DISTRIBUTED DRONE-BASED DEMONSTRATOR FOR SAR (D3SAR)

We are proud to announce the start of a two-year project funded by the European Space Agency – ESA, with Aresys serving as the prime contractor!

The project aims to demonstrate innovative multistatic concepts for satellite SAR systems through the use of drone-based platforms. Our contribution focuses on the definition of the multistatic SAR system and associated processing algorithms, the development of drone platforms with integrated SAR systems, system synchronization, and the execution of testing and verification activities.

This initiative marks a significant step forward in advancing SAR technology, paving the way for future spaceborne applications.

The images show a multistatic simulation with real drone data.

Discover our SAR Calibration Toolbox (SCT)

In July, we introduced the SAR Calibration Toolbox (SCT), an open-source tool for advanced quality assessment of SAR data.

SCT supports multi-mission SAR data, providing features for: point target analysis, radiometric profiling, interferometric coherence estimation.

Currently, it is compatible with data from Sentinel-1, ICEYE, NOVASAR, SAOCOM, and EOS-04, with future updates planned to include additional missions and analysis capabilities.

Towards the end of the year, we had the opportunity to present SCT at two key events:
๐Ÿ“ The CEOS Workshop in India (November)
๐Ÿ“ The VHRODA2024 Conference at the ESA ESRIN centre in Frascati (December), where we hosted a dedicated workshop featuring a detailed introduction and live demo of SCTโ€™s capabilities.

The positive feedback from these events motivates us to continue supporting the SAR community with innovative and accessible tools like SCT. We would like to thank European Space Agency – ESA for supporting the development of SCT in the framework of the EDAP project (https://earth.esa.int/eogateway/activities/edap).

Learn more about SCT here: https://github.com/aresys-srl/sct

๐—”๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜†๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ฉ๐—›-๐—ฅ๐—ข๐——๐—” ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฐ: ๐—”๐—ฑ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฆ๐—”๐—ฅ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป

Weโ€™re proud to have successfully concluded our participation in the 5th VH-RODA Workshop. During the event, we presented our work on the EDAP+ project, showcasing the assessment of EOS-04 and ICEYE InSAR data in collaboration with European Space Agency – ESA, Telespazio, and Finnish Meteorological Institute, aimed at evaluating candidate missions for the Earthnet Third Party Missions (TPM) program.

Additionally, we hosted a hands-on training session on the SCT (SAR Calibration Toolbox) open-source software, equipping participants with practical tools for SAR data calibration and analysis.

We are grateful for the engaging discussions and the opportunity to contribute to the future of Earth Observation. See you at the next VH-RODA!

Cognitive radar, when radar meets AI

Aresys: “With Artificial Intelligence, Radars Process Data Directly Onboard”
Aresys integrates AI and radar technologies to monitor the planet in real time. A revolution that bridges academic research and industrial innovation, as CEO Davide Dโ€™Aria explains in this interview.

Today, Earth observation through radars, satellites, and space technologies plays a critical role in environmental monitoring and natural resource management. Founded in 2023 as a spin-off of the Politecnico di Milano, Aresys specializes in the development of advanced radar sensors and innovative software for satellite image processing.

On the sidelines of the 2024 International Astronautical Congress (IAC) held in Milan, Innovation Hero met with Aresys CEO Davide Dโ€™Aria, who shared the companyโ€™s future projects, highlighting in particular the significance of artificial intelligence in the space sector.

What Makes Aresys Unique?

Aresys focuses on developing technologies for Earth observation using an advanced system called Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). This specific type of sensor, mounted on orbiting satellites, provides high-resolution images of the Earthโ€™s surface, delivering valuable data for various applications, including natural resource management, environmental monitoring, and emergency response.

Our company is involved in developing these sensors for small satellites, such as cubesats and microsatellites, as well as creating specialized software for image processing. These technologies not only enhance the quality of the collected information but also enable real-time data acquisition, significantly boosting the effectiveness of operations across multiple fields.

What Projects Did You Present at IAC 2024?

At the IAC, we highlighted the performance of the radar instrument developed for the โ€œSaturnโ€ mission. This mission marks an innovative leap in Earth observation, thanks to the launch of a small constellation of radar microsatellites funded by the Italian Space Agency.

The โ€œSaturnโ€ microsatellites are designed to operate synergistically, creating a detection network capable of delivering detailed data over vast areas efficiently and promptly. We are excited to showcase how this technology not only raises Earth observation standards but also unlocks new opportunities for commercial and scientific applications in the space sector.

What Role Does Artificial Intelligence Play in Your Operations?

Artificial intelligence has revolutionized many sectors, including space. In modern radar systems, we are witnessing a significant transformation: radars are becoming โ€œsmartโ€ and capable of processing data directly onboard. This capability allows for real-time extraction of useful information and autonomous adaptation to varying environmental conditions.

We refer to these as โ€˜cognitive radars,โ€™ embodying our vision of autonomous systems that enhance operational efficiency and the quality of collected data. AI implementation not only optimizes detection processes but also reduces the workload for operators, enabling them to focus on more strategic analysis and interpretation.

Aresys Was Founded as a Spin-off of Politecnico di Milano. How Can Academia and Industry Interact?

Although Aresys is now entirely privately owned, the connection with Politecnico di Milano remains strong and essential. This interaction is crucial for our development, as academia keeps us at the forefront of the latest innovations and breakthroughs in space technology.

Collaboration with universities extends beyond research. We actively support opportunities for undergraduate theses and doctoral projects, creating a fertile environment for nurturing emerging talent. Additionally, these ties allow us to quickly integrate cutting-edge research and technologies into our projects, keeping Aresys competitive in a rapidly evolving sector.

What Professional Profiles and Skills Does Your Company Seek?

Currently, Aresys is particularly looking for electronic and software engineers with experience in the space sector. We seek professionals who not only possess strong technical skills but also thrive in a dynamic and continuously evolving environment.

We are also recruiting project managers capable of overseeing the entire lifecycle of complex projects, ensuring each phase is successfully completed on time. At Aresys, we value continuous learning and teamwork, as we believe collaboration between experts from various disciplines is essential for addressing challenges in the space sector and driving continuous innovation.

Original version on Innovation Hero: https://innovationhero.it/2024/11/26/aresys-intelligenza-artificiale-radar/

CEOS 2024

The increasing number of SAR missions is providing to the Earth Observation community a “world” of new opportunities. At the same time, new challenges to ensure the calibration and the quality of the SAR data are rising.

When talking about SAR calibration, the CEOS SAR Cal/Val workshop is the place to be. As Aresys, we have contributed to this workshop for more than 10 years. It was a pleasure for us to attend the 2024 workshop held at the Space Applications Centre, ISRO in Ahmedabad (India) from the 12th to the 15th of November.

We were happy to present our contributions to Sentinel-1 calibration activities, the new open-source Sar Calibration Toolbox (SCT) that was used to verify the Indian SAR mission EOS-04 and the status of the development of a new active transponder for the Harmony mission. We wish to thank the ISRO – Indian Space Research Organization for hosting the workshop and all the attending people for the nice exchanges.

Looking forward to the next year workshop!ย ๐Ÿ›ฐ๏ธ

How Aresys is advancing in SmallSat market

In the coming days, we will participate in the Small Satellite Conference to be held in Salt Lake City in 2025. To further strengthen our involvement in this market, ARESYS is preparing a series of papers on newly developed products: X-band Micro SAR Electronics, Light SAR On-board Processor, and Gigabit X-band Payload Data Transmission.

As the SmallSat market rapidly expands, ARESYS is pioneering advanced SAR technology for small satellites. We spoke with our ๐—•๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐— ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ฟ, Fabio Gerace, to learn more about ARESYSโ€™s vision and innovations in this field.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—น๐˜† ๐—ฒ๐˜…๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด. ๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—”๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—ฆ๐—ฌ๐—ฆ ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ผ๐—น๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ?

“ARESYS is actively developing advanced solutions to meet new user needs. Our focus is on designing high-performance Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payloads optimized specifically for small satellites and designed for large Earth observation constellations. Our goal is to make Earth observation more powerful and cost-effective, enabling greater accessibility to satellite data,” says Fabio.

๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ป๐—ผ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ด๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€?

“We are currently engaged in strategic collaborations to provide high-precision imaging with SmallSats, expanding data acquisition capabilities across various applications. These next-generation SAR payloads support a wide range of uses, from environmental management to security and urban planning.”

๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—”๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—ฆ๐—ฌ๐—ฆ’๐˜€ ๐—บ๐—ผ๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ผ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ท๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜ ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐˜€?

“The X-band Micro SAR Electronics is an innovative electronics and RF component of a SAR payload designed, developed, and qualified by ARESYS at TRL 6. It is intended for use on small satellites (starting from 40 kg) capable of acquiring SAR images in various modes, including Stripmap, Spotlight, SIMO, and MIMO (in swarm) configurations.”

ARSI 2024

Aresys is proud to have participated in ARSI2024 organized by European Space Agency in the Netherlands. We had the opportunity to present a series of cutting-edge papers that highlight our expertise in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems and space technologies.

Our team shared research on:
โ€ข ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜‡๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐— ๐˜‚๐—น๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—”๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฆ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฒ (๐— ๐—”๐—ฃ๐—ฆ) ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ป๐—ถ๐—พ๐˜‚๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ ๐—”๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—พ๐˜‚๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€
โ€ข ๐Ÿฏ๐—— ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ ๐—”๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ ๐—œ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐——๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€
โ€ข ๐—”๐—ป ๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—”๐—ฟ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐—”๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ป ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐—”๐—ฅ ๐—ฃ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—˜๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ง๐—ฅ๐—  ๐—™๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€
โ€ข ๐—ข๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—ฆ๐—˜-๐—Ÿ ๐—ฆ๐—”๐—ฅ ๐˜€๐˜†๐˜€๐˜๐—ฒ๐—บ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ

These contributions reflect Aresys’s commitment to advancing spaceborne radar technologies and improving the performance of satellite systems in complex environments. ARSI2024 was an excellent platform for exchanging ideas and collaborating with other industry leaders on the next generation of space exploration tools.

Aresys, Italian technology serving Earth observation

“Italy plays a leading role in the space economy through both large players but also hundreds of small and medium-sized companies that have always invested in technology and innovation. Among them is Aresys, a company based in Vimodrone and led by Davide D’Aria, specializing in solutions in the field of satellite Earth Observation”.

Our CEO, Davide D’Aria, comments on the New Space Economy opportunities in a recently released interview with Il Sole 24 Ore!

Link to the video interview: https://stream24.ilsole24ore.com/video/radiocor/aresys-tecnologia-italiana-servizio-dell-osservazione-terra/AGWlfjh

Aresys at IAC 2024

Aresys is pleased to announce its participation in the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2024 to be held in Milan, Italy from October 14-18. This prestigious event brings together industry leaders, researchers and innovators from around the world, creating an exceptional platform for knowledge sharing and collaboration in the aerospace industry.

At IAC 2024, Aresys presents its cutting-edge solutions in advanced satellite technologies, come visit us at our booth MS-E13. Our team participated in panel discussions, sharing insights on crucial work such as the one in collaboration with ASI on the Miniaturized SAR Payload for Earth Observation with nanosatellites. Paolo Falcone, INS BU Manager, presented it on Oct. 17 at 2 p.m. at screen #39.

In addition, we hosted a technical tour at our headquarters, which offered an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at our innovative projects and technologies. Attendees had the opportunity to interact with our experts and learn firsthand about our operations and capabilities.

This event is not only an opportunity for Aresys to highlight its expertise, but also a chance to forge new partnerships with other industry leaders. We believe that teamwork and open innovation are critical to meeting the challenges of future space exploration.

Here are the thoughts of our CEO, Davide D’Aria, about this edition of the Congress: “It was great to attend one of the best IAC editions ever. Having our place at few meters from our long term customers and partners was a unique opportunity to quickly advance on many subjects and to create new and unexpected links. In IAC 2024 Italy confirms its primary role in space and ARESYS is happy to be part of this exciting journey with its advanced Satellite Radar solutions

30 Years of progress in radar altimetry

Cristal’s answer: cooperation is better than competition! The symposium 30 Years of progress in radar altimetry, a time of celebration organized by European Space Agency and CNES shared with other companies and organizations involved in the development of altimetry, has just concluded.

We are glad to have contributed to the work Cristal performance assessment: an end-to-end simulation approach and thank our colleague Albert Garcia-Mondรฉjar from isardSAT, part of the consortium together with Airbus for the Cristal mission.

The moments of meeting with our colleagues are always great source of growth and we are grateful to have deepened the applications on Fully-Focused SAR processing and SWOT measurement principle and processing algorithms covering inland water, oceanography and the cryosphere.