Tartu Observatory showcases Estonia's space expertise at IAC 2024

From October 14-18, 2024, Milan is hosting the 75th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), bringing together over 11,000 space experts, innovators, and industry leaders from around the world. Organized by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) in collaboration with AIDAA, ASI, and Leonardo, this year’s congress is themed “Responsible Space for Sustainability”.  Tartu Observatory is making its mark with a notable delegation. 

As space becomes increasingly crowded with satellites and players, IAC 2024 will emphasize the need for sustainable space policies, balancing technological advancements with environmental protection, and ensuring that space remains accessible and beneficial to all nations, regardless of their development stage.

The congress spotlights the critical role of space as an environment that must be safeguarded and managed responsibly, ensuring peaceful exploration and international cooperation for the benefit of current and future generations.

On the first day of the 75th International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Estonia's Minister of Economy and Industry, Erkki Keldo, signed an agreement with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson for Estonia to join the Artemis Accords, which aims to safeguard responsible space exploration. With this, Estonia became the 45th country to join NASA's Artemis Accords.
 

Image

Tartu Observatory is Estonia´s leading hub of innovation and research, focused on the development and application of cutting-edge space technologies. The space technology department of Tartu Observatory specializes in satellite systems, space exploration instruments, and remote sensing solutions. The main research domains include planetary rovers, simulations, robotic autonomy, payload and instruments, and astrobiology, contributing to both scientific advancement and the practical applications of space exploration. The department also offers testing facilities, which are equipped for environmental testing of devices and optical measurements. With a strong focus on sustainability and scientific excellence, Tartu Observatory contributes significantly to both academic research and industrial advancements in the global space sector.

Below is a list of oral and interactive presentations by researchers and engineers from Tartu Observatory:

  14.10 at 17:50 Quazi Saimoon Islam ULYSSES – SDG : Synthetic Data Generation framework for Lunar surface operations (oral presentation)
  17.10 at 12:04 Ric Dengel A benchmarking pipeline to evaluate neural network acceleration approaches on FPGA (oral presentation)
  17.10 at 14:00 Ric Dengel A synthetic comet and asteroid image dataset for neural network training and system verification (interactive presentation)
  18.10 at 15:09 Mari Allik Specific Features in Testing Small-sized Space Equipment (oral presentation)

Tartu Observatory and our spin-off Kuupkulgur, along with other Estonian companies and institutions, can be found at Estonia's stand MN D-11 on the ground floor.