International Space University

The International Space University (ISU), headquartered in Strasbourg, France, is a private nonprofit graduate-level academic institution dedicated to multidisciplinary space education, research, and international cooperation — training the next generation of space leaders through programs that deliberately integrate technical, managerial, policy, business, legal, and humanistic perspectives on space activities.

ISU was co-founded in 1987 by Peter Diamandis, Todd Hawley, and Bob Richards — then MIT graduate students — with a vision of creating an institution that would foster international collaboration in space exploration by educating a generation of space professionals who would work across national and disciplinary boundaries. The university received its permanent home in Strasbourg in 1994, co-located with the Parc d'Innovation technology campus adjacent to the University of Strasbourg, with support from the Alsace regional government and the French national government. ISU holds NGO consultative status with the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

ISU offers a full-time Master of Science in Space Studies (MSS), a Master of Space Management (MSM), and an Executive MBA with a space track, as well as the flagship Space Studies Program (SSP) — an intensive 9-week summer program held at a different university campus each year (rotating through North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific) that brings together 100-150 participants from 30+ countries for interdisciplinary team projects on space-related challenges. The SSP has been hosted at NASA Ames, MIT, the University of Houston, Caltech, and leading international universities.

ISU's 6,000+ alumni in 110 countries include ESA astronauts, NASA mission managers, commercial satellite company founders, national space agency directors, and space policy officials across six continents. Notable alumni include Andreas Mogensen (first Danish astronaut, ESA), Anousheh Ansari (first female private space traveler), and numerous executives at SpaceX, Blue Origin, Airbus, and Thales Alenia Space.