Higher Education
18 Jun 2026
An unlikely challenge and genuine scientific endeavour
On paper, the idea has all the makings of an unlikely challenge: sending a kebab up into the stratosphere. In reality, “Space Kebs” is a true scientific undertaking, a six-month project carried out by several engineering students from Icam’s Strasbourg-Europe campus, supervised by Grégoire Chabrol, Director of Research.
A weather balloon, an instrumented payload, sensors measuring temperature, pressure, humidity and altitude: behind the playful concept lay a real goal, to map the atmosphere above Alsace and build a reference dataset for future projects, such as the experimental rockets developed at Icam Strasbourg. The team even had to obtain clearance from both the French and German civil aviation authorities to send the sandwich through the altitudes where airliners fly.
Bound for the stratosphere… and the headlines
On 5 June, from the forecourt of Icam in Schiltigheim, the operation led by Icam Strasbourg-Europe in partnership with the brand Kebs Baba and Knack Line proved a real success: the kebab climbed to over 30,000 metres, becoming — according to Radio France and Le Parisien — the first in history to reach the stratosphere.
“I’m very proud of my students, who worked hard on this project and, above all, managed to secure funding,” says Grégoire Chabrol in Le Parisien. The students had convinced Uber Eats to cover the technical costs.
But the feat didn’t stop at 35 km up. In a higher-education media landscape largely dominated by Parcoursup and reforms, how does a school get its expertise and its students noticed? By daring to take an angle that breaks the mould. Supported by the agencies Mot Compte Double and Knack Line, the project struck just the right tone to turn a student experiment into a news story for national and regional newsrooms.
The result? Over forty press mentions and pieces of coverage that propelled Icam into orbit: Le Parisien (via Aujourd’hui en France), Télématin on France Télévisions, BFM Alsace, Bonjour ! La Matinale on TF1, and Le Morning de Difool on Skyrock.
A showcase for Icam
Beyond its offbeat character, the operation above all highlighted the excellence of Icam’s programme, its expertise in aerospace research and the commitment of its students.
It’s a dynamic that embodies the project-based learning Icam holds dear: learning by doing, taking risks, and turning a bold idea into a genuine testing ground.
