Student Space Conference at BUT attracted a record number of participants
The three largest universities in Brno continue to organize the Brno Space Student Conference focused on the rapidly growing space sector. The third edition of this travelling event made a stop at the Rectorate of Brno University of Technology, attracting a record 130 participants. The all-day program featured four blocks including lectures on student space projects and activities, systems engineering, scientific experiments in Earth orbit, and presentations by space companies. The event concluded with a poster session and networking. The conference took place on April 16 under the auspices of the rectors of all the participating universities.
“Thanks to everyone who took part in the event, whether organizers, participants, speakers, or sponsors. They all created a great atmosphere and confirmed that space applications have their place in Brno — and most importantly, a great future,” said Pavel Pořízka from BUT on behalf of the organizing team, appreciating how the event continues to grow: “It's clear the conference has reached the next level. Not only has the number of students and other participants grown from 50 to 130 since the first edition, but we also perceive increased support from faculties and universities. The endorsement of all three university rectors is proof of that.”
Guests and speakers were welcomed at the beginning by BUT Rector Ladislav Janíček, who praised the university teams’ capabilities in preparing satellite missions and related experiments. “We are living in a science fiction era. Can you imagine what the world will be like in 50 years at the current pace of technological change?” the rector asked rhetorically, adding that space technology activities have great potential to attract primary and secondary school students to technical studies.
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The morning block of ten-minute talks began with Václav Havlíček from the Brno Space Cluster, an alliance of companies and universities focused on business and education in the space industry. According to the speaker, the space sector offers opportunities for talents from various professions. Not only education but also passion and diligence are key.
Veronika Mašínová from the ESA BIC incubator — supported by the European Space Agency, innovation agency JIC, and CzechInvest — gave advice on how to start a space startup even during your studies.
Jakub Mašek from the Institute of Aerospace Engineering at BUT’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME BUT) shared his journey to an internship at the ESA Academy. “ESA Academy in Belgium offers about 28 programs where European experts pour so much knowledge into you over one week that a whole year at university doesn’t compare,” he emphasized. Participation is free, but the selection process is rigorous. Besides gaining knowledge and experience, the major advantage is networking with the expert community. According to Mašek, the field of study doesn't matter. “But it’s helpful to find a mentor to advise you on how to improve your application to increase your chances,” he added.
Dominik Klement, head of the student team YSpace based at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication at BUT (FEEC BUT), presented two key missions his team is preparing. Mission KOSTKA is set to be the first Czech student satellite to reach orbit. Its goal is to test a communication module facilitating data transfer between two remote ground stations. KOSTKA also serves as a preparatory mission for the more complex CIMER mission, developed in cooperation with Mendel University. Klement also highlighted the project’s success in being selected for ESA’s Fly Your Satellite! Design Booster program.
The opening block also included presentations by Radek Pobořil from the HILASE Center at the Institute of Physics CAS on laser applications for space use, and Lucie Ráčková from MUNI on analogue missions (which simulate the effects of microgravity or radiation on humans under Earth conditions, editor’s note) as opportunities for Czech researchers.
Forms of systems integration and systems engineering
The field of systems integration and systems engineering is crucial for the effective operation of any system composed of many interdependent subsystems. In simple terms, systems engineering is responsible for defining goals and aligning components into a functional whole. The second block of the conference introduced different aspects of this field.
The block opened with Robert Popela’s presentation from the Institute of Aerospace Engineering FME BUT, whose graduates work in many space companies. He introduced the institute’s key projects – a ballistic rescue system for unmanned aircraft and a feasibility study on rocket-powered lunar drones planned by ESA for rapid terrain exploration in lunar missions. The institute is also developing a miniaturized thermal switch that could be used for automatic cooling of devices in orbit. The switch is planned as payload for the BRNOsat mission.
Scientific involvement in the mission is also planned by another representative of FME BUT – the Institute of Machine and Industrial Design and its Tribology Department. They focus on the research of lubricants and labyrinth seals that minimize evaporation in space. David Košťál explained the challenges of lubrication in space in his presentation “He Who Lubricates, Flies.”
Jiří Hanák from BUT’s Faculty of Information Technology (FIT BUT) described what needs to be considered when developing software to control satellite payloads.
FEEC BUT had three presenters in the morning block. Roman Maršálek from the Department of Radioelectronics covered satellite communications. He discussed the use of the latest wireless systems, particularly 5G in space, and the related technical challenges. From the same department, Aleš Povalač reviewed international experimental missions like the American PSAT-2 or the Spanish URESAT 1, for which he and colleagues built amateur SSTV cameras for image transmission via shortwave radio. Lukáš Fujcik from the Department of Microelectronics focused on developing electronics for space applications within ESA Class One missions, which emphasize reliability and longevity. One example is ESA’s Metop – Second Generation meteorological satellite, for which Fujcik’s team designed the optical filter control electronics.
Faculty of Science MUNI was represented by Tomáš Hanousek, who introduced the field of remote sensing – working with satellite imagery data to monitor Earth. The technology is useful for assessing health status, catastrophic fires, or creating digital twins of forests.
Scientific experiments aboard satellites
Experimental or scientific satellite payloads represent an exciting but technically challenging part of space technology development. This area was the focus of the next lecture block, starting with a talk by Norbert Werner from MUNI. His team operates the highly successful satellite GRBAlpha, which students work with daily and which has become the smallest satellite to detect hundreds of X-ray bursts in space.
The fascinating world of extreme physics and chemistry was presented by astrochemist Martin Ferus from the J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry CAS. His lecture focused on the use of lasers to simulate the chemical consequences of space object impacts.
Tomáš Kašpárek from FIT BUT presented the research of his student Nikol Škvařilová, who is developing methods for detecting exoplanets (planets orbiting stars other than the Sun, editor’s note) based on satellite mission data in cooperation with the Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
Inna Uwarowa is a PhD student at the Laboratory of Laser Spectroscopy at CEITEC BUT. For the conference, she prepared a contribution on methods of lunar surface prospection, specifically on developing a laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)-based payload for researching lunar regolith.
Doctoral student Karel Juřík from the Department of Theoretical and Experimental Electrical Engineering FEEC BUT is working on the development of an ion thruster for propelling satellites in Very low Earth orbit (VLEO), where there is residual atmosphere. Using VLEO for satellite missions offers numerous advantages, including more reliable communication with lower latency and higher resolution for Earth imaging missions. However, the challenge lies in the faster orbital decay of the satellite and the risk of its premature destruction in the atmosphere. That’s why Juřík and his colleagues are searching for a suitable propulsion system for VLEO environments that would counteract this issue. One possibility is a satellite concept equipped with an additional device capable of collecting particles from the residual atmosphere and compressing them to ignite plasma and generate ions, which would provide thrust.
Two other speakers represented space technology research at Mendel University. Libor Lenža, one of the conference founders and also the director of the Valašské Meziříčí Observatory, summarized under the slogan "To the stars, into discomfort" the key principles to consider when a biological experiment is the useful payload of a space mission. Sofiia Hlynska offered insights into experimental uses of bacteria to support plant growth in lunar regolith.
Conference wrapped up with company presentations
The final conference block welcomed six space companies from the Brno region. Jiří Kozák, a representative of Inpraise Systems, the conference’s general partner, spoke about the development and use of advanced electric pumps for critical applications such as rocket engines. Anna Glozigová from S.A.B. Aerospace shared her experience with integrating the mechanical structure of the ROSE-L satellite, which will provide continuous Earth observation under the ESA Copernicus program. She also noted that the integration took place in cleanrooms at the Institute of Aerospace Engineering at BUT. Václav Lazar, a graduate of the same institute, presented the activities of OHB CzechSpace. Other companies that rounded out the conference’s space sector representation included Tech Soft, BD Sensors, and Spacemanic.
The successful event, which drew a record number of participants, concluded with informal meetings during the poster session held in the atrium of the BUT Rectorate. The next edition of the conference is scheduled for 2026 and will be organized by Mendel University.
Full conference programme
Source: vut.cz/en
| Responsible person | Ing. et Ing. arch. Jana Němcová |
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| Date of publication |