Gravity Challenge 05 – Space innovators, this is for you

Gravity Challenge 05 is calling all innovators to work together with businesses to help solve some of the most pressing economic, social and environmental problems we’re facing on Earth today. 

This year’s challenges range from using cloud technologies to monitor and intercept potential threats to space missions, to applying space data to monitor wetland health and vineyard quality yields. When applying, teams can select up to three challenges.   

Space technology innovators from Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Luxemburg, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Romania, and the Czech Republic have been invited to participate. Each team needs to have a minimum of three members including the team leader. 

Applications for Gravity Challenge 05 close on 1 November 2022, with successful teams working on their solutions with challenger organisations until 3 March 2023. This round’s Challenge Champions who will move into scaling conversations with organisations will be announced on 28 March 2023.

Deloitte Global Lead Partner for GRAVITY Challenge, Byron Riessen, said that the potential for space technologies to be applied to a huge range of real-world issues and challenges is what the GRAVITY Challenge is all about. 

“Challenge organisations are increasingly seeing the value that can be realised from working with the space technology sector, and the GRAVITY journey is about the future and making possible what might otherwise seem impossible.

“For example, according to the Global Climate Observing System, more than 50% of the essential climate variables, providing critical insights into the Earth’s health, can only be tracked by satellites. In commercial terms, while that may translate to billions of dollars of value, more importantly, it’s the opportunity to help our planet that gets me excited.”

“It was great to see GRAVITY challenge highlighted when Deloitte was recognised as the fourth Most Innovative Professional Services Firm by The Australian Financial Review, the sixth consecutive year Deloitte has been awarded for our innovations.”

AWS has been supporting the GRAVITY Challenge community since the program launched in 2019.

AWS Chief Technologist for Worldwide Public Sector in Australia and New Zealand, Simon Elisha, said using space data to innovate and reimagine ways to make life better on Earth needs to be a priority.

“Operating in space offers many opportunities to help solve some of Earth’s greatest challenges. As the pace of space-based missions increases and our world becomes ever more interconnected, satellite operators, and government and commercial space organisations alike need to address the best ways to keep their networks secure.

“We’re delighted to collaborate with the Deloitte's GRAVITY Challenge program, and help the space ecosystem to innovate and reimagine how the value of space data today can be used to make life on earth better – from global climate monitoring and wildlife protection to disaster response, food security, and broadband accessibility.”

From car park analysis and crop data modelling to the interception of malicious activity in space launches and improving vineyard operations, there is a wide array of technology solutions required across the seven challenges. 

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Australia - Using cloud technologies to monitor and intercept malicious activity in development and operations in space launch, communications, and operational missions.

Treasury Wine Estates (TWE), Australia - Integrating satellite technology and data with TWE’s existing moisture monitoring and irrigation capabilities to improve vineyard quality and yield requirements

Saber Astronautics, Australia - Develop an innovative approach to partially automate the identification, characterisation, and monitoring of space craft for intelligent in-orbit operations/exploration.

Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), UK - Unlock new wetland monitoring techniques using remote sensing, increasing information available on the state of, and pressures on, wetlands at large-scale.

Experian, UK - Removing the bottleneck: Obtaining better crop data and models to unlock access to agri-financing in Brazil. 

Deloitte Canada, Canada - Help predict economic activity and behaviour by detecting and quantifying the number of cars in a parking lot.

NSW Treasury, Australia - How can we help the NSW Government achieve an efficient EV Fleet Charging Infrastructure by harnessing multiple data sets?