\n<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t01\/05\/2025<\/span> Mapping the descent of a lunar lander, using nothing but data from an \u2018event camera\u2019 \u2013 this is the next challenge presented to the space community by the European Space Agency\u2019s Advanced Concepts Team (ACT).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The ACT is ESA\u2019s multidisciplinary think tank, focusing on emerging technologies and exploring new concepts and methods.<\/p>\n \u201c20 May will mark the start of our newest competition, run through the ACT\u2019s Kelvins website, a portal dedicated to hosting public aerospace challenges,\u201d announces Dario Izzo, ACT\u2019s scientific coordinator.<\/p>\n In this Event-based Lunar OPtical flow for Egomotion estimation (ELOPE) challenge, researchers and space enthusiasts alike are asked to reconstruct an imaginary lunar lander\u2019s descent trajectory.<\/p>\n The participants will not be given any images, GPS data, or information about the landing site \u2013 only unprocessed simulated data from an event camera, an imaging sensor that responds to changes in brightness.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n ACT\u2019s Pietro Fanti explains: \u201cInstead of capturing colour images using the RGB (red, green, and blue) channels like traditional cameras, an event camera records changes in brightness intensity for each pixel.<\/p>\n \u201cThis allows us to capture data at a very high speed and even in challenging lighting conditions, such as scenes with very bright or very dark areas. In addition, the sensor has lower power consumption when compared to conventional cameras.\u201d<\/p>\n Dario adds: \u201cThese qualities make event cameras a great tool for navigation during Moon landings. To explore this application, we have generated a large number of landing trajectories, and then we simulated the event data that an event camera fixed to a lunar lander would capture in that situation. Now we are asking the community to navigate our imaginary spacecraft through a safe, highly precise landing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo generate data for this project, we used\u00a0PANGU\u00a0\u2013 a space video simulations software developed for ESA by the\u00a0University of Dundee,\u201d says ACT\u2019s Leon Williams. \u201cThese simulated videos were then converted into event streams using\u00a0video2events\u00a0software made by\u00a0ETH Z\u00fcrich.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The ELOPE competition is a collaboration between ESA\u2019s Advanced Concepts Team, the University of Adelaide and Delft University of Technology. The datasets and competition rules will be made available on 20 May 2025 through the competition website. Participation is free and open to everyone, and all submissions will be scored automatically on the platform.<\/p>\n \u201cThis challenge is, just like the ones we hosted previously, open to space enthusiasts from all over the world,\u201d Leon notes. \u201cThe Kelvins competition initiative exemplifies how strategic engagement with the global scientific community can accelerate the development of innovative solutions to complex space challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t8<\/span> views<\/small><\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t0<\/span> likes<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n<\/header>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n