Presented by Francesc Torres on Jan 19th 2011 in Barcelona Nord Technology Park

1. Remote Sensing Laboratory
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
Business and technology
TRENDS from SPACE industries
SMOS: ESA’s Water Mission
Industry-university synergies
Francesc Torres
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
SMOS Barcelona Expert Centre
Barcelona 19th January 2011
1/10

2. Remote Sensing Laboratory
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
SMOS: ESA’s Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity mission
The water cycle controls heat transfer within the land-ocean-atmosphere system:
Earth climate
Soil Moisture map Ocean Salinity map
(%)
Simulation
MONITORING:
- Climate models: climate change
- Improved medium range weather forecast
- Risk assessment: floods, draught, extreme events,…
Simulation - Harvest estimations, fisheries, forests,…
http://www.esa.int/esaLP/LPsmos.html
2/10

3. Remote Sensing Laboratory
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
SMOS: ESA’s Water Mission
• 1992: ESA’s first feasibility studies.
• 1994: UPC’s first studies:
• 1998: Proposal by 68 researchers leaded
by CESBIO (FR) & ICM-CSIC (SP).
• 1999: Selected as “Earth Explorer
Opportunity Mission”.
• 2000: Mission kick-off
• 2007: MIRAS ground system
performance and image validation tests
• 2009: Launched from Plesetsk (Russia) Source: ESA
• 2010: Commissioning phase: in-flight system performance & image validation
• 2011: Operational phase: scientific products
3/10

4. Remote Sensing Laboratory
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
SMOS: ESA’s Water Mission
Good example of the impact of Earth SMOS single payload: MIRAS
Remote Sensing on science progress
and technology development:
– Example of industry-university synergy
Spain has played a key role
– EADS CASA Espacio:
Payload prime contractor (first time ever)
– Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC):
Scientific co-leadership (ocean salinity)
– Large participation of Spanish industry
– University (UPC): theoretical and
technical support through out the
mission:
New concept and new technology Source: EADS CASA Espacio (SP)
4/10

5. Remote Sensing Laboratory
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
2001-07 Payload construction
Industrial consortium (MIRAS)
• Prime Contractors:
– EADS CASA Espacio (Spain):
Single payload: MIRAS
– Thales Alenia Space Industries
(France): platform: PROTEUS.
• More than 20 European
companies from 11 countries:
– Spain, France, Belgium,
Switzerland, Austria, Portugal,
source: ESA
Finland, United Kingdom, Italy,
Germany, Denmark,…
(ESA’s return policy)
5/10

6. Remote Sensing Laboratory
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
Spanish teams involved in MIRAS/SMOS
• EADS-CASA Espacio: Prime payload contractor
• ICM-CSIC (Barcelona): Co-leadership for Ocean Salinity.
• MIER, RYMSA, Tecnológica, Sener: Payload subsystems
• INDRA Espacio, GMV, INSA: Ground segment
• ESAC (Madrid): DPGS: Data Processing Ground Segment
• UPC: Theoretical and technical mission support.
• SMOS-Barcelona Expert Centre: Geophysical products:
– Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity
6/10

7. Remote Sensing Laboratory
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
Outstanding first
scientific results
Plume of fresh Amazon
River water as it enters
the Atlantic Ocean
Source: SMOS Barcelona Expert Centre 7/10

8. Remote Sensing Laboratory
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
UPC contribution to SMOS: Scientific results,
technology transfer and high level training
SMOS RESEARCH RESULTS
(UPC 1994-2011) Training of skilled personnel
INTERNATIONAL PAPER 94 requires long term planning and
long term funding such as
INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS 195 provided by the SMOS mission:
PATENTS 4
•UPC graduates at ESA, EADS,
INDRA, GMV, Mier,…
PHD TESIS 9
•Pool of PhDs and engineers
ON-GOING PHD TESIS 9 trained in space projects to feed
ENGINEERS FINAL PROJECT 107 space administration (ESA,
(engineers) EUMETSAT,…) and industry
needs.
35
RESEARCH PROJECTS
(6.368.000€)
8/10

9. Remote Sensing Laboratory
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
Conclusions (i)
• Space technology and industry ...
– Projects for High Tech development:
• Construction of instruments and sensors
• Monitoring and data processing
• High level products
• Space and science…
– Scientist research benefits from advance technologies
– Upgrades undergraduate and graduate academic programs
• Both…
– High Tech environment for University-Industry cooperation :
• Collaboration in research projects
• PhD and skilled technicians to feed industry R+D teams
9/10

10. Remote Sensing Laboratory
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
Conclusions (ii)
• Earth Remote Sensing
– Scientific activity closely related to space technology
– Critical data for environmental politics and monitoring of
natural phenomena..
– Due to its key role, space agencies assign large budgets.
– Framework for international cooperation
• The SMOS mission
– Significant contribution from Spain
– Good example to show university and industry collaboration
to benefit from space technology.
• UPC and BEC have contributed to upgrade the academic programs and
train PhD and skilled technicians to feed R+D teams in the industry
10/10