The event takes place in many cities around the world. In Cyprus, it will be held in Limassol this weekend at the premises of the Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK).
The organisation is managed by an eager team of engineering students (Yiannis Papazoglou, Andria Christodoulou, Panayiota Kyriakou, Antigoni Tsiarta, Nicoletta Tsiarta, Giorgos Psaras) and Christos Panayiotou who is the representative of the Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation (CSEO).
In statements to CNA, the members of the organisation committee noted that the contest was very popular around the world, since it provides researchers with a great opportunity to get involved with real NASA missions.
They added that the applications created during the Space Apps competitions involve various fields such as planetary exploration, exploitation of resources from asteroids, environmental protection, warnings of weather phenomena, monitoring seismic activity and volcanic activity, etc.
More than 200 contestants are expected at this year’s Limassol SpaceApps Challenge. The first two winners of the Limassol competition will represent Cyprus at the NASA International SpaceApps Challenge.
It is noted that Cypriot project MarsSense, which was the winner of the Space Apps Limassol 2013, was given the second international award in the category People’s Choice Award of the NASA International Space Apps Challenge. The Cypriot team of MarsSense was invited in 2014 to the biggest space conference, called Space Ops, which is organised by NASA. There, the Cypriot team presented its work and was excelled as one of the four leading academic projects related to Space Exploration for the biennium 2013-2014.
In addition, Greek project Popeye on Mars, which won the Space Apps Challenge Athens 2013, ranked first in the International Space Apps Challenge in the category Best Mission Concept. The project concerned the creation of a greenhouse for growing vegetables on Mars.
The Cyprus Telecommunications Authority, (CyTA), through its Innovation and Idea Development Centre, is the strategic partner of this year’s Limassol competition. The event is supported by the Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation.
Source: Cyprus Mail