Masaryk University

Masaryk University (MU) is the second-largest university in the Czech Republic, founded in 1919 in Brno. With around 30,000 students across nine faculties, it covers arts, sciences, law, medicine, and informatics. The Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics at the Faculty of Science has established MU as a leading centre for astrophysics research in Central Europe.

Masaryk University's most notable space achievement is leading the GRBAlpha mission — a 1U CubeSat gamma-ray burst detector launched on March 22, 2021 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to a 550 km sun-synchronous orbit. GRBAlpha detected over 140 gamma-ray bursts during its operational life, demonstrating that compact CubeSat-class instruments can make meaningful astrophysical observations. The satellite de-orbited naturally in June 2025 after four years of successful operations. The MU team subsequently contributed to GRBBeta, a successor satellite launched on Ariane 6 in July 2024, for which MU performed instrument calibration and data analysis.

Beyond astrophysics, Masaryk University hosts strong programmes in Earth observation, remote sensing, and environmental sciences, contributing to Copernicus programme user uptake in Central Europe. The Bohunice Science Campus is one of the most modern research environments in the Czech Republic.