The Tekever, Portuguese multinational responsible for basic technology, plans to start the first tests on the ground of sensor networks at the end of September or in early October, after obtaining the required authorizations and weather conditions allow, told Lusa the administrator Ricardo Mendes.
In the Svalbard Islands in the Arctic Circle, “the researchers will find upcoming weather conditions existing in space,” the company said.
The sensor networks, including heat and light, will in future collect the largest possible amount of data from the surface of a planet like Mars, or even the moon, process them and transmit them to a satellite in its orbit who will send them to Earth.
In practice, the technology used is proposed to help prepare manned missions to other planets that may be scheduled by providing as much information about these planets, according to Ricardo Mendes.
The project, designated as SWIPE (Space Wireless sensor networks for Planetary Exploration, networks “wireless” sensors for planetary exploration), cost two million euros, more than half supported by EU funds.
The administrator Tekever believes that with a “much lower cost” to a robot as Curiosity, exploring the surface of Mars, the SWIPE can extend the environmental study to the surface of a planet .
Unlike NASA robot, a ‘device with many sensors on board “that will explore Mars as you look through the surface, the SWIPE requires small sensors communication networks spread across various parts of the the planet’s surface, said Ricardo Mendes.
The European consortium are still part of the universities of Rome “La Sapienza” in Italy and Leicester in the UK, as well as engineering companies, telecommunications, security Aerospace and defense of France and Spain.
The SWIPE will be presented at the International Astronautical Congress 66, to be held 12-16 October in Israel.
The Tekever has produced for the European Space Agency ESA, technology that enables communication between satellites.
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