esa startup competition 2020

Cosmic Rays Technology for Water Leaks Detection

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ESA announces winners of its Startup Competition 2020:

“Cosmic Srl in Italy is overall winner of the ESA Startup competition. They propose to further develop their neutron detector-based concept to make a low-cost device that is easy to install on any vehicle to measure the water content of the ground around pipelines and identify leaks.” ESA.

What is it all about?

“The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country.

One of these programmes is this one-time ESA Start-up Competition. It aims to give visibility to the eligible start-up companies in the space sector, enabling the winners to benefit from ESA’s technical expertise and assistance.” ESA

The Cosmic water leaks techonlogy

“The technology works on the premise that cosmic rays that constantly shower Earth are absorbed by hydrogen, a component of water. The idea is based on measurements with a detector that counts cosmic rays in a certain energy band. The count will decrease if the rays are absorbed by a body of water. Data collected are cross-referenced with GPS positioning provided by satellite navigation and continuously sent to a server for realtime data analysis based on artificial intelligence to detect water leaks.” ESA

Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. Click on any specific Goal below to learn more about each issue.