3rd Edition 2026

Learn to work with satellite data

and turn it into a project that matters

What could you build with a new perspective on Earth? Explore satellite data and AI, learn from experts and turn an idea into a research project or a working web product.

See the programme See the brochure

Applications for the 3rd edition are closed. Results are sent by email on Oct 20, 2026.

At a glance

The programme in numbers

300places

3cities

19lectures

4modules

5workshops

2tracks

Locations

Where the programme takes place

300places in 3 cities

Romania seen by Sentinel-2

Bucharest

120 places

Cluj-Napoca

100 places

Timișoara

80 places

Who should apply

For students curious about satellite data and AI.

If you want to see what satellite data and AI can make possible, this programme is for you. Come ready to learn, work in a team and build something real.

Students
Satellite data
AI

From another city or another country?

Students from other cities or from other countries who want to take part are more than welcome. We recommend applying together with a team that is already formed.

In-person attendance is mandatory for students from participating universities; online participation is available only to students from other universities.

Your journey

Programme calendar

01
Apply
Sep 30 - Oct 18
Apply from Sep 30, 2026 to Oct 18, 2026. You will receive your application result by email on Oct 20, 2026. On the same day, accepted participants will receive their invitations and a phone call to confirm their participation.
02
Learn
Oct 22 - Nov 6
Explore four recorded modules on SpacedIn and build the foundations for your project. Complete at least 70% by the end of this phase to join the Ideathon.
03
Meet
Oct 22, 29 & Nov 5
Meet your community: hybrid kick-off on Oct 22, 2026; meet your peers in person on Oct 29, 2026 and Nov 5, 2026.
04
Ideathon
Nov 7
A full day to explore ideas, find your team and choose your track, with a fresh perspective from Space Economy & Business.
05
Build
Nov 7 - Dec 11
Build with hands-on workshops, mentoring and a community to help you move from idea to outcome.
06
Demo Day
Dec 11 - Dec 12
Submit on Dec 11, 2026. Selected projects take the stage at Demo Day on Dec 12, 2026 in all three cities.

The learning programme

19 lectures in four modules

Discover where satellite data comes from, what it can reveal and how to turn it into something useful.

01.1Introduction to the Space SectorSimonel David, AIM-Space & ROSPIN
01.2Research Methodology: From Question to PaperAdrian Dumitrescu, Astera Institute, USA
01.3Satellite Missions and Data: What Exists and What MattersDragoș Ilinca, AIM-Space & ROSPIN
01.4Satellite Payloads: What Satellites Carry and WhyArmin Purle Kopacz, DLR
01.5The Space Economy Today and the Earth Observation MarketIulian Juhasz, Initium Space

Two tracks

Choose your track and build

Teams of 1-3

Scientific Research

Analyze and explore it

What could satellite data help us understand better?

Explore a focused question, compare results and bring a fresh angle to existing work. You may explore foundation models where relevant. The goal is insight you can explain and a promising direction to take further.

Your outcome

A research paper of up to 10 pages, backed by code on GitHub and data analysis you understand. Promising projects may be developed further together for potential conference submissions.

Teams of 5-7

Enterprise Software

Build a web product with it

What if your idea became a product people actually use?

Turn satellite data into a dynamic website that solves a real problem. Explore what makes a solution valuable and how to communicate its potential.

Your outcome

A technically functional website, code on GitHub and a business pitch deck for a five-minute presentation, grounded in your market analysis. The programme helps you connect a working product with a compelling business story.

Workshops

Five workshops to move your project forward.

Each two-hour workshop connects the three city hubs and gives you practical help with your project.

Nov 12Cluj-Napoca
Machine Learning with AI Coding Assistants
A hands-on session where participants build and train a machine learning model, using Claude and Codex to write and debug the code faster.
Led by Zsolt-Istvan Kruk
Nov 19Bucharest
Machine Learning Applied in Earth Observation
A complete machine learning workflow on real satellite data, from preparing training data to evaluating the model, on a use case such as land cover classification.
Led by Andrei Toma Stoica, ROSPIN & Thales
Nov 26Timișoara
Working with SAR Data
Accessing Sentinel-1 radar data and running the main preprocessing steps (calibration, speckle filtering, terrain correction), ending with a simple application such as flood mapping.
Led by Simonel David, AIM-Space & ROSPIN
Dec 3Cluj-Napoca
Cloud Automation and Deployment
Taking a project from a laptop to a running service: containers, CI/CD pipelines, automated testing and deploying to the cloud.
Led by Gabriel Arcaș, RebelDot (TBC)
Dec 10Bucharest
Pitching Your Project
Structuring a pitch, telling the story behind the project and presenting results clearly, ahead of Demo Day on 12 December.
Led by Violeta Mihai, Underline Ventures

Teams

Build your team, your way

Meet your teammates

Meet potential teammates at the networking workshops on Oct 29, 2026 and Nov 5, 2026, then team up around shared interests and complementary strengths.

Suggested roles

Scientific Research: research, data analysis and writing. Enterprise Software: data/AI, development, UX and business/pitch.

Choose a Team Lead

To coordinate the team, gather everyone's questions and share them with the organisers. These roles are a starting point: divide or combine responsibilities as you prefer; the Team Lead can also take on another role.

Dec 12, 2026

Demo Day

Your chance to show what you have built. Submit your project with a presentation and a short demo video; selected teams will present their work across the three cities.

Editions

Three editions in numbers

3editions

545applicants

456accepted participants

92graduates so far

3rd Edition, 2026

Applications in numbers

Applications closed on Oct 18, 2026. Here is who applied and who is joining the programme.

242applications

229accepted participants

13universities

5countries

Accepted participants by city

Cluj-Napoca136
Bucharest43
Timișoara40
Online, other cities10

Accepted participants by track

Scientific Research 115
Enterprise Software 114

Who applied

82% are taking their first course on space or AI
96% are students
81% can join the weekly onsite sessions

1st Edition, 2024-2025

Pilot edition held exclusively in Cluj-Napoca, in partnership with UBB.

2nd Edition, 2025-2026

Expanded to Cluj-Napoca and Bucharest, with UBB, UTCN, UB and UNSTPB. Learning hosted on the SpacedIn platform.

3rd Edition, 2026

Three cities: Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca and Timișoara, with UPT and UVT joining as academic partners. 242 applications and 229 accepted participants.

An internationally recognised programme

Two scientific papers have been written based on this masterclass:

SSEA5th Symposium on Space Educational ActivitiesTUM, MunichPublished and presented
IAC 202677th International Astronautical CongressAntalya, TürkiyeScientific paper