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Newsletter #6 | September 2022

Dear Φ-lab community,

the post-holiday season has got off to a flying start for us, with Φ-lab participating in several conferences encompassing both AI research and commercial space. You can read about three of these in our Latest from the Lab section.

One event which would normally dominate our September newsletter is ESA Φ-week, a gathering which is not being held this year due to the wealth of EO innovation topics already presented at May's Living Planet Symposium. However, rest assured that Φ-week will be back next year as the go-to forum for the state of the art in EO research and commerce.

The eagerly anticipated ESA Council Ministerial Meeting 2022 (CM22) will take place in November. The meeting will establish strategies for the whole of ESA, and Φ-lab is no exception. We hope to share with you in our December edition the outcome of CM22 and its implications for our research and investment programmes.

Last but not least, as always our newsletter includes a round-up of recent news items from the world of Earth observation. You can see both the latest articles from our website, together with a look at Φ-lab and EO in the wider press.

The Φ-lab team

LATEST FROM THE LAB

2022 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON APPLIED INTELLIGENCE AND INFORMATICS

1-3 September - The International Conference on Applied Intelligence and Informatics (AII2022) is a forum that brings together researchers and practitioners from diverse domains to share research results obtained through the application of intelligence and/or informatics. Φ-lab was represented by Head of the Explore Office Pierre Philippe Mathieu and AI Ecosystem Manager Sabrina Ricci, with Pierre Philippe giving a keynote address on AI for Space and EO.

IAC 2022

18-22 September - The 73rd International Astronautical Congress was held in Paris this year. Head of the Φ-lab Invest Office Michele Castorina was there as a jury member for the Earth Observation branch of the Pitch to Fly Start-up Competition, with the winner receiving mentoring from an ESA Director and ESA Partner, plus a parabolic flight.

INDUSTRY SPACE DAYS EVENT AT ESTEC

28-29 September - The ISD is an annual event organised by the ESA SME Office of the Directorate of Commercialisation, Industry and Procurement. This year, Φ-lab's Michele Castorina was at the event to give attendees a flavour of the mission and activities of the ESA InCubed programme, including how companies, innovators and entrepreneurs can apply for co-funding of product/service development and commercialisation initiatives in the EO sector.

FROM OUR WEBSITE

Irish minister commends InCubed contribution to entrepreneurial space

During a visit to ESA’s ESRIN site, the Irish National Delegation to ESA toured Φ-lab and was present at the launch of the InCubed-supported PROTELUM activity.

The AI effect: high-performing Sentinel-2 cloud mask goes global

After releasing its free and open-source cloud mask for Copernicus Sentinel-2, KappaZeta is now working on enlarging the model to year-round global coverage.

Φ-lab@ESRIN extends its AI innovation through collaboration with Leonardo

ESA has signed an agreement with Leonardo Labs to jointly develop space-based solutions for Earth observation, using technologies such as AI, HPC and Big Data.

UPCOMING EVENTS

MAKER FAIRE ROME

7-9 OCTOBER

The Maker Faire is a large expo focused on science, technology, innovation and creativity. This year the event is celebrating its tenth year and will take place in the Gazometro Ostiense area of Rome.

WEB SUMMIT 2022

1-4 NOVEMBER

Held in Lisbon this year, Web Summit will bring together 70 000+ participants with companies who are redefining the tech industry. ESA Φ‑lab will be there at Stand E419. Drop by if you're attending.

A LOOK AT THE PRESS

Φ-lab IN THE PRESS

Irish Companies Davra and Treemetrics Win €3m ESA Contracts - businessplus.ie

D-Orbit and ESA in search of ideas for space cloud applications - Startup business

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR WORLD

Planet shares information on Tanager hyperspectral constellation - SpaceNews

GHGSat taps Spire to expand greenhouse gas monitoring constellation - SpaceNews

Satlantis orders OHB Sweden satellites for multispectral mission - SpaceNews

Microsoft continues expanding Azure Space - SpaceNews

Iceye and Satlantis propose optical and radar satellite constellation - SpaceNews

HawkEye 360 plans new funding round as it positions to go public - SpaceNews

Urgent aid appeal launched as satellite images show a third of Pakistan underwater - The Guardian

Shocking image from space of France turned yellow by drought - futura-sciences.com

ESA funds Skimsat demonstrator study for VLEO - SpaceNews

External photos and images courtesy of ISC and IAC.

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