The future of space exploration depends on humanity’s ability to extract resources in space because it won’t be possible to transport everything we need from Earth. To help prepare the way, a new ESA Space Resources Competition will support teams to develop services for mining on Earth that are also relevant to future use in space.

In-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) will be key to supplying future space explorers with food, shelter, energy, water and air. Although ISRU is a futuristic concept, it has great potential for accelerating key technologies on Earth. 

Among these ISRU requirements is mining. Mining on Earth and in space share similar aims and face similar challenges. As a result, ESA Space Solutions will provide up to €200,000 per team through a new Space Resources Competition for the development of new mining services to be exploited on Earth that could then be used in space. Examples include minimising the use of water, optimising remote and autonomous operations, precision mining using agile machinery and use of renewable energy.

Using space resources for exploration could save between €54 billion and €135 billion up to 2045, while the space resources industry is expected to generate a market revenue of €73 billion to €170 billion, according to the Luxembourg Space Agency. The spill over benefits from the technology and knowledge gains are forecast to be around €2.5 billion over 50 years.¹

Rita Rinaldo, Head of Partner-Led and Thematic Initiatives at ESA Space Solutions said: “We know that mining processes on Earth should be improved, not least to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Importantly, some of the challenges and opportunities for terrestrial mining are similar to the ones we will face in space. That’s why this competition focuses on development of new mining services for both environments, not solely for space.”

Reducing the use of water in mining 

Reducing water usage has become a key sustainability challenge for mining operations. On Earth, mining uses considerable amounts of water, reducing the levels of ground water, depleting surface water and causing pollution to local rivers. In space, water is a rare and highly sought-after resource, so space mining equipment should not rely on water at all. 

Perfecting remote and autonomous operations 

Autonomous and remotely-controlled operations already play a part in digging, drilling, excavating and transporting materials, reducing risk and making it easier to do tasks in inaccessible locations. In space, using autonomous robots for prospecting, exploration and mining will limit the need for personnel and reduce the amount of supplies required. Total automation, with fully sensitive and adaptable systems, will benefit both.

Using light, agile and precise mining equipment

Mining often involves large machinery moving great volumes of earth to extract valuable materials, which is costly on Earth and will be impossible in space. In future, precise cutting, blasting and in-mine processing techniques could accurately target the ore and leave the waste behind, with small, agile mining machines used to extract the deposit economically and sustainably. New remote sensing techniques for prospecting and effective techniques for processing would also be beneficial.

Powering mining machinery using renewable energy

Mining operations have high energy demands but often take place in remote locations, where it is expensive to connect to power grids and in space that would be impossible. Solar could provide cost-efficient, reliable energy supplies and decrease emissions. For mining in space, solar arrays will need to be manoeuvrable, easy to deploy, efficient, light and robust, and ideally manufactured in space using safe materials readily available in situ.

More about ESA’s Space Resources Competition:

ESA’s Space Resources Competition opens on 19 April 2021 and has a closing date of 30 June 2021. For more details about the competition and how to apply, visit this page. The webinar to present this competition will take place at 11:00 CEST on 14 April 2021. To join the webinar, register here.

Note:
¹Opportunities for Space Resources Utilization, Future Markets & Value Chains; Luxembourg Space Agency; December 2018

ABOUT ESA SPACE SOLUTIONS

ESA Space Solutions is the go to place for great business ideas involving space in all areas of society and economy. Our mission is to support entrepreneurs in Europe in the development of business using satellite applications and space technology to improve everyday life. ESA Space Solutions is designed to provide multiple entry points such as ESA Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs), ESA Technology Broker Network, ESA Business Applications Ambassadors and ESA Business Applications programme. Funding typically ranges from €50k to €2M and supports everything from technology transfer, business incubation, Feasibility Studies to large-scale Demonstration Projects.

Paris Space Week took place virtually for the first time this month. The exhibition provided a great opportunity to shine a spotlight on European space-related start-ups via the ESA BIC Challenge and to present the ESA Space Solutions network.

ESA BIC Nord France, in partnership with ESA Space Solutions, organised the ESA BIC Challenge, which took place on 9 March. This gave a chance for space-based start-ups to pitch to a jury made up of representatives from ESA Space Solutions, ESA Phi-Lab, ESA BIC Bavaria and ASTech Paris Region. Ten European start-ups presented their solutions in front of the jury and trade participants attending the show, providing the start-ups with an ideal opportunity to gain some visibility. 

The jury decided to award first place to the ESA BIC Estonia incubatee Precision Navigation Systems. CEO Simon Litvinov and his start-up seduced the jury on three main criteria: the originality of the innovation, the business opportunities and the presentation. Precision Navigation Systems is building sustainable global navigation satellite system (GNSS) infrastructure and correction services. Its main product, Stargate RTK, provides GNSS corrections for robotics, drones and IoT applications.

Stargate RTK aggregates multiple GNSS public and commercial correction services and provides access to them through a single interface. In addition, Stargate RTK provides value-added data tailoring services for innovative market applications such as unconventional protocols and data format support, and GNSS observation upsampling.

The benefits of ESA BIC incubation

Precision Navigation Systems have benefited from incubation at ESA BIC Estonia as it enabled the start-up to grow the business while it developed the program. “During the ESA BIC Estonia incubation, we came a long way and even had to pivot our business model at one point. ESA BIC gave us the support we needed, providing credibility, funding and access to mentors and the ESA network,” says Simon Litvinov, CEO of Precision Navigation Systems. 

Being announced as the ESA BIC Challenge 2021 winner will strengthen the Estonian start-up’s position in the space sector. “Paris Space Week, and especially the ESA BIC Challenge, brought us recognition, together with a positive emotional boost and the PR we need during our intensive sales activities,” adds Simon Litvinov. 

Presenting the ESA Space Solutions Network

Paris Space Week also provided an opportunity to present the world’s largest ecosystem for space-related start-ups, which is led by ESA. ESA BIC Nord France organised a 45-minute session dedicated to displaying the role of ESA in space entrepreneurship, with a focus on what ESA Space Solutions offers. Three ESA Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs) – ESA BIC Bavaria, ESA BIC Northern Germany and ESA BIC Nord France – illustrated the strength of this innovative space ecosystem by explaining how they support start-ups in their region. Finally, the Earth observation department of ESA, ESA Phi-Lab, highlighted how it accelerates the business of start-ups using Earth observation data. 

ABOUT ESA SPACE SOLUTIONS

ESA Space Solutions is the go-to-place for great business ideas involving space in all areas of society and economy. Our mission is to support entrepreneurs in Europe in the development of business using satellite applications and space technology to improve everyday life. Our programme is designed to provide multiple entry points such as ESA Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs), ESA Technology Broker Network, and ESA Business Applications programme. Funding typically ranges from 50KEuro to 2MEuro and supports everything from space technology transfer, early-stage incubation programs, Feasibility Studies to large-scale Demonstration Projects. 

Public Safety Communication Europe (PSCE) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed a Memorandum of Intent (MoI) to support the utilisation of satellite applications for Public Safety.

ESA and PSCE will work together under the new MoI towards establishing interoperable public safety communications systems.

The MoI will support the emergence of space-based applications in the Public Safety domain such as public safety services relying on secure mobile broadband communication solutions. These include applications within disaster preparedness, response and resilience, situational awareness, assessments of damages, navigation-based services for tracking and coordinating rescue forces on-site and for emergency vehicles.

"ESA Space Solutions and the 4S Strategic Programme Line will support through this agreement the emergence of solutions making use of secure satellite communications for institutional Public Safety user communities. This can be achieved as of today through existing satellite telecommunications infrastructures. In the future it will be possible to make use of new and innovative infrastructures with enhanced capabilities. Early pilots and demonstrations will showcase the unique benefits granted by satellites to the user communities and early adopters", says Rita Rinaldo, ESA

"The cooperation with ESA will help to explore complementary solutions that will contribute to cover capability gaps and needs for public safety. It is of extreme importance to improve public safety communication systems with cutting-edge and rapidly deployable solutions that will facilitate PPDR missions", explains Marie-Christine Bonnamour, PSCE.

The cooperation between ESA and PSCE will be activated as a first step through PSCE participation in the ongoing user studies on "Satellite Applications for Public Safety".

PSCE will contribute to the identification of the needs of public safety stakeholders such as emergency services, fire brigades and law enforcement.

About PSCE

The purpose of Public Safety Communication Europe forum is to foster excellence in the development and use of public safety communication and information management systems and to support public safety organizations (users), industry and research in exchanging on challenges, best practices, in developing roadmaps as well as in sharing knowledge from research activities.

Our organization aims to innovate in the field of public safety, improving the safety of European citizens as well as responders In Europe and in the rest of the world. Our expertise has positioned PSCE as a key enabler for identifying capability gaps, gathering practitioners’ requirements and facilitating solutions developed by industry as well as research and perfectly adapted to the needs.

For more information, please visit www.psc-europe.eu

About ESA and the Telecommunications and Integrated Applications Directorate

The European Space Agency is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. ESA is an international organisation with 22 Member States. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, it can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country.

The Telecommunications and Integrated Applications Directorate (TIA) supports innovation to boost the competitiveness of European industry in the global space market. This involves a wide range of activities, from space-based technology, systems, product for telecommunications development to the down-to-Earth application of space-based services. It also calls for engagement with a wide range of industrial, academic and institutional partners.

TIA’s ESA Space Solutions initiative and 4S Strategic Programme lines are combining their efforts to support European and Canadian industry advancing the utilisation of space assets like telecommunications. The 4S Strategic Programme Line targets the “Space Systems for Safety and Security” and supports security applications of space related services and products.  

ESA Space Solutions is the go-to-place for great business ideas involving space in all areas of society and economy. Our mission is to support entrepreneurs in Europe in the development of business using satellite applications and space technology to improve everyday life. Our programme is designed to provide multiple entry points such as ESA Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs), ESA Technology Broker Network, and ESA Business Applications programme. Funding typically ranges from 50KEuro to 2MEuro and supports everything from space technology transfer, early-stage incubation programs, Feasibility Studies to large-scale Demonstration Projects.