Astronaute Club Européen
Encyclopedia
The Astronaute Club Européen or ACE, is a French association created on December 3rd 2005 (decree of the Journal Officiel
n°20050049), by Jean-Pierre Haigneré
(cosmonaut), Laurent Gathier
(director of space activities of Dassault Aviation
and space pioneer) and Alain Dupas (Physicist, head of mission at CNES
); and whose headquarters are located in the rooms of the Aéroclub de France in Paris
.
in Europe and to pilot the development of private parabolic and suborbital flights, and to make them available to the general public. With this purpose, the association is promoting the design and development of the suborbital human spacecraft (VEHRA-SH).
Since it has been created, the ACE has participated in :
This VSH will be developed in close association with aeronautical and space companies:
Journal Officiel de la République Française
The Journal Officiel de la République Française is the official gazette of the French Republic. It publishes the major legal official information from the national Government of France.-Publications:...
n°20050049), by Jean-Pierre Haigneré
Jean-Pierre Haigneré
Jean-Pierre Haigneré is a French Air Force officer and a former CNES astronaut.Haigneré was born in Paris, France and joined the French Air Force, where he trained as a test pilot....
(cosmonaut), Laurent Gathier
Laurent Gathier
Laurent Gathier is a French engineer and space pioneer born in 1953 in Friedrichshafen, Germany. He is married and the father of three boys and currently the director of space activities of Dassault Aviation, in Saint-Cloud....
(director of space activities of Dassault Aviation
Dassault Aviation
Dassault Aviation is a French aircraft manufacturer of military, regional and business jets, a subsidiary of Dassault Group.It was founded in 1930 by Marcel Bloch as Société des Avions Marcel Bloch or "MB". After World War II, Marcel Bloch changed his name to Marcel Dassault, and the name of the...
and space pioneer) and Alain Dupas (Physicist, head of mission at CNES
CNES
The is the French government space agency . Established under President Charles de Gaulle in 1961, its headquarters are located in central Paris and it is under the supervision of the French Ministries of Defence and Research...
); and whose headquarters are located in the rooms of the Aéroclub de France in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Presentation
Its role is to promote space tourism and sub-orbital spaceflightSub-orbital spaceflight
A sub-orbital space flight is a spaceflight in which the spacecraft reaches space, but its trajectory intersects the atmosphere or surface of the gravitating body from which it was launched, so that it does not complete one orbital revolution....
in Europe and to pilot the development of private parabolic and suborbital flights, and to make them available to the general public. With this purpose, the association is promoting the design and development of the suborbital human spacecraft (VEHRA-SH).
Since it has been created, the ACE has participated in :
- the publication of space books;
- the organisation of conferences;
- many events (conferences, congresses, etc.);
- the proposal of study topics to European universities.
The VSH project
The VSH project is part of the Aerospace Student Challenge, which allows teams of European students, through collaborative work, to participate in the development of the project by addressing various aspects of the VSH system: propulsion, avionics, flight simulation but also maintenance, management, legal aspects, etc. while complying to the overall technical framework of the VSH, a vehicle launched from a commercial aircraft, which will reach Mach 3.5 and an altitude of 100 km, the limits of space.This VSH will be developed in close association with aeronautical and space companies:
- Dassault AviationDassault AviationDassault Aviation is a French aircraft manufacturer of military, regional and business jets, a subsidiary of Dassault Group.It was founded in 1930 by Marcel Bloch as Société des Avions Marcel Bloch or "MB". After World War II, Marcel Bloch changed his name to Marcel Dassault, and the name of the...
; - SAFRANSAFRANSafran is a French conglomerate involved in defense, aerospace propulsion and equipment, and security. It is the result of a merger between the propulsion and aerospace equipment group SNECMA and the defense conglomerate SAGEM. Its headquarters are located in Paris.The name Safran, literally...
; - THALESThales GroupThe Thales Group is a French electronics company delivering information systems and services for the aerospace, defense, transportation and security markets...
.