Following the success of previous editions, ESA's Education Office, in collaboration with ESA’s Requirements and Standards Section, is once again organising the five-day Space Standards Training Course. The eight edition of this course will take place in-person from 1 to 5 June 2026 at ESA Academy’s Training and Learning Facility in ESA’s European Space Security and Education Centre (ESEC), Belgium.

Over five intense, interactive and insightful days, participants will receive an in-depth introduction to the European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS). Experts from the European Space Agency (ESA) will highlight the critical role standards play in shaping and executing space activities. The programme will explore how adherence to standards impacts various disciplines within ESA and the space sector in general, supporting the development of advanced space technologies.

The ECSS provides a unified, streamlined set of standards for all European space activities. These standards are applied consistently across project management, hardware and software development, testing, product and quality assurance. The collaborative development and updating of these standards involve key stakeholders, including agencies and industry partners. ESA contracts with spacecraft manufacturers specify subsets of ECSS management standards, while quality and product assurance standards ensure the reliability of engineering designs and processes for spacecraft and payloads.

Standards in space projects serve two essential purposes: reducing technical risks and costs, while also ensuring compatibility among all components of a mission. As a result, the integration of standards is vital across every aspect of ESA's work.

During this week-long programme, participants will learn from experts in space standards - a topic often overlooked in traditional university courses. Students will learn application of current ECSS standards & next generation of standards to Advanced and Smart Manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence and Lunar & Mars crewed and robotic missions. By the end of the course, they will have gained critical knowledge and skills to navigate the complexities of the space industry and advance their careers in this highly specialized field.

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