What is DefInSpace?
DefInSpace is a classic hackathon: 24 hours to imagine solutions for the future of space defence! The event was created by the French Space Command (Commandement de l’Espace, CDE) and is operated by the Aerospace Valley competitiveness cluster. It will take place on 3rd and 4th June 2022 at CSEO Discovery Alpha - CSEO's new home for research and innovation.

Who can participate? Should they have special skills or qualifications?
Anyone with a passion for space and a good idea can take part, no special skills or specific degrees required!
It is an incredible opportunity for participants to discover the little-known space defence sector, its future challenges and the new jobs that will result from meeting those challenges.
Political science, economics, international and commercial law are just some of the many fields required to prepare comprehensive viable solutions for Europe’s space defence.

Why is the CDE organising DefInSpace?
As space traffic increases, becomes relatively ‘cheaper’ and opens up to the private sector, the CDE wants to promote the search for innovative solutions in order to be prepared for consequent issues before they arise. The new space era has already been marked by the emergence of a great number of new technologies with both spatial and terrestrial applications. Space defence research and innovation will move forward faster if it is flexible, inclusive, multinational and imaginative.

What are DefInSpace’s objectives?
Establishment of the CDE in 2019 helps improve the operational efficiency, consistency, visibility and simplicity of the French Military Space organisation. The annual DefInSpace hackathon was launched in 2021 to:
* Foster the emergence of innovative ideas that will enable the CDE to address concepts and technologies that can modify the use of space in the short- and middle-term, benefiting armed forces
* Promote the knowledge of spatial defence and its ecosystem, in France and Europe;
* Promote the CDE’s image to the general public of France and Europe, through its role and missions in serving spatial defence.

What are DefInSpace’s 2022 two challenges?
This year’s two challenges are related to Space Traffic Management:

Challenge 1 (General)
How can the EU approach this problem, on both the regulatory and strategic levels (autonomy, stakes, space diplomacy etc)?
What are the stakes for the Ministries of defence of the member states?

Challenge 2 (Technical)
What resources (sensors, networks, data processing etc) are mandatory to benefit from an autonomous and reliable Space Traffic Management system on an EU level?
What contribution could the armed forces of the EU member states bring?

Resources
General Challenge Sheet Technical Challenge Sheet Webinars (DefInSpace.fr) What is the competition format?
Participants will work on two challenges related to Space Traffic Management, individually or in teams, and will deliver an analysis and an action plan.
After 24 hours, a jury comprised of judges with various backgrounds (such as academia, industry, armed forces or start-ups) will appraise each entry to choose the two teams that will represent Cyprus in the international semi-finals in Paris.
The international final will take place on 28th June, also in Paris. The winning team will have the opportunity to attend the launch of a rocket and its satellites at the European Space Agency’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guyana.

How competitive is it?
The 2021 edition hosted 118 participants and 29 teams in 3 cities, and resulted in 2 winning projects.
This year’s participants will include four French engineering schools (ISAE (Toulouse), Arts et Métiers (Bordeaux), Institut d’Etudes de Stratégie de Défense (Lyon), Ecole de l’Air et de l'Espace (Salon-de-Provence)), as well as teams from Italy, Bulgaria and Cyprus.
All participants will compete simultaneously, irrespective of their location.

When is it? 3rd and 4th June 2022
Friday 3rd June 2022
14:00 Opening Ceremony
16:00 Participants begin work
20:00 End of day - participants can work from home or in the centre (depending on numbers)

Saturday 4th June 2022
10:00 Competition resumes
12:00 Mentoring sessions (depending on mentors availability)
17:00 Team Presentations
18:00/19:00 Announcement of Winners to progress to the International Finals in Paris
Closing of Competition/Drinks
(Time of announcement of winners will depend on judges questions for teams regarding their presentations.)

Where is CSEO Discovery Alpha? See Map
Interested? Register Here

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