ESA-backed innovation announces FDA clearance and live clinical trials in the UK.

UK-based company Adaptix, who developed a pioneering portable 3D X-ray imaging system with support from ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme and the UK Space Agency, has announced two major milestones: FDA 510(k) clearance for its Adaptix Ortho350 Imaging System and the start of live clinical trials on patients at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in Exeter.

The Adaptix Ortho350 system delivers high-quality, low-dose 3D imaging for orthopaedic applications. It enables clinicians to obtain a stack of detailed diagnostic slices through the patient with a far higher level of accuracy than 2D X-rays.  Unlike CT scanners it is a portable solution which is particularly beneficial in remote or resource-limited settings, reducing delays and improving access to care.

The recent FDA clearance marks a critical step towards commercial deployment in the United States, validating the system’s safety and effectiveness. Meanwhile, clinical trials in Exeter are assessing its real-world performance, focusing on workflow efficiency and patient outcomes.

“This achievement demonstrates how space-derived technologies can deliver tangible benefits on Earth,” said Arnaud Runge, Technical Officer for ESA on the project. “We are very pleased to have supported this project from the early days and to see it achieve commercial and technical success across multiple markets. The low radiation dose and compactness of the system also mean we could even see Adaptix Ortho350 used in space in the future.”

Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency said: “This progress shows the impact of collaboration between space and healthcare in driving innovation. By applying techniques originally developed for space, Adaptix is helping clinicians access faster, safer and more accurate diagnostics, directly benefiting patients and improving recovery pathways. We’re proud to have supported this journey through our partnership with ESA and look forward to seeing this technology improve patient outcomes across the UK and beyond.”

Sarah Small, CEO at Adaptix, said: “Securing this FDA 510(k) clearance represents a significant milestone for Adaptix in our mission to transform radiology. We already have a great deal of interest from healthcare providers and clinicians and are looking forward to delivering “3D-First” enhanced orthopaedic DT imaging across Primary Care, Intensive Care and Emergency Departments throughout the US and beyond.”

Adaptix’s imaging technology grew out of methods originally developed for space applications, ensuring compliance with stringent healthcare standards while maintaining portability and cost-effectiveness. It is already in use across the veterinary and non-destructive testing sectors and has also delivered positive results in human cadaver trials. The trial in Exeter is focusing on patients with inflammatory arthritis and will evaluate the performance of the Adaptix 3D imaging technology when compared to traditional 2D X-rays, focusing on three main areas: diagnostic potential, effective measurement of joint space and evaluation of bone density.

“Up to 30% of people with early rheumatoid arthritis are missed when diagnosed using 2D X-rays, but more-detailed 3D imaging – such as MRI and CT scans – is expensive and waiting lists can be long,” said Dr. Siân Phillips, Chief Medical Officer at Adaptix. “The compact design and lower radiation and power requirements of the Adaptix Ortho350 make 3D imaging much more accessible for clinicians and patients alike. These new trials mark an exciting new stage of our journey, not only delivering a clinical assessment of its effectiveness when compared to traditional 2D X-ray modalities, but also proves our range of clinical use cases from diagnostics to assessing disease progression.”

With regulatory approval secured and clinical trials underway, Adaptix is now preparing for commercial rollout in the US, paving the way for a new era of accessible diagnostic imaging worldwide. Looking ahead, CE marking for the system is also in progress, opening the door for commercialisation across Europe in 2026.

At this week’s Council Meeting at Ministerial Level (CM25) in Bremen, ESA Member States formally approved the new ACCESS programme, ensuring that European businesses will continue to benefit from the growth, innovation and dynamism brought by the commercialisation of space.

As part of the combined budget of €22.3 billion agreed for ESA by the Member States, Associate Members and Cooperating States, a total of €306 million has been agreed for ACCESS. This comprises €169 million subscription to ScaleUp and €137 million subscription to Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS). As the flagship commercialisation programme from ESA, ACCESS will accelerate the commercialisation and competitiveness of the European space sector, in line with ESA’s Strategy 2040.

The context for CM25 is a complex one, set against a volatile backdrop of geopolitical instability, rapid technological change and unprecedented access to space.  As ESA Director General outlined earlier this week, “CM25 is more than just another Ministerial, it is a moment of radical decision-making,” and the investment in ACCESS reflects a wider European commitment to space, and recognition of the urgent need for Europe to strengthen its presence in the global space market.

ACCESS will continue to deliver support through the established ScaleUp and BASS elements. It offers enhanced financial, business and technical support for ideation, incubation, acceleration and market deployment of innovative products and services across the space value chain. It connects businesses, investors, suppliers and potential customers in space markets and the wider economy for the benefit of Europe.

New opportunities for European industry

The investment from the Member States this week means that the ScaleUp and BASS elements, as part of ACCESS, will continue to support Europe’s space sector.  For ScaleUp this means new and renewed BICs and Phi-Labs, and improved dealflow through Marketplace. For BASS this means new thematic campaigns tuned to the priorities of the Member States, additional and improved funding structures to facilitate innovation and growth, and the expansion of activities across all sectors, including safety and security.

Find out more about ACCESS

The Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) relies on transparency and trust to maintain the value and profitability of carbon projects for stakeholders. In recent years, the quality of ‘carbon credits’ has been called into question, resulting in the emergence of carbon rating agencies who conduct impartial evaluations of projects and credits. Scale for Carbon Organic Resilient Ethereal (SCORE) is a satellite-based rating service which supports the entire lifecycle of carbon projects, from identifying areas with potential to generate lasting carbon impact to ongoing evaluation and monitoring. The SCORE study was developed by Uptoearth GmbH under ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme and focuses on nature-based projects, revolutionising carbon-ratings with science-driven, reliable solutions for agricultural, coastal and urban areas.

SCORE addresses the needs of both the supply and sales sectors of the VCM, including public and private carbon project developers, carbon credit marketplaces and brokers.  Areas are classified based on their storage capacity: those already at maximum capacity, where conservation is recommended, and those at risk, where restoration is needed. SCORE not only generates a rating of the environmental impact quality of projects but utilises past, present and future trends to forecast, advise and plan how to increase the value and quality of carbon projects over time, reducing the risk of downgrading. This level of detail enables users to identify the most reliable, impactful and profitable projects.

Embedding satellite technology throughout reduces the need for costly consultancy and localised assessments, providing a scalable and cost-efficient solution to managing and evaluating carbon projects. Ongoing monitoring and assessment enhance the credibility of the carbon market, reassuring investors that projects are not only delivering profits but also providing environmental and societal benefits.

During the study, UTE developed proof of concept (POC)s for each ecosystem: a forested area in Brazil, a wheatbelt in an agricultural area of Western Australia, the urban and peri-urban area of Padova City, Italy and a coastal area in Ischia Island, Italy. UTE consulted champion users to ensure the key VCM stakeholders were empowered to start and manage carbon projects, including work with insurers to de-risk carbon projects and improve their profitability.

SCORE integrates satellite-based Earth observation (EO) assets with environmental analysis, and simulation tools to create comprehensive, easily accessible maps and reports for diverse users. These are tailored to each ecosystem and understandable to experts and non-experts alike. Leveraging advanced EO data ensures continuous, reliable monitoring of land use, vegetation health, biomass and carbon sequestration. SCORE exceeds non-satellite methodologies as it incorporates temporal data from historical satellite archives with frequent revisits of modern satellites to provide up-to-date insights, offering forecasts and simulating future scenarios to manage risk.  The robust rating service enables users to enhance project performance, reduce risks, and drive investment in impactful climate solutions.

“We are pleased to support Uptoearth in this study” said Ana Raposo, Business Applications and Partnerships Officer at ESA. “The SCORE service has achieved commercial, societal and environmental success at an early stage, encouraging investment in carbon projects, supporting climate resilience and impactful projects”

“Carbon removals are not just an option — they are a vital ally, alongside decarbonisation, in reaching net zero. Yet before questioning the quality of nature-based carbon credits, we must first ask a deeper question: is this massive global investment truly worthwhile? In this moment of uncertainty, SCORE was created to bring clarity — harnessing the power of satellite data to strengthen Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) and to ensure that every effort counts towards a more sustainable future” said Filippo Iodice, CEO of Uptoearth GmbH.

 

The POCs successfully showed high levels of accuracy against ground truth data, and results were validated by customers and at leading conferences.  This success has resulted in partnership agreements with WE2Sure and the Stoic Foundation and four new service contracts, generating over €56,100 from SCORE’s intermediate products, have been signed. UTE are now working on two more demos, one in the Balearic Islands, Spain, and another one in Sardinia, Italy, and are launching a marketing campaign to scale the service.

ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) team had a busy week in Barcelona recently, showcasing how space technologies can drive innovation in smart and green cities at Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), the largest event of its kind in Europe.

Space technologies, assets and data are playing an increasingly important role in helping city leaders address the multiple challenges they face, from air quality and traffic management to infrastructure development and maintenance, not to mention health, education and general wellbeing or city residents. SCEWC was a unique opportunity to engage with cities and tech companies from around the world, to share experiences and best practice, and to showcase the potential of space in improving our urban spaces.

Pictured from left to right: Yusuke Muraki (Advisor to the Directors at JAXA), Alex Gluhak (Senior Technical Advisor at OASC), Beatrice Barresi (Senior Sustainable Applications Officer at ESA), Coco Antonissen (Program Manager for Space Applications at NSO), and Takayuki Odawara (Executive Officer at Synspective Inc).

Over the past 10 years, BASS has invested more than €33 million to boost almost 70 Smart Cities-related activities using space technologies and data. This year at SCEWC, the BASS stand hosted some of those business partners whose projects have been supported by the BASS programme, including: 

• The Leomanni brothers, Luca and Simone Leomanni, from Social Tech Projects in Denmark, with their project that monitors the condition and safety of roads and cycle lanes using automated AI algorithms;
• Stefan Beck from greenventory, a high-tech startup from Freiburg, Germany that provides cities the ability to achieving the energy transition by offering the decision-making and data basis that enables forward-looking planning of energy systems;
• Victor Miherea from Stratobotic, an innovative startup based in Turin, Italy that focuses on the design of an innovative low-cost and low-latency micro-platform that works in constellations and swarms to offer various services using Earth Observation and Satellite Communication technologies;
• Layth Sahib from Spatial Business Integration GmbH in Darmstadt, Germany, whose Blue 4 Green project with BASS helps create a greener future for cities by enhancing the resilience and adaptive capacity of urban green spaces.

Simone Leomanni, when asked about their journey with ESA BASS, said: “We were first incubated in Denmark and then continued our journey with the ESA BASS programme. Being here at the booth has led a lot of great connections, potential partners, and future collaborations.”

Pictured clockwise from top left: Luca Leomanni and Simone Leomanni (Social Tech Projects), Stefan Beck (greenventory), Victor Miherea (Stratobotic), and Layth Sahib (Spatial Business Integration GmbH) with Beatrice Barresi (Senior Sustainable Applications Officer at ESA).

During the three days in Barcelona, the BASS team spoke to many individuals and hosted several groups at the stand. FCC Medio Ambiente and the Asociación ONCE organised guided tours for groups of visually impaired visitors at SCEWC; one group visited the stand to understand more about how ESA BASS is delivering on one of its key objectives – using space data to create more inclusive cities. Discussions focused on how BASS is supporting European businesses to leverage Earth observation, GNSS and satcom technologies to address urban challenges including accessibility, sustainable mobility and data-driven urban design.

A group of 28 students and their supervisors from the Institut Pla de l’Estany – a public secondary and vocational education centre located in Banyoles, Catalonia offering advanced training in technology and software development – also visited the ESA Space Solutions booth. The visiting students, enrolled in the Advanced Vocational Training Programme in Cross-Platform Application Development, were keen to find out more about the role of space technologies in supporting smart cities innovation.

Representatives from the ESA BASS programme participated in panel discussions during SCEWC, including Beatrice Barresi, Senior Sustainable Applications Officer at ESA, who took part in two panel discussions, during which she spoke about how satellite assets, technology and data are helping build smart, resilient cities 

“It is our second year at SCEWC and we are more excited than ever to be here,” said Mrs Barresi. “It is a fantastic opportunity to connect with cities, expand the Space for Smart and Green Cities Task Force and to better understand their needs and challenges. We are also here to meet companies that are leveraging space and other cutting-edge technologies to help cities overcome these challenges and to grow commercially and expand their market impact. We will definitely be back next year!”

Pictured from left to right: Alexander Schmidt (CEO of BABLE Smart Cities), Roser Roca (Managing Director & CEO of Airbus GeoTech), and Beatrice Barresi (Senior Sustainable Applications Officer at ESA).

Nil Angli, Maritime Lead for ESA BASS, took part in the panel: ‘Cybersecurity Without Borders: Securing Smart Ports in a Hyper-Connected Global Trade Ecosystem.’ This session was a fascinating discussion centred around the digitisation of ports and the adoption of smart technologies such as AI, IoT, digital twins and autonomous systems, which can create enormous efficiencies but also introduce new vulnerabilities. The panellists shared their thoughts on regional and cross-continental strategies to protect critical port infrastructure from cyber threats that have the potential to cripple global supply chains.

Nil Angli (Maritime Lead for ESA BASS) speaking during the ‘Cybersecurity Without Borders: Securing Smart Ports in a Hyper-Connected Global Trade Ecosystem’ panel on the Tomorrow. Blue Economy congress stage.

With city leaders seeking to keep citizens at the forefront of their decisions as they address multiple technical, financial and environmental challenges, developing business applications that prioritise inclusiveness in our cities is vital. Among the many visitors to the stand were representatives from cities from across Europe - including some of the Smart and Green Cities Task Force members – as well as tech developers and business leaders. These included a Spanish Chamber of Commerce delegation, who discussed potential collaboration pathways to support dual-use innovation, SME acceleration, and investment readiness in the space-enabled urban solutions sector. 

Driving change forward in our cities and urban spaces is vital, and pairing space assets and data with next generation technologies such as AI, digital twins and intelligent automation is already helping to develop nature-based solutions and regenerative by-design models which are defining clean, efficient and inclusive urban spaces for future generations to live and work. We are already looking forward to the conversations we will have and the connections we will make in Barcelona next year.

“What has space got to do with agriculture?” – a commonly-asked question, according to Rita Rinaldo, Head of Applications Projects and Studies Division at ESA, speaking in London this week as part of the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit.  In her speech to conference, Ms Rinaldo went on to outline how geospatial data is already playing a vital role in providing innovative and sustainable solutions for farmers, in a sector increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and supply chain disruption, and facing the demands of rapidly growing populations.

For ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme, the agriculture sector has been a significant area of development for over ten years. With more than 200M EUR invested to date in almost 250 different projects, space technology in agriculture is already having a real impact on the sector. As part of ESA’s mission to demystify the use of geospatial data and satellite technologies in support of the agriculture sector, the BASS programme launched its new Agriculture Dossier this week, detailing the investment in the sector so far, showcasing successful initiatives and outlining its strategic priorities for the future.

Amongst its many applications, imagery from Earth observation satellites (satEO) is helping assess crop and forest health, monitor water quality and levels, and predict the risk of extreme weather events. Satellite communications (satcom) is particularly beneficial in connecting remote locations, enabling producers and farmers to access market prices and weather forecasts. Satellite navigation systems (satnav) also have an important role to play, enhancing traceability and transparency in the supply chain and - through the use of GPS collars and IoT sensors - helping monitor livestock health, location and behaviour.

Speaking as part of the "Climate-Proof Agriculture: Tools to Manage Climate, Agronomic and Supply” panel at the London event, Ms Rinaldo explained how two key priorities are emerging in ESA’s discussions with industry and partners. The first concerns the challenges presented by unpredictable and disruptive climate events, in particular changes in precipitation levels and patterns resulting from climate change. These changes are affecting yields and margins for farmers and are having an impact on food price inflation around the world. The second relates to more progressive and incremental shifts resulting from changing climate patterns, which also have an impact on production and supply, but which can be predicted.

In both instances, access to multiple geospatial data points is key. Companies across Europe are working with ESA BASS to develop a range of platforms and systems which use this data to create relevant and usable interfaces for farmers, helping to mitigate these key challenges.

Ms Rinaldo has noticed another change in the way satellite data is being used in the sector. “Historically, we have seen geospatial data used to support precision agriculture, focusing on increasing yields, and reducing water and fertiliser use. Increasingly, these technologies are now being applied to support a more regenerative approach to agriculture, with farmers and growers keen to increase the value of the land over a longer period, focusing on soil health, circularity and sustainable practices.”

With the challenges facing farmers varying significantly from one geographical and production area to another, working in collaboration with specialist partners is key – which is where ESA’s Bioeconomy Task Force comes in. Established in 2024, it supports dialogue among key sector stakeholders to inform priority topics, where dedicated support actions are initiated. In addition, it helps to raise awareness of available space solutions that are not only commercially viable but also environmentally sustainable, mitigating some of the worst effects of climate change on agriculture and ensuring secure food supplies for growing populations in the future.

This event is sold out.

The European Space Agency (ESA) will be hosting a free event highlighting the role of space technologies in advancing maritime decarbonisation at ESTEC in the Netherlands - the technical heart of ESA - on 19 November.

This one-day programme will present the latest developments emerging from ESA’s maritime decarbonisation call, featuring fast-pitch presentations, networking slots, and opportunities to explore future collaboration.

The agenda is structured around five key themes:

• Digitalisation
• Alternative Fuels and Propulsion Systems
• Ports
• Emissions Monitoring
• Automation

Participants will include ports, classification societies, authorities, shipyards, ship owners, and technology and service providers.

The event will also host a short Task Force Members’ meeting to evaluate progress and identify future opportunities.

The event will provide a unique platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration at the forefront of maritime innovation.

Catering will be provided throughout the day.

How do I get there?

How to get to ESTEC

Agenda

10:00 – 10:30 | General Arrival and Registration

10:30 – 10:35 | Practical Remarks ESA

10:35 – 11:50 | Welcome and Introduction ESA

10:50 - 11:45 | Digitalisation

• Keynote: UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) 
• Amphitrite
• Toqua
• Marine Weather Intelligence
• Sternula
• ESA

11:45 – 12:30 | Alternative Fuels and Propulsion Systems 

• Keynote: International Windship Association (IWSA)
• Albatros Digital
• CargoKite GmbH
• Seabound
• ESA

12:30 – 13:35 | Networking Lunch

13:30 – 14:30 | Emissions Monitoring 

• Keynote: European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA)
• MPIC-Mainz
• BogliaTen Ltd
• DNV AS
• Samaero Spazio
• Geospatial Impact
• ESA

14:30 – 15:25 | Ports 

• P de Valencia
• BMT
• RINA Consulting S.p.A.
• TIM
• Amelia Space Technologies
• ESA

15:25 – 15:45 | Coffee Break

15:45 – 16:35 | Automation

• EMSA
• Orca AI
• Cetasol AB
• DeepSea Technologies
• Subdron GmbH
• ESA

16:35 – 16:38 | Special Announcement

16:38 – 16:43 | Closing Remarks

16:45 – 18:00 | Networking Drinks

Climate change is leading to an unprecedented increase in extreme rainfall events and flooding. Between 2014 and 2023, flood losses across the Nordic regions have increased by 22% and 54% of these losses have been caused by extreme rainfall, causing a challenging situation for insurance companies and policyholders. Norwegian company Mitigrate have developed a service under ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) Programme, which not only assesses flood risk but uses satellite data to enhance climate adaptation and reduce damage to properties through sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) and Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures.

Many insurers assess flood risk and then increase premiums; Mitigrate aims to reduce the risk and make buildings and communities become more resilient over time. This holistic approach goes beyond risk assessment to recommending PFRs and SuDS for individual properties to mitigate flood damage in a cost-effective way. Encouraging the adoption of SuDS also demonstrates the insurance sector’s commitment to environmental responsibility and contributes to a greener future as the service is aligned to the EU Taxonomy and Sustainable Activities Goals. The additional environmental benefits of using SuDS, such as increasing biodiversity or improving air quality, are also highlighted in the system’s reports.

The Mitigrate service is primarily aimed at the general insurer market, covering underwriters, claim handlers, risk management teams, re-insurance purchasing professionals, and sustainability teams. The company has worked with 20 different insurers to understand their specific needs and requirements, and this has informed the development of the Mitigrate platform. The system can now analyse individual addresses and determine the risk level for each building, customising recommendations to meet the unique needs of each property.  This eliminates the need for costly on-site visits to discuss flood risk reduction and significantly lowers annual losses from floods for insurers. Mitigrate’s solution reduces the flood risk for customers and boosts customer satisfaction and retention, creating a sustainable business model by fostering resilient communities.

“Access to space technology and support through the BASS programme has been instrumental in accelerating our product innovation,” said Laurent Feuilleaubois, CEO of Mitigrate. “By integrating satellite data and advanced analytics, we’ve created a scalable service that not only enables insurers to manage flood risk more effectively, but also opens the door to new markets and customer segments. ESA’s backing gave us the confidence—and the tools—to move faster, build smarter, and deliver real value to the insurance industry.”

The Mitigrate service leverages satellite imagery and digital twins to assess the most appropriate SuDS and PFRs for an individual property, based on the size and suitability of the site and the amount of surface water the building needs to be able to cope with. The service utilises high-, and low-resolution spatial data, which is combined with machine learning, to minimise data costs without reducing the quality of the applicability maps generated. A range of sustainable drainage systems and property flood resilience measures are recommended to prevent future damage and rebuilding costs, including garden ponds to store rainwater, green roofs, bio-retention areas, rain gardens, pervious pavements and wet flood-proofing.

"Mitigrate offers a unique service supporting both insurers and policyholders by helping to reduce the risk of damage from flooding and improve insurability of properties” said Christopher Frost-Tesfaye, Project Manager at ESA. “We are proud to support Mitigrate and their innovative response to the challenges of flood risk."

Mitigrate worked with two insurers during the activity, testing the platform and expanding their service to the ten largest cities in Norway. This has resulted in a three-year commercial contract with Norwegian insurer Gjensidige, and discussions are underway with other companies in the Nordics, the UK and Germany. Mitigrate already covers 35 million properties in Norway and the UK and the platform is ready to scale across the Nordic regions and beyond.

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In the rail industry, regular maintenance, renewals and upgrades are vital to maintain infrastructure and ensure the reliability of the rail network. These essential works are often carried out in hazardous environments where even minor errors can significantly impact safety and project efficiency. 

UK company Tended has developed a geospatial system, known as the Digital Worksite, under ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) Programme, with the support of the UK Space Agency, to address safety challenges in rail. 

With the close proximity of rail lines, complex worksites and human error, workers can lose situational awareness when placing protection equipment, stray onto live railway infrastructure or place the equipment in the wrong place or on the wrong line. This can lead to trains being stopped or colliding with the equipment, causing damage and lengthy network delays.

There are also high costs associated with infrastructure damage; for example, the costs associated with plant or machinery travelling through incorrectly set points is estimated at £250,000 per incident by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB).

Tended’s Digital Worksite moves beyond conventional and human-reliant practices, such as diagrams, paper-based plans, two-way communication and physical barriers, for managing worksites. The solution provides unrivalled worksite visibility to reduce the risk of human error and allow for the early identification of unsafe events to significantly enhance safety and efficiency.

Partnering with RTKFnet, the utilisation of Satellite Navigation systems like RTK (Real Time Kinematics) was integral to the success of the solution, enabling unprecedented real-time, centimetre-level accuracy of the position of people, vehicles and assets. Satellite Earth Observation Imagery has also supported the mapping of digital worksites where accurate maps are not usually available. This space-enabled ‘digital twin’ helps mitigate human errors and provides unprecedented oversight of live operations.

It enables organisations to create virtual boundaries - geofences - for designated safe zones on their worksites and specify the location of safety equipment, ensuring everything is in the correct place before work begins. The system automatically generates a live online map displaying real-time locations and movements of critical assets and equipment with alerts for risks such as vehicles approaching critical infrastructure or speed limits exceeded. This reduces the need for frequent two-way communication and enables early identification of unsafe events. Positioning devices worn by workers alert them the moment they exit safe work limits, notifying them to move back to safety and helping to prevent them from accessing open lines.

Prior to this project, Tended had a small presence in the rail sector, but working with ESA has proved to be game-changing in terms of progress and momentum, both for Tended and the rail industry. During their ESA pilot, Tended successfully demonstrated the system over 9,000 operational hours across live worksites, building confidence amongst procurement and safety teams. The pilot project exceeded KPIs and using the Net Promoter Score (NPS) metric, achieved a remarkable 63%, where the industry standard NPS is 36%.

Independent analysis suggests the adoption of the Digital Worksite not only dramatically improves worker safety but could also deliver up to £60 million per year in efficiency savings across the UK rail network.

"We are pleased to have supported the Digital Worksite project, which is improving the safety and efficiency of rail maintenance and infrastructure” said Enrico Spinelli, Applications Engineer at ESA. “This project has potential for wide-scale adoption across the industry, saving lives and increasing efficiency and is already enjoying remarkable commercial success.”

Dr Craig Brown, Investment Director at the UK Space Agency, said: “Space data and services provide a huge opportunity to improve safety and operational efficiency across many different sectors, and this is a clear demonstration of using space in an innovative way to deliver those benefits. The Digital Worksite showcases how satellite positioning and imagery can transform rail maintenance into a safer, smarter, and more responsive environment. By turning worksites into intelligent ecosystems, this project not only addresses long-standing safety challenges but also sets a new benchmark for operational excellence across infrastructure and transport.”

Leo Scott Smith, CEO and Founder at Tended said: "The ESA BASS programme has been invaluable, offering significant benefits to both our company and the broader rail industry across the UK and Europe. ESA's support in developing this safety innovation, through access to crucial space-based assets, has been instrumental in achieving the high accuracy and realistic representation of live rail environments. ESA has been pivotal in our journey in ensuring people stay safe on the rail network, providing expertise and resources that have accelerated the development and deployment of this important safety innovation."

The success of the Digital Worksite has set the foundation for industry-wide transformation and the system generated £1.28 million in annual revenue during project pilots. A four-year contract has been agreed for the Network Rail Wales route with additional contracts secured with Siemens Mobility, SPL Powerlines and others across Europe. This commercial success heralds a new era of rail safety for those working in safety-critical rail environments across Europe.

The European Space Agency (ESA)’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme is to collaborate with Love Tomorrow in a drive to help make sports and mass events more sustainable. Love Tomorrow is the sustainability platform of Tomorrowland, one of the largest music festivals in the world. It initiates sustainability projects that are helping to transform Tomorrowland events to be more sustainable and manages storytelling, diverse events, and a vibrant community to inspire.

The two organisations are working together to facilitate the development of innovative, space-enabled solutions for the sustainability challenge in three critical areas:

• Carbon reduction
• Sustainable mobility
• Supply chain transparency within the circular economy and food

As a first step in this collaboration, Love Tomorrow is supporting the new BASS funding opportunity, ‘Space for Sustainability in Sports and Mass Events’ which is open until October this year. Love Tomorrow is involved in this funding call as a prospective customer and has identified a number of critical domains for their operations that they intend to support. Data shows that transportation accounts for 73% of Tomorrowland’s carbon footprint, so the aim is to support innovative ideas that will use space-based technologies to develop smarter, greener mobility to reduce environmental impact and improve visitor travel experiences at large events.

“This is an important collaboration between two organisations with common goals” said Davide Coppola, Head of Space Applications Initiatives Section at ESA. “As festival season gets underway in Europe, we are working together with industry to use space technology to reduce congestion, minimise air pollution and develop safe and accessible solutions for end-to-end journeys.”

As well as looking at mobility solutions, ESA and Love Tomorrow are also addressing challenges around transparency in the whole events supply chain, from refreshments to stage materials. The goal is to support projects which leverage space data to ensure responsible sourcing, ethical food systems and more efficient use of resources.

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