The Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) of Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Space Agency (SSA) have launched the global SpaceUp Competition.
The initiative is organized in partnership with Neo Space Group (NSG), which aims to promote space entrepreneurship, support local companies specializing in space-based solutions, attract global entrepreneurs, start-ups and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and encourage the adoption of space-based solutions by entities operating across various vital sectors.
An international opportunity
Through its six challenge tracks, the SpaceUp Competition 2025 targets young companies and innovators to develop space-based solutions for challenges in vital sectors, by linking the supply with the demand.
The SpaceUp Competition presents about $28 million of contractual opportunities across all competition tracks, in addition to providing direct access with end-users localization, as well as connecting with end-users to implement the proposed solutions.
Registration for the SpaceUp Competition will be open until April 12, 2025 through the competition's official webpage.
The challenge tracks
The SpaceUp Competition includes six tracks supporting various sectors.
The first challenge track is “Monitoring Date Palms Pest and Disease”, sponsored by the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture and the Weqqa Center, which focuses on providing Space based solutions to monitor palm farms and detect pests.
The second is “Improving City Livability by Monitoring Urban Heat Islands”, sponsored by the Quality of Life Program, which aims at solving the problem of rising temperatures in crowded cities.
The third is “Monitoring the Impact of Infrastructure Development” sponsored by Riyadh Infrastructure Projects Centre to promote infrastructure projects and traffic management.
The fourth and fifth challenge tracks are “Optimizing Urban Road Assets” track, which aims to provide solutions to detect urban road damage and elevate its maintenance, and “Mapping of Urban Trees”, which aims to monitor and maintain urban green spaces, sponsored by the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing.
The sixth is “Greening Saudi Arabia”, which seeks to monitor tree growth and support sustainability efforts related to Saudi Green Initiative.
On the competition's webpage are available the full competition tracks, guidelines and FAQs. More information can be requested by writing an email to the dedicated address spaceup@cst.gov.sa.
