ESA is now seeking help from AI to discover and understand planets outside the solar system, well-known as exoplanets.
In this handout photo provided by the European Space Agency (ESA), German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst takes a 'selfie' during his spacewalk whilst aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on October 7, 2014, in Space.
To do this, the European Space Agency decided to conduct the new Ariel Data Challenge 2023.
Ariel Data Challenge lead, Dr. Ingo Waldmann, said that AI technologies had revolutionized many fields of industry and science in the past few years.
"The field of exoplanets has fully arrived in the era of big data, and cutting-edge AI is needed to break some of our biggest bottlenecks holding us back," added Dr. Waldmann, who is also an associate professor in astrophysics at the University College London.
ESA Seeks Help From AI to Discover Exoplanets
According to Space.Com's latest report, the Ariel Data Challenge 2023 invites AI experts and machine learning experts to help ESA's upcoming Ariel telescope.
In this NASA digital illustration handout released on February 22, 2017, an artist's concept allows us to imagine what it would be like to stand on the surface of the exoplanet TRAPPIST-1f, located in the TRAPPIST-1 system in the constellation Aquarius.
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The Ariel mission is expected to be launched in 2029. Once it is in outer space, it will conduct one of the largest exoplanet surveys.
ESA's Ariel space telescope will examine the atmospheres of more than 1,000 known exoplanets; this is around 16% of the 6,000 exoplanets recorded.
This space-based tech will study the light emitted by the host stars of these exoplanets. Ariel will do this since the light that passes through exoplanets' atmospheres will help ESA learn more about these heavenly bodies.
However, the European Space Agency needs a more advanced method when it comes to interpreting the data gathered by the Ariel space telescope.
Ariel Data Challenge 2023's Details
Since ESA needs a more advanced interpreting method for its Ariel telescope, it needs the assistance of AI experts and machine learning researchers.
The Ariel Data Challenge 2023 already started on Apr. 14. Participants are required to attend the Beta testing period (Apr. 14 until Apr. 21).
On June 30, ESA will invite participating AI experts to the Final Evaluation round. Winners of the challenge will be informed on June 30.
From Sept. 18 until Sept. 22, ESA will present the winning AI solutions at the ECML-PKDD 2023 Workshop.
To learn more about the new Ariel Data Challenge 2023, all you need to do is click this link.
ESA is not the only one making efforts to improve space endeavors.
Recently, Airbus unveiled its new LOOP space station concept. Meanwhile, NASA successfully deployed its super pressure balloon from New Zealand.
For more news updates about ESA and other space organizations, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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