Spacemanic wins Prix Bulles Pierre Cardin

The Prix Bulles Cardin recognizes innovation in space and ocean exploration technology with the goal of protecting our planet. This award attests to the commitment of Maison Pierre Cardin towards sustainability, focusing on the opportunities presented by the space and nautical sectors to build a better future. Led by Rodrigo Cardin, the Prix Bulles Cardin selects nine nominees each year, and awards three of these projects.

Spacemanic wins in the category Space for our planet 2024.

A few months back, we happened upon a very particular grant competition. Spacemanic always participates in all kinds of grant initiatives and projects aimed at the space industry. This one was different, focusing on Earth’s oceans and their protection using space technology. After the initial brainstorming, we set aside the ideas about orbital imaging of oceans (many companies already do that) and decided to approach the matter from a different perspective. We realized that if we do some waterproofing and add a floatation device, our CubeSat design could become a quite competent buoy and an ocean probe a.k.a. the WaterCube.

WaterCube is a practical sea pollution detection system based on a CubeSat satellite platform, leveraging our know-how gathered through nanosatellite missions. By detecting and monitoring pollution sources such as sewage water, oily ballast water, bilge water dumping, and engine effluent discharges, the initiative raises awareness about the environmental impact of unsustainable maritime practices. Through this awareness, industries and stakeholders are encouraged to adopt cleaner and more sustainable practices, thus reducing pollution and preserving marine ecosystems.

The team started preparing the proposal immediately. Spacemanic’s CEO Jakub Kapus provided the much-needed technical advice and the overall vision for the project. The task of writing the proposal was handled by the CCO Daniela Jovic and marketing specialist Matus Toderiska. Renders of the WaterCube and other visuals were brilliantly handled by our systems engineer, Natália Gogolová, who finally gave real contours to something that existed only in our heads up to that point.

Shortly after submitting the project, we received the wonderful news that our proposal was among the top 4 contestants and that we were invited for a grand ceremony at the Palais Bulles on the picturesque Azure Coast of France. To make the long story short, we are pleased to report that WaterCube and Spacemanic came out victorious! 

We are truly about this reward since we see many overlaps and synergies between oceans and space. This reward will enable us to develop further the WaterCube concept, which we believe has great potential and could one day assist with keeping our oceans, lakes, and other bodies of water clean, safe, and teeming with diverse life.