Author: nchimonides

FOREST-2 to deliver thermal-sensing insights to Copernicus

Posted on by nchimonides

ESA is working with European New Space company OroraTech to demonstrate how data from its temperature-sensing FOREST-2 mission will facilitate the aims of the Copernicus programme.

The Munich-based thermal intelligence specialist was one of nine firms selected as European Emerging Copernicus Contributing Missions (CCMs) in June 2023, following a recruitment drive designed to encourage – and capitalise on – New Space growth in Earth observation. In complement to the Sentinel family, this group of providers will soon supply commercial data to Copernicus to help address key environmental and societal challenges impacting European citizens.

OroraTech was first supported by incubation programmes ESA BIC Bavaria and ESA Kick-Start, and in 2022 was awarded funding from ESA InCubed for the development of its upcoming FOREST-3 CubeSat – all of which served as important stepping stones to the firm joining Copernicus.

Read the full article on spacedata.copernicus.eu.

Image courtesy of OroraTech

ESA Φ-lab broadens its cloud-service support to start-ups

Posted on by nchimonides

As part of its extensive efforts to nurture innovation in Earth observation technologies and applications, ESA Φ-lab is providing its supported companies with preferential rates agreed with two leading cloud-service suppliers in collaboration with the ESA Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness Directorate. Scaleway will provide start-ups with a cloud storage and business services package, while Ellipsis Drive is offering deals on its cloud spatial-data management platform.

ESA Φ-lab is a major driving force behind innovation and commercialisation in European Earth observation, lending support to businesses of all shapes and sizes through the ESA InCubed programme and various research initiatives. Help comes not only in the form of funding and technical and commercial support, but also in the creation of purpose-driven partnerships that deliver essential business and commercialisation services. Two such arrangements, drawn up in collaboration with the ESA Partnership Initiative for Commercialisation (EPIC), have now been agreed with premier cloud-service providers Scaleway and Ellipsis Drive.

French company Scaleway supplies cloud infrastructure and services to over 25 000 customers, including more than 700 European start-ups. CEO Damien Lucas explains the nature of Scaleway’s offer within the ESA partnership agreement: “Qualifying businesses from ESA’s portfolio will be fast-tracked through the selection process of our Startup Programme. Upon acceptance, they will have access to a wide range of perks, including cloud credits to be spent on our public cloud products, dedicated expert advice and access to our global community.

“We’re very proud to play our part in helping European space-sector entrepreneurs establish their business systems and we look forward to working with the commercialisation teams in ESA on joint promotional activities.”

Ellipsis Drive provides a cloud-based B2B tool for ingesting, organising and accessing spatial data, with web-based visualisations and integrated use via a myriad of plug-ins, packages and applications. Based in the Netherlands, Ellipsis Drive has hosted data for over 400 customers to date and currently has around 2500 users managing and consuming spatial content from its platform.

“We see partnering with ESA as a clear win-win scenario, giving start-ups access to our spatial data management, visualisation and integration service on very favourable terms, while also enabling us to tap into a broader customer community in the space sector,” says Ellipsis Drive’s Rosalie van der Maas. “We’re offering up to 100GB of free storage for the first year, with substantial discounts for larger plans and subsequent periods.”

Further details on these offers and how to take advantage of them will be communicated to InCubed and other ESA Φ-lab-supported companies in the near future, and will also be distributed via the ESA BIC and ESA Technology Broker Network.

Michele Castorina is InCubed Programme Manager and head of the ESA Φ-lab Invest Office: “The fact that ESA creates partnerships for the benefit of European start-ups is testimony to the across-the-board helping hand that the Agency provides to the space industry. Cloud storage and spatial data hosting are especially relevant for commercial Earth observation, and I fully expect these services to be a significant asset to InCubed-co-funded businesses as they scale up their operations.”

“Having the right tools for their business infrastructure is a vital stepping stone to market success for early-stage enterprises,” added Joana Kamenova, Commercialisation Officer and lead for EPIC at ESA. “This type of collaboration helps to advance the growth of the European space ecosystem, and we will actively promote Scaleway’s and Ellipsis Drive’s offer packages to our networks.”

To know more: ESA Φ-lab, InCubed, EPIC, ESA BICs, ESA Technology Brokers, Scaleway, Ellipsis Drive

Photo courtesy of Fauxels

InCubed announces call for proposals for maritime EO applications

Posted on by nchimonides

Our oceans and seas are a substantive source of economic activity, and it is within this context that ESA InCubed has released a thematic call dedicated to the globally significant maritime sector. Open until March of this year, the campaign focuses on developing innovative products and services using Earth observation for areas such as maritime security, transportation, pollution and fisheries.

As part of its remit to co-fund European commercial development across the entire Earth observation (EO) value chain, the ESA InCubed programme periodically issues thematic calls with particular focus areas. Last year saw the launch of a Cultural and Natural Heritage call, while the latest campaign is on the maritime sector.

The world’s oceans are home to a major component of the global economy, not only in terms of trade and transportation, but also energy and food production. Around 90% of international trade occurs  through maritime routes, and some 50 000 merchant vessels are currently in operation across the globe. Europe’s blue economy is worth nearly €650 billion per annum, and the continent has some of the world’s largest harbours and boasts a number of major shipping companies. But our oceans are also subject to sizeable societal issues and challenges, including marine plastic pollution, climate change effects, overfishing, security issues and illegal migration.

The InCubed Maritime Call seeks to address these challenges by inviting participants to submit ideas for innovative EO solutions that will help to ensure a green and sustainable maritime sector. The call divides the sector into specific areas of interest:

  • Security and emergency
  • Finance and Insurance
  • Renewable Energy
  • Construction
  • Transportation
  • Pollution monitoring
  • Fisheries and acquaculture

Further details on these areas, along with the global and European maritime landscapes and how the sector can derive enormous benefits from EO services, can be found in two highly valuable new reports commissioned by ESA:

These reports give a wealth of useful information, helping applicants from both within and outside the maritime sector to submit ideas for the call under the seven areas of interest. Responses are welcome from individuals, companies and academia in InCubed participating states.

Idea pitches will be assessed based on criteria such as the level of innovation, the credibility of the business opportunity and the quality and completeness of the proposal.

Details of the call can be found on ideas.esa.int, and the closing date for entries is 29 March 2024.

To know more: ESA InCubed

Photo courtesy of George Desipris

ESA promotes radio frequency monitoring as Spire becomes TPM

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The global company Spire, which specialises in using continuous global monitoring to track aircraft, ships and weather patterns using a large constellation of CubeSats, is now an ESA Third Party Mission.

As Earth’s population continues to grow, acquiring high quality data to help to predict the movement of the world’s resources is a priority. A specialist in this field, providing radio frequency datasets in near real-time, Spire Global recently announced that it has officially joined ESA’s prestigious Earthnet Third Party Mission (TPM) programme. The data portfolio that Spire provides will include GNSS-RO polarimetric data (PRO) from the ESA InCubed co-funded PROGRES activity.

Read the full article on www.earth.esa.int.

Image courtesy of Spire

Two ESA Φ-lab-enabled satellites launched

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MANTIS, the first satellite mission to be supported from concept to liftoff by ESA’s Earth Observation InCubed programme, has been launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. MANTIS carries a high-resolution multispectral camera coupled with a powerful AI processing unit. Intuition-1 was also launched on the same rocket and will similarly demonstrate the advantages of onboard AI capabilities, in this case in tandem with a hyperspectral imager. The satellite’s machine learning algorithms were developed under the ESA-funded Genesis project.

The two satellites lifted off from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, US, at 18:49 GMT (19:49 CET, 10:49 PST) on 11 November.

Read the full article on www.esa.int.

Nourishing commercial growth in Earth observation

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Hot on the heels of the first Earth Observation Commercialisation Forum, now is a good time to take a look at the all-embracing support that ESA gives to the commercial sector in Europe. With funding programmes, business guidance for companies, and multiyear contracts, ESA provides a vital springboard for continued growth in commercial Earth observation.

The global Earth observation data and service market is estimated to be worth around €2 billion every year and predicted to increase to €7–9 billion by 2032. But despite this wealth of opportunity at a global level, companies in the commercial Earth observation sector in Europe may find getting off the ground difficult owing to the complexity of navigating the investment landscape.

Read the full article on www.esa.int.

Relive the Earth Observation Commercialisation Forum

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ESA’s first Earth Observation Commercialisation Forum took place at ESA Headquarters in Paris on 30–31 October 2023. The event saw investors, institutions, entrepreneurs and different-sized companies from the Earth observation sector come together to discuss the commercial potential and challenges of Earth observation. Revisit the event by watching the streaming replay.

In his opening address, ESA’s Director General, Josef Aschbacher, said, “Advancing commercial space in Europe is one of the key components of Agenda 2025, which I set as an ambitious vision when I took over the position of ESA Director General.

“The fast-growing Earth observation sector has an abundance of possibilities that private businesses can capitalise on, from satellites and ground infrastructure through to value-added services that address real-world needs with information from space.”

Read the full article on www.esa.int.

Six trends to watch in commercial Earth observation

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With a multitude of opportunities for start-ups, established companies and investors, commercial Earth observation is a vibrant sector with fast-moving innovations in technology, datasets and downstream applications. ESA is a key driving force for the development of European Earth observation and provides impetus through its many programmes and initiatives.

To set the scene as ESA’s Earth Observation Commercialisation Forum starts this week, here is some need-to-know background information on the evolution and state of play of the Earth observation industry.

Read the full article on www.esa.int.

Sign up now for the ESA Earth Observation Commercialisation Forum

Posted on by nchimonides

ESA’s first-ever Earth Observation Commercialisation Forum will open its doors at ESA Headquarters in Paris on 30 October. Registration is still available for this premier two-day event, which will bring together institutions, investors and businesses to explore the commercial potential and funding landscape in Earth observation.

The forum is open to all Earth observation (EO) stakeholders, including entrepreneurs, start-ups, established companies and public and private investment bodies. Attendees will be treated to keynote addresses from ESA speakers such as Director General Josef Aschbacher, Director of Earth Observation Simonetta Cheli and Director of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness Géraldine Naja, along with representatives from the European Commission, venture capitalists and industry leaders.

The speeches, panel discussions and networking sessions will provide a unique opportunity to understand the market trends, major drivers and challenges in commercial EO. With such a wealth of opportunity for connecting up the many and varied players in the sector, the event is sure to be the go-to platform for delving into the state of the art and direction of travel in commercial Earth observation. Full details can be found on the dedicated website.

Register for the Earth Observation Commercialisation Forum here.

To know more: Φ-lab, InCubed, esa.int article

Φ-lab contributes to Earth observation education at ESA-NASA training week

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The Trans-Atlantic Training course (TAT 2023) took place in the Czech Republic from 27 June to 1 July and included presentations and tutorials from current and past Φ-labbers. Organised by ESA, NASA and the Charles University in Prague, the course was aimed at educating early-career scientists and post-graduate students on remote sensing for environmental monitoring and modelling.

TAT has been running since 2013 with the objective of providing training activities for young scientists in the field of Earth observation (EO), with a particular emphasis on remote sensing of land-cover change and ecosystem dynamics. The forum shares and discusses advanced space research through a series of workshops, with this year’s edition dedicated to Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), passive optical sensing and lidar for forestry, agriculture and hydrology.

Attendees from 18 countries took part and were able to gain a detailed picture of the state of the art in satellite-derived environmental measurement and prediction. The week was split between the cities of Prague and Brno and included insight from a number of global experts in the field.

The expert input included a significant contribution from ESA’s Earth Observation Programme Directorate. Scientific Coordinator Francesco Sarti was part of the TAT organising committee and kicked off Day 1 with an outline of the Agency’s current and forthcoming EO missions. Next was a session introducing Φ-lab and its activities, with talks from Digital Technologies Engineer Bertrand Le Saux, InCubed Officer Albin Lacroix and other Φ-labbers. The session began with a comprehensive overview of how the Explore Office’s research is transforming Earth observation through the application of artificial intelligence, quantum machine learning and other computational methodologies. This was followed by a presentation on the scope, benefits and successes of the ESA InCubed programme.

Day 2 featured a key lecture on applying SAR data time series to forest monitoring. Given by former Φ-lab visiting researcher Daniel Paluba, the workshop was largely based around work carried out at ESA and included two practical sessions, covering topics such as processing Copernicus Sentinel data and comparing Classical and Automatic Machine Learning approaches. This and the other ESA-related presentations were very well-received by the course attendees, with the Φ-lab sessions in particular giving a glimpse into real-world opportunities in EO research and commerce.

“I think it’s crucial that Φ-lab contributes to educational events such as TAT,” Bertrand Le Saux reflects. “Not only is it a pleasure for us to share details of our research and industry support with such an enthusiastic and energetic audience, but I also feel we are helping to plant the seeds for the EO scientists and entrepreneurs of tomorrow.”

To know more: ESA Φ-lab, ESA InCubed, TAT on eo4society, Copernicus Sentinel missions