Advanced concepts
Taking the longest and most innovative of looks into the future, ESA’s Advanced Concepts Team is a dynamic group of PhD researchers that explores cutting-edge, high-risk research projects together with European Academia.
The Advanced Concepts Team is ESA’s internal research think tank, investigating together with academic researchers the first steps of entirely novel concepts, technologies and approaches to space across all space activities.
The research activities enable the European space sector to keep abreast of emerging new technical capabilities before they become evident, ranging from completely autonomous and intelligent spacecraft to biomimetic solutions to engineering and human spaceflight problems, through light-trapping nanostructures for enhanced solar cells, and solar power satellites to keep rovers alive in the dark and cold conditions on the Moon.
ADVANCED CONCEPTS TEAM (ACT)
ADVANCED CONCEPTS TEAM (ACT)
The ACTS's task is to facilitate disruptive changes in space technology by performing research on exotic topics typically not considered in mainstream space science activities. It prepares ESA and the European space sector for disruptive changes, by monitoring and performing research on advanced space concepts and technologies. Part of the Discovery element of ESA’s Basic Activities, the ACT is based on open innovation and embraces open science. As ESA’s internal research think tank it provides scientifically solid multi-disciplinary and early insights to decision makers.
How can I take part in a research project with the ACT?
GECCO 2023 Space Optimisation Competition (SPoC)
Research groups:
Mission Analysis
Dynamic Vision for Active Asteroids: Multiple Particle Tracking
Research groups:
Biomimetics
Mission Analysis
Physics-informed Neural Networks for Space Applications
Research groups:
Artificial Intelligence
Safe swarming around irregular gravity fields
Research groups:
Mission Analysis
Revisiting Debris evolution models
Research groups:
Mission Analysis
Machine Learning for CR3BP
Research groups:
Mission Analysis
Artifical Primary Succession in Lunar Regolith
Research groups:
Habitats
Bio-Engineering
Earth System Sciences
Totimorphic Structures for Space Applications
Research groups:
Advanced Materials
Artificial Intelligence
Event-based Vision for Navigation and Landing
Research groups:
Biomimetics
Mission Analysis
Continual online learning with spiking neural networks
Research groups:
Artificial Intelligence
Biomimetics
Evomimetics an evolution-based approach to biomimetics
Research groups:
Biomimetics
Next-generation high-speed X-ray imaging with Dynamic Vision Sensing
Research groups:
Biomimetics
Artificial Intelligence
Dark Matter Reconstructions from Stellar Orbits in the Galactic Centre
Research groups:
Fundamental Physics
Retinomorphic Vision Model for On-chip Feature Extraction
Research groups:
Biomimetics
Artificial Intelligence
Differential Poisson Solver for the Shape Reconstruction of Astronomical Bodies
Research groups:
Artificial Intelligence
ARIADNA
Mechanism for collaborative joint research projects
Between ESA's internal research think tank, the Advanced Concepts Team and Academia
THE SCIENCE
COFFEE
Informal event
Where invited speakers present their innovative view on a topic chosen by the Advanced Concepts Team researchers