Addressing People, Culture, and Community in the Space Sector – and Supporting Career Transitions
- easnnet
- Sep 8
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 11
The European space sector is entering a decisive moment. To remain innovative, competitive, and sustainable, it must be a place where everyone—regardless of gender, age, or background—feels safe, welcome, and empowered to thrive.
The ASTRAIOS project is launching one of the first pilot measures to directly address the challenges in equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and career transitions through its Virtual Mentoring Programme on People, Culture and Community.
Mentorship Programme Overview
A 3-month mentoring initiative, tailored for mid-career professionals across Europe. By connecting 20 mentees with 20 experienced mentors from the space sector and adjacent industries, the programme directly addresses the gaps highlighted in the EDI mapping work previously conducted in the project.
Audience: European residents
Format: 100% virtual (CET working hours, 10:00–15:00)
Duration: 3 months
What It Covers
The programme focuses on three areas where support is most needed:
Sector Transitions – moving between academia, industry, and public institutions.
Role Evolution – shifting between technical and managerial tracks or preparing for senior leadership.
Geographic Mobility – navigating international moves, remote work, and work–life balance.
Programme Structure
One-on-One Mentoring – three monthly sessions tailored to personal career goals, challenges, and strategies.
Group Workshops with interactive sessions on:
Geographic Mobility & Work-Life Balance
Changing Job Roles – Technical vs Management
Career Interruptions & Life Transitions
Offline Resources – curated guides, reports, and papers, plus the possibility of a Q&A forum.
Looking Ahead
By pairing a system-wide EDI gap analysis with a hands-on mentoring programme, this initiative tackles inclusion from both directions: identifying structural barriers and giving individuals the tools and support to overcome them.
The ASTRAIOS project is more than just mentoring—it is a pilot action born directly out of the EDI mapping and analysis effort, designed to test and demonstrate how targeted support can make the European space sector fairer, stronger, and more diverse.
Join the Programme
Recruitment for the first cohort of ASTRAIOS mentees and mentors is now open!
If you are a mid-career professional in Europe looking for guidance as you navigate a career transition, we invite you to apply through our registration survey.
Registration will remain open until September 17th, 2025.
Comments