The European Space Agency’s Earth Observation 2nd Commercialisation Forum (CommEO), held on 27-28 November 2024 at KAP Europa in Frankfurt, Germany, provided a comprehensive look into the future of Earth Observation (EO) commercialisation.

Organised by ESA’s Earth Observation Programme (EOP) and the Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness (CIC) Directorates, the event brought together key stakeholders from the EO industry, including start-ups, businesses, policymakers, and investors.

The forum aimed to discuss opportunities, challenges, and strategies to expand the commercial use of EO data and services, with a focus on addressing climate challenges and fostering a prosperous future for both humanity and the planet.

ESA’s Commitment to Commercialisation and Collaboration

During the event, Geraldine Naja, Director of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness (CIC) at ESA, underscored the importance of collaboration and coordination among stakeholders investing in space. She highlighted the pivotal role of public investment, and called for a greater unity across European programmes, including those led by the European Union and the European Commission, to strengthen the region’s space sector and foster a thriving commercial ecosystem.

Also, she emphasised how the CIC Directorate supports the transformation of ESA into a more commercially oriented agency within the European space sector, accounting for 60% of space spending in Europe, and the importance of being a good customer for space companies.

The CIC Directorate manages contracts and procurement processes, placing over 1,600 contracts annually, and has introduced simplified rules and new contract types to facilitate partnerships. Additionally, it oversees industrial policy, industry relations, and georeturn, ensuring member states receive returns proportional to their investments. It was also presented the upcoming ACCESS Programme, which aims to enhance support for company creation and the development of business applications for space technologies and data, including Earth Observation.

NanoMagSat Scout Satellites Contract

ESA has awarded a contract to Open Cosmos for the design, construction, launch and commissioning of the NanoMagSat Scout satellites, with the signature by Simonetta Cheli, Director of ESA Earth Observation Programmes, Jean-Pascal Lejault, Scout Project Manager at ESA, Rafel Jorda Siquier, Founder and CEO at Open Cosmos, and Florian Deconinck, Space system engineer and Vice President of Growth at Open Cosmos. This mission will reinforce Europe’s leadership in monitoring Earth’s magnetic field while supporting applications such as space weather hazard assessment, navigation, directional drilling and other critical areas.

Institutional Demand for Commercial EO

The “Institutional Demand for Commercial EO” session explored how the commercialisation of space has become a key priority for ESA. With the growing demand for Earth Observation solutions addressing climate challenges and resilience, the session highlighted how public policies, such as the European Green Deal, are leveraging Earth Observation to create new future markets.

2024 CommEO Awards

The 2024 CommEO Awards, sponsored by Altair, ESA Third Party Missions and VTT, received an outstanding response, showcasing a remarkable diversity of talent across agriculture, decarbonisation and green finance. The winners were:
• 1st place: PEATZ ApS (Denmark)
• 2nd place: dilify (United Kingdom)
• 3rd place: KappaZeta Ltd. (Estonia)

InCubed Programme Satellite Launches

Supported by the InCubed programme of ESA Φ-lab, the following satellites will take new heights in 2025:

• OroraTech’s FOREST-3
• Planetek Italia’s AIX
• constellr’s HiVE SkyBee-1
• Kuva Space’s Hyperfield-1B

The recordings and presentations of the event will be soon available on the event website.