CARIOQA-PHA – CARIOQA-PMP

CARIOQA showcased at the “Night of Quantum” event in Toulouse

julian — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 08:01:32 +0000

CARIOQA was proudly represented during the Night of Quantum (“Nuit du Quantique”), an event organised by the French Physical Society (SFP) across France.

As part of this initiative, Célia Pelluet (CNES) and member of the CARIOQA consortium delivered a conference at Université Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, focusing on the role of quantum sensors in space applications. Her talk highlighted the technological advances and promising perspectives of quantum sensing for future space missions, as well as CARIOQA’s contributions to this evolving field.

The event attracted strong public interest, with around 280 registered participants attending to explore a rich programme of hands-on experiments and engaging talks centred on quantum science and technologies.

Meet the expert : Nina Fletling

julian — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 08:00:45 +0000

In the frame of CARIOQA-PMP, Nina contributes her expertise to the development of tools and performance of simulation studies. Concerning the CARIOQA Pathfinder Mission, she is investigating the benefit of the CAI sensor for the determination of the Earth’s gravity field. Furthermore, Nina is simulating Post-Pathfinder Quantum Space Gravimetry missions, which exploit the advantages of the quantum accelerometer to meet the scientific user needs.

Learn more about Nina

Launching the CARIOQA Industrial Partnerships Series: First Milestone in Bremen

julian — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 09:57:20 +0000

CARIOQA-PHB is pleased to launch the CARIOQA Industrial Partnerships series. Presented as a two-page PDF, this new series aims to spotlight the industrial activities driving the CARIOQA-PHB project.

The first article highlights a key milestone: the two-day co-engineering workshop held in Bremen.

Bringing together teams from Thales Alenia Space, ZARM and CNES, the session focused on advancing one of the project’s most critical elements : the Physics Package.

Discover the full article.

CARIOQA project member Célia Pelluet named to the Quantum 100

julian — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 13:16:20 +0000

The year 2025 has been designated by UNESCO as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ 2025), marking the centenary of quantum mechanics. This global initiative aims to highlight the scientific, technological and societal advances driven by quantum science, while promoting education, international cooperation and public awareness of its real-world applications.

Within this framework, the Quantum 100 project showcases 100 influential figures shaping the quantum ecosystem, spanning research, industry, entrepreneurship, education and culture. Among them is Célia Pelluet, an optical and quantum sensor engineer at CNES and an active science communicator.

Célia Pelluet stands out for her unique dual profile, combining cutting-edge scientific expertise with a strong commitment to science outreach. At CNES, she is involved in the development of the first quantum accelerometer to be operated in space, as part of the CARIOQA mission. This pioneering mission aims to demonstrate the feasibility of quantum technologies in real space conditions, paving the way for major advances in Earth gravity studies, high-precision inertial navigation and fundamental physics.

Alongside her research activities, Célia is deeply engaged in science communication, drawing on her background as a stage performer to make complex scientific concepts accessible, engaging and impactful. She is also a strong advocate for gender equality in STEM, an engagement recognised in 2023 with the L’Oréal–UNESCO Young Talents Award, which honours both her research achievements and her contribution to scientific outreach.

By joining the Quantum 100 panel, Célia Pelluet helps to highlight the pioneering role of CNES in innovative quantum space missions, while increasing the visibility of women in science and showcasing the diversity of talents driving quantum innovation today. Her career path embodies the intersection of scientific excellence, creativity and societal engagement.

Learn more about the initiative: Quantum 100 Hub – IYQ 2025

The CARIOQA communication team attended “Les Rencontres du Spatial en Région Sud”

julian — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 17:30:35 +0000

The GAC Group team responsible for communication and dissemination for the CARIOQA-PHB project attended the “Rencontres du Spatial en Région Sud” event in Cannes on Thursday, 27 November. This annual event aims to bring together and strengthen the regional space ecosystem by fostering collaboration between industry, researchers, institutions, and innovators. It also seeks to promote new-space actors and support the emergence of long-term strategic projects.

CARIOQA-PHB communication team at “Les rencontres du spatial en région Sud”

The event brought together several partner organisations involved in the project, including CNES, Thales Alenia Space, and ONERA.

During the day, GAC attended a round table at which French state directorates, including DGA (Defence Procurement Agency), SGDSN (General Secretariat for Defence and National Security) and DGE (Directorate General for Enterprise), highlighted the importance of European collaboration in the space sector. They emphasised that strengthened cooperation is essential to maintaining Europe’s technical excellence and competitiveness — a perspective that is fully embodied by the CARIOQA mission, involving multiple European partners, including the French and German space agencies.

A second session dedicated to Earth observation also indirectly reinforced the relevance of the CARIOQA mission. During the session, climate scientists stressed the need for diverse and highly precise datasets to improve the accuracy of climate measurements. As a reminder, the CARIOQA mission aims to provide high-precision gravity data from space, contributing to improved monitoring of Earth’s system dynamics.

The day concluded with a focus on the importance of integrating end-user needs into mission design to ensure that space missions address real operational challenges. This once again aligns strongly with the CARIOQA mission approach, which, within the CARIOQA-PMP project, includes dedicated work on future data use and user engagement.

New Video: Explore the industrial partners role behind the CARIOQA mission

julian — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 10:38:08 +0000

A new video produced by Thales Alenia Space, a key partner of the CARIOQA-PHB project, is now online. It offers a fascinating insight into how this mission pushes the boundaries of our understanding of gravity by achieving unprecedented measurement accuracy from space.

The video highlights the cutting-edge industrial activities carried out by Thales Alenia Space and the project’s industrial partners.

It also explores the major scientific and societal challenges addressed by CARIOQA, from improved monitoring of hydrology and glaciology to a deeper understanding of sea-level dynamics.

Discover this unique perspective on CARIOQA!

Meet the expert : Aurélien ELOY

julian — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 09:00:43 +0000

Aurélien Eloy has been working at Exail for five years. He is the systems engineer for the laser system, which is used to trap and cool down the atoms before they are interrogated in the atomic interferometer. As part of CARIOQA-PMP, Aurélien is the laser system engineer. His role consists of designing the best laser architecture to meet the scientific needs of the mission and leading the technical developments necessary to make this laser system compatible with its use in space. He supervises specific studies at the component level as well as at the system level to ensure that the overall performances of the laser are maintained.

Learn more about Aurélien

CARIOQA-PHB: Kick-off meeting successfully held at CNES

julian — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:09 +0000

On 15–16 October 2025, the CARIOQA-PHB Kick-Off meeting took place at CNES in Toulouse, marking the launch of Phase B of the CARIOQA Quantum Pathfinder Mission, funded by the European Union.

Partners from 14 European organisations, including CNES, DLR, and leading institutes from France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, gathered to define the project’s next steps and advance Europe’s leadership in quantum sensing from space.

CARIOQA-PHB partners during the project Kick-off

Over the next two years, CARIOQA-PHB will mature key technologies for its quantum payload and satellite platform up to Technology Readiness Level 6, paving the way for future space missions.

The meeting featured active participation, technical discussions, and strong collaboration, highlighting the shared commitment to pioneering quantum-based Earth observation and reinforcing Europe’s technological sovereignty.

Read the full press release: CARIOQA-PHB Press Release #1 (PDF)

Meet the expert : Alexandre Gauguet

julian — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 07:34:08 +0000

We are thrilled to introduce Alexandre Gauguet from LCAR. Within the framework of CARIOQA-PMP, Alexandre helps define the main goals and requirements for developing the new ultra-precise quantum accelerometer. He contributes his expertise in building and testing advanced quantum devices, ensuring that the sensor achieves the required performance. Once the system is assembled, he will also be involved in its testing and final validation.

Learn more about Alexandre.

Strong Contribution from CARIOQA at the International Association of Geodesy

julian — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 12:35:35 +0000

The CARIOQA team is making a strong contribution to this year’s International Association of Geodesy (IAG) activities, with several posters and presentations scheduled for today and tomorrow.

The programme includes:

Poster: CARIOQA-PMP: Simulating Quantum Space Gravimetry Missions
Nina Fletling, Annike Knabe, Jürgen Müller, Manuel Schilling and Matthias Weigelt LUH
Poster: Overview of CARIOQA-PMP Post-Pathfinder Mission Scenarios in Context with Earth Observation User Needs
Katharina Lechner, Thomas Gruber and Roland Pail, TUM
Poster: CARIOQA Quantum Pathfinder Mission for Space Weather Research
Manuel Schilling, Liliane Biskupek, Stefanie Bremer and Matthias Weigelt, DLR
Oral Presentation: Simulations of Gravity Field Recovery by the Space-Wise Approach for the CARIOQA Pathfinder and Future Missions
Lorenzo Rossi, Mirko Reguzzoni, Khulan Batsukh, Amir Mohammad Eslami and Federica Migliaccio, POLIMI

CARIOQA has also been highlighted in the context of two key projects:

IAG Project QuGe – Novel Sensors and Quantum Technology for Geodesy
EQUIP-G – European QUantum Infrastructure Project for Gravimetry, funded through Horizon Europe.

These contributions and references emphasise CARIOQA’s central role in developing cutting-edge quantum technologies to support the future of geodesy and Earth observation.