View source for ONERA

{{Short description|French national aerospace research centre}}
{{more citations needed|date=June 2015}}
{{Infobox laboratory
| name             = Office National d'Études et de Recherches Aérospatiales (ONERA)
| native_name      =
| image            = ONERA Modane-Avrieux.jpg
| caption          = An ONERA site at [[Modane]]–[[Avrieux]]
| latin_name       = 
| motto            =
| established      = {{start year and age|1946}}
| type             = Applied
| budget           = 
| debt             = 
| research_field   = [[Aerospace]]<br>[[Defense industry|Defense]]
| president        = 
| vice-president   = 
| dean             = 
| director         =  <!--or: | directors = -->
| head_label       = 
| head             = Bruno Sainjon
| faculty          = 
| staff            = 
| students         = 
| alumni           = 
| address          = 
| city             = [[Palaiseau]]
| state            = 
| province         = 
| country          = France
| coor             =  <!--{{coord|LAT|LON|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}-->
| zipcode          = 
| campus           = 
| free_label       = 
| free             = 
| affiliations     = 
| operating_agency = [[Minister of the Armed Forces (France)|Minister of the Armed Forces]]
| nobel_laureates  =  <!--Number and/or names of Nobel laureates associated with the laboratory/institute-->
| website          =  {{URL|onera.fr}}
| logo             = ONERA logo.svg
| footnotes        = 
}}

The '''Office National d'Études et de Recherches Aérospatiales''' ([[English language|English]]: National Office for Aerospace Studies and Research) or '''ONERA''', dubbed ''The French Aerospace Lab'' in English, is the French national [[aerospace]] research center. Originally founded as the ''Office National d'Études et de Recherches Aéronautiques'' (National Office for Aeronautical Studies and Research) in 1946, it was relabeled in 1963. 

It is France's leading research center in aerospace and [[defense industry|defense]]. It covers all disciplines and technologies in the field. Numerous high-profile French and European aerospace programs have passed through the ONERA since its creation including the [[Ariane (rocket family)|Ariane]] family of launch vehicles, the [[Concorde]] supersonic airliner, the [[Dassault Mirage]] family of fighter aircraft and the [[Dassault Rafale|Rafale]], the [[Dassault Falcon family]] of business jets, [[Aérospatiale]] and later [[Airbus]] projects, missiles, engines, radars and many more.

Under the supervision of the [[Ministry of Armed Forces (France)|Ministry of the Armed Forces]], it is a public industrial and commercial establishment employing around 2,000 people, the majority of whom are researchers, engineers and technicians, with half of its budget coming from government subsidies. The ONERA has extensive testing and computing resources, including the largest [[wind tunnel]] fleet in Europe. The ONERA's chairman is appointed by the Council of Ministers on the recommendation of the Minister of the Armed Forces.

== History ==
ONERA's historic roots are in the Paris suburb of [[Meudon]], south of Paris. As early as 1877, the [[Chalais-Meudon]] site hosted an aeronautical research center for military aerostats (balloons): Etablissement central de l’aérostation militaire.

ONERA was created in May 1946 to relaunch aeronautics research, an activity that had gone into hibernation during the [[Second World War]] and the German occupation. Its creation reflected the government's decision to recover the large [[wind tunnel]] in [[Ötztal]], Austria, in the French administrative zone, and move it to France. Today, ONERA's extensive array of wind tunnels is one of its main assets. ONERA operates a world-class fleet of wind tunnels, the largest in Europe. The S1MA wind tunnel at Modane-Avrieux, developing 88 MW of total power, is Europe's largest transonic wind tunnel (tests at [[Mach number|Mach]] 0.05 to Mach 1).

== Organization ==
The Chairman and [[CEO]] of ONERA is appointed by the [[French Council of Ministers]], acting on a proposal by the [[Minister of Defence (France)|Minister of Defense]]. Since June 2014, the Chairman and CEO is [[Bruno Sainjon]].<ref>{{citation | url=http://www.journal-aviation.com/actualites/26895-bruno-sainjon-nomme-a-la-tete-de-l-onera | title=Bruno Sainjon nommé à la tête de l'ONERA | publisher=Le Journal de l'Aviation | author=Romain Guillot | language=fr | date=2014-05-28 | access-date=2015-05-27 }}</ref>

=== Sites of ONERA facilities ===
ONERA is organized in eight geographic areas. It has about 2,000 employees, with 1,500 engineers and [[scientists]] (including 230 doctoral candidates), as well as support staff.

Three centers in the greater Paris area (Ile-de-France):
* ONERA [[Palaiseau]], current headquarters
* ONERA [[Châtillon, Hauts-de-Seine|Châtillon]] 
* ONERA [[Chalais-Meudon|Meudon]]
Two centers in the Midi-Pyrenees region of southwest France: 
* ONERA [[Toulouse]], near the leading aeronautical engineering schools ''ISAE-Sup’Aéro'' and ENAC
* ONERA [[Le Fauga|Fauga]]–[[Mauzac, Haute Garonne|Mauzac]] ([[wind tunnels]]), south of Toulouse.
Three other centers:
* ONERA [[Lille]], northern France (formerly the Lille Fluid Mechanics Institute)
* ONERA [[Salon de Provence]], southern France, on the site of the ''Ecole de l’air'' flying school
* ONERA [[Modane|Modane-Avrieux]] ([[wind tunnels]]), in the Savoy region of southeast France.

=== Scientific departments ===
ONERA is organized in four scientific branches: [[Fluid Mechanics]] and Energetics; Materials and Structures; [[Physics]]; and Information Processing and Systems. Wind tunnel testing is managed in the GMT (Grands Moyens Techniques) department. Aerospace prospective depends on a specific department.

The ''Direction Technique et des Programmes'' (''DTP'') comprises the following departments:<ref>{{url|https://www.onera.fr/fr/departements-scientifiques/mot-du-dtg}}</ref>
* ''DAAA - Aérodynamique, aéroélasticité, acoustique.''
* ''DEMR - Électromagnétisme et radar.''
* ''DMAS - Matériaux et structures.''
* ''DMPE - Multi-physique pour l'énergétique.''
* ''DOTA - Optique et techniques associées.''
* ''DPHY - Physique, instrumentation, environnement, espace.''
* ''DTIS - Traitement de l'information et systèmes.''

== Missions ==
Unlike [[NASA]] in the United States, ONERA is not an agency for space science and exploration. However, it carries out a wide range of [[research]] for [[space agencies]], both [[CNES]] in France and the [[European Space Agency]] (ESA), as well as for the French defense agency, [[Direction générale de l'armement|DGA]] (Direction générale de l’armement). ONERA also independently conducts its own long-term research to anticipate [[Emerging technologies|future technology]] needs. It focuses on [[scientific research]], for example in [[aerodynamics]] for concrete applications on [[aircraft]], the design of launchers and new defense technologies, such as drones or [[Unmanned aerial vehicle|unmanned aerial systems (UAS)]].

ONERA also uses its research and [[innovation]] capabilities to support both French and European industry. ONERA has contributed to a number of landmark aerospace and defense programs in recent decades, including [[Airbus]], [[Ariane (rocket family)|Ariane]], [[Rafale]], [[Dassault Falcon|Falcon]], [[Dassault Mirage|Mirage]] and [[Concorde]].

===Rockets===
[[File:Onera-family.gif|thumb|The Onera sounding rocket family]]
Various rockets have been developed through ONERA, some of which are listed below:
* [[Daniel (rocket)|Daniel]]<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=Wade |first=Mark |date=2019 |title=Daniel |url=http://www.astronautix.com/d/daniel.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516044056/http://astronautix.com/d/daniel.html |archive-date=2022-05-16 |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=Encyclopedia Astronautica}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Serra |first=Jean-Jacques |date=2007-01-13 |title=ONERA rockets |url=http://fuseurop.univ-perp.fr/onera_e.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070113212303/http://fuseurop.univ-perp.fr/onera_e.htm |archive-date=2007-01-13 |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=Rockets in Europe}}</ref>
* [[Antarès (OPd-56-39-22D)|Antarès]]<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |title=Antarès (OPd-56-39-22D) |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/antares.htm |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite web |title=Antares |url=http://www.astronautix.com/a/antares.html |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=www.astronautix.com}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite web |date=2012-11-14 |title=ONERA rockets |url=http://fuseurop.univ-perp.fr/onera_e.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114060454/http://fuseurop.univ-perp.fr/onera_e.htm |archive-date=2012-11-14 |access-date=2023-11-13}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=La fusée Antarès |url=http://eurospace.free.fr/antares.html |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=eurospace.free.fr}}</ref>
* [[Bérénice (rocket)|Bérénice]]<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |date=2012-11-14 |title=ONERA rockets |url=http://fuseurop.univ-perp.fr/onera_e.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114060454/http://fuseurop.univ-perp.fr/onera_e.htm |archive-date=2012-11-14 |access-date=2023-11-13}}</ref><ref name="seprunion7">{{cite journal |date=February 1963 |title=Berenice |url=http://dev.museesafran.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/1350048140-revues-sep-union-saf2012_0047326.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=S.E.P.R. Union Revue d'Information du Personnel |language=French |issue=7 |page=34 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026135151/http://dev.museesafran.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/1350048140-revues-sep-union-saf2012_0047326.pdf |archive-date=2014-10-26 |accessdate=26 October 2014}}</ref><ref name="astronautix">{{Cite web |title=Berenice |url=http://www.astronautix.com/b/berenice.html |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=www.astronautix.com}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=SEPR-739 with upper stages |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/sepr739_up.htm |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=La fusée Bérénice |url=http://eurospace.free.fr/berenice.html |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=eurospace.free.fr}}</ref>
* [[Tibère]]<ref name=":04">{{Cite web |last=Serra |first=Jean-Jacques |date=2013-01-15 |title=Fusées de l'ONERA |url=http://fuseurop.univ-perp.fr/onera_f.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115040332/http://fuseurop.univ-perp.fr/onera_f.htm |archive-date=2013-01-15 |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=Les fusées en Europe}}</ref><ref name=":14">{{Cite web |last=Wade |first=Mark |date=2019 |title=Tibere |url=http://www.astronautix.com/t/tibere.html |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=Encyclopedia Astronautica}}</ref><ref name=":32">{{Cite web |date=1999 |title=La fusée Tibère |url=http://eurospace.free.fr/tibere.html |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=Europespace}}</ref>
* [[Tacite (rocket)|Tacite]]<ref name=":05">{{Cite web |last=Serra |first=Jean-Jacques |date=2013-01-15 |title=Fusées de l'ONERA |url=http://fuseurop.univ-perp.fr/onera_f.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115040332/http://fuseurop.univ-perp.fr/onera_f.htm |archive-date=2013-01-15 |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=Les fusées en Europe}}</ref><ref name=":15">{{Cite web |date=1999 |title=La fusée Tacite |url=http://eurospace.free.fr/tacite.html |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=Les fusées et les spationautes européens}}</ref><ref name=":23">{{Cite web |last=Wade |first=Mark |date=2019 |title=Tacite |url=http://www.astronautix.com/t/tacite.html |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=Encyclopedia Astronautica}}</ref><ref name=":33">{{Cite web |last=Krebs |first=Gunter D. |date=2023 |title=SEPR-739 |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/sepr739.htm |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Titus (rocket)|Titus]]<ref name=":06">{{Cite web |title=La fusée Titus |url=http://eurospace.free.fr/titus.html |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=Europespace}}</ref><ref name=":16">{{Cite web |title=SEPR-739 with upper stages |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/sepr739_up.htm |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":24">{{Cite web |last=Wade |title=Titus |url=http://www.astronautix.com/t/titus.html |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=Encyclopedia Astronomica}}</ref><ref name=":34">{{Cite web |date=2013-01-15 |title=Fusées de l'ONERA |url=http://fuseurop.univ-perp.fr/onera_f.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115040332/http://fuseurop.univ-perp.fr/onera_f.htm |archive-date=2013-01-15 |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=Les fusées en Europe}}</ref>
* [[LEX (sounding rocket)|LEX]]<ref name=":25">{{Cite web |last=Gunter D. |first=Krebs |date=2024 |title=LEX |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/lex.htm |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lestrade |last2=Messineo |last3=Hijlkema |last4=Prévot |last5=Casalis |last6=Anthoine |date=June 2016 |title=Challenges in Combustion for Aerospace Propulsion - Hybrid Chemical Engines: Recent Advances from Sounding Rocket Propulsion and Vision for Spacecraft Propulsion |url=https://aerospacelab.onera.fr/sites/w3.onera.fr.aerospacelab/files/AL11-14_0_1.pdf |journal=Journal Aerospace Lab |issue=11 |pages=6}}</ref><ref>[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283216967_Hybrid_Rocket_Propulsion_Development_and_Application Surmacz, Paweł & Rarata, Grzegorz. (2009). Hybrid Rocket Propulsion Development and Application. Progress in Astronautics.]</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Okninski |first1=Adam |last2=Kopacz |first2=Wioleta |last3=Kaniewski |first3=Damian |last4=Sobczak |first4=Kamil |date=2021-12-01 |title=Hybrid rocket propulsion technology for space transportation revisited - propellant solutions and challenges |journal=FirePhysChem |series=Progress in Hybrid Rocket Propulsion |volume=1 |issue=4 |pages=260–271 |bibcode=2021FPhCh...1..260O |doi=10.1016/j.fpc.2021.11.015 |issn=2667-1344 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

== Commercial partnerships ==
ONERA's customer-partners include [[Airbus]], [[Safran]] ([[Snecma]], [[Turbomeca]], [[Sagem]]), [[Dassault Aviation]], [[Thales Group|Thales]] and other major industry players. Innovative small businesses are also encouraged to call on the expertise of ONERA's scientists and engineers, and to take advantage of [[technology transfer]] opportunities. The company [[Tefal]] was created by two ONERA [[engineers]], the inventors of the “[[Non-stick surface|non-stick]] pan”. These products were produced and sold by Tefal S.A., which was subsequently acquired by [[Groupe SEB]].

== Notes and references ==
{{Reflist}}

== See also ==
* [[French space program]]
* [[CNES]]
* [[Aerospace Valley]]

==External links==
* {{official website | https://www.onera.fr/en/ }}

{{Scientific research in France}}
{{authority control}}

{{Coord|48.712132|N|2.231852|E|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:ONERA}}
[[Category:Aviation organisations based in France]]
[[Category:Research institutes in France]]
[[Category:Space program of France]]
[[Category:Aerospace engineering organizations]]
[[Category:Computer science institutes in France]]
[[Category:Scientific agencies of the government of France]]
[[Category:French companies established in 1946]]
[[Category:Onera sounding rockets]]