Three Portuguese companies have been awarded funding in the first round of the ARTES Small Apps call for participation, an initiative coordinated by Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN) as part of its activities as IAP Ambassador for the ARTES Applications programme in Portugal.

In addition to funding of up to €25,000, the three companies will receive business development support from IPN as well as technical and business advice from ESA.

The first company, DEIMOS Engenharia, is investigating the feasibility of developing a failure detection system for wind generators, in particular the early detection of anomalies.

The second, Present Technologies, intends to implement and commercialise a warning and forecasting service for the air navigation. It will provide information on geomagnetic perturbations at local and regional level which can effect operational processes and aviation safety.

The third, VisionSpace Technologies, is developing a secure and distributed network for the exchange of messages between information systems assuring continuous access to remote systems when there is no Internet connection.

The goal of the Small ARTES Apps call is to stimulate the submission of ideas for innovative use of space services and technologies, such as satcoms, satellite navigation, Earth observation, and human space flight, for non-space markets, such as transport, energy, health, agriculture, environment, safety, or security. This can be done by either improving processes and operational services that already exist, or by creating new applications and services.

 “ESA is proud to support the activities of IPN,” says Norbert Hübner, coordinator of the IAP Ambassador Network at ESA. “The Small ARTES Apps call represents a unique opportunity for Portuguese businesses to enrol in the ARTES Applications ecosystem and enable us to detect 'raw diamonds' with growth potential in the domain of downstream applications and services.”

An increasing number of rail companies worldwide are starting to explore the commercial and operational benefits of integrating space technologies in their systems.

Applications with great potential include train positioning and signalling, locomotive performance monitoring, communications for maintenance crews, level crossing safety, and monitoring for landslides and subsidence. Users range from rail operating companies to the organisations responsible for maintaining rail infrastructure and even banks that in some cases own the rolling stock or other assets.

In view of these developments, the European Space Agency has launched a new web portal to identify how challenges and needs in the rail sector can be met by the use of space-based solutions; and to explain how ESA co-funding programmes can be used to support that aim.

The ESA programmes included in the Space4Rail initiative are:

• Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES)
• General Support Technology Programme (GSTP)
• Technology Research Programme (TRP)
• General Studies Programme (GSP)

In addition to co-funding the development of innovative applications, services, products and systems, ESA offers expert advice from specialists, the use of the Agency's extensive laboratories, and its knowledge of space. The Agency can also  serve as a broker between the space industry, the railway industry, and service providers.

“We believe space assets have tremendous potential to serve the rail industry,” says ESA's Michele Castorina, who was instrumental in establishing the new portal. “The challenge is to adapt the technology to the various national rail networks, many of which have unique characteristics and requirements.”

The new portal can be found at: http://space4rail.esa.int/