ESA collaboration brings Altair software to aerospace, space startups

Altair (Troy, Mich., U.S.), a global company in computational intelligence, has entered into collaboration agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) through the ESA Partnership Initiative for Commercialisation (EPIC). Through a letter of intent, Altair’s aerospace technology within the Altair HyperWorks and Altair RapidMiner platforms will be made available to all aerospace and space startups, companies, research centers and universities throughout Europe that are collaborating with ESA or developing technologies with ESA support.

Altair has a broad solution set for composite design and optimization that is broadly used across industry. Joining EPIC means giving companies the chance to more quickly create minimum viable products (MVP) — a key step in obtaining funding and reaching commercialization in the aerospace market.

“ESA is a reference point for anyone working in the space sector in Europe and across the world, constantly working with its local agencies to foster innovation throughout its programs. For Altair, partnering with ESA represents the coming together of two pioneers in the aerospace industry,” says Pietro Cervellera, senior VP of aerospace and defense, Altair. “We are delighted to work together with the ESA to offer access to our simulation, AI and data analytics solutions. Our tools help accelerate and de-risk the exploration of disruptive ideas and further our mission of creating a safer, more connected and more sustainable industry.”

Crucially, Altair says this initiative gives aerospace and space startups access to the same Altair simulation, data analytics and AI technology used by some of the world’s leading aerospace organizations, along with Altair’s consulting and technical mentorship.

Altair offers nearly 40 years of domain expertise and a broad technology portfolio. Its diverse, scalable and unified technology offers help organizations of all kinds navigate the evolving digital landscape, build solutions at speed and scale them across the organization.

Established in 2022, EPIC connects corporate, academic and institutional partners with ESA-supported startups. It aims to foster entrepreneurship and enhance the commercialization pathway of European startups by streamlining access to leading technology. EPIC reaches into the global space innovation network, including ESA Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs), ESA Technology Brokers, ESA Φ-labNET, ESA Φ-lab (ESRIN) and the InCubed Earth Observation commercialization program, along with the hundreds of startups these programs support.