The Spaceflight Institute (SFI) is a Toulouse-based training and research organization dedicated to human spaceflight. It brings together a core team of around 10 people and a network of more than 60 European and international experts, representing approximately 70 collaborators involved in its programs and research projects.

SFI positions itself at the heart of three major evolutions shaping human spaceflight in the 2030s: the transition from the ISS to commercial space stations in low Earth orbit; the acceleration of lunar and future Mars missions; and the emergence of new national space agencies building autonomous crewed programs.

These shifts create new training challenges: preparing a significantly larger number of professionals for crewed activities, reducing astronaut training timelines for commercial missions (from 3–5 years to around one year), and enabling continuous in-mission training for long-duration exploration.

To address these challenges, SFI develops advanced training programs and targeted R&D initiatives.

Its flagship academic program, the Human Spaceflight Certificate (HSC), is a five-month high-level program for professionals and graduates seeking to specialize in crewed space missions. It equips participants with the scientific, technical, and operational expertise required to work in the human spaceflight industry. The curriculum covers the full spectrum of crewed missions: space systems architecture, orbital environments, human factors, space medicine, life support systems, mission operations, and the sciences enabled by human spaceflight.

In parallel, SFI develops structured astronaut training programs addressing both institutional and commercial needs. The institutional track supports governmental agencies seeking to build or strengthen autonomous astronaut corps. The commercial track aims to significantly reduce traditional training timelines,  from 3–5 years to approximately one year,  through optimized curricula and competency-based progression, while maintaining the highest safety and operational standards.

Beyond training, SFI leads two major R&D initiatives.

The first focuses on optimizing training pathways through a competency-based framework supported by algorithmic tools, with the objective of accelerating operational readiness without compromising rigor. The second, developed in collaboration with CNES under the Spaceship FR program, consists of an AI-powered educational assistant designed to support continuous learning during long-duration missions, enabling astronauts to maintain and adapt their competencies in isolated and extreme environments.

ThrustMe is a pioneering deep-tech company transforming satellite in-orbit manoeuvrability through innovative, industrialised electric propulsion systems. As the world’s first to demonstrate iodine-fuelled propulsion in orbit, ThrustMe has redefined efficiency, sustainability, and reliability for satellite constellations. Today, with hundreds of systems launched and a new generation of products in development, the company stands as a trusted global partner driving the industrial era of space – where innovation meets production excellence.
We are not just propelling satellites – we are propelling the Industrial Space Era forward.

Dassault Aviation is a French aerospace company that shapes the future by designing and building military aircraft, business jets and space systems.

Key actor in French sovereignty and national defense

Designer of the Vortex reusable spaceplane, for military and civilian missions

Designer and builder of the Rafale multirole fighter, capable of handling all types of missions for both air forces and naval air arms

Designer of technological demonstrators as leading partner in the nEUROn combat drone and New Generation Fighter (NGF) programs

Designer and builder of the Falcon family of business jets, recognized for their handling qualities, operational flexibility, fuel efficiency and innovative design

Designer and builder of special Falcons for maritime surveillance, intelligence or medical evacuation missions

The hub of a strategic industrial network comprising hundreds of companies in France and international markets

Core shareholder in Thales

Expertise in key sovereign technologies

Pioneer in digital technologies and developer of CATIA™, the 3D CAD/CAM system that has become a global standard

Creator of more than 100 prototypes in the last century, with over 10,000 aircraft delivered to 90 countries

Dassault Aviation Facts & Figures (2024):

• Revenues: € 6.2 Billion (68 % export);
• Orders: € 10.9 Billion (90 % export);
• Net income: € 1056 Million;
• 14,600 employees;
• 18 specialized facilities (including 13 in France) and a global network of service centers;
• More than 10,000 military and civil aircraft delivered since 1916;
• More than 2150 Falcon jets and 1000 fighters aircraft in service;
• More than 90 countries using Falcons and Dassault military aircraft (Rafale, Mirage, Alpha Jet…).

Production:

• Combat aircraft
  • Rafale, omnirole combat aircraft, 533 ordered (including 299 export);
  • Upgrade of military aircraft for new missions.
• Falcon
  • 3 business jets ranging from 4,000 to 6,450 nm:
    • twinjet Falcon 2000LXS;
    • twinjet Falcon 6X;
    • trijet Falcon 8X.
• Multirole Aircraft: maritime surveillance, medevac, intelligence, etc.

Developments:

• Various research cooperation projects: CORAC, CleanAviation, SESAR, ALCAS, etc.
• Rafale: F4 standard in progress, F5 in preparation (including a UCAV);
• 10X, twinjet ultra large cabin – ultra long range business aircraft;
• Falcon Albatros (maritime surveillance) for the French Navy;
• Falcon Archange (intelligence) for the French Air Force;
• NGF: leadership for the development of a New Generation Fighter demonstrator, in cooperation with Germany and Spain;
• EURODRONE: MALE in cooperation with Airbus Defence & Space and Leonardo;
• Space research projects, including the Vortex reusable spaceplane;

ION-X is a French space propulsion company specialized in compact electric propulsion systems for small satellite platforms. We design and manufacture ionic liquid electrospray thrusters that deliver high total impulse in a small footprint, enabling agile orbit control, collision avoidance, and extended mission lifetimes.
Our propulsion modules are engineered for integration simplicity and operational reliability. They are optimized for CubeSat and microsatellite architectures where mass, volume, and power constraints are critical. ION-X systems support a wide range of missions including Earth observation, in-orbit demonstration, constellation maintenance, and debris avoidance.
Beyond hardware, ION-X focuses on system-level performance. Our propulsion solutions are developed alongside guidance and mission concepts that anticipate the growing need for safe,
sustainable space operations. We actively contribute to European initiatives related to space traffic management and zero debris objectives.
The company operates with a strong industrial mindset: flight-qualified design, scalable production processes, and close collaboration with integrators and agencies. Our roadmap is built around increasing thrust performance, higher integration density, and smarter onboard autonomy.
ION-X works with commercial and institutional partners across Europe and internationally. Our ambition is to provide propulsion systems that are not only efficient, but that actively enable a new generation sustainable satellite operations.

For more than four decades, our teams have supported some of the world’s most demanding civil, defense, scientific, and commercial space missions—bringing together unrivaled expertise in flight dynamics, mission planning, control centers, simulation, image processing, and geospatial intelligence. This long-standing experience positions us as a trusted partner for agencies, satellite operators, prime contractors, and emerging NewSpace players seeking high‑performance, reliable, and scalable solutions.

At the Space Symposium, we showcase a portfolio built to meet today’s accelerating challenges in space safety, operations, and data exploitation.

Driving the Future of Space Surveillance

With the rapid growth of satellite constellations and orbital congestion, Space Situational Awareness (SSA/SDA) has become critical. We contribute to major European multi‑sensor and multi‑orbit initiatives, delivering capabilities for tracking resident space objects, predicting collision risks, detecting debris, and assessing abnormal or hostile behaviors. These contributions strengthen national and European autonomy in space surveillance and defense

Operational Excellence Across Mission Types

Our engineers design, develop, integrate, and operate ground systems across the entire mission lifecycle—covering telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, scientific, and interplanetary missions. This includes major programs such as NEOSAT, EGNOS, GALILEO, PLÉIADES, CSO, CERES, COPERNICUS, ATV, MYRIADE, and ROSETTA. This heritage provides deep operational insight into mission control architectures, space data management, and complex operational workflows.

Intelligent Space Applications

We deliver advanced applications combining simulation, image processing, geospatial data exploitation, cloud‑based infrastructures, and GEOINT/IMINT capabilities. From high‑resolution optical chains to large‑scale data processing centers, we help organizations transform raw space data into operational intelligence

Next‑Generation Platforms for a New Era

Our solutions include ASTREK, a federated digital platform that aggregates radar, optical, and telemetry data to secure satellite fleets, anticipate threats, and provide actionable space domain awareness to institutional and commercial users

We also offer GOSMIC, a cloud‑native, microservices‑based operational ground segment enabling multi‑satellite, multi‑mission operations with full automation, scalable deployment, and modern architecture tailored to the NewSpace paradigm.

Together, these platforms accelerate decision‑making, enhance operational resilience, and support the safe and sustainable use of orbital environments.

Miratlas provides advanced atmospheric monitoring solutions for critical applications in space communications, defense and astronomy. Our products include:

• Sky Monitor: Real-time turbulence and cloud measurement instrumentation
• Lamarck Database: Global atmospheric data repository

LaserCom Pathfinder: network modelling optimization tool

Exotrail is a French space logistics company, specializing in orbital mobility and in-orbit

services. Founded in 2017 and based in Massy, Toulouse (France) and in the U.S. with its subsidiary, the company build and operate the service fleet that commercial operators rely on, and defense forces trust. With electric propulsion systems for small satellites and operating spacevan™, a multi-mission multi-orbit service vehicle, Exotrail supports commercial, institutional, and

defense customers worldwide. With growing space heritage and industrial footprint,

Exotrail is scaling up to meet the needs of an increasingly dense and strategic space environment, in deploying, operating, and sustaining space infrastructure.

3D PLUS is a leading supplier of radiation tolerant components for space, with over 220,000 modules in orbit and more than 25 years of failure-free flight heritage. Our products, including memories, space camera heads, and interfaces, are reliable in global space missions, from telecommunications to science explorations.

AIKO is a deep-tech company developing artificial intelligence software for space applications, with a strong focus on onboard intelligence and mission operations.
AIKO designs AI systems that operate directly on board spacecraft, enabling satellites to take decisions, adapt to changing conditions and manage anomalies autonomously. Our technologies reduce operational complexity, increase mission resilience and unlock the full value of space data.
AIKO’s solutions cover the full mission lifecycle, from design and validation to in-orbit operations. We work on autonomy for spacecraft and robotic systems, onboard data processing for Earth Observation, intelligent fault detection, and AI-assisted maneuvering for SDA, SSA and IOS applications.
Our approach is strongly engineering-driven: we focus on reliable, explainable and certifiable AI, designed to work in constrained and safety-critical environments. AIKO’s software is already validated through multiple institutional programs, as well as commercial projects with satellite operators, system integrators and launchers.
By bringing intelligence closer to where data is generated, AIKO helps space missions become more autonomous, more efficient and more sustainable, paving the way for the next generation of space systems.