The European Space Agency Tender

In The Field Of Earth Observation, The Demand For Real-time Decision-making Capabilities, Combined With The Need To Optimize Data Acquisition And Transmission, Has Sparked Significant Interest In Onboard Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence (ai) Empowers The Newgeneration Of Smart Satellites And Software-defined Missions, Enhancing Their Autonomy And Reconfigurability. Notably, The Ability To Run Machine Learning (ml) Algorithms On Eo-oriented Platforms Has Been Demonstrated By Smallsat Missions, Such As The Phi-sat Missions, Utilizing Off-the-shelf Ultra-low Power Ai-optimized Chips. The Emergence Of Ai-empowered Missions And Low-latency Communication Capabilities Presents Exciting Opportunities In Eo. These Advancements Facilitate Real-time, Two-way Data Flow, Enabling The Rapid Tasking And Transmission Of Actionable Insights. This Activity Shall Bring Together Onboard Ai, Spacecraft Systems, Eo Data And Domain Experts To Design, Implement, Demonstrate And Validate A Pioneering Ai-empowered Eo Virtual Constellation As A Proof Of Concept. The Eo Virtual Constellation Concept (also Referred As Sensorweb) Shall Function As A Distributed System Of Interconnected Smartsensing Nodes Across Space, And Ground. This System Will Operate As A Highly Coordinated Virtual Instrument, Enabling Semi- Or Autonomous Detection And Dynamic Responses To Events, Measurements, And External Information. This Activity Shall Focus On Innovative Components Based On Various Existing Spacecraft And On-ground Assets. This Activity Shall Demonstrate The Added Value Of The Eo Virtualconstellation For At Least One Eo Use Case.