On Friday November 10, the IRT Saint Exupéry celebrated its 10th anniversary at the Cite de l’Espace in Toulouse, with employees from all three sites, members and partners. It was an opportunity to streng our ties and to start writing our plans for the coming years together.

After an introduction by Bruno Bonnell, General Secretary for Investment, who reminded that “it’s collaboration between the State, researchers and industry that will enable us to show that our country is far from resigned to its challenges”, the IRT’s role was to “align the planets and clear the clouds”, in a wink to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

The morning was devoted to celebrating ten years of collaboration, through three round-table discussions.

Agnès Plagneux Bertrand, Vice-President of Toulouse Métropole and Deputy Mayor of Toulouse, Magali Vaissière, President of the IRT Saint Exupéry and Thierry Cotelle, Regional advisor, Vice-President of the Economy, Employment, Innovation and Reindustrialization Commission of the Occitanie Region, discussed the role of the IRT Saint Exupéry in supporting France’s ambitions. “I’d like to say how important it is for our aeronautics and space sectors to have a tool like the IRT to prepare for the future” said Agnès Plagneux Bertrand.

Agnès Plagneux Bertrand, Vice-President of Toulouse Métropole and Deputy Mayor of Toulouse and Magali Vaissière, President of the IRT Saint Exupéry and Thierry Cotelle, Regional advisor, Vice-President of the Economy, Employment, Innovation and Reindustrialization Commission of the Occitanie Region

Industrial partners were also on hand to set objectives for the next five years. Nathalie Duquesne, General Manager of Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse, Christian Picollet, Corporate Vice-President Research and Technology Safran, Christophe Valorge, Technical Director Thales Alenia Space and Alain De Zotti, Head of Aircraft Architecture and Integration at Airbus, highlighted the IRT Saint Exupéry’s involvement in meeting future industrial challenges.

Finally, academic members Mike Toplis, President of the University of Toulouse, Laurent Servant, Vice-President in charge of international networks at the University of Bordeaux, and Fabio Coccetti, manager of High-Density and High-Reliability Competence at IRT Saint Exupéry, brought the round tables to a close by discussing the scientific challenges of the coming years.

The morning ended with a presentation of the IRT Saint Exupéry’s achievements over the past ten years, based around fifteen stands showcasing the various projects and innovations made in IRT.

An afternoon dedicated to employees was marked by the presence of former astronaut Claudie Haignere. Between stories of her career, anecdotes from her space missions and a focus on the new challenges of New Space, she captivated the Cite de l’Espace’s Imax auditorium: mission accomplished. The ten-year celebration continued with an evening of collaborations at the Palladia.

A significant Anniversary Day for the IRT Saint Exupéry, where the investment of IRT staff, members and partners was thanked and highlighted. Consolidating the present, and collectively planning for the future, were the watchwords.