Theme: Space Exploration, Extra-terrestrial Exploitation & In Orbit Servicing

Team: Alexandru Tancau (Politecnico di Torino – DISAT, IT); Alberto Rovera, Giovanni Mingoia (Theia Sense). Reference Professor: Prof. Davide Janner

The project introduces a revolutionary structural health monitoring system based on fiber optic sensors and Artificial Intelligence, specifically engineered to withstand extreme orbital conditions.

The module bridges the gap between ground testing and flight, enabling predictive maintenance for reusable launchers and lunar habitats, thereby ensuring maximum mission safety.

Theia Sense achieved the highest score in the Prototype category, standing out for its maturity, technological depth, and alignment with the strategic interests of the Leonardo Group.

Winner team award: 10.000 €

In addition, reflecting the project's readiness and relevance, the #T-TeC Evaluation Board has selected Theia Sense for a pre-incubation path at Thales Alenia Space Turin (3 months), offering the team a direct opportunity to develop their solution in close contact with one of Europe's leading space industry players.

Theme: Space Domain Awareness for the Protection of Space and Ground Infrastructures

Team: Francesco Massa (Sapienza Università di Roma – Facoltà di Ingegneria, IT), Alessandro Aldini

HORUS proposes an advanced AI-driven platform designed to enhance situational awareness for both space assets and ground infrastructures, addressing one of the most critical needs in the current strategic space environment.

 Winner team award: 6.000 €

Given the strong alignment of this project with Leonardo Group's activities in space domain awareness, the team will also be offered the opportunity to participate in a pre-incubation path with Leonardo, to further advance their solution and explore commercialization pathways.

Theme: Space Exploration, Extra-terrestrial Exploitation & In Orbit Servicing

Team: Salam Abualhayjaa (Jordan University of Science and Technology – Mechanical Engineering / Space Systems, Amman, Jordan)

This project presents a compelling vision for autonomous, closed-loop life support systems for future space habitats, validated through an innovative analog-to-orbit framework.

Winner team award: 4.000€

Thales Alenia Space has expressed interest in entering dialogue with the team and exploring potential follow-on collaboration opportunities.

Theme: Space Domain Awareness for the Protection of Space and Ground Infrastructures

Team: Enrico Sabbatini, Stefano Giulianelli, Federico Mustich (Politecnico di Torino, IT). Reference Professor: Prof. Fabrizio Stesina.

TRUE SIGHT develops an augmented reality interface to enhance situational awareness and human-robot interaction in complex space operation scenarios, a highly innovative application at the intersection of AR technology and space robotics.

The team will participate in a pre-incubation path at ESA BIC Turin (6 months).

Theme: Space Exploration, Extra-terrestrial Exploitation & In Orbit Servicing

Team: Lorenzo Dionigi, Mattia Sabella (Politecnico di Milano, IT); Paulina Draugelyte (Vilnius Gediminas Technical University - Aerospace Engineering, Vilnius – Lithuania). Reference Professor: Prof. Pierluigi di Lizia (POLIMI)

AIPER addresses a concrete and underserved operational need in the space industry: automating the generation and management of technical documentation for satellite manufacturers, through an AI-driven platform that can significantly reduce time-to-market and human error. The team will participate in a pre-incubation path at ESA BIC Brindisi (4 months).

Theme: Space Exploration, Extra-terrestrial Exploitation & In Orbit Servicing

Team: Roberto Campos Ortiz (Universidad Nebrija – Escuela Politécnica Superior, Madrid, Spain). Reference Professor: Prof. Francisco Gálvez Ramírez

As satellite constellations grow rapidly in Low Earth Orbit, the risk of collisions and cascading debris fields poses an increasing threat to the entire space ecosystem.

This proposal addresses the challenge head-on, leveraging quantum computing algorithms to develop a scalable, real-time collision avoidance solution suitable for deployment in the New Space environment.

The approach stands out for its innovative use of quantum-enhanced optimization, which has the potential to outperform classical methods significantly in both speed and accuracy.

This project demonstrates a high scientific and technological profile, with highly relevant implications for space traffic management and the long-term sustainability of orbital operations.

Winner team award: 5.000 €

Theme: Space Exploration, Extra-terrestrial Exploitation & In Orbit Servicing

Team: Ilhan Kaan Turkover, Elisa Aslan, (Politecnico di Torino – Mechanical Engineering, IT); Osman Kaan Ezgu (Yıldız Technical University – Physics, Turkiye - Istanbul); Gurkan Eren Turan (Yeditepe University - Electrical Electronics Engineering, Turkiye – Istanbul)

GroupSat envisions a modular in-orbit infrastructure that enables satellites to collaborate dynamically and reconfigure their operations on-demand, paving the way for a new paradigm of flexible and cost-effective space missions.

We find this an innovative project with strong commercial potential: for this reason, the GroupSat team has been selected to participate in a pre-incubation path at ESA BIC Turin (6 months), which will support them in structuring their venture and exploring the ESA incubation process.

Theme: Space Domain Awareness for the Protection of Space and Ground Infrastructures

Team: Enrico Candotti, (Astreo Team – Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste, IT); Reference Professor: Prof. Stefano Seriani

KESSLER proposes a dedicated nanosatellite mission for the detection of small debris objects in Low Earth Orbit, one of the most pressing challenges in space domain awareness today.

The team has been selected to participate in a pre-incubation path at ESA BIC Brindisi (4 months), to further develop the mission concept and mature the technology towards a viable business case.

Theme: Space Exploration, Extra-terrestrial Exploitation & In Orbit Servicing

Team: Michela Cutigni (Laboratory of Space Biomedicine, Dept. BeSSA – Sapienza University of Rome, IT). Reference Professor: Prof. Mariano Bizzarri

3DMM combines microfluidics and microgravity simulation to develop an advanced 3D cell culture platform, opening new frontiers for biomedical research in space environments. The team has been selected to participate in a pre-incubation path at ESA BIC Lazio (4 months).