ESA title
Φ-lab

News and events

Latest news

News

JUNE 2023
15 - 17

We Make Future is at the Rimini Expo Centre in Italy. WMF is an all-encompassing annual event on digital, technological and social innovation. The gathering includes speakers, exhibitions, a B2B meeting area and a start-up competition. Φ-lab is there with its own stand full of exhibits, and Head of the Φ-lab Explore Office Pierre Philippe Mathieu is giving a speech.

MAY 2023
08 - 10

The ESP Forum on AI and EO discusses how the intersection of these two disciplines can create new opportunities for ESA EO activities and assets. The virtual event is organised by ESA Φ-lab together with Oxford University and Trillium.

APRIL 2023
23 - 28

The General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) is at the Austria Center Vienna. Φ-labber Rochelle Schneider dos Santos is chairing a session on Digital Twins of the Earth, alongside representatives from NASA, ECMWF and CNES.

21

Φ-lab, in collaboration with ECMWF, has an exciting opportunity for an ESA PostDoc research fellowship in Machine Learning for Earth Observation and Prediction (ML4EOP). The successful candidate will exploit the use of innovative EO-based solutions to enhance climate change resilience, with the potential for a second contract with ECMWF if the outcome is successful. Closing date: 12 May 2023.

12

Thales Alenia Space Italy will develop microDRCE (Digital Radar Central Electronics for Microsatellites) under InCubed co-funding. This highly flexible product will implement all the standard data acquisition modes as part of a configurable SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) sub-150-kg satellite constellation.

04

German company EOMAP has secured InCubed co-funding for continuing to develop EOSmart, an online solution for Earth observation-based monitoring of water resources. EOSmart transforms satellite-derived data into actionable insights that water managers can integrate into their routine operations.

MARCH 2023
27

ESA Φ-lab and We Make Future have got together to launch the AI4EO call. The initiative is aimed at supporting applications of AI in Earth observation and aerospace, with a focus on highlighting the importance of these sectors for economic and cultural development and the protection of terrestrial ecosystems. Closing date: 5 May.

FEBRUARY 2023
22

The OrbitalAI Challenge has been launched. This two-track competition gives participants the chance to explore the cutting-edge possibilities of in-orbit data processing and its potential to drive progress in Earth’s sustainability, business, industry and science. One track is based on ESA’s Φ-sat-2 mission and the other on a smart imaging system to be installed externally on the ISS in collaboration with Thales and Microsoft.

JANUARY 2023
20

The first InCubed thematic call has been launched on the topic of Cultural and Natural Heritage. Companies are invited to submit promising business ideas for developing EO-related products and services that address challenges in this domain, with a particular focus on coastal areas. Deadline: 31 March 2023.

19

Beyond Gravity Sweden has signed an InCubed contract for co-funding the development of RoccS, a commercial radio occultation data service. Based on a GRAS-2 sensor on ESA’s MetOp-SG constellation, RoccS will sell atmospheric data to customers in the fields of weather forecasting and climate monitoring.

DECEMBER 2022
14

Spire is about to launch its PROGRES.lu Polarimetric Radio Occultation payload on a 3U-cubesat test mission. Supported by co-funding from InCubed and the Luxembourg Space Agency, PROGRES.lu collects data on rain patterns and aims to enhance the value and accuracy of global weather forecasts.

01 - 03

Giuseppe Borghi, Head of Φ-lab, is speaking at the NSE New Space Economy ExpoForum in Rome.

01

Development work has started on BODIS, an information service that uses SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite data, combined with forecasting algorithms and geodata, to predict subsidence risk. BODIS is the brainchild of a consortium led by Netherlands-based SkyGeo, and is supported by InCubed.

NOVEMBER 2022
29

Danish company DHI has received support from InCubed for the SiteObserver activity. This service will provide satellite-based surveillance for offshore wind farms, including data on seabed and coastal dynamics, vessel traffic, turbine direction and sedimentation patterns.

21-23

ESA Ministerial Council in Paris.

11

Finnish company ReOrbit has signed a contract with InCubed for co-funding the UKKO activity, the first phase of a programme for developing flight software and avionics for autonomous satellites. The intended customers are satellite manufacturers and operators in the EO and communications segments.

01 - 04

Φ-lab is at the WebSummit event in Lisbon. If you are attending, pass by to discover more about our activities at stand E419 in Pavilion 4.

OCTOBER 2022
24

DFKI’s Yield consortium, an initiative of the InCubed co-funded AI4EO Solution Factory, uses satellite data and machine learning to predict agricultural output. Partners BASF, John Deere and MunichRe report promising initial results for their predictive models for crops in Europe and the Americas.