Brno Space Student Conference: BUT students confirm their strong position in applied space research
Since 2023, the three largest universities in Brno have taken turns organizing the Brno Space Student Conference, focused on topics of space research, technologies, and their applications. This year’s fourth edition was hosted by Mendel University in Brno at the end of April. The full-day program was divided into four blocks, featuring also presentations by representatives of university associations and research teams from Brno University of Technology (BUT).
Libor Lenža, a member of the organizing committee, opened the conference by recalling its main purpose: to serve as a platform for networking among student teams, researchers, representatives of the commercial sector, and other partners using space applications in various forms. The conference thus provides not only a space for presenting current and upcoming projects, but also a venue for sharing experience, for example in the field of research applicability.
Representatives of BUT delivered six presentations, while another lecture focused on a research project coordinated by the university.
Stanislav Svědiroh, one of the leaders of Brno Space Rover, introduced the activities and achievements of this student university association, which develops a rover for robotic competitions in the space sector. The association is building a Mars rover for participation in the international European Rover Challenge in Kraków, Poland, where teams complete tasks in a specialized arena simulating a real space mission. During its competition debut last year, the team qualified for the finals, where its rover Freya placed 11th.
Preparations for the next edition of the competition are currently underway, and the team aims to improve its ranking. According to the team leader, however, the association’s primary goal is to function as an additional educational platform. “The journey is the destination. We believe that Brno Mars Rover activities provide students with something beyond standard teaching – practical technical knowledge and experience, or the ability to complete a technical product. We strive to ensure that students leave the association with more experience than when they joined, making them attractive to companies as well,” said Stanislav Svědiroh.
Vojtěch Orava from the BUT Faculty of Information Technology presented his master’s thesis on satellite telemetry anomaly detection – data that satellites wirelessly transmit back to Earth. Using artificial intelligence models, the system can identify deviations in sensor behavior or the effects of the space environment within vast amounts of real and synthetic data. This makes it possible to predict and prevent failures before critical damage occurs to satellites worth millions of crowns. The output of the thesis, developed in cooperation with the Brno-based space company Zaitra, includes a parametric signal-generation program and an anomaly analysis tool.
A motivational lecture on opportunities offered to students through international space projects was delivered by Jakub Mašek from the Institute of Aerospace Engineering at the BUT Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME BUT). He himself completed a six-month internship at the European Space Agency (ESA) in the Netherlands and a one-week internship at the ESA Academy in Belgium. “ESA Academy offers more than 28 different programs, where various European experts pour so much information into you during a single week that it cannot be compared to a year spent at university,” he emphasized. Participation is free of charge, though applicants face a demanding selection process. According to Mašek, the applicant’s field of study is not decisive. “However, it is beneficial to find a mentor who can advise you on how to improve your applications and increase your chances of acceptance,” he added.
Among other opportunities mentioned by Mašek were participation in the annual international International Astronautical Congress through a special accompanying program for students, as well as additional ESA offers such as thesis topics and multi-year research internships.
The university association YSpace was introduced by the leader of its System Engineering section, Emma Plíhalová. The team, founded in 2023 as an initiative of five students from the Space Applications program at the BUT Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, has already achieved a number of successes. At the beginning of 2025, the CIMER mission was accepted into an ESA development program. In cooperation with researchers from Mendel University, the mission aims to send a biological experiment into orbit. As preparation for this mission, the team is developing the simpler KOSTKA satellite, which was delivered this spring to the official launch provider responsible for deploying it into Earth orbit aboard a Falcon 9 launch vehicle. In her presentation, Emma Plíhalová described not only both missions but also the challenges YSpace students face during their preparation.
In the afternoon session, two more representatives from the Institute of Aerospace Engineering at FME BUT took the stage. Adam Mikeš presented his master’s thesis on optimizing airflow in a breathing mask for ESA reserve astronaut Aleš Svoboda. Jakub Mašek then delivered his second presentation of the conference, this time on a project supported by ESA. The project focuses on the development of a thermal switch for satellites, probes, and rovers, capable of regulating temperature by switching between conductive and insulating states. The technology can be programmed for different switching temperatures and can operate passively without an external power source or sensors. It is also one of the experiments planned for the BRNOSat satellite mission.
Research on the impact of extreme stress on the cognitive performance of astronauts and people in high-risk professions in general was presented by Jan Veselský from Mendel University. The research is part of the ICARUS ARMOR Next Gen project, coordinated by BUT, which was selected among the Czech scientific and technological experiments to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the upcoming mission of astronaut Aleš Svoboda.
Other conference presentations included:
- the Space Agri Technologies group from Mendel University reporting on research into the use of biodegradable biopolymers for growing plants in lunar regolith;
- Ondřej Pěnčík from the Faculty of Pharmacy NUNI researching bacteria in extreme conditions and their significance for pharmacy;
- Tomáš Hanousek from the Faculty of Science MUNI presenting the ABiLAS project, which develops tools for processing aerial and satellite imagery to calculate and analyze forest biomass;
- Štěpán Krejčí from the Faculty of Science MUNI introducing an experimental biology project focused on detecting heavy metals in lettuce plants cultivated in lunar regolith;
- Pavel Urbánek presenting the Centre of Polymer Systems at Tomas Bata University, which researches polymer materials for aviation and space applications;
- Libor Lenža presenting three space missions with biological experiments prepared by the Space Agri Technologies group – including the CIMER satellite mission developed in cooperation with BUT’s YSpace team;
- Aleš Macháň from the Valašské Meziříčí Observatory presenting the educational NanoSat project focused on nanosatellite education;
- Karolina Jochmanová, coordinator of the Brno Space Cluster, introducing conference participants to the rapidly developing Brno ecosystem for space research, development, and manufacturing;
- two representatives from the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna, Bulgaria, participating in the conference. Ivana Ivanova Moskova invited attendees to the Space Challenges Bootcamp, an intensive educational program focused on space science and engineering, while Dimitar Dimitrov presented research focused on simulations;
- representatives of Czech space companies and startups presenting their activities and projects in the conference’s closing block.
The event was held under the patronage of the Mayor of Brno and the Rector of Mendel University in Brno. Next year’s edition will be organized by Masaryk University.
Last year’s edition: Student Space Conference at BUT attracted a record number of participants - News – BUT
source: vut.cz
| Responsible person | Mgr. Adéla Wachtarzová |
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| Date of publication |