ESA Phi-Lab Spain announces six projects selected in its second cut-off date

The Phi-Lab Spain programme of the European Space Agency (ESA) aims to drive innovation for the commercialisation of space technologies to enhance climate resilience. The initiative is supported by the Spanish Space Agency (AEE) and the Government of Catalonia through the Secretariat for Digital Policies in the framework of the Catalonia Space 2030 Strategy.

ESA Phi-Lab Spain, located in Barcelona, is part of the ESA’s ScaleUp Programme and supports innovative and disruptive projects focused on improving climate resilience through its continuously open funding call, managed by the coordinating consortium, led by the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC).

The second cut-off date was announced on October 28th, 2025, and remained open to companies, research organisations, and startups until February 24th, 2026.

Following the evaluation and selection process carried out by the Phi-Lab Spain’s Evaluation Board, these are the six projects selected in this second cut-off date, which has assigned just over €2 million:

• AETHER – Advanced air quality services for holistic urban management and resilience, led by Hydrometeorological Innovative Solutions S.L.
• GOSHAWK – Satellite-based Water Leak Detection for Climate Resilience, led by Kimedes Artificial Intelligence S.L.
• HYBRID-LINK MCX, led by Nemergent Solutions S.L.
• SHERPA – Shared High-efficiency resilience platform on-board AI, led by FENTISS
• JUPITER – AI-Enhanced Satellite Monitoring of Climate-Driven Geohazards, led by GeoKinesia
• ORBITA TETRA – LEO Satellite Channel for Resilient Critical Communications in Emergency Situations, led by AD Telecom S.L.

With these new projects, the number of ESA-funded projects within the Phi-Lab Spain portfolio has grown to ten, following the four projects selected in the first cut-off date. Together, these projects contribute to strengthening climate resilience through innovative space-based technologies.

The Phi-Lab Spain consortium, led by the IEEC, is formed by the i2CAT Foundation, the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC), the Fundación General CSIC, the KIMbcn Foundation, Arribes Enlightenment, the Universitat de València (UVEG), the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), the Ricardo Valle Institute of Innovation Foundation (INNOVA IRV), the ESA MELiSSA Pilot Plant of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), and the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO).

The following section provides an overview of the six selected projects and the solutions they will develop to address climate resilience challenges:

AETHER – Advanced air quality services for holistic urban management and resilience

AETHER combines satellite observations with hyperlocal modelling to deliver street-level air quality forecasts and health risk indicators. This cloud platform empowers cities to comply with EU directives and proactively protect vulnerable populations.

The project is led by Hydrometeorological Innovative Solutions S.L. in collaboration with Meteosim S.L., GRASP SPAIN S.L., the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC) and Ajuntament de Sant Boi de Llobregat.

GOSHAWK – Satellite-based Water Leak Detection for Climate Resilience

GOSHAWK fuses multi-frequency satellite radar with physics-informed AI to detect hidden water leaks across urban networks. This approach delivers continuous, city-scale leak detection at low cost, helping utilities cut Non-Revenue Water and strengthen climate resilience.

The project is led by Kimedes Artificial Intelligence S.L. in collaboration with the Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya. 

HYBRID-LINK MCX

HYBRID-LINK MCX develops and validates a hybrid NTN/TN connectivity solution for seamless communications during climate disaster operations by introducing new Mission Critical Services (MCX) capabilities, including a predictive soft-handover mechanism and managing communications with application-aware traffic prioritization.

The project is led by Nemergent Solutions S.L. in collaboration with Fundación Vicomtech.

SHERPA – Shared High-Efficiency Resilience Platform on-board AI

SHERPA improves climate disaster monitoring by processing satellite imagery directly in space using on-board artificial intelligence. By developing a multi-tenant satellite platform, it makes advanced space-based prevention financially affordable and accessible for local institutions and public administrations, delivering critical early warnings to emergency teams in minutes.

The project is led by FENTISS in collaboration with Klepsydra, KPSR-CH and Barcelona Supercomputing Center.

JUPITER – AI-Enhanced Satellite Monitoring of Climate-Driven Geohazards

JUPITER aims to develop AI-enhanced satellite services for climate-driven geohazard monitoring. By combining Sentinel-1 InSAR and AI models, the project will deliver three operational capabilities: continuous monitoring of active deformation areas and their impact areas; automatic classification and hazard mapping of ground deformation, and rapid detection of collapses and fast landslides for emergency response.

The project is led by GeoKinesia in collaboration with the Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya.

ORBITA TETRA – LEO Satellite Channel for Resilient Critical Communications in Emergency Situations

ORBITA TETRA keeps emergency teams connected when terrestrial communication networks go down, enabling existing radio TETRA terminals to communicate via satellite without needing to change the equipment. Its solution provides firefighters, police and other responders with communication services during wildfires, floods and other disasters.

The project is led by AD Telecom S.L. in collaboration with the Fundació i2CAT.