Periodic Reporting for period 3 - EPN-2024-RI (Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure)
Reporting period: 2023-02-01 to 2024-07-31
The Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI) addressed the key scientific and technological challenges facing modern planetary science. Europe’s planetary exploration programme has grown in international prominence in recent years, driven by ambitious European Space Agency (ESA) missions to explore planetary systems. To maintain a world-leading role, European planetary science requires cutting-edge facilities and services to maximise scientific return on investment, and a diverse, multi-disciplinary and industrially linked community. Europlanet 2024 RI built on the foundations of successful past projects to integrate an international and active planetary science community. The distributed infrastructure that Europlanet has created is the largest, most diverse collection of field sites and facilities to simulate and analyse planetary environments of its kind in the world. With over 50 beneficiaries, from both industry and academia, Europlanet 2024 RI represented a step-change in ambition for planetary science worldwide. Ultimately, Europlanet 2024 RI has laid the groundwork for a sustainable future within the structure of the Europlanet non-profit association.
From 2020-2024, Europlanet 2024 RI’s programmes of Transnational Access (TA), Virtual Access (VA), Joint Research Activities (JRA) and Networking Activities (NA) achieved all the project’s objectives to deliver key services to the planetary community.
The TA programme provided 2077 days of access, enabling 293 researchers to visit a worldwide suite of world-leading field and laboratory facilities and carry out 197 projects. Upgrades and staff training were carried out at 6 TA facilities through a JRA programme, with 5 projects incorporating additional work made possible due to reduced operations at facilities during the pandemic.
VA programmes opened up hundreds of state-of-the-art data services, tools and archives to support planetary research and assist mission teams in planning operations. The SPIDER (Sun Planet Interactions Digital Environment on Request) VA activity implemented six services for modelling planetary environments and solar wind interactions through a run-on-request infrastructure and associated databases. SPIDER services have been used during BepiColombo flybys of Venus and Mercury, and in coordinated observations between Solar Orbiter and Bepicolombo, resulting in several high-impact publications. SPIDER services were also used during the Juno Ganymede flyby of June 2021 and these results are being used in planning for the JUICE and Europa Clipper missions.
The VESPA (Virtual European Solar and Planetary Access) network of interoperable data services now connects 89 services through a central portal, with more than 290 services listed in the International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) registry, and further services continuing to be added beyond the end of the project. The EPN-TAP protocol and associated metadata vocabulary has been approved by the IVOA as the international standard to share and access Solar System data in the Virtual Observatory (VO).
The development of the GMAP Geological Mapping service has led to the establishment of new collaborations around the world and a community of mappers initiated through a Winter School that, in its fourth edition, attracted over 600 participants from 75 countries. An atlas dedicated to geological maps of different environments on diverse planetary and small bodies has been produced using contributions from the community.
The Machine Learning (ML) JRA developed ten tools for science cases submitted by the community. The services, codes and scripts are accessible through a public portal and GitHub.
The Coordination of Ground-based Observations NA offered professional and amateur observers access to small telescope facilities in support of planetary missions. The Europlanet Telescope Network currently links 17 facilities located around the globe and awarded 256.5 observing nights during the project.
Europlanet 2024 RI’s facilities and services have been used by researchers, industry, amateur astronomers and students from over 75 countries around the world. NAs have targeted key audiences, including researchers in under-represented states, early careers, the media, industrial partners, policymakers and educators to foster co-operation and extend the user base of Europlanet 2024 RI. Global Collaboration initiatives have been supported through an Ambassadors programme and workshops in Africa and South America. Policy engagement activities included a Dinner Debate and an exhibition in the European Parliament, as well as embassy-hosted events and conference sessions, which have been attended by MEPs, representatives of the European Commission, the European Space Agency and leading space industry.
Early career researchers have been supported through bursaries, a training and education portal, and a mentoring service, which has matched 71 pairs of mentors and mentees to date.
Results from Europlanet 2024 RI have been successfully disseminated through the Europlanet Media Centre and social media channels. The project has also developed and disseminated educational resources for schools.
The full range of the project's activities were advertised during the Europlanet Science Congress, as well as multiple international conferences, workshops and journal publications.
The TA programme provided 2077 days of access, enabling 293 researchers to visit a worldwide suite of world-leading field and laboratory facilities and carry out 197 projects. Upgrades and staff training were carried out at 6 TA facilities through a JRA programme, with 5 projects incorporating additional work made possible due to reduced operations at facilities during the pandemic.
VA programmes opened up hundreds of state-of-the-art data services, tools and archives to support planetary research and assist mission teams in planning operations. The SPIDER (Sun Planet Interactions Digital Environment on Request) VA activity implemented six services for modelling planetary environments and solar wind interactions through a run-on-request infrastructure and associated databases. SPIDER services have been used during BepiColombo flybys of Venus and Mercury, and in coordinated observations between Solar Orbiter and Bepicolombo, resulting in several high-impact publications. SPIDER services were also used during the Juno Ganymede flyby of June 2021 and these results are being used in planning for the JUICE and Europa Clipper missions.
The VESPA (Virtual European Solar and Planetary Access) network of interoperable data services now connects 89 services through a central portal, with more than 290 services listed in the International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) registry, and further services continuing to be added beyond the end of the project. The EPN-TAP protocol and associated metadata vocabulary has been approved by the IVOA as the international standard to share and access Solar System data in the Virtual Observatory (VO).
The development of the GMAP Geological Mapping service has led to the establishment of new collaborations around the world and a community of mappers initiated through a Winter School that, in its fourth edition, attracted over 600 participants from 75 countries. An atlas dedicated to geological maps of different environments on diverse planetary and small bodies has been produced using contributions from the community.
The Machine Learning (ML) JRA developed ten tools for science cases submitted by the community. The services, codes and scripts are accessible through a public portal and GitHub.
The Coordination of Ground-based Observations NA offered professional and amateur observers access to small telescope facilities in support of planetary missions. The Europlanet Telescope Network currently links 17 facilities located around the globe and awarded 256.5 observing nights during the project.
Europlanet 2024 RI’s facilities and services have been used by researchers, industry, amateur astronomers and students from over 75 countries around the world. NAs have targeted key audiences, including researchers in under-represented states, early careers, the media, industrial partners, policymakers and educators to foster co-operation and extend the user base of Europlanet 2024 RI. Global Collaboration initiatives have been supported through an Ambassadors programme and workshops in Africa and South America. Policy engagement activities included a Dinner Debate and an exhibition in the European Parliament, as well as embassy-hosted events and conference sessions, which have been attended by MEPs, representatives of the European Commission, the European Space Agency and leading space industry.
Early career researchers have been supported through bursaries, a training and education portal, and a mentoring service, which has matched 71 pairs of mentors and mentees to date.
Results from Europlanet 2024 RI have been successfully disseminated through the Europlanet Media Centre and social media channels. The project has also developed and disseminated educational resources for schools.
The full range of the project's activities were advertised during the Europlanet Science Congress, as well as multiple international conferences, workshops and journal publications.
Evaluation of Europlanet 2024 RI shows evidence for impact across all 5 areas assessed (scientific, technological, training & education, economic, social & societal). Analysis of feedback from users through surveys and interviews reveals scientific and technological impacts that simply would not be possible without the access to facilities, equipment and expertise provided by Europlanet through the EC’s RI programme. These impacts are amplified due to the participation of early career researchers, accelerating career development and ensuring impact into the future.
Innovations within the TA programme include agreements that allow European and Asian researchers reciprocal access to facilities, fast-track procedures for evaluation of urgent proposals, and remote access protocols. The expansion of analogue sites to include the Argentinian Andes, alonside sites in Iceland, Greenland and Africa, has offered comprehensive environments to support current and upcoming planetary missions, including those to icy moons and Mars.
Europlanet’s VESPA EPN-TAP has become a standard in the IVOA, the International Planetary Data Alliance (IPDA) and increasingly adopted by the planetary data archives of ESA and NASA. SPIDER services have been used by the scientific community during mission flybys of Venus, Mercury and Jupiter’s moons. Synergistic observations by heliospheric spacecraft during BepiColombo’s cruise phase, identified using SPIDER, have been implemented by ESA and JAXA.
Scientific impact includes over 250 publications and conference presentations. Socioeconomic impact has been developed through engagement with industry, policymakers and the wider community at a local, national and international level.
Overall, Europlanet 2024 RI has directly supported hundreds of scientists through TA visits and served thousands of online users through VA programmes. Workshops and conferences reached thousands of researchers, and hundreds of thousands of the public were engaged through events, educational programmes and media coverage of planetary activities.
Innovations within the TA programme include agreements that allow European and Asian researchers reciprocal access to facilities, fast-track procedures for evaluation of urgent proposals, and remote access protocols. The expansion of analogue sites to include the Argentinian Andes, alonside sites in Iceland, Greenland and Africa, has offered comprehensive environments to support current and upcoming planetary missions, including those to icy moons and Mars.
Europlanet’s VESPA EPN-TAP has become a standard in the IVOA, the International Planetary Data Alliance (IPDA) and increasingly adopted by the planetary data archives of ESA and NASA. SPIDER services have been used by the scientific community during mission flybys of Venus, Mercury and Jupiter’s moons. Synergistic observations by heliospheric spacecraft during BepiColombo’s cruise phase, identified using SPIDER, have been implemented by ESA and JAXA.
Scientific impact includes over 250 publications and conference presentations. Socioeconomic impact has been developed through engagement with industry, policymakers and the wider community at a local, national and international level.
Overall, Europlanet 2024 RI has directly supported hundreds of scientists through TA visits and served thousands of online users through VA programmes. Workshops and conferences reached thousands of researchers, and hundreds of thousands of the public were engaged through events, educational programmes and media coverage of planetary activities.