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.
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Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
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Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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The techniques used to detect plastic waste from airborne or satellite observations should be based on fundamental and well-characterised optical features. Among the important optical characteristics is the polarisation of light. In this project Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg explored the polarimetric properties of new and weathered plastic, developing algorithms for handling and processing data on the polarisation characteristics of various tested plastics, as well as documenting them. Find out more here.
The project was funded through the Discovery element of ESA’s Basic Activities. It was selected through an Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP) call for ideas on remote sensing of plastic marine litter.
Access the other Final presentations of ESA Discovery element activities videos.