All posts tagged: ESA

ESA opens funding calls for space-enabled application projects

ESA opens funding calls for space-enabled application projects

Published by skeptic

The European Space Agency (ESA) Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme has launched an ongoing call for proposals aimed at companies developing a space-enabled application or service across any industry sector. The programme supports two categories of activity: Proof-of-concept studies and pilot projects. Proof-of-concept studies are intended to reduce risk and validate market opportunities, while pilot projects focus on integrating and testing services in operational environments with customers. Funding is available to eligible companies, universities, research institutes, and public sector organisations located in ESA Member States that subscribe to BASS, as well as participating Cooperating or Associate Member States. ESA will co-fund approved activities alongside contributions from industry partners. Proof-of-concept studies focus on validation ESA said proof-of-concept studies are designed to help applicants assess the commercial viability of a space-enabled application before full deployment. The studies involve designing the service concept, engaging with users and developing a minimum viable product (MVP). The aim is to reduce development risks while validating the market opportunity for the proposed service or application. Under the programme, proof-of-concept activities …

ESA expands Scout missions programme with two EO satellites

ESA expands Scout missions programme with two EO satellites

Published by skeptic

The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected two new Earth observation Scout missions, Hibidis and SOVA-S, to join its growing fleet of low-cost science satellites. The missions were approved by ESA’s Earth Observation Programme Board after a 10-month evaluation process and will focus on biodiversity monitoring and atmospheric research. Hibidis will study ecosystems hidden beneath forest canopies using hyperspectral imaging technology, while SOVA-S will investigate gravity waves in the upper atmosphere. Together, the missions strengthen ESA’s strategy of using agile satellite programmes to address climate, environmental and Earth-system science challenges. The result is another expansion of ESA’s fast-moving Scout missions programme, which is designed to deliver scientific data more quickly and at lower cost than traditional large-scale satellite projects. The two satellites now join existing Scout missions, including HydroGNSS, NanoMagSat, and Tango. Commenting on the new missions, Director of ESA’s Earth Observation Programmes, Simonetta Cheli, said: “The ESA Scout missions show that achieving groundbreaking Earth science doesn’t always require large budgets and long development times. “By moving fast, embracing innovation and empowering emerging ideas, these …

ESA advances HydRON optical communications project

ESA advances HydRON optical communications project

Published by skeptic

Efforts to transform how data moves between Earth and orbit are gaining momentum, as the European Space Agency (ESA) advances its HydRON programme. The initiative, short for High thRoughput Optical Network, is designed to bring fibre-like connectivity into space, using laser-based optical communications to deliver data faster and more securely than traditional systems. At the recent Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Canadian satellite operator Kepler secured a key contract to lead the programme’s next phase. The agreement marks a significant step toward building a multi-layered orbital network capable of near real-time data transfer. Extending internet infrastructure beyond Earth HydRON’s central aim is straightforward but technically ambitious: replicate the speed and reliability of terrestrial fibre networks in space. Instead of relying on radio frequency links, which are constrained by bandwidth and increasingly crowded, the system uses laser links to move large volumes of data between satellites and ground stations. This shift to optical communications enables faster throughput, lower latency and improved security. Laser-based systems are less prone to interference and can handle significantly higher data rates, …

ESA funding call targets space-tech to combat European wildfires

ESA funding call targets space-tech to combat European wildfires

Published by skeptic

The European Space Agency (ESA) is seeking new technologies to detect and track fires in near real time as wildfire activity intensifies across parts of Europe. European wildfires are growing larger and more frequent, and ESA is now asking industry to help respond by building tools that rely heavily on satellite data to detect, monitor and predict fires as they unfold. A sharp rise in fire activity Wildfires across Europe are becoming more frequent and destructive, particularly in southern Mediterranean countries and parts of Central and Eastern Europe. Recent data indicate a sharp escalation: the total area burned in 2025 across EU member states was more than double the long-term average recorded between 2006 and 2024. While fire has long played a natural role in maintaining ecosystems, the current trajectory reflects a shift. Human activity, combined with environmental conditions such as prolonged drought and rising temperatures, is increasing both ignition risk and fire spread. One critical factor is the expansion of urban forest boundaries, where residential areas meet flammable vegetation, amplifying both exposure and damage. …

Six UK startups join ESA incubator to advance space technology

Six UK startups join ESA incubator to advance space technology

Published by skeptic

Six companies have joined the European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre UK (ESA BIC UK) programme, highlighting the growing role of space technology in addressing challenges both in orbit and on Earth. Through ESA BIC UK, these emerging companies focused on space technology will gain access to technical facilities, research expertise and funding designed to help early-stage ventures commercialise advanced technologies. The incubation programme is operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) in partnership with the UK Space Agency and the University of Leicester. Participants receive support to develop products that can be deployed in space missions while also generating applications for industries on Earth. The latest cohort reflects a growing trend in the sector: startups adapting space technologies to solve real-world problems, from managing orbital debris to detecting wildfires more quickly. DeepTech Catalyst expands the UK space innovation pipeline ESA BIC UK operates within STFC’s broader DeepTech Catalyst network, which supports startups across sectors including biotechnology, healthcare, quantum computing and space. Since its launch in 2011, the network has assisted more than …

Asteroid 2024 YR4 once feared to strike the Moon now appears harmless

Asteroid 2024 YR4 once feared to strike the Moon now appears harmless

Published by Jenni Sidey

Initially, much uncertainty surrounded the flight path of the space rock known as 2024 YR4, a small asteroid that has recently become an object of much scientific attention. 2024 YR4, measuring between 174 and 220 feet, was once thought likely to collide with Earth’s Moon in December 2032. Early estimates showed around a 4.3% chance of impact. However, through consideration of new observations made with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scientists have since eliminated this potential collision. The JWST’s measurements show that the asteroid will safely fly by the Moon in December 2032, missing by approximately 13,200 miles (or about 21,200 km). Using two sets of data taken by the JWST’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on February 18, 2026, and February 26, 2026, scientists from NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory were able to refine the asteroid’s trajectory and eliminate the possibility of impact with either the Moon or Earth. The asteroid will pass by the Moon without impacting it on 22 December 2032. Animation of asteroid 2024 YR4’s potential …

ESA orbiter reveals strange behavior within Mars’ upper atmosphere during a solar superstorm

ESA orbiter reveals strange behavior within Mars’ upper atmosphere during a solar superstorm

Published by Jenni Sidey

A storm from the Sun can make a planet’s sky glow or a spacecraft’s computer stumble. At Mars in May 2024, it did both, just without the auroras people photographed on Earth. That month, Earth experienced its biggest solar storm in more than 20 years, with auroras seen as far south as Mexico. The same unrest in space also slammed into Mars. Two European Space Agency orbiters, Mars Express and the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), were already in position to watch what happened next. A radiation monitor on TGO measured a dose equivalent to 200 “normal” days over just 64 hours. During the storm, both spacecraft also suffered computer errors, a familiar risk when energetic particles flood space. ESA says the orbiters recovered quickly, helped by radiation-resistant components and onboard systems meant to detect and correct faults. Mars Express beams a radio signal towards ExoMars TGO, as it is about to ‘set’ behind Mars. The radio signal travels through Mars’s upper atmosphere, causing it to bend (refract). (CREDIT: European Space Agency) A study published …

ESA funding call to strengthen rural transportation networks

ESA funding call to strengthen rural transportation networks

Published by skeptic

A new European Space Agency (ESA) programme offers up to €75,000 per study to support satellite-enabled solutions for Europe’s transportation systems. ESA’s new funding call aims to improve rural transportation networks across Europe and partner countries, inviting businesses to develop space-enabled services that address long-standing mobility challenges in remote areas. The initiative, released under ESA’s “Kick-starts” programme, focuses on early-stage concepts that integrate satellite data and space technologies into transportation systems serving rural communities. Selected teams can receive up to 75% co-funding from ESA, capped at €75,000 per project, to conduct feasibility studies lasting 6 months. Addressing structural gaps in rural connectivity Rural transportation networks remain critical for linking remote communities with economic centres, healthcare services and supply chains. Yet these systems often operate under constraints including sparse populations, limited infrastructure investment and difficult terrain. Across Europe, policymakers have stepped up efforts to close these gaps. Funding streams such as the EU Cohesion Policy and the UK Government’s Future of Transport: Rural Strategy reflect broader attempts to modernise transportation systems while supporting ageing populations and …

Astronomers watch a supermassive black hole X-ray flare ignite an ultra-fast galactic wind

Astronomers watch a supermassive black hole X-ray flare ignite an ultra-fast galactic wind

Published by Jenni Sidey

A supermassive black hole in the spiral galaxy NGC 3783 just delivered an X-ray surprise that astronomers have never watched unfold so quickly. Using the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton and the JAXA-led XRISM mission, researchers saw a bright flare rise and fade, and then saw a burst of ultra-fast wind appear within about a day, racing outward at roughly 60,000 kilometers per second, near one-fifth the speed of light. “We’ve not watched a black hole create winds this speedily before,” Gu says. “For the first time, we’ve seen how a rapid burst of X-ray light from a black hole immediately triggers ultra-fast winds, with these winds forming in just a single day.” XRISM Xtend light curves from the NGC 3783 campaign. Left: soft- and hard-band light curves, shown in black and red, respectively. The light curve has been binned to multiples of the XRISM orbit (5747 s), and in this paper we count time since the start of the XRISM observation. Right: X-ray variability surrounding the main soft flare at t ∼ 2.8 × 105 s. (CREDIT: Astronomy & …