As space is a key enabler for defence and an increasingly contested domain, ensuring control and resilience across space domain is critical. This hackathon theme explores how the European space ecosystem can support defence missions and operations and contribute to a secure space domain – including through artificial intelligence, more autonomous and secured systems, innovative solutions for data collection and processing.
The theme is subdivided into three challenges which shall be supported with ‘hackathon/makeathon’ capabilities by local organisers to enable rapid development and prototyping whenever possible.
The Autumn 2025 edition of the hackathon will be structured around a central theme, subdivided into three distinct challenges. Each challenge will be supported by local organisers through makeathon capabilities, enabling rapid prototyping and hands-on development in both hardware and software domains.
With adversaries developing anti-satellite weapons, orbital jammers, and cyberattacks, Europe's space assets (navigation, communications, and Earth observation) are under threat. This challenge addresses the need for solutions that contribute to protect space assets from fast-developing threats through detection and analysis capacity (support to space domain awareness) and countermeasures.
Among others, participants could:
This challenge addresses the need for innovative space-based solutions to support military missions and operations, including in the field of earth-observation, positioning, navigation and timing, secured communications, space-based missile early-warning, and collection and processing of multi-sources data (and increased resilience of such capabilities).
To make it more concrete, participants shall specifically aim at tackling one or several of the following geopolitical challenges:
This could include, among others, solutions for onboard processing of earth-observation data, secure and fast data relay, enhanced security of space-based communications, responsive access to space, demining, multi-domain command and control centers (including situational awareness), interconnection between domains, local data fusion from multiple sensors, drone swarm detection and disruption, and new innovative space technologies and applications in support of defence.
Autonomous drones (military and civilian), aircraft, and weapon systems are redefining aerospace. The challenge addresses the need for innovative solutions in different areas.
For example, during the weekend, hackers could focus on making: existing space tech and data management systems work in aerospace operations; drone management systems; rapid prototyping of drone frame designs for specific mission requirements; development of modular drone payload systems; 3D printing, and other rapid manufacturing techniques to improve drone production; combining multi-source public information to track airspace movements; Prototyping sensor arrays for detecting and tracking airborne objects; prototype systems for jamming or disrupting hostile drone signals; etc.