The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched a strategic initiative aimed at redefining the future of space computing, faced with the challenge of processing the vast amount of data generated by Earth observation satellites. Existing computing architectures are struggling to keep up with the exponential growth of information, which slows down its analysis and application. To overcome these limitations and transform Earth observation into concrete action, ESA is seeking revolutionary mission concepts based on disruptive computing paradigms. This quest for innovation also includes the development of advanced sensor technologies that could bring completely new capabilities to satellites in Earth's orbit or significantly improve the performance of existing missions.

This ambitious endeavor is aligned with the agency's long-term strategic documents, Technology Vision 2040 and Strategy 2040, which lay the groundwork for developing technologies and missions aimed at rapid and effective responses to climate change, natural disasters, and the pressure on natural resources. Earth observation (EO) satellites play a crucial role in achieving these goals, providing key data for understanding the complex processes on our planet. However, their effectiveness is currently limited by processing speed, energy consumption, and the level of autonomy.

The dawn of a new era in space computing

Artificial intelligence (AI) and new computing paradigms, such as quantum, photonic, and neuromorphic computing, hold immense potential to transform space applications. Their implementation can dramatically increase mission autonomy and enable real-time decision-making without the need for human intervention. To ensure Europe's leading position in sustainability and remote sensing, ESA has launched a new SysNova challenge titled "Innovative mission concepts enabled by disruptive computing paradigms".

"We are living in an exceptionally exciting historical moment, on the cusp of a new industrial revolution where artificial intelligence is becoming capable of solving complex reasoning problems," emphasizes Iga Szczesniak, a space innovation engineer and one of the leaders of this campaign at ESA. "Launching this campaign now lays the foundation for the next generation of European space missions, enabling them to operate more autonomously and deliver crucial data with less reliance on human intervention."

Building on the foundations of previous successes

This call is not a step into the unknown but builds upon a series of successful past and existing initiatives within ESA. Through missions like the pioneering Φ-sat (Phi-sat), the versatile OPS-SAT, and initiatives such as 3CS (Cognitive Cloud Computing in Space), the agency has already explored the benefits of integrating intelligence directly into orbit. Φ-sat-1, launched in 2020, became the first European mission to successfully demonstrate the application of artificial intelligence in space. Its neuromorphic processor enabled the autonomous filtering and rejection of cloud-covered images, reducing the amount of useless data sent to Earth by nearly 70%. This freed up valuable communication bandwidth and accelerated the delivery of relevant data to scientists.

On the other hand, OPS-SAT, known as the "flying software laboratory," allowed experts to test new and advanced software tools for mission management directly in space, an activity that is normally high-risk. This platform, equipped with a significantly more powerful processor than most operational satellites, has become key to validating new autonomy concepts. In parallel, disruptive paradigms like quantum and neuromorphic computing have shown the potential for more efficiently processing vast amounts of data. "However, few have so far explored how these technologies could redefine entire missions. It's time to take that next step," explains Gabriele Meoni, an innovation officer at ESA and the other campaign leader.

This call for mission proposals aims to build European capabilities for next-generation missions that can process complex data and operate with greater autonomy, efficiency, and intelligence. This strengthens Europe's position as a global leader in sustainable development and remote sensing, ensuring that data arriving from space is processed in a timely manner and made available to the scientific community and decision-makers, including experts at ESA's Earth observation center located in the Italian town of Frascati.

The search for disruptive and visionary ideas

ESA is actively seeking high-risk, high-gain concepts based on technologies expected to become available in the next 10 to 15 years. "Our goal is to stimulate innovative system studies and mission architectures that enable new applications, improve trade-offs in mission design, or solve existing bottlenecks. If you are conducting disruptive research at the intersection of computing and space, we would love to hear your perspective on how to better connect these fields in the context of a single mission," adds Iga Szczesniak.

The call is being conducted through the SysNova platform, ESA's technology assessment mechanism that encourages joint studies between academia and industry. "We want to encourage ideas that could bring transformational benefits to current missions or enable entirely new applications in Earth observation and beyond, with the ambition of translating these concepts into in-orbit demonstrations in the next few years," adds Gabriele Meoni.

The primary focus of the challenge is on Earth observation, but missions aimed at secure satellite communications, enhanced connectivity, and other critical operations will also be considered. The challenge is exclusively focused on applications in the "upstream" segment, i.e., at the platform or payload level on the spacecraft itself. Ideas for applications at the ground segment level can only be considered if they offer proven and significant improvements to the overall mission concept.

How to participate and what winners can expect

Teams can submit their mission proposals via the Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP) until September 14, 2025. Interested parties can find all the details, processes, and conditions for participation on the official ESA website.

After the application deadline, up to five of the best ideas will be selected. Each selected team will receive a budget of €100,000 to conduct a six-month detailed study. At the end of that period, the winning study will be awarded a unique opportunity – a session at ESA's Concurrent Design Facility (CDF). This is an advanced center located in the technological heart of ESA, ESTEC in the Netherlands, where multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work together on the rapid development and evaluation of future space missions. Obtaining a CDF session significantly accelerates the path from a conceptual idea to a mature and detailed mission plan, opening the door for further development and potential realization.

Source: European Space Agency