Space in Flanders

We are pleased to announce that our recent event, Space in Flanders, held on the 25th of March, was met with resounding success. In collaboration with the LMSD-STAR research group, we organized an engaging evening centered around the space industry in Flanders and research at KU Leuven. The event attracted a diverse audience of enthusiastic individuals eager to explore the latest advancements within the space sector.

After a short opening presentation by EUROAVIA Leuven, prof. Dirk Vandepitte gave an overview of the space sector in Flanders. We were honored to host KU Leuven researchers Maarten Kempenaers, Jeroen De Maeyer and Jelle Lanting to present their latest work on small satellite technology. arcsec gave us an insight into their activities. Lastly, opportunities for students such as Aetherspace and other European initiatives were discussed.

We were delighted to witness a full attendance, indicative of the genuine interest and curiosity surrounding this topic. A warm thank you to all participants and speakers who contributed to the event's success. Your presence was invaluable, and we look forward to future collaborations within the realm of space exploration and research.

Company visit TUI

We visited the TUI Engineering & Maintenance facility in Zaventem. The visit consisted of a presentation about the airline and a tour of their hangar. We were lucky two 737 MAX’s and a 767 were present. The planes were impressive up close!

Company visit Safran

On Tuesday 5 December, we had the opportunity to visit Safran Zaventem. They do repair and maintenance of CFM's new LEAP engines. After an introduction, we got a tour of the Engine Shop where all our questions were answered in great detail. It was a pleasant and educational visit for all participants!

Lecture Moon Missions

On November 20th, we had the pleasure of hosting Koen Geukens for a fascinating lecture on the moon missions of this century. Koen, an Educational Employee at the Urania Public Observatory and a seasoned Working Group Leader for Space Travel at the Vereniging Voor Sterrenkunde for over 30 years, delivered a passionate and informative lecture.

The session commenced with an introduction, providing insights into both our association and the speaker. Koen Geukens then delved into the history of lunar exploration, progressing to an in-depth exploration of NASA's Artemis mission. The discussion unfolded systematically, covering the SLS launch vehicle, the Orion capsule, and the Gateway. Visual aids were employed to illustrate the Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit, the orbital path of the Gateway around the moon.

The presentation seamlessly transitioned to the topic of Starship, a crucial future component for lunar surface access. Koen utilized props to depict the large in orbit refueling process, adding a dynamic and well-received element to the presentation. The concluding segment focused on outlining the Artemis mission's schedule and shedding light on initiatives from various countries.

To conclude all this, EUROAVIA Leuven provided a free reception afterwards where ideas could be exchanged.

Many thanks to everyone who attended the lecture and especially to Koen Geukens!

Take Off Quiz

We are proud to look back at an exceptional evening where almost 70 students in 16 teams competed to showcase their aerospace knowledge. All teams poured their heart and soul in every round. The first round consisted of general questions about astronautics and the second one about aeronautics. Then during the first break, every team enjoyed a free pizza. The third round was about other flying things, where each team had to fold their own paper plane and launch it as far as possible for bonus points, resulting in some hilarious moments.

Next, the Aether Student CubeSat team presented their exciting project and an otherworldly hypersonic Aether quizround. It was a pleasant collaboration and we hope to have more of those in the future! After a second break, participants had to guess the title and artist of aerospace related songs. This round especially had some impressive scores. We concluded the quiz with a moon round.

A heartfelt thanks to all participants and a big shout out to “Orbit Kings”, consisting of Seppe Frison, Lukas Van den Broeck and Reshad Ahmadi for earning the first place. They truly are the kings of aerospace knowledge. We hope you enjoy our EUROAVIA polos.

It was an unforgettable experience for the EUROAVIA Leuven board. The organization, led by Lars Verboven went very smoothly. We encountered no problems before or during the event. We started with a welcome word by our president, Mathis Vandevorst, where all upcoming events were presented (local and international). The other board members, Mattias Vermeersch and Milan Adams corrected the quiz answers and determined the winners.

Gliding initiation

On the 7th of October, EUROAVIA Leuven took to the sky.

In collaboration with LUAC, 10 members got the opportunity to follow a gliding initiation.

LUAC (Leuvense Universitaire Aero-Club) is the gliding club of the KU Leuven. Students and outsiders can follow a training or glide as a hobby with the group.

Our flight day took place in EBZW Zwartberg, Genk. After a safety briefing, we helped assemble the flyers and flew with 2 at a time for 30 minutes each. When not in the air, we enjoyed the sunny day with some Cubb. At the end of the day, the gliders had to be cleaned and stowed away.

Here are some pictures of the wonderful day.

Sustainable aviation

(25 February 2020)

-Lecture in English-

The European Green Deal mandates climate neutrality in the European Union before 2050. What are the challenges the aviation industry is currently facing? What is being done to pave the way to sustainable aviation?

As sustainable modes of transport will remain a hot topic, EUROAVIA Leuven invited some experts currently working on possible solutions to give their opinions and explain how their work could shape the aviation industry of tomorrow. Afterwards there was a reception where students and speakers could network and have a drink.

Pilots and Stewardesses Party

(14/11/2019)

After the success of last year's party, EUROAVIA proudly presents the second edition of our 'Pilots and Stewardesses Party'.

Depart with us at 10pm at 't ElixIr and prepare for a turbulent party flight that will only land (or crash for some) in the early morning hours.

On board we provide liters of kerosene (beer + coke), Hellfire (elixir) or the good old rocket fuel (stella)! Everyone aboard!

Visit to SABCA Limburg

(13/11/2019)

SABCA Limburg specializes in the production of high-tech composite assemblies for aircraft. Two automatic tape layers (ATL) and very large autoclaves, coupled with increasing know-how, allow the production of integrated skins for valves and stabilizers. In collaboration with the Engineering Office in Brussels, SABCA Limburg is also responsible for the flap track fairings of various aircraft. There is also space available in this factory for the final system integration of Ariane 5 assemblies. In short: A very interesting company for aerospace enthusiasts to visit with us!

Visit to BIRA-IASB

(23/10/2019)

The Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB) is a Belgian federal scientific research institute. Its main tasks are research and public service in the field of space aeronomy, that is, the physics and chemistry of the atmosphere of the Earth and other planets, and of space.

The Big Return in 2024?

(Koen Geukens, 15/10/19)

-Lecture was in Dutch-

NASA plans to land humans on the moon for the first time in 2024 after a nearly 50-year hiatus under their brand new "Artemis" program. A realistic goal? What are the challenges involved? What can we learn from the past, the Apollo program?

Koen Geukens of the Association for Astronomy (VVS) led you on Tuesday, October 15, through a story about the greatest leap humanity has ever made and how now, more than 50 years later, the eyes of the world are once again focused on our nearest neighbor .

Direct metal printing in aerospace (3D systems, 2018)

Direct Metal Printing, or DMP, is a relatively new and versatile production technique. By melting metal powder directly with a laser, previously impossible shapes can be realized with high accuracy. 3D Systems started in 1983 as a pioneer in the field of 3D printing. In 2014 it bought Layerwise, a spin-off of KU Leuven with more than ten years of experience with DMP. In addition to medical products, the aerospace industry is an important market for the company, with customers such as ESA, Airbus and Thales Alenia Space.

Koen Huybrechts is a project engineer at 3D Systems. In this lecture he discussed the technical side of DMP for aerospace and the opportunities and challenges this entails. He also showed some past and current projects of 3D Systems.

The lecture was (as always) free and open to everyone. Afterwards there was a nice and small reception.

Visit to skeyes

(Postponed)

skeyes is an autonomous government company responsible for the safety of air traffic in civil airspace for which the Belgian State is responsible. Our company fulfills this mission while optimizing costs and punctuality, increasing capacity and ensuring the sustainable development of air traffic. skeyes provides all essential services to safely manage and control air traffic

Visit to Euramec