Since it was launched in 2006 at the initiative of Dassault Aviation, the Student Aerospace Challenge has been giving students in higher education the opportunity to compete against each other as they work on a manned suborbital vehicle project (VSH).

Every year, several work packages are proposed to the students, covering all of the aspects in this aerospace sector. In 2014, 13 teams competed in a wide variety of fields (concept and predefinition of the VSH, main propulsion, cockpit layout, legal issues, etc.).

With astronaut Michel Tognini and architect Jacques Rougerie, the 8th exercise concluded with the 7th suborbital day which was held at the Air and Space Museum in Le Bourget, on June 24, 2014. At this point, the students presented their work and some teams received awards.

The Challenge's partners awarded a prize to the five winning teams. This year, the Dassault Aviation Award went to team Ensicarus from ISAE Ensica for their remarkable work carried out within the work package "Concept and predefinition of the manned suborbital vehicle". The six students conducted an in-depth study concerning the separation of the sub-orbital vehicle from its carrier.

The Student Aerospace Challenge is supported by Dassault Aviation, Airbus Group, Safran, Thales, Gifas, the Air and Space Museum and the European Astronaut Club.

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