Auckland, NEW ZEALAND, [18 May 2023]

The “Space for Planet Earth Challenge” officially kicks off today and invites students and innovators from New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, and the Pacific Islands to participate. The Challenge seeks innovative ideas to combat climate change in the region.

Auckland based organiser SpaceBase is calling applicants to specifically use satellite data, in combination with other data sources, to help develop scientific methods to identify target areas of methane emissions around the world.

“SpaceBase leverages incentive prizes and space-based technologies to solve grand challenges on Earth”, said CEO and Co-founder Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom. “We hope the solutions created will further R&D as well as spark products and services in the realm of methane identification and monitoring in the region.” Methane contributes about a third of global warming worldwide and traps heat 25 times more than CO2.

The competition is open to two categories: high school level and university/start-up level. Qualified teams will be invited to participate in a three month incubator programme that will include learning about remote sensing and data analysis, as well as design thinking and prototyping. Shortlisted teams after the incubator will be invited to pitch their ideas during the final event hosted in Auckland in March 2024.

The grand prize winners and finalists will win cash prizes up to $25,000 NZD, mentorships, and more. Proposals to participate in the incubator programme can be submitted online between 18 May and 31 August. Full Challenge applications are due 25 February 2024.

The Challenge is sponsored through organizations like K1W1 Ventures, Callaghan Innovations, and the Auckland Space Institute. Our partners include the Government of New Caledonia, and the Australian and Philippine Space Agencies. See full list of sponsors and partners on the SpaceBase website.

For more information on submitting a proposal and other details, go to: https://spacebase.co/challenges/space-challenge-2023 or contact info@spacebase.co