Today we announce that Space Society Twente will host NASA's International Space Apps Challenge at the University of Twente on the 20th and 21st of October. This will be the second location in the Netherlands where enthusiasts can participate in this event, with the other location hosted by the Space Business Incubation Center in Noordwijk.
During this two day event, students and citizens who are interested in space are invited to participate in the largest space apps hackathon in the world and work on both Earth and space-related multidisciplinary challenges. Challenges focus on the development of a business case around the use of space technologies, either on Earth, low-earth orbit or outer space. This year's theme is "Earth and Space", meaning that participants can expect challenges in the domains of Earth Observation & Remote Sensing, Big Data Analysis and Outer-Space Engineering.
Teams are supported with their projects throughout the event by various space-related organizations, local businesses, and veterans of the International Space Apps Challenge. Participation in this event is free and registration will open later in September on the official NASA Space Apps Challenge website, although spots are limited.
In previous years, an average-sized group of students traveled from the University of Twente to the Space Business Incubation Center in Noordwijk to participate in this event. In fact, since 2015 there has always been at least one student from the University of Twente who received a local or global award with their team. In 2016, a team (SenseAIR) consisting mainly of ITC faculty students made it to the international People's Choice Semi-Finals (Top 25) and received a similarly-named award. In the beginning of this year, one of our board members even won a prize in the international competition at the European equivalent of the Space Apps Challenge: ActInSpace.
In previous years, students wanting to participate in such an event would have to travel to the other part of the country. To be able to host the Space Apps Challenge at the University of Twente this year is a privilege and we are very excited to make this happen in our corner of the country.
It is important to note that participating in the Space Apps Challenge does not require any computer skills. Solutions have often ranged from designing clothing for commercial spaceflight to the design of drones that work in zero gravity. Although NASA does provide access to an enormous amount of data, solutions are judged on their innovative nature and business value, rather than whether it can be installed on a phone. Simply put, it's not just apps. Everyone is welcome to participate and create innovative solutions for the challenges faced by the space industry.
You can now register on the official Space Apps Challenge website.
Find more information on our event page to find out how to register.