Sensing a success story

The Discovery element of ESA's Basic Activities is a nesting ground for new ideas. It supports exploratory research on disruptive concepts, aiming to evolve them into more fully-developed technologies that can be funded through other schemes. Two teams that recently carried out parallel Discovery studies on Compressive Sensing – an unconventional approach to acquiring and re-constructing data from space – have now put their heads together for a new Horizon 2020 project to design an instrument for a satellite that would use such an approach.

Compressive Sensing could significantly improve how efficiently data collected in space is processed and sent down to the ground, as well as enabling instruments to be smaller and lighter than their traditional counterparts. The approach could have many space applications, including in imaging instruments for Earth observation, planetary exploration and space science.

The two Discovery studies used different methods to investigate how well this new approach could work. They both kicked off in 2016 and were led respectively by Italian Applied Physics institute CNR-IFAC and Swiss R&D centre CSEM.

"Because of the success of both studies, CNR-IFAC and CSEM will work together on the H2020 project, using the knowledge and experience they already gained," explains ESA Optical Engineer Alessandro Zuccaro Marchi, who oversaw the Discovery studies.

"The project will develop the concept further, perhaps bringing the technology to the point where it could be considered for future developments in other ESA programmes."

The H2020 project kicked off in January 2020 and is focusing on developing an instrument that demonstrates the use of compressive sensing for Earth observation. It will hopefully lead to a major breakthrough in this technology, which could eventually lead to better and more efficient space missions.

"Through Discovery studies, we support the evolution of ESA by assessing the feasibility of systems for space, focusing on the novelty of new ideas, so it's fantastic to see a Discovery-supported concept move forward further to real technology development," continues Moritz Fontaine, ESA's Discovery & Preparation Officer.