Space for Defence: Insights from the Second Dutch Pre-Hackathon Webinar (EUDIS 2025)

The Dutch edition of the EUDIS Defence Hackathon 2025 is fast approaching. On 25 September, the second pre-hackathon webinar introduced Challenge 2: Space for Defence, focusing on how Earth observation, navigation, communication, and multi-domain operations can strengthen Europe’s security.

Two guest speakers – Sonny Lie (NLR) and Michiel Selier (Action Space Systems) – shared perspectives on defence priorities, current R&D efforts, and lessons for hackathon participants.

Challenge 2: Space for Defence

Space has been recognised as the fifth warfighting domain, alongside land, sea, air, and cyber. Challenge 2 asks hackathon teams to explore practical solutions that use space technologies to support defence operations.

Opportunities include:

• More secure and resilient satellite communications
• Robust position, navigation, and timing (PNT) services
• Early warning and missile defence
• Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) for multi-domain operations

Participants are encouraged to think beyond theory, focusing on proof-of-concept prototypes that can demonstrate real operational relevance.

R&D Priorities from NLR

Sonny Lie, Business Manager for Space at NLR, outlined how Challenge 2 aligns with the Dutch Defence Space Agenda and wider European ambitions.

He highlighted defence needs such as:

• Expanding national satellite capabilities (building on the BRIK-2 and joint NL–NO missions)
• Securing satellite communications against jamming and cyberattacks
• Exploring Galileo’s Public Regulated Service (PRS) for resilient navigation
• Developing early warning systems for missile defence
• Using ISR to provide operationally critical information to end-users

NLR is actively involved in European Defence Fund projects and research on data fusion, AI, electromagnetic monitoring, and robust PNT. Lie emphasised that hackathons play a key role in accelerating innovation: “Next to long-term programmes, we need short-term R&D and proof-of-concept solutions that can quickly show value.”

The PAMI-1 Mission

Michiel Selier, Project Manager at Action Space Systems, presented the upcoming PAMI-1 mission – a Dutch-led initiative to provide sovereign ISR capability and strengthen the national space ecosystem.

PAMI (Payload, Assembly, Mission integration, Intersatellite links) will:

• Deliver electro-optical and multispectral imagery
• Demonstrate laser satellite communications for rapid data transfer
  Be built and integrated in the Netherlands, strengthening domestic manufacturing capacity
• Launch in 2028 with a planned lifetime of five years

Selier explained that sovereignty is crucial: “Today, the Netherlands depends on other countries for large ISR platforms. With PAMI, the MOD can directly task satellites and access critical data faster.”

Tips for Hackathon Teams

Drawing on his experience working with the Ministry of Defence, Selier offered practical advice for participants:

• Operational impact matters most: focus on how your idea helps real missions.
• Fit with infrastructure: consider whether your solution depends on systems that exist or need to be built.
• Plan for resilience: space assets can be disrupted; design for robustness or rapid replacement.
• Think business case: dual-use applications and wider markets strengthen viability.
• Strategic autonomy counts: reducing reliance on non-EU technologies is a plus.

Q&A Highlights

The interactive session provided further insights:

• Data sources: EDF project databases and the Dutch MOD’s STRIJAIIK strategy document are useful references.
• Mentors: experts from NLR, TNO, MOD, and industry will be on-site during the hackathon to guide teams.
• Synthetic data: increasingly used to train AI detection models when real-world datasets are limited.
• Multi-modality: combining space data with airborne, maritime, or ground-based sensors is a promising area.

Watch the Recording

If you missed the webinar, you can watch the full recording here:

If you would like to receive the presentation slides, please fill in this form

What’s Next: Upcoming Webinars

Two more Dutch pre-hackathon webinars are scheduled:

• Challenge 3: Sovereign Aerospace
  Drones, autonomous systems, monitoring, countermeasures, and advanced manufacturing.
• Open Stage & Q&A
  A chance to test your ideas, ask questions, and get feedback before the hackathon weekend.

Join the Hackathon

The Dutch edition of the EUDIS Defence Hackathon takes place on 17–19 October 2025 at CometLab, NL Space Campus.

Over one weekend, you’ll join innovators from across the Netherlands to tackle real defence and aerospace challenges.

👉 Registration closes 10 October, 09:00 CEST – secure your spot here:
https://taikai.network/eudisNetherlands/hackathons/netherlands

Featured Image: Freepik