Credit: NASA / European Spaceflight / Andrew Parsonson
The French space agency CNES and the Île-de-France region, which includes Paris, have partnered to launch a €1 million challenge focused on the use of artificial intelligence to analyse satellite data.
Originally announced at the Paris Air Show in June 2025, the challenge forms part of the Île-de-France Region’s AI Challenge framework, launched in 2019 as part of its broader artificial intelligence strategy. When it was initially announced, CNES explained that the submission portal would be published on the Île-de-France Region website in the second half of 2025. The portal ultimately went live on 12 January 2026, several months later than initially anticipated.
In a 15 June 2025 press release, CNES explained that with the AI for Space Challenge, the partners aimed to revolutionise the analysis of satellite data and the application services that use it, leveraging the potential of cutting-edge AI technologies. The agency also framed the initiative in terms of its broader strategic value.
“This project illustrates the complementarity between two sectors of excellence: space and artificial intelligence, essential sectors for strengthening France’s technological and economic sovereignty.”
The challenge itself is split into two technical tracks. The first involves developing an application that uses satellite data and existing AI tools to demonstrate potential use cases in areas such as safety, energy, environmental monitoring, and disaster risk management. The second calls for the development of an automatic satellite image analysis system, requiring participants to build a vision-language model optimised for interpreting satellite imagery, with an emphasis on high- and very-high-resolution optical data.
Up to €1,000,000 in funding will be allocated as co-financing, with the percentage of the total project costs covered determined by the size of the business. Very small and small businesses will receive 60% of project costs, medium-sized enterprises 50%, and intermediate-sized companies 40%. Laboratories associated with a selected company may receive 100% of their funding, up to a maximum of €120,000.
As a technical partner for the Île-de-France Region’s AI for Space Challenge, CNES will be responsible for selecting the candidates, providing the necessary data to the winners, and monitoring the development of the demonstrators.
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