This September, the European Space Tribology Laboratory (ESTL) will once again participate in the European Space Mechanisms and Tribology Symposium (ESMATS). A major event for European space engineers, mechanism designers, and tribology experts, this year’s 21st biennial gathering will take place in Lausanne.
As part of our ongoing commitment to knowledge sharing and professional development within the space mechanisms community, ESTL will present two of our established training courses: our Space Tribology Course (STC) and the CABARET Ball Bearing Analysis Software Training Course.
Space Tribology Course
Dates: 22nd–23rd September 2025
Location: Lausanne, Switzerland
Delivered in person before ESMATS, our well-established Space Tribology Course (STC) offers a deep dive into the critical principles and challenges of spacecraft tribology. Drawing on decades of data and insights from ESTL, ESA’s external laboratory and centre of excellence in space tribology, the course continues to evolve and is updated at each presentation to reflect the latest experimental findings and industry best practices.
First introduced in 1987, STC has become a popular feature of the ESMATS week calendar, having been presented to many hundreds of engineers. The two-day course provides a structured and practical overview of the core issues related to friction, lubrication, and wear in space mechanisms. The course is divided into five key modules:
- Fundamentals of Tribology
- Lubrication of Spacecraft Components
- Solid Lubrication – Coatings
- Solid Lubrication – Self-Lubricating Materials
- Fluid Lubricants – Selection and Performance
- Tribo-Component Selection, Design and Performance
- Handling and Testing of Tribo-Components
- Case Histories and Lessons Learned from ESTL’s Extensive Experience
Whether you’re new to space mechanism design or looking to refresh your knowledge, the STC provides an essential foundation for understanding the complexities of tribology in the demanding environment of space.
CABARET Ball Bearing Analysis Software Training Course
Dates: 17th–18th September 2025
Format: Virtual (13:30–17:00 CEST each day)
In the week leading up to ESMATS, ESTL will also host its CABARET Ball Bearing Analysis Software Training Course, delivered virtually over two afternoons. The course is based on ESTL’s proprietary CABARET software tool which was developed to support the design and analysis of ball bearing assemblies used in spacecraft mechanisms and is now used by around 90 companies across the ESA Member and Cooperating states.
Structured into four interactive 90-minute sessions, the course will cover:
- Introduction to CABARET – Navigating the interface, building assemblies, and running analyses
- Quasi-Static Analysis – Stress margins, truncation, gapping, stiffness, preload (hard and soft), and inverse analysis
- Torque and Power Analysis – Estimating torque, evaluating lubricant properties, analysing lubrication regimes, and trade-offs in lubricant selection
- Bearing Sizing & Guided Mode – Applying the bearing sizing guideline for preliminary design reviews (PDR/CDR) and utilising the Guided Mode feature
Each session combines brief theoretical overviews with hands-on exercises, allowing participants to apply their learning directly in the software environment. Attendees are encouraged to submit questions in advance, which will be addressed during dedicated Q&A segments.
Join Us at ESMATS 2025
We look forward to connecting with space professionals from across Europe at ESMATS 2025. Whether attending in person or virtually, these training courses provide a valuable opportunity to build expertise, share knowledge, and explore the latest developments in the field of space mechanisms and tribology.
For more information, head to https://www.esmats.eu/lausanne/ or to register, follow this link, https://register.event-works.com/lausanne/ESMATS/e/cp/g/168550/