ATD3 2026
17 – 19 June 2026
Toulouse (France) – Cité de l’Espace
Background
Space‑debris mitigation
The rapid rise of space debris in Earth orbit —from tiny bolts to whole launcher stages— and the explosive growth of satellite constellations, whose combined fleets total thousands of satellites, are creating serious problems: congested orbital slots, heightened collision risk, and threats to high‑value space assets.
In response, nations are adopting measures to reduce this hazard. Regulations now require operators to dispose of inactive objects, either by moving them to “graveyard” orbits well clear of operational zones or by de‑orbiting them so they burn up safely in the atmosphere.
The latter approach demands robust design tools and processes to ensure that re‑entries pose no danger to people on the ground.
Aero Thermo Dynamics and Design for Demise (ATD3) Workshop
Acknowledging the necessity to address this need, the ATD3 workshop was created. It is a long-standing European forum managed by ESA and CNES which aims at fostering technical and scientific discussions, collecting and disseminating knowledge, proposing new topics and activities, and contributing to planning efforts, including roadmap definition and coordination.
The main objectives of the ATD3 workshop are to:
- Establish a framework for the verification, validation, and comparison of numerical methods used in space object reentry simulation tools.
- Disseminate recent scientific and technical results within the ATD3 community, which includes academic participants (in particular PhD students) as well as experts from industry.
- Coordinate and discuss future activities, with the goal of gathering expert perspectives from both academia and industry on forthcoming developments in the fields of aerothermodynamics and design for demise.
Venue & preliminary information
ATD3 2026 : preliminary information
After the ATD3 Workshop 2022 in Bordeaux, ESA, CNES and HyFAR-ARA have joined again to organize the next edition.
HyFAR-ARA is indeed proud to host the next ATD3 workshop programmed from June 17th to June 19th 2026 in Toulouse (France) : the event will take place in the so called Cité de l’Espace (Space City) in the Altaïr meeting room (see slides on the left).
The format is a sequential list of presentations of about 20 minutes each, with 5 minutes brief Q&A session per presentation.
Registration and call for abstracts
Registration and call for abstracts are opened. See details in the dedicated section at the bottom of this page
Should you need to contact us, please send e-mail to secretaire@hyfar-ara.org.
Important dates
- 30 April 2026: Abstract submission deadline
- 18 May 2026: Abstract selection announcement
- 25 May 2026: Complete program online
- 1 June 2026: Registration deadline
- 17-19 June 2026: Workshop
ATD3 2026 preliminary agenda (14 January 2026)
How to get there
Coming in Toulouse
By plane
Toulouse-Blagnac Airport is located approximately 8 kilometers from the Toulouse downtown. Modern and well-equipped, it offers domestic and international flights with numerous airlines.
How can I get to the city center?
- Airport shuttle: A shuttle service connects the airport to the city center every 20 minutes. The journey takes about 25 minutes. The main stop is at Matabiau railway station.
- Tram T2: An economical option. Allow about 35 minutes to reach Toulouse center.
- Taxi: A convenient but more expensive solution.
- Car rental: Several agencies are available on site for those who wish to explore the region.
By train
The main train station in Toulouse is Toulouse-Matabiau, ideally located just a 10-minute walk from the city center. High Speed Trains bring you from Paris in approximately 4 hours.
From the railway station to city center
- By foot: The proximity of the station makes for a pleasant walk to Place du Capitole.
- Subway Line A: A quick journey to reach more distant neighborhoods.
- Bus: Several bus lines stop in the immediate vicinity of the station.
- Taxi: A simple but more expensive solution.
Two other solutions
- by car: approximately 6 to 7 hours from Paris
- For people with a lot of spare time, it is also possible to reach Toulouse by bus. Main stop at Matabiau railway station. Trip duration : over 8 hours.
Coming to the “Cité de l’Espace”
The essential ressources can be found on the website of Cité de l’Espace and the website of Toulouse public transportation services (french language only !).
We nevertheless bring you some little helpers below in order to screen the wealth of data you will find there, and also mitigate the troubles you may encounter to browse through Toulouse public transportation french pages.
Reaching Cité de l’Espace is possible with the following means :
- by bike : several subscription options are available, different kinds of machines are proposed (electricaly assisted, mechanical); find all the details on vélôToulouse website (in french, english and spanish)
- public transportation : you must ride bus line 12 and exit at Cité de l’Espace stop. Different options are possible:
- Use Metro line B to Rangueil station (South of Toulouse), then take bus line 12 to Cité de l’Espace.
- Use Metro line A to Roseraie station (North of Toulouse), then take bus line 12 to Cité de l’Espace. This should be the quickest trip (around 35/45 minutes from Capitole Square)
- Use Metro line B to François Verdier station, then take line 1 to Collège J.P. Vernant stop; there, you can walk to Cité de l’Espace (15 to 20 minutes) or board on line 12 to Cité de l’Espace.
- A commented map is available next left with some beacons to help you identify all these spots (click on the picture). The original full size map used for this picture can be downloaded here (on public transportation website).
- An example of trip from Capitole Square is also provided (click on the second picture next left).
- If you want to search yourself your way through the public transportation, you can use their interactive map.
- By car
- From Toulouse city centre: follow the signs “Cité de l’espace” or Castres direction (15 minutes).
- 25 minutes from Toulouse-Blagnac international airport, follow Montpellier direction , exit 17.
- From Paris/Bordeaux: follow Montpellier direction , exit 17.
- From Montpellier: follow Paris/Bordeaux direction, exit 18
- From Foix/Tarbes: follow Albi direction, exit 18
- Geographic coordinates (GPS): 43°35’12” North latitude – 1°29’38” East longitude
Registration
Registration to the workshop and call for abstracts
Registrations are opened: you can fill up the registration form on ESA’s ATD3 2026 webpage.
The call for abstracts is also opened. Link to this page to submit your proposals.
Registration fees
In order to complete your payment and validate your registration, please click on the “secure payment” button below.
Please note that your attendance to the workshop will ONLY be fully validated once the registration AND the payment have been performed.
Should you need to contact us, please send e-mail to secretaire@hyfar-ara.org.