Sabrina Barré, Laureate of DefInSpace 2022, a space-based defence hackathon

On June 3rd and 4th 2022, 200 participants grouped into forty teams took up a challenge launched by the French Air Force: Design solutions for the space defence of tomorrow in just 24 hours!

Sabrina Barré, a first-year student in the Master in Public Policy, Security and Defence stream, was part of the team that won the DefInSpace competition and will be going to Kourou to watch the launch of a rocket and its satellites on the French space centre launch pad.

Sabrina, who will be doing her second year of a master's degree as an apprentice at the Space Command of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, talks about her experience at DefInSpace.

WHAT IS DEFINSPACE?

DefInSpace is a hackathon organised by the Space Command (CDE) on defence and security issues in space. Within the framework of this challenge, 200 participants had 24 hours to imagine solutions for tomorrow's space defence and to bring an innovative perspective on current and future challenges. 

In our respective cities (Toulouse, Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Salon-de-Provence), as well as in two European countries (Bulgaria and Cyprus), we presented our action plans and options on the subject of Space Traffic Management to juries of technical experts. Space Traffic Management encompasses the means and rules for accessing, operating and returning to space in a safe and sustainable manner.

After winning the overall challenge of the Paris edition, our FOREST team went to the semi-final and then to the grand finale on the 28th of June 2022 in the heart of the La Défense business district, where we pitched our project in front of technical experts, members of the CDE, as well as the Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) and the Agence de l'innovation de défense (AID)

WHO WERE YOUR TEAMMATES?

I met my three teammates on the first day of the challenge. We didn't know each other before. Jérémy Tessier is an engineer from Mines Paris, Serge Simon is a web developer at CGI Business Consulting and Olivier Menguy is a junior consultant at the same company.

HOW DID DEFINSPACE RELATE TO YOUR STUDIES AT THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS? 

Two challenges were proposed for this hackathon: a technical challenge and a generic challenge. We decided to take part in the generic challenge which was: How should the Ministry of the Armed Forces deal with the arrival of Space Traffic Management in order to preserve freedom of access and action in space?

As a student in the Security and Defence policy stream at the School of Public Affairs and being passionate about the space sector, participating in this challenge seemed an obvious choice, combining my spheres of interest. The generic challenge required an understanding of international relations, defence policies, as well as a good understanding of the issues surrounding the space sector and its actors.

WHAT SKILLS HAS DEFINSPACE ENABLED YOU TO DEVELOP? 

This challenge allowed me to mobilise three major skills, which I was able to develop during my studies at Sciences Po. 

First of all, synthesis skills were necessary for the successful completion of the challenge. We only had 24 hours to draw up a complete project and be able to present it orally in 8 minutes and 10 slides. On the day of the grand final, the oral presentation had to last only 5 minutes! So we had to prioritise and structure our thoughts and presentation in record time.

Secondly, I would say that this challenge was an opportunity to develop my teamwork skills. While many groups had been formed before the hackathon, our team was formed on the day itself. We learned more about each other through the construction of a common project. This was all the more enriching as we all came from different backgrounds. 

Finally, DefInSpace was an opportunity to develop my orator skills, as I presented the whole project alone during the qualifications and the final, in French and in English.

WHAT WERE YOUR STRENGTHS IN WINNING DEFINSPACE?

Three elements made the difference in my opinion. Firstly, we came up with a dynamic and clearly structured pitch to make the explanation of our action plan very understandable. Secondly, we did a lot of research and sought out excellent experts, which gave us a very good sense of what the jury members expected, given their areas of expertise. Finally, we made the diversity of our profiles a strength. For example, my knowledge of the sector and its issues perfectly complemented the technical profiles of my teammates.

WHAT DOES WINNING DEFINSPACE MEAN FOR YOUR PROFESSIONAL FUTURE? 

DefInSpace was a unique experience for my professional career. I was able to meet many experts from space-related companies, as well as members of the Space Command, with whom I made professional contacts. It was also an opportunity to exchange with students and young professionals interested in these fields, and to discover each other's projects addressing the same problem.

This hackathon confirmed my strong interest in the issues of Space Traffic Management and Space Situational Awareness.

Finally, the victory offers me recognition in the space sector professionals' community which is dear to me and in which I wish to continue to train and work in the future.

AND KOUROU ?

We are very honoured to have won the first prize in this generic challenge and to be flying to Kourou at the Guiana Space Centre to witness the launch of a military satellite by the end of this year or early next year!

The sky isn’t the limit !

LEARN MORE

• The Security and Defence policy stream of the School of Public Affairs

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