The Space to Soil Challenge seeks to foster Orbital Edge AI technologies that enable a satellite to analyze its own sensor data as it is captured.

The Space to Soil Challenge focuses on monitoring terrestrial resources for regenerative agriculture and forestry by shifting from traditional data collection to real-time, in-orbit insight generation.

Historically, Earth observation satellites have operated as passive collectors that downlink massive raw data files for ground-based processing days or weeks later.

Onboard processing enabled by Orbital Edge AI allows a SmallSat to autonomously detect critical environmental changes.

Selected concepts for the Space to Soil Challenge must operate within the power, compute, and bandwidth constraints characteristic of SmallSat missions.

The Space to Soil Challenge invites the global SmallSat community to propose mission concepts that leverage adaptive sensing and onboard artificial intelligence.

NASA manages the Space to Soil Challenge through its Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI).

NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office opened the Space to Soil Challenge on January 30, 2026.

Orbital Paradigm built the KID vehicle in one year with fewer than 10 engineers and a budget under one million euros.

KID achieved four of the five technological challenges that Orbital Paradigm set for the demonstrator.

One objective of the Learn to Fly mission is to place an experiment for plant cultivation in microgravity into orbit to advance space agriculture.

KID was part of the payload carried by the Indian PSLV rocket launched on 12 January.

Orbital Paradigm expected KID to experience 14 g during the flight.

Initial navigation readings recorded 28 g for KID.

The KID capsule maintained a stable flight attitude during the hypersonic phase and through supersonic–transonic speeds.

Orbital Paradigm’s data indicate the KID demonstrator experienced external temperatures of 300–350º and internal temperatures of 85º.

Orbital Paradigm will focus on the Learn to Fly mission next year, which will include full recovery capabilities and carry commercial customers.

Orbital Paradigm’s sensors saturated at a maximum reading of 30 g during the flight.

KID flew with a ceramic, reusable thermal protection material intended for a new generation of spacecraft.

The Learn to Fly mission, initially planned for 2026, will use a capsule integrating a chemical propulsion system developed by Pangea Aerospace and SAU&RON separation systems from UARX Space.

The Green Moon project originated in 2017 at the University of Málaga.

The 25-kilogram KID capsule separated at greater than Mach 20, corresponding to approximately 24,500 kilometers per hour.

The KID prototype survived the failed PSLV mission.

The PSLV mission failed to place its payloads into their intended orbits and failed overall.

Orbital Paradigm designed the vehicle KID, also known as Kestrel Initial Demonstrator.

Orbital Paradigm considers the reentry data from KID sufficiently complete to forgo a second KID mission.

Orbital Paradigm estimates that KID survived an acceleration probably exceeding 35 g, about 2.5 times the original expectation.

Kyivstar rolled out Starlink Direct-to-Cell service late in 2025.

Users will be able to use data on their devices with Starlink Direct-to-Cell for certain applications and messaging services.

MasOrange is partially owned by the French telco Orange.

Virgin Media has a customer rollout planned for 2026 in the U.K. for a Starlink Direct-to-Cell–enabled service called O2 Satellite.

MasOrange did not specify the timing of the Starlink Direct-to-Cell trials or which phones will be eligible.

Orange plans to acquire the remaining 50% stake in MasOrange from Lorca, with the purchase expected to close in the first half of 2026.

Supplemental coverage from space (SCS) is the term often used for Starlink Direct-to-Cell.

Orange currently offers a satellite messaging service working with Skylo on certain Google Pixel smartphones.

Meinrad Spenger is the CEO of MasOrange.

MasOrange plans to carry out a technical pilot of Starlink Direct-to-Cell in the Spanish province of Valladolid.

The State Secretariat for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure granted approval for spectrum assigned to MasOrange to be used for Starlink Direct-to-Cell.

MasOrange will trial Starlink Direct-to-Cell under a new agreement with SpaceX.

MasOrange intends to use Starlink Direct-to-Cell as a network complement, particularly in remote, high mountain, or coastal environments.

Telespazio is the Prime Contractor for ESA’s Moonlight program.

The modernized FOC-1A antenna will support lunar communications related to Italy’s contribution to NASA’s Artemis program.

The FOC-1A antenna is a parabolic dish with a 27-meter diameter.

The FOC-1A antenna is installed and has been operational since 1967 at the Centro spaziale “Piero Fanti” del Fucino in Abruzzo, Italy.

The modernized FOC-1A antenna will support lunar communications related to ESA’s Moonlight program.

Roberto Formaro is the Head of the Engineering and Technologies Directorate at ASI.

Alessandra Farese is Senior Vice President Satellite Systems & Operations at Telespazio.

The RESPONSE program aims to make the FOC-1A antenna compatible with Near-Earth and Deep Space communications needs.

The modernized FOC-1A antenna will support future missions within ESA’s ESTRACK network.

The FOC-1A antenna enabled Italians to view the 1969 lunar landing on television.