Member States of European Economic Area, EU candidate countries and Horizon Europe associated countries.

Register anytime during the academy by clicking at the courses on our website. 

No, not at all. We encourage anyone with a passion for entrepreneurship and EU space data and signals to participate in the academy. You can learn about the opportunities of the downstream sector and business practices to create a successful start-up.

Yes, there is no requirement as such for participation in the EU Space Academy Learning Platform. Although the course is aimed at entrepreneurs within the space sector, the lessons are designed so any interested person regardless of their background can find modules of interest.

No, you can register to the online programme anytime! Once you registered, you will gain access to all the available courses that you can watch at your own convenience. 

Each member of your team can individually join and benefit from the academy. 

No, you can watch the lessons in your preferred order.

Yes, you will get a certificate after completing the academy. Additionally, after the completion of each course, you can download a completion badge and share it with your network.

Yes, feel free to join all the courses you like.

You can book up to 4 mentoring sessions in any 365-day period, either with the same mentor or different ones. Note that places are limited and mentor availability cannot be guaranteed