Jul 13, 2016 -- Astrosat, one of Europe's most consistently award-winning space services and management companies, is throwing open a challenge to space innovators everywhere to join in the international effort to realise the possibilities of space.

The Edinburgh-based, internationally-operating specialist is putting out a call for organisations, private companies and individuals to join them in revolutionising the way earth observation can solve intractable problems on earth.

It is issuing the challenge through this year's prestigious Copernicus Masters Competition, of which Astrosat has been a frequent winner. The company will sit on the judging panel and look at entrants as potential partners in its commercialisation of space.

Specifically, it is looking for innovators with the ability to create bespoke sensors with missions designed to solve problems end to end - with the incentive that the sensors could be placed on the International Space Station (ISS), from which British astronaut Tim Peake has just returned in a blaze of publicity.

Astrosat is working in association with engineering giant Teledyne Brown, and the winning entry would be placed on Teledyne Brown's MUSES platform on the ISS.

Steve Lee, Astrosat's CEO, said: "This is a unique opportunity for everyone working in earth observation. We can change the way space solutions are delivered and we want the world to bring its ideas to us through the competition."

The winner will be awarded a bespoke support package prize valued at €8,000 that includes business and technical assistance to help bring the product closer to market, as well a substantial satellite data quota worth €10,000 made available by the European Commission.

Entrants will be expected to have identified a novel or interesting new earth observation service that would benefit from bespoke sensors on the ISS; to have defined the type of sensor(s) needed to deliver their service; and to have presented a solid business case.

The submission phase will end on 25 July 2016.

For further information, visit https://www.astrosat.biz/news/astrosat-is-ready-solve-your-earth-bound-problems-from-space or visit video description of challenge by COO Georgy Dean https://youtu.be/1zZ88zy15K0

Issued by Michael Crawford at Blueprint Media, 0141 353 1515.

AZO - an experienced organiser
Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen (AZO) has been organising the Copernicus Masters competition on behalf of ESA since 2011. By leveraging its extensive experience as a specialist in building and maintaining global innovation networks and organising related competitions, AZO supports product innovations and the creation of new companies, particularly in the field of commercial aerospace applications. www.anwendungszentrum.de

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