The 23rd Summer School of the Ariane Community of Cities was inaugurated at the Higher Technical School of Engineering of the University of Seville

A special day that shows the Seville capital's firm commitment to the aerospace sector, which coincides today with a world milestone in the sector: The inaugural flight of the Ariane 6, which will take place at the European Space Port of Kurú, in French Guiana , between 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Spanish peninsular time.

The Higher Technical School of Engineering of the University of Seville today hosted the inauguration of the 23rd Summer School Community of Ariane Cities (CVA) in which, from July 7 to 27, 25 students of different nationalities, from universities in CVA member cities, will expand their knowledge in the field of aerospace engineering.

Organized jointly by the Community of Ariane Cities (CVA), the Higher Technical School of Engineering of the University of Seville, Airbus and the Seville City Council, this activity aims to deepen the aerospace studies of those who will be the professionals of the sector in the not too distant future.

A special day that demonstrates the Seville capital's firm commitment to the aerospace sector, welcoming young engineers from the member cities of the Ariane city network, which coincides today with a global milestone in the European aerospace sector: flight opening of Ariane 6, which will take place at the European Space Port in Kurú (French Guiana) between 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Spanish peninsular time.

The inauguration was attended by Alvaro Pimentel Siles, delegate of Cartuja, Innovative Parks, Economy, Employment and Commerce of the Seville City Council; Andrés Sáez Pérez, director of the Higher Technical School of Engineering (ETSI) of the University of Seville; Rafael Vazquez Valenzuela, coordinator of the Summer School, professor of aerospace engineering, director of the Indra chair of space surveillance at the University of Seville and professor at the ETSI, Miguel Angel Yagüe Vázquez, director of program operations at Airbus Espacio, Jose Maria Perez Perez, director of National Programs of the Spanish Space Agency and Gael Winters, CVA General Delegate.

Álvaro Pimentel welcomed the students, pointing out that “we are proud to have your presence at this very special moment for our city and on the same day when we hope the first inaugural flight of Ariane 6 will take place.” He also highlighted that “the space sector is part of the Andalusian aerospace industry, and represents one of the great vectors of economic growth of our city for the coming years. Something that will undoubtedly be reinforced by the activity of the Spanish Space Agency headquarters in Seville and the opening of the Spanish Space Agency incubator, which will allow us to position ourselves at the epicenter of the space industry in Spain”, He added. he.

For his part, Rafael Vázquez, coordinator of the Summer School, professor of aerospace engineering, director of the Indra chair of space surveillance and professor at the ETSI, explained that "this summer school constitutes a link between academic training and the industry space, being extremely interesting for our students. At the Higher Technical School of Engineering, we promote not only the acquisition of advanced technical knowledge, but also the development of international connections, fundamental for the future of the space sector in the city and the region. "

Miguel Ángel Yagüe, Director of Program Operations at Airbus Espacio, noted in his speech that “The upcoming launch of Ariane 6 is very important internationally as it is a crucial option in the launcher market. At the European level, Ariane 6 provides Europe with independent access to space, strengthening its sovereignty in this strategic field. In the Spanish context, Ariane symbolizes prosperity, innovation and progress, providing economic and strategic benefits."

Finally, José María Pérez, director of National Programs of the Spanish Space Agency, highlighted that “This launch represents a historic milestone for Europe and the Spanish space industry. The launchers are the gateway to space and Ariane 6 will guarantee technological independence in European access to space, which was lost after the withdrawal of its predecessor, the Ariane 5. Regarding Spanish participation, compared to the model previous (Ariane 5), the Spanish contribution to Ariane 6 has almost doubled, reaching 4.7% in this case (Airbus Group, Sener, Thales Alenia Space Spain, and GTD among others).”

July 9, 2024 has been the scheduled date for the first launch of Ariane 6, which will take off from the European Space Port, in French Guiana. A historic moment that will mark a new era of European space travel.

Ariane 6 launch

Ariane 6 is Europe's new heavy-lift launch vehicle, it has a restartable upper stage that allows it to launch multiple missions into different orbits in a single flight, and comes to replace its highly successful predecessor, Ariane 5. . It will have a flight range of 2 hours, 51 minutes and 40 seconds.

At the beginning of the month, the news of the launch date was announced, announced by the Director General of the ESA, Josef Aschbacher, and places it in the final stretch of the launch campaign. All after last Friday, June 21, the last 'wet general rehearsal' will be held, an exciting preview of what is to come. This test was the last milestone before launch, and allowed the teams to fine-tune the delicate operations necessary until liftoff, using the rocket's actual flight hardware and software for launch for the first time.

In the words of ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher: “Ariane 6 marks a new era of autonomous and versatile European space travel. This powerful rocket is the culmination of many years of dedication and ingenuity by thousands of people across Europe, and as it is launched, it will restore Europe's independent access to space. I am pleased to announce that the first launch attempt will be on July 9. I would like to thank the teams on the ground for their tireless work, teamwork and dedication in this final leg of the inaugural launch campaign. Ariane 6 is Europe's rocket for today's needs, adaptable to our future ambitions.

The future of the aerospace sector

In this edition, the School focuses on the field of Advanced Microlaunchers, addressing multidisciplinary courses and team projects that focus on this crucial field for the future of access to space. Through classes, taught by professors from the different universities that are integrated into the CVA, and technical visits to facilities and companies related to the sector, students expand their knowledge in subjects that will be fundamental for their future work. .  

Community of Ariane Cities (CVA)

The Community of Ariane Cities (CVA, for its French acronym, Communauté des Villes Ariane) is a non-profit association created in 1998. It is an association of European cities and companies present in them, made up of 33 active members (13 cities, 17 companies and institutions of the aerospace industry and 3 space agencies). Present in six countries, the CVA also represents 30,000 highly skilled space workers who contribute to the success of European space systems, including the Ariane and Vega launchers. These cities, with their industrial partners included, represent the map of excellence of the European space, from the continent to its outermost regions, such as French Guiana.

The cities belonging to the group also encourage the initiation and promotion of projects, economic cooperation and citizens' knowledge of the benefits of technological progress in the aerospace field. These cities are: Augsburg, Bremen, Lampoldshausen (Germany); Bordeaux, Évry/Courcouronnes, Les Mureaux, Mulhouse, Toulouse, Vernon, and Kourou (French Guiana); Liège (Belgium); Colleferro (Italy); and Seville (Spain). The space agencies are ESA and the national agencies of France and Italy, while the companies include large European industry corporations, including Airbus Defense and Space.

Seville, Presidency of the CVA 2024

Seville assumes the Presidency of CVA 2024 with the aim of projecting an image of a city committed to space and that believes in the city's capabilities as a reference aerospace vector at a national and international level.

During the presidency of the CVA, Seville will host important events related to space, such as today the inauguration of the 23rd edition of the CVA Summer School. The initiatives promoted by the entities that are part of the Forum consist of a wide variety of activities and experiences that reconcile different dimensions of dissemination, information, professional, business, cultural, social, among others, to place Seville at the epicenter of the story about the aerospace sector.