ActInSpace challenge: 2018 winners bring space innovation to Earth!

As an international sponsor of ActInSpace, Airbus supports this international innovation contest that encourages young women and men to create space-inspired start-ups with the promise of improving citizens’ lives, boosting employment and protecting the Earth.

In this biennial challenge, participants are asked to apply satellite data – as well as space-sector patents and technologies – from Airbus, the European Space Agency (ESA) and France’s CNES space agency to work on real-life issues alongside business mentors and technical experts.

Winners of the Airbus Innovation Prize receive pilot training sessions onboard an Airbus A320 simulator and a visit to Airbus 3D Labs and satellite integration facilities.

Winners of the Airbus Entrepreneurship Prize receive €100,000 of satellite-derived data from the Airbus OneAtlas digital platform.

Designed for students but open to everyone, ActInSpace fosters entrepreneurship, encourages start-up creation and promotes the use of space technologies and space-acquired data. Organized every two years since 2014, the 2018 event saw more than 500 teams competing from across 35 countries with local contests in more than 70 cities. Teams with promising projects will go on to receive guidance from business incubators from Airbus and other ActInSpace partners to help turn the ideas into real companies.

ActInSpace is the only contest in the world that offers the chance to work on CNES and ESA patents. Airbus challenged participants to use space technologies to launch a startup with a real impact on daily life.

Click on the challenges below to learn more about each:

• Regular high-resolution satellite imagery of cities available on the cloud

Improving quality of life in urban areas with Earth-observation satellite data

• Let's use artificial intelligence to develop new applications from Earth observation                             

Leveraging the power of Earth observation and open sources data via machine learning

• Autonomous robotic system for new space servicing business

Intelligence for robotics space servicing

• Create new concepts of small satellites or payloads for Airbus satellites and drones

Invent the future of small satellites or new payloads for Airbus satellites and drones.

• Use Airbus Science Box or Bartolomeo Module to develop your project

Invent future experiments or commercial uses for the International Space Station

• #Make Humanity Space Again

Imagine an interplanetary exploration programme