This story is part of our new Story Series: Meet ESA Space Solutions Network. In this new series, we’re going to introduce you to the great teams across our Network that are using space to develop business applied in daily life. Curious about their highlights and advice? Read on.

Who is ESA BIC Lazio?  

ESA BIC Lazio was founded in 2006 in the framework of Regione Lazio’s policy to foster technology transfer and innovation. BIC Lazio (today Lazio Innova) then launched a new incubator for high-tech start-ups in Rome and thanks to the relationship established with ESA's ESRIN facility, young researchers were encouraged to create the first ESA BIC Lazio start-up. Over time, more than 40 business projects based on the use of space technologies have been supported.

Tell us about the people in your team and what strength/added value do you bring through.

Luigi Campitelli is the Innovation Hubs Director in Lazio Innova. No one in the company has such in-depth knowledge about the ESA BIC instrument as a tool for economic development and how the ESA BICs and start-ups can be the real protagonists in open innovation processes.

Roberto Giuliani is the Incubator Manager, with a background in economics and business management. He represents the historical memory and the man who firmly holds the reins of the ESA BIC Lazio ecosystem, made up of start-ups, SMEs, industrial players, universities and research centres.

Andrea Cosentino is ESA BIC Lazio’s tutor, with a background in finance. He is the friend of start-ups and is always ready to give them good advice. Andrea has been working in ESA BIC Lazio since the beginning and his empathy has made him one of the best-known colleagues among the oldest ESA BICs in the Network.

Valentina Diana is a Project Manager at ESA BIC Lazio with a background in political science and a long experience in technology transfer. She is keen on applications of space technologies to solve world problems. She is a very active supporter of space start-ups in Europe.

What about our values? To support the same vision and direction, to be passionate and to have fun in our jobs, don't let things happen but make them happen.

What has inspired you to work in the space industry? 

The Lazio region has the entire value chain present, from upstream to downstream. This made it possible for us to find very fertile ground to sprout, enlarging the ESA BIC Lazio ecosystem more and more to several stakeholders, from policy makers to universities and research centres, from large industrial players to innovative start-ups and teams able to find their “space” to launch innovative businesses.

Do you look for/have start-ups working to solve big world problems? 

At ESA BIC Lazio we know that space technologies enable us to solve big world problems. Through this awareness we have firstly inspired and then supported the great ideas of our start-ups, such as those facing the problem of water leaks in aqueducts using satellite images or monitoring the safety and the health of workers in remote areas through integrated GNSS and satcom solutions.

Please present examples of startups incubated by ESA BIC Lazio and what are they doing. 

Earth Observation:

Nhazca (alumnus) - is a service company within the framework of the analysis, management and/or mitigation of geological risks, monitoring deformation by terrestrial SAR interferometry.

Technology transfer:

Airgloss Prosense (alumnus) - detects a wide range of airborne contaminants, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and autonomously controls heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and air purification systems.  Airgloss MultiSensing Technology was initially developed for the safety of astronauts on the International Space Station.

GNSS:

SpaceExe (alumnus) - is a space technology company passionate about the design and development of Internet of Things solutions (IoT) based on GNSS and telecommunication devices. They offer simple cost-effective solutions to complex problems.

Upstream:

Arca Dynamics (incubatee) - is a new space company based in Rome providing space traffic management and Earth observation services using proprietary nanosatellites (cubesats).

Would you like to share an interesting/inspiring story from one of your alumni?  

Indeed, we would like to share the stories of many of our alumni and it would seem disrespectful talking about one in particular. We can start with Terradue, our first incubatee and the story of two Portuguese researchers, who came to Italy in 2005 to work in ESRIN for the development of grid processing on-demand (G-POD), realising a set of products for earth observation applications. Today they manage a successful business in Earth science services, tailored for data-intensive applications and lead an international team.

What is your advice for aspiring entrepreneurs? 

Space represents a key sector for the recovery of the post-COVID-19 world economy. The space industries have always produced technologies and applications that are very important for our common life. Today, a new business launched in the space economy does not only represent an opportunity to create value due to the important effects also in the non-space sectors, but it represents an opportunity to attract more private capitals in a sector no longer funded mainly by public and government investments. 

Using one word, how would you describe the ESA Space Solutions community?  

One word? Martian! (MAsterful, Robust, TIreless, ANimated)

How would you solve problems if you were from Mars? 

If we were on Mars, we would have already solved the problem of finding another planet where humanity could live!

What is your website link where the readers can find more about you? 

The European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre in Lazio (Italy) - ESA BIC Lazio is funded by local Government of Regione Lazio and by Italian Space Agency (ASI) and it is managed by Lazio Innova SpA.

Check out www.lazioinnova.it 

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.

On 7 October 2021 (15:00 - 16:30 CEST), during a webinar by Eureka and ESA, you will have the chance to learn about ESA's opportunities for start-ups and SMEs, supporting them scaling-up and commercialising.

The purpose of this first online session on 7 October will be presenting some of ESA's programmes and opportunities relevant to start-ups and SMEs, that aim at removing entry barriers to the marketplace, supporting companies towards scaling-up and commercialisation. Companies will also hear about current market trends in some domain areas such as 5G connectivity as well as Earth Observation integrated with Artificial Intelligence. You can sign up until 2 days before the webinar takes place.

Some of the activities and initiatives that will be presented during this session are as follows:  

• The ESA Business Incubation Centres, offering funding, business and technical support to help start-ups and SMEs to develop businesses using space technology and data.  
• ESA Business Applications, that supports the development of sustainable services utilising space assets by providing zero-equity funding, access to technical and commercial guidance, as well as access to our network of partners.  
• InCubed, a Public Private Partnership co-funding programme run by ESA, phi-labs that focuses on developing innovative and commercially viable products and services that exploit the value of Earth observation imagery and datasets. 
• The 5G/6G Hub – based at ESA’s European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT) at Harwell in the UK – is a place for collaboration, where start-ups, SMEs and Industry can develop products and services using state-of-the-art 5G integrated terrestrial-satellite equipment.

Please see here for more information and registration. 

Agenda

15:00 Introduction, Davide Delaiti, Eureka Association

15:05 Welcome Speech, Portuguese Presidency of Eureka

15:10 How to build Successful Partnerships with ESA

Frank M. Salzgeber, Head of Innovation and Ventures Office

• The role of Space in Innovation. Entry point at ESA 

Niels Eldering, Head of the ESA Space Solutions Section

• ESA Business Incubation Centers, Technology Brokers and Business Applications Ambassadors 

Jens Kauffmann/Sandra Vogt, SME Office

• How to do business with ESA 

Michele Castorina, Phi-Lab Invest Office

• EO and AI Market trends. In-cubed Programme 

Antonio Franchi/Maria Guta, Space for 5G/6G Strategic Programme

• Space for 5G and 6G 

16:00 Aymeric Jouon – CEO and Founder at I Clean My Sea

• Company journey at ESA BIC Sud France 

16:05 Next Steps, Emma Fau, External advisor at Eureka   

16:10  Q/A session  

16:25 End of session 

About Eureka

Eureka is an international network established in 1985 as an agreement between 18 countries to foster European competitiveness and integration and to encourage R&D cooperation. Since then, we have expanded to include over 45 countries in Europe and beyond who share the same goals and have national funding available to organisations who apply through our programmes.

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.

Start-up Atlas Aero will reveal a full-scale prototype of Origin, a hybrid-electric personal aircraft with vertical take-off and landing functionality, at IAA Mobility in Munich, Germany, on 7 September 2021. The ESA BIC Bavaria alumnus aims to have a commercial version of Origin ready by 2026.

In development since 2015, Atlas Aero’s Origin has been designed to combine the best features of aeroplanes and helicopters, along with efficient flight, net-zero emissions and space-efficient parking. The two-seater craft is capable of vertical take-off and landing and features folding wings that enable it to convert into a road vehicle.

The origin of Origin

Origin is the brainchild of Maximilian Salbaum, who founded Atlas Aero with his brother, Tobias Salbaum, in 2019 after developing and optimising Origin for 4 years. The company was incubated at ESA BIC Bavaria from 2019 to 2021. The incubation programme enabled Atlas Aero to finance its prototypes and provided coaching and networking opportunities.

“Technological advances during the last two decades are finally enabling a paradigm shift in aviation and Origin is a perfect example of what is now possible,” says Maximilian. 

“Furthermore, mass production will result in the cost of simple aircraft like ours falling to around the same price as middle-to-high range electric cars. Our solution will offer far more functionality and travel flexibility for its users.”

New technologies for cost efficiency 

Origin is a two-seater (side-by-side) aircraft that the Atlas Aero team say will consume less than 5 litres of fuel per 100 km while travelling at 300 km/h and have a range of up to 1500 km. It will achieve net-zero emissions by using e-Fuels – synthetic fuels produced using renewable energy sources as an alternative to traditional or bio fuels. 

Among Atlas Aero’s developments for Origin are new electromechanical actuator (EMA) technology and low-cost, sustainable composite manufacturing, both of which have applications in the space sector. 

Similarly, the company is developing a low-cost alternative composite manufacturing process – known as light resin transfer moulding (light-RTM) – for small quantities of single parts, aiming to produce full-scale fans for its prototype within the next few months. This new process could be used as a cost-efficient alternative to current scalable composite manufacturing, which requires a high upfront investment. EMAs can reduce complexity, maintenance and weight compared with hydraulic models. Atlas Aero is developing direct drive EMAs that also minimise single points of failure to make them more acceptable in critical applications, such as rocket nozzles, aerodynamic control fins, locking mechanisms and fuel valves. Its first linear actuator will be implemented in the full-scale prototype’s wing-flap system.

Upwards and onwards

Atlas Aero proved the hover flight concept with a one-seventh scale model during its time at ESA BIC Bavaria. The full-scale, remote-controlled prototype will be on display at the IAA Mobility show and is expected to demonstrate forward flying and the transition phase between hover and forward flight in the first half of 2022. 

The intellectual property of Atlas Aero’s concept has been cited multiple times by companies including Porsche, General Electric and Safran. 

Initial plans target the market for small helicopters and aeroplanes with the solution, which will offer enhanced mobility on the ground and space-efficient parking thanks to its foldable wings. Later the concept will be scaled up to produce a vehicle that can be used for ride sharing. Atlas also plans to produce a fully autonomous version designed for the mainstream market.

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.