During this intensive week, the students are introduced to the many facets of the Dutch space sector. They visit knowledge institutes, space organizations, and innovative companies, attend workshops, and collaborate on challenges where different disciplines come together.

As part of this program, Unmanned Valley hosted an inspiring session in which the students were introduced to the world of drones and autonomous systems.

During his presentation, Theo de Vries, director of Unmanned Valley, showed how closely the worlds of space and drones are connected: “Space begins closer than you think. Before we look hundreds of kilometers upward, there is already a great deal of innovation happening in the first 120 meters above us.”

The students learned about the history of Unmanned Valley, our testing capabilities, and future developments, including BVLOS operations (Beyond Visual Line of Sight). They also discovered various innovations being developed and tested at and around Unmanned Valley, such as drone detection, tethered drones, and applications such as lifeguard support, where drones contribute to new possibilities for safety and emergency response.

Then it was time to get hands-on! Under the guidance of our drone instructor Alex, the students used six drones to search for two missing model aircraft on the Unmanned Valley grounds. The first team managed to locate the aircraft within just 30 seconds. The second mission proved more challenging due to a cleverly camouflaged hiding spot, resulting in enthusiastic teamwork and plenty of excitement.

For many students, this was their first experience operating a drone. And they did an excellent job: by the end of the session, all drones were still completely intact. 😉

As an additional surprise, the students also received a demonstration of the humanoid robot from Unmanned Valley resident StormCatch, whose smooth movements attracted a lot of attention.

We look back on a highly successful and inspiring morning and thank all the students for their curiosity.