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Four New Space Startups Join ESA BIC Estonia

The Estonian business incubator of the European Space Agency (ESA BIC Estonia) has selected four new space-focused startups in its latest call – Babayte, Spiral Hydrogen, MS Forest, and Energy Risk Service. Each company will receive a development grant of €60,000, half of which comes from the European Space Agency and the other half from the cities of Tartu and Tallinn, depending on the company’s location.

In total, eleven strong candidates presented their ideas to the ESA BIC Estonia consortium. Four companies were chosen, although the initial plan was to accept only three. One slot remains open for the autumn intake.

The selected startups are:

Babayte (Tartu) is developing BabAI Orbital – an onboard AI module for small satellites that helps avoid collisions.

Spiral Hydrogen (Tartu) is working on a new type of hydrogen generator with over 90% energy efficiency.

MS Forest (Tallinn) is creating a dynamic forestry data registry to reduce the time and cost of forest inventories.

Energy Risk Service (Tallinn) is developing a forecasting system for the renewable energy sector based on satellite data.

The Head of the Estonian Space and CERN Office, Madis Võõras, confirmed the high quality of applicants: “The number, quality, and depth of the submitted applications pleased the evaluation panel but also made the selection process more difficult. As a result, four startups were accepted instead of the originally planned three.”

Kristiina Libe, Project Manager for Deep Tech at Tehnopol, emphasized that space technology is no longer just about solving problems in space:  “We increasingly see how satellite data and other space-based technologies can be applied for the benefit of our planet. We welcome ambitious, dedicated, and knowledgeable companies to apply and take space tech to the next level – both on Earth and in orbit.” She added that the goal of the ESA BIC accelerator aligns with Tehnopol’s mission to support technology companies and innovation that change the world.

The Head of the Space Sector at Tartu Science Park and ESA BIC Estonia, Sven Lilla, confirmed that the connection between space technologies and everyday life is becoming increasingly evident, and companies are ready to take greater risks to gain a competitive edge: “This time, a notable number of applicants had foreign founders, which shows the growing attractiveness of Estonia’s ecosystem,” Lilla added.

Paul Liias, Head of Space at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, noted that the state supports deep tech development and entrepreneurship through ESA BIC: “By investing through ESA BIC, the state accelerates the growth of the capital-intensive deep tech sector, helping Estonian startups take their first steps and gain valuable collaboration experience with ESA.” He added that the ESA BIC model has proven successful over the past eight years, helping companies prepare for investment and market entry.

ESA BIC Estonia is managed by Tartu Science Park in cooperation with the science and business campus Tehnopol. The program is co-funded by the European Space Agency and the cities of Tartu and Tallinn, with each city contributing €30,000 per company.

To date, 36 companies have joined the Estonian incubator – half based in Tartu and half in Tallinn. Tartu has contributed €355,000, with its companies generating over €6 million in labor taxes and nearly €10 million in turnover. Tallinn has contributed €345,000, with companies paying nearly €5 million in labor taxes and generating more than €12 million in revenue.

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STARTUP STORY: KAPPAZETA X ESA BIC ESTONIA

In a world increasingly reliant on data-driven decisions, KappaZeta is harnessing the power of satellite imagery to deliver actionable insights for agriculture, defence, and forestry. Specializing in the use of synthetic aperture radar (SAR), this space tech startup is turning complex remote sensing data into real-world solutions.

KappaZeta was co-founded by a team of experts in geospatial technologies and radar science. CEO Kaupo Voormansik brings deep expertise in SAR applied science, while CTO Tanel Tamm contributes a strong background in geographical information systems (GIS). The founding team also included Kalev Koppel and Karlis Zalite, both of whom played key early roles with experience in GIS, cartography, and SAR science.

What inspired you to launch a space tech startup?

There were hundreds of talented individuals doing far future looking Earth Observation science, but very few, who worked on actual real-world applications. By establishing KappaZeta we wanted to change it.

What have been your biggest challenges and failures so far, and what are your biggest wins?

Our biggest strength has been consistency, never giving up.

Our biggest mistake in the beginning was to try to do everything on our own, even the things we were not good at.

What drives you to keep going, even on tough days? 

We love what we do – applied science and Earth Observation, understanding our planet better for the benefit of mankind.

What sets your startup apart from competitors in the space industry?

Deep understanding of synthetic aperture radar technology, which most of our earth observation competitors lack.

Why did you choose to apply to ESA BIC Estonia?

Opportunity to develop our network and work with the kind and talented people who run ESA BIC Estonia.

What’s your vision for your startup in the next year? And where do you see it in five years?

Launch our 3d-SAR mission in 2028 and conquer the world. We would

Who do you think is the next (Estonian) space tech unicorn?

KappaZeta thanks to the services built on the 3d-SAR mission for carbon trading, forestry and defence.

Which books, podcasts, publications, and influencers in space technology or entrepreneurship do you follow and recommend to others? 

Warren Buffett and Barack Obama.

What do you suggest/what advice would you give to future candidates?

 Just get started, believe in yourself. Do what you are passionate about.

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ESA BIC Estonia, led by Tartu Science Park in collaboration with Tehnopol, is part of the European Space Agency’s network of business incubators across Europe. It helps innovative Estonian startups bring space technologies to new markets, offering up to 60,000€ in product development support, specialised mentoring, international network access, and business development loans.

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STARTUP STORY: RIGHT STEP X ESA BIC ESTONIA

When it comes to long-duration space travel, astronaut health is mission-critical. Enter Right Step, a startup dedicated to developing innovative tools for the assessment and monitoring of astronaut health, with a current focus on bone health in remote and space environments. By blending engineering expertise with a strong sense of user-centred design, Right Step is on a mission to support healthier, safer journeys beyond Earth.

The company was founded by Mike and Marcus, who bring complementary strengths to the venture. Mike is an engineer with a background in sensors, software, and biomechanics, while Marcus is an experienced innovation and strategy consultant passionate about aligning technology with real user needs.

What inspired you to launch a space tech startup? Was it a specific problem in the space industry, a breakthrough in technology, or something else? 

The core of Right Step is born out of research into Osteoporosis and Bone health in clinical setting.  This comes with high levels of risk making it nigh impossible to study.  The challenge of bone loss in space is well documented and still poses a great risk with the desire to spend more and more time in the absence of gravity or low gravity it made sense to explore the space sector.

What have been your biggest challenges and failures so far, and what are your biggest wins? Space tech is notoriously difficult—what lessons have you learned? 

Our biggest, executed win came in the form of the ESA 85th Parabolic Flight Campaign, where we built a dedicated treadmill and validated our technology.  Additionally, we have recently won a contract to develop a remote monitoring solution that is the direct result of this.   The main challenge is the process and cost associated with developing operationally safe and compliant devices for use in the extreme space environment.  Space communities, including ESA, the Estonian Space Office and ESA BIC Estonia, have been instrumental in our progress.

What drives you to keep going, even on tough days? 

There is an opportunity to understand the human body in greater detail via space environments and thus improve our life on Earth.  There is a bigger picture, one much bigger than just us and the collaborations across multiple disciplines pulling together is inspiring. Plus, space is cool!

What sets your startup apart from competitors in the space industry?

We are relentless in achieving our mission.  We are focussed on the task at hand but are not short of creativity and play that challenges our own approach and thinking.  We are driven by the outcome and not the financial gain.  Additionally it seems to have stumbled on a new way to look at bone loading and bone health that has certinaly caught the eye of the space sector’s experts.

Why did you choose to apply to ESA BIC Estonia? How has it helped you so far? 

I (Mike) moved to Estonia, having met my wife and had a wonderful daughter.  Right Step had only just uncovered the space opportunity, and research into Estonia’s Space community led us to the ESA BIC.  The program sounded perfect for us, and Sven’s support gave us the confidence that it was the right thing.  The ESA BIC gave us the kickstart we needed, along with the belief we needed and of course, the community.  15 companies in Estonia participated in our Parabolic Flight (most of them don’t even know).

What’s your vision for your startup in the next year? And where do you see it in five years?

We aim to be the go to platform for Astronaut health monitoring in both research and operational capacity.  We plan to incorporate more than bone health into our offering but most importantly we are pushing to transition work done in space to healthcare.  In 5 years time we will be looking after all who go to space and improving the outcomes for patients who suffer from musculoskeletal disorders.

Who do you think is the next (Estonian) space tech unicorn?

I am not sure it will be Right Step but one can dream.  That said one can imagine a community living on the moon who will require health services and so why not us?   I do think there are some strong companies in Estonia who operate in climate, forestry, security which may have a wider market.

Which books, podcasts, publications, and influencers in space technology or entrepreneurship do you follow and recommend to others?

This is a tough one.  I tend to read scientific papers, white papers that are around the space medicine/bone topics.  Both Marcus and I recently bought an Orthopaedic Surgery textbook!  I guess we both read the standard books aimed at startup founders, but we don’t follow these as gospel. I did enjoy the Phoenix project, though, which is a humorous account of stifling innovation. The „jobs to be done“ articles are good. At the end of the day, you can read/watch a load of stuff, but it is your business and your philosophy that are most important.  I can say we certainly steer clear of the influencer space.

What do you suggest/what advice would you give to future candidates?

One thing I think we did well (so far) is build a strong case for our business.  We leveraged white papers written by the experts and strategies of key entities and aligned ourselves as best we could. We also called these experts (yes, on the phone) and had meaningful discussions with them that shaped our direction.

Over the course of our incubation period, we focused on our philosophy and what we are trying to do.  This meant we could celebrate any success, regardless of how small an outsider may see it. We tend to work on a Now, Next, Then cycle, which means we can achieve things in say 3 months and be happy about it.

Adjacent to this is having a meaningful timeline that is longer term, that can is somewhat abstract but keeps the core direction and trajectory in step.

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ESA BIC Estonia, led by Tartu Science Park in collaboration with Tehnopol, is part of the European Space Agency’s network of business incubators across Europe. It helps innovative Estonian startups bring space technologies to new markets, offering up to 60,000€ in product development support, specialised mentoring, international network access, and business development loans.

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STARTUP STORY: LITEGRAV X ESA BIC ESTONIA

Litegrav is pioneering a new approach to biological innovation by utilizing the unique conditions of space environments, such as microgravity. These extreme environments offer powerful opportunities to optimize biological processes — from fine-tuning disease and aging models to improving the structural quality of cells. Litegrav’s intelligent bioreactor system enables systematic testing and development of new therapies, specialized cell types, and resilient agricultural plants and microbes.

The company was founded by Patrik Hollós, PhD in neurobiology, who has a strong background at the intersection of academia and industry, spanning research commercialization, biotech venture capital due diligence, and innovation advisory. Litegrav’s growing team of eight experts combines competencies in computer engineering, mathematics, bioengineering, and business development, bringing together both scientific excellence and industry experience.

Litegrav is an alumnus of the ESA BIC Estonia programme, and Patrik Hollós shared some insights into the company’s activities.

What inspired you to launch a space tech startup?

My own research. I have been facing the problem that we had a possible therapeutic finding that needed to be tested and optimized in space-like conditions, but solutions were very limited and expensive. When we started to talk to industry, we realized that everyone sees the big potential, but no one had progress with current systems.

What have been your biggest challenges and failures so far, and what are your biggest wins?

The biggest challenge is also the biggest win: We developed a platform, so it can be really used for many verticals. The challenge is that we do not get sidetracked and stay laser-focused on use cases where we see both solid proof of concept evidence and commercial opportunity. Failures come through learning, what I mean is that I realize an action is failure sometimes years later. This mainly relates to some hard go/no-go decisions regarding development and focus. Also, a big win that we are getting more recognized internationally, and able to partner with companies like the Korean pharma company Boryung, or working with a NASA GeneLab group to predict and optimize biology experiment outcomes from the SpaceX FRAM2 mission that might translate to dual-use medicines.

What drives you to keep going, even on tough days?

My family and ability to recall what “gut feeling” means. Most successful decisions in my life were a combination of analysis and gut feeling, and if I look at our vision, I get the gut feeling that we are on the right path. Some acceptance that the “baseline” of a startup is just heavy waves, can help too.

What sets your startup apart from competitors in the space industry?

Although our underlying technology comes from space and simulated space environments, we are truly Earth-focused and “Earth biology” focused. We exploit findings and artefacts that are often found in replicating space biology conditions. We find “space” in Earthy processes where no one was looking for “space”.

Why did you choose to apply to ESA BIC Estonia?

Our project’s academic R&D roots were in Finland. We decided to apply for ESA BIC Estonia as the funding scheme looked more straightforward and we also heard good things about some rapid prototyping capabilities. This turned out to be true, although we had to iterate a lot; focusing on doing and building right from the start helped a lot.

What’s your vision for your startup in the next year? And where do you see it in five years?

We are now in the process to get some large industry names with us to be the first choice for their testing. This includes large consortia building next-generation space stations for biotech and material science discovery to benefit both Earth and future deep space explorations.

Who do you think is the next (Estonian) space tech unicorn?

Too early to tell. Also, we need more bolder space tech ideas to bloom — the talent is around, the money and global situation not so much at the moment.

Which books, podcasts, publications, and influencers in space technology or entrepreneurship do you follow and recommend to others?

Spaceinsider is probably well known and they do a lot of good reports. I’m happy to receive book and podcast recommendations about spacetech. The influencer space is probably noisy, I think after a while everyone can filter people who disseminate relevant info to their fields.

What advice would you give to the future candidates?

Just go for it, and come in also with quantum, mining, materials science, biotech, propulsion, payload return — spacetech is not just satellite data.

 

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ESA BIC Estonia, led by Tartu Science Park in collaboration with Tehnopol, is part of the European Space Agency’s network of business incubators across Europe. It helps innovative Estonian startups bring space technologies to new markets, offering up to 60,000€ in product development support, specialised mentoring, international network access, and business development loans.

If you are working on a space-related innovation, the current application round is open until May 8th! Learn more here https://www.esabic.ee.

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ESA BIC Estonia welcomes European Interparliamentary Space Conference delegation to Tartu Science Park

We had the honour of hosting the delegation of the European Interparliamentary Space Conference (EISC) at SPARKUP Tartu Science Park, led by Mario Kadastik and coordinated by Susanne Veevo.

During the visit, we presented our activities and long-term mission at Tartu Science Park in supporting deep-tech and space-tech startups. Andrus Kurvits, Member of the Management Board, gave an insightful overview of our journey so far and what’s ahead.

The delegation also had a closer look at the ESA BIC Estonia programme. We shared the early challenges we faced with building deal flow and how, today, our startups have collectively secured close to €85 million in external funding, of which €60 million is venture capital. Just this month, two of our alumni — UP Catalyst and Wayren — announced impressive new investments of €18 million and €7.9 million, respectively.

While we were proud to share these milestones, the real spotlight was on our startups and partners:

  • Mike Crooks from Right Step introduced how they started in ESA BIC Estonia and where they are today — developing bone health monitoring technologies for astronauts, including a prototype tested during an ESA parabolic flight campaign.

  • Martin Jüssi from Kappazeta showcased their bold new 3D SAR mission. From being a well-established Earth Observation company, they are now taking the leap into building their own satellite to enhance data quality for their customers.

  • Sandhra-Mirella Valdma from our long-standing partner Cybernetica gave an overview of their cutting-edge technologies to ensure secure communication — including their vital work in satellite collision detection, helping make space a safer domain.

It was a truly inspiring and educational morning. A big thank you to all speakers and guests who made this visit memorable!

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8 YEARS OF ESA BIC ESTONIA

ESA BIC Estonia was launched on November 7, 2017 at a time when Estonia held the presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Space Week took place in Tallinn. How did we get here? To answer that, we need to go back in time.

Estonia became an associate member of the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2010. year For Estonian companies and research institutions, this meant new opportunities for space-related development. At the same time, the development of EstCube-1 was already underway, and on May 7, 2013, Estonia became a spacefaring nation. Space Business Incubator began to take shape.

 

Image: The grand opening of ESA BIC Estonia with the red button

Jumping forward to November 2017. All preparations for the opening of ESA BIC Estonia were in their final stages, but then an unexpected problem arose. At incubator openings across Europe, it had become a tradition to press a physical button – a moment shared by the ESA Director General and representatives of the local consortium. But we didn’t have a large red buttonthat would look impressive even from a distance! Everything else was ready, but at the last moment, we realized that this important symbolic detail was missing.

That’s when the frantic search began. The clock was ticking – T-48 hours , and we were searching all over Tartu for a big red button. It wasn’t at the art school, nor at the AHHA Science Centre. After an extensive hunt, we finally found the necessary button in an electrical supplies store and could finally set off for Tallinn. Upon arrival, we installed this key detail (read: the red button), and everything was ready for the historic moment.

Since there was very little time between the opening and the first selection round, the Science Park team had already scouted some potential companies in advance. These companies pitched their ideas at the opening ceremony,and for the first time, we saw Crystalspace and Hepta Airborne present their ideas – both of which were selected for incubation during our first two program rounds.

Additionally, an important milestone for us was the active scouting that took place during Space Week.At that time, Galileo MastersandCopernicus Masters were being awarded, so we ambitiously decided to invite them to our program. One of them was the FFSCat teamwhich won the Galileo Masters grand prize – a free satellite launch and €200,000 in development funding. We thought, “What could go wrong? ” and approached them. This led to the start of Golbriak Space OÜ’s journey – one of the first three companies in our program, along with Crystalspace and Spaceit.

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RIGHT STEP OÜ FLIES IN ZERO G TO SEEK ANSWERS TO BONE HEALTH

Right Step OÜ is thrilled to announce its recent participation in the 85th ESA Parabolic Flight Campaign and is proud to be the first Estonian company to have had this esteemed opportunity with support from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Estonian ESA Business Incubator.

Right Step Health was founded to address degenerative bone disorders, such as Osteoperosis and Osteoarthritis, that will affect one in four people globally. Expanding populations and strained Healthcare services mean there is an ever growing need to push the knowledge and develop the tools that will allow healthcare professionals more effectively predict, monitor and treat these disorders. But there is a challenge, those who suffer from these disorders are at high risk of fractures making it unethical to study the very population we need to learn from.  In Space, however, astronauts lose bone density at a rate of 2% per month, yet start their missions in peak physical condition.

Founders, Mike Crooks and Marucs Carter commented, “We believe that learning how to prevent that bone loss in space will deepen our understanding of bone physiology and how different exercises, diets and medications can impact bone remodelling without putting patients at risk. The countermeasures and associated tools used to prevent bone loss in astronauts can be adapted and used as interventions or even treatments for patients on earth, minimising or even reversing bone loss.” A belief supported by experts in both the Space and Healthcare sectors.

Right Step Health has developed a novel algorithm based on research into osteoporosis by Professor Jin Luo of the University of West London, that quantifies the load being experienced by the skeletal system using accelerometers. This quantification allows for a better understanding of how skeletal loading differs on earth and in space. It allows different exercises to be profiled, compared and studied. It allows the impact of exercise to be quantified as a variable in studies looking at other human systems, diet or medication based countermeasures. It allows the biomechanics of basic human movement to be broken down to better understand which aspects of these movements drive physiological changes in bone density.

This algorithm sits at the core of one of Right Steps products, Nexus, a platform developed for researchers and research institutions studying bone health. The goal of Nexus is to make the capture of skeletal loading simple and affordable by removing the technological challenges and ensure consistent, comparable data across studies to accelerate the collective knowledge in this area of research.

The Parabolic flight campaign represents the first step in enabling Nexus to be used by the space research community; validating its effectiveness in a Zero G environment and capturing data to profile walking, running and jumping to identify differences in loading patterns with and without gravity.

Leveraging the Estonian eco system’s versatile skills and resources co-founders Mike Crooks and Marcus Carter designed and built a dedicated treadmill for Zero G with support from Golbraik Space OÜ, another Estonian company making strides in Space technology.

In collaboration with TalTech, the Tallinn University of Technology, and Associate Professor of Environmental Sensing Technologies, Jeff Tuhtan’s team a novel high data rate sensor was developed, to monitor vibrations in the skeletal system that sensors on the market today do not have the ability to pick up.

While this is a monumental milestone for Right Step as a company, it is the first step in addressing the bone health endemic the world faces. A challenge that will require support and collaboration to overcome.

Right Step will continue to combat degenerative bone diseases, and this year launched its first healthcare product, Osteosense. Based on the same algorithm as Nexus, Osteosense delivers objective outcomes by quantifying dynamic weight bearing of post-op patients through recovery. It is our hope that Nexus will form a springboard to accelerate future research into the hands of healthcare professionals. As an example, the novel sensors developed with Taltech will provide a rapid, non-invasive means to diagnose and classify osteoarthritis.

If you are involved in research relating to bone health or manage patients’ post-surgery and would like to discuss cooperation please reach out to Right Step.

Contact:

mike@rightstep-health.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-crooks-5a675020/

+372 53231650

https://www.rightstep-health.com

Media link:  Right Step OÜ Parabolic Flight PR Media

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SVEN LILLA: WHO WOULDN’T LOVE SPACE?

As the manager of the European Space Agency Estonian Business Incubator (ESA BIC Estonia), I have always been in the midst of the most recent and exciting ideas. When I joined the ESA BIC Estonia team in 2017, I didn’t know much about the whole space domain. My previous experience was mainly limited to watching sci-fi movies

So what does the incubation manager do?

Suppose you are an ambitious entrepreneur looking to create something new and exciting. The space field seems interesting, but you have no exact idea how to link your idea to it. You may have heard of ESA, JAXA or NASA, but navigating this plethora of information is hard. Let’s have a chat – I’ve read hundreds of business plans and have been in touch with many companies and representatives of the European Space Agency, which is why I’m able to give a quick feedback if the idea is feasible or it needs some more work.

As the incubator manager, I am involved with companies throughout their entire journey, from the first contact to the end of the program. I advise potential candidates daily on how to prepare a compelling application. Whether they are working on satellite construction, Earth observation, or implementing another space-inspired technology, the principles of the application remain the same.

When a company is selected for the program, close collaboration begins. We create a joint action plan, determine the necessary external support, and involve suitable mentors. If the company wishes to start raising funds, I introduce them to investors and venture capital funds. Our goal is to help companies grow quickly. At the same time, we participate in various events, demo days, and host foreign visitors. Our team always helps companies prepare thoroughly.

Our goal is to make Estonia a strong centre for space. We support companies at every step, from the idea to reaching the international market. After the end of the program, the companies will remain part of our wide network, which opens up new opportunities for cooperation both in Estonia and abroad.

FYI! ESA BIC Estonia autumn campaign is ongoing until 17 October, and we look forward to new potential startups to support them on our journey.

I am always ready to help and share my knowledge. If you have any questions or need advice, feel free to contact me at sven.lilla@teaduspark.ee.

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ESA BIC ESTONIA INCUBATEE RIGHT STEP SELECTED AS THE FIRST ESTONIAN COMPANY TO FLY IN THE PARABOLIC FLIGHT CAMPAIGN

Right Step is the 1st Estonian company to be selected for the SciSpace CORA Parabolic Flight programme and will fly the 85th Campaign in November 2024 facilitated by the European Space Agency (ESA).  The last Estonian company to fly was Myoton (https://www.myoton.com) who participated in the 55th campaign and subsequently went on to send its device to the International Space Station.

Right Step’s experiment “Assessing exercise on bone loading from a novel perspective on earth and in microgravity.” was selected due to Right Step’s innovative approach to bone health. The experiment seeks to both advance the understanding of bone loss and identify opportunities for effective countermeasures. Parabolic flight is a medium through which experiments can be carried out at a variety of g levels, including hyper gravity and microgravity.

Right Step’s philosophy “to learn in space and apply on earth” is the center piece of its strategy to improve the outcomes of patients who undergo lower body surgeries by measuring their ability to weight-bear and tracking their progress throughout rehabilitation. Parabolic flight presents the first opportunity for Right Step to test its technology’s suitability to measure and monitor weight-bearing in microgravity and delve deeper into the response of the body to exercise.

Right Step, an ESA-BIC Estonia company, partnered up with TalTech’s Centre for Environmental Sensing and Intelligence, lead by Assoc. Prof. Jeffrey Tuhtan and leading expert in the field of bone physiology, Dr. Laurence Vico of St Etienne, France, to shape the proposal, along with support from Dr. Jin Luo of the University of West London, who also acts as a scientific advisor to Right Step. Dr Luo’s research in bone health and osteoporosis is at the core of Right Step’s solution.

Right Step co-founders Mike Crooks and Marcus Carter will prepare for flight over the next 6 months, with the campaign consisting of one week of experiment preparation and boarding, followed by three flights of 31 micro-gravity parabolas in early November.

“At Right Step, we are concerned not only with developing solutions to benefit patients rehabilitation post-surgery but also with providing quantifiable measurements to hospital directors, surgical leads, and clinicians as to the effectiveness of the program. Walking is a fundamental human right, and weight bearing is the fundamental measurement of walking” stated Mike Crooks.

“We don’t know everything and only provide what we do know in our current solution, keeping it as focused as possible. We are aware of the challenges associated with long-duration space flight, and while we can certainly aid in this area, we are hoping to leverage the unique environment of space to further our knowledge of bone health to apply here on earth. This is the first step for us to do that” he continued.

Right Step’s Osteosense product captures a patient’s weight-bearing ability in near real time with the scientific foundations of bone loading at its core. The project is supported by the Estonian SekMo programme, which promotes innovation by bringing Right Step’s commercial expertise together with one of TalTech’s leading research groups in sensing.

Initially, Osteosense allows simple and repeatable assessments to be carried out in under 3 minutes, using two miniature sensors worn on each of the lower limbs. The primary focus of the solution is on patient progression and trajectory. It is envisioned that Osteosense will be able to monitor a patient’s weight bearing remotely, providing an intuitive way to allow patients to control their weight-bearing during recovery.

Assoc. Prof. Tuhtan is especially happy with the newfound trajectory of innovation in wearable sensor technology. “We are very excited about the opportunity to learn and innovate with Right Step, and to study the effects of exercise on the human body related to bone health in this highly challenging and unique environment. Estonian space research is taking a major step in the right direction. These flights are just the beginning of a series of disruptive innovations planned between Right Step and our group at TalTech.”

Sven Lilla, ESA BIC Estonia commented, “It’s awesome to see that novel health and space tech combined with real solutions are pushing the boundaries of future manned long duration space missions to support astronaut health.  Learnings in space are very transferrable to on earth health problems and it is good to have Right Step in our portfolio of startups”.

Sander Sipelgas of the Estonian Space office stated, “The Estonian Space Office welcomes RightStep’s initiative to test its new technology in parabolic flight.  Human space exploration is a relatively new area for the Estonian space scene, having joined the relevant ESA programme in 2022. We are pleased to see Estonian companies actively developing solutions in this field, which will be crucial for human health monitoring in the future. RightStep’s Osteosense is a promising new solution we look forward to seeing tested on space missions. It sets a mark on what can be achieved in health technologies”.

About Right Step:

Right Step is an Estonian company, part of the ESA-BIC Estonia, committed to improving patient outcomes post surgery. It’s flagship product, Osteosense allows the capture of a patient’s weight-bearing capability in simple assessments and delivers progress outcomes to hospital staff.

Right Step works with research institutions that align with its vision of improving bone health and is currently engaged with a variety of institutions TalTech, University of West London and Jean Monnet, St Etienne. Right Step is also working with partners in healthcare and female professional football in the UK.

Right Step is a team of bio-mechanists, software engineers, and analysts that offers Osteosense, custom sensor solutions, and human movement analytics services.

Right Step is working with TalTech under Jeff Tuhtan to develop future sensing solutions for bone health to practically aid healthcare practitioners in managing their patients through rehab. This includes being able to “listen” to a bone during motion.

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Call for Ideas: DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT FOR ESA BIC ESTONIA START-UPS AND ALUMNI

Estonian Space Office together with European Space Agency has published an open call for ideas directed for ESA BIC Incubatees and alumni.

The primary goal of any submitted idea shall be that the proposed activity forms a clear path to one or more of the following end results:

  • Enabling a long lasting, sustainable Estonian return on ESA’s mandatory programme;
  • Preparation for being a competitive entity in ESA optional programmes subscribed by Estonia (see ANNEX in the attached Document)
  • Entering into the supply chain of customer;
  • Enabling a long lasting, sustainable space business for an Estonian company.

The total cost of the Development Contract idea is not prescribed. ESA funding is limited to a maximum of 100,000 EUR.

Important deadlines:

  • 12 April 2023: Announcement and opening of Call for Ideas
  • 4 June 2023: Deadline for idea submissions to kosmos@eas.ee
  • September 2023: Successful ideas proponents are notified of selection
See more information: