The Space Studies Program SSP offers an intensive eight-week course hosted each year in the timeframe June-August in different locations around the world.
It provides courses in all space disciplines, as well as hands-on education through workshops and professional visits. This program offers a unique curriculum designed specifically for professionals starting or changing direction in their space careers. The SSP is intended for people working in space-related fields who wish to broaden their knowledge base.
During the SSP, participants work on team projects to address current and future challenges in the space sector. The extraordinary people that I met, from young professionals to executives, contributed to my personal and professional growth. This experience boosted my career further into the NewSpace business. After SSP21, I started working as space licensing and system engineer at HyImpulse GmbH — currently working on the development of the sounding rocket and in-orbit propulsion systems. The program is packed with a wide variety of activities, including lectures by renowned experts, hands-on activities and projects, team work and professional visits.
A series of lectures in each field of study that is designed primarily for non-experts is presented. Core lectures are often grouped in clusters. Participants choose activities based on their interests. A number of activities are conducted in parallel and participants must sign up in advance. Topics may be offered more than once so as many people as possible are able to benefit. In Phase III of the SSP, participants work in international, interdisciplinary and intercultural teams to produce a comprehensive analysis and proposals for an international space project or on a topic of relevance to the professional space sector.
Participants choose one from multiple team project topics and work on that topic for the duration of the SSP. This element of the program has three main objectives:. Learning about such a broad range of topics alongside such talented individuals was an experience second to none.
