From space to earth, the spinoffs opening the future for us

Esa, Asi, and Stam have funded six companies and startups to develop terrestrial applications for devices designed for orbit and vice versa, ideas that envision the future or enhance our present.

BY EMILIO COZZI

The first examples that usually come to mind are memory foam from the mattresses we sleep on at night, freeze-dried food, the miniaturized circuits and cameras we carry in our smartphones, water filters, and the algorithms from the Hubble telescope that have been used to diagnose tumors in mammograms. These are the “classic” technological breakthroughs that originally developed through space research have ended up improving everyday life. But this tech evolution has continued relentlessly, yielding remarkable results.

Nasa takes pride in this and every year publishes a report called Spinoff which collects the best inventions born from the need to survive, live, and enhance comfort in orbit or on other planets, innovations that ultimately return to Earth to benefit society.

This year the European Space Agency Esa in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency Asi has allocated funds to accelerate this process. The initiative called Esa Spark Funding is a fund aimed at financing feasibility studies and demonstration projects to test new technological solutions promoting technology transfer between space and non space sectors and vice versa. It amounts to 1.35 million euros not an enormous sum of course but a seed planted that could take root and who knows if successful grow into a forest.

Launched for the first time in Italy the fund is managed by Stam a technology company based in Genoa acting as Esa’s technology broker for Italy. The funded projects selected from over 20 applications are six in total. Among the companies involved are well known players in the space sector as well as startups and non space companies which may also have valuable contributions to make in extraterrestrial initiatives demonstrating the power of what is known as cross fertilization.

Sun and Sport

Astradyne, for example, specializes in space origami and is developing SolarDrape, a solar curtain. On the Moon, photovoltaic panels will be needed to collect light at the South Pole, where just like on Earth the sun’s rays arrive horizontally. However, transportation and deployment will be challenging. The idea of the Apulian company is to create innovative photovoltaic panels that leverage the flexibility of thin film modules, designed to be packed, transported, and then unrolled, both on the Moon and in remote or emergency stricken areas on our planet.

In 2024, the Turin based company Rea Space won the Compasso d’Oro, a prestigious design award, for Emsi, its intravehicular spacesuit, the type worn inside habitable spaces, typically on the International Space Station. It is the first suit designed to counteract the effects of microgravity on astronauts’ bodies. By combining advanced fabric with adaptive stimulation of postural muscles, its effects on the body mimic Earth’s gravity. The project also aims to bring Emsi to Earth, integrating a sensorized system for monitoring athletes’ activity, enhancing performance, and preventing injuries.

Esa’s Spark Funding has also recognized the young team at Relicta, and they truly are young, just take a look at their startup’s website. They propose a modern packaging solution based on fish processing waste, in collaboration with Sudalimenta Tiberino, a producer of high quality dehydrated meals for space missions. Their innovation includes biodegradable, edible, and hot water soluble films for vacuum sealed dehydrated foods, along with reusable containers designed to withstand extreme conditions.

Midair Docking, Inside and Beyond the Atmosphere

Two groundbreaking innovations are redefining flying maneuvers, those developed by Adaptronics and Inspire. The first, a Milan based company, is working on an electrostatic robotic grip called SpacEAAL Chuck. This is an example of spin in technology, where a solution originally designed for terrestrial applications, a film that activates with an electrostatic charge, becomes adhesive, and can support heavy loads, is now being adapted for satellite docking in orbit.

In the future, the ability to perform in orbit servicing will become increasingly important. Approaching and making contact with an orbital vehicle for maintenance or repositioning will be crucial, as will the removal of space debris. Inspire, a company from Genoa, is starting from the design of advanced connectors used in the space sector to develop an innovative system for refueling firefighting drones. Completing the selected group is another Genoa based company, Germina, which is working on adaptive greenhouses with led lighting. This solution is designed for space habitats, where available volume and weight are limited but the need for efficient and self sustaining agricultural solutions is high.

The Gallery of Inventions

It feels like stepping into the laboratory of a visionary scientist imagined by Orson Welles, one who predicts the future only to reveal that it is already here. This is the impression given by Nasa’s latest annual report, Spinoff 2025. To hydrate plants in laboratories aboard the International Space Station, for instance, a special spray has been developed. Its nozzle emits electrostatic droplets that adhere to leaves, counteracting the lack of gravity that would normally cause them to fall. Now, this technology is being repurposed for disinfectants, food safety, and agriculture.

The same technologies designed to 3D print shelters on other worlds using lunar or Martian dust are now being adapted for use in deserts and underdeveloped regions where construction materials and funding are scarce. There are even houses made from fungi, grown, dried, and pressed into bricks for building igloos and lunar shelters, which could just as easily be used on Earth.

Years ago, a former Nasa employee developed a treadmill for use in orbit, featuring a capsule that encloses the lower body and alters air pressure to simulate gravity. The concept did not gain traction at the time, but its reverse application is now proving valuable for rehabilitation. By reducing the load on the lower limbs, it offers a solution for elderly individuals with severe disabilities, allowing them to exercise without stressing fragile bones and muscles.

From organs grown and 3D printed in microgravity to astronaut dietary supplements now available to everyone, space technology continues to shape our lives. After all, we too are astronauts, traveling aboard our mothership, Earth.