ISR and LIBPhys Win PROSSE 2024 Competition
The winners of the 2024 PROSSE (PROdex for Science in Space Exploration) initiative, promoted by the Portuguese Space Agency to fund scientific projects in space exploration in Portugal, have been announced.
On Monday, 2 September, the Portuguese Space Agency revealed the results of the PROSSE 2024 competition, announcing funding for the UNFORESEEN and ASTROPOWER projects proposed by the Institute for Systems and Robotics (ISR-Lisboa) and the Laboratory of Instrumentation, Biomedical Engineering and Radiation Physics (LIBPhys), respectively. The PROSSE, whose second edition was launched in February 2024, aims to support the Portuguese participation in the European Space Agency’s (ESA) PRODEX programme.
In 2024, the PROSSE received 14 applications, of which 13 were deemed eligible, representing an 86% increase compared to the seven applications accepted in 2023. Most proposals came from the Lisbon Region (43%), followed by the Central Region (29%), the Northern Region (14%), and the Alentejo Region (7%).
The two highest-scoring applications were pre-selected after a rigorous evaluation process involving 17 international experts from eight countries and the ESA technical team. The ESA PRODEX team then reviewed these to confirm their technical feasibility and financial adequacy, with both projects receiving validation.
The UNFORESEEN project, proposed by ISR-Lisboa, aims to use unsupervised deep learning techniques to detect craters on the surface of Mars, surpassing the limitations of current supervised models.
Meanwhile, the ASTROPOWER project, developed by LIBPhys, focuses on mitigating muscle power loss in astronauts through Acoustic Biofeedback techniques for myotatic tension, which can also be applied to combat muscle loss related to population ageing.
Marta Gonçalves, Science programmes officer at the Portuguese Space Agency, explained that “the two projects will now be contracted with the PRODEX team at the European Space Agency”, emphasising that “the technical expertise and support of the ESA technicians are crucial to ensuring the successful implementation of the projects”.
On the other hand, Joan Alabart, Space Exploration programmes officer at the Portuguese Space Agency, announced that a third edition of the competition for scientific projects will be launched in 2025. “We already invite all entities that participated in the first two editions, as well as the rest of the national scientific community, to submit innovative proposals.”
The results of PROSSE 2024 are available here.
