LONDON, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- A search started Tuesday for young people in Britain with ideas that are out of this world.
The SatelLife Challenge, now in its second year, is looking for innovative proposals from 11 to 22-year-olds which have the potential to use data collected from space to benefit the British economy, health or the environment.
Science Minister Jo Johnson said: "Young people today will be an integral part of our mission to grow the UK's share of the global space market to 10 percent by 2030. We need to ensure the potential benefits of space are felt across the whole economy and encourage young British entrepreneurs to develop ideas that rival the best in the world."
Adina Gillespie, head of applications for Earth Observation and Science, at Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, is one of the expert judges who will decide the winners of the challenge.
She said: "The SatelLife competition is a great initiative to encourage young people to think about satellite applications and consider future careers in the space industry -- and we have a lot of fun along the way."
A spokesperson for the UK Space Agency said: "The UK space industry builds 40 percent of the world's small satellites and 25 percent of the world's telecommunications satellites. It supports 40,000 jobs and generates 14 billion pounds (19 billion U.S. dollars) in revenue across the country."
Ideas from last year's competition ranged from solutions to help increase the survival rate of heart attack victims by using GPS trackers in fitness devices, to an app that warns people about impending natural disasters, guides them safely away and alerts emergency services.
The competition, which closes on Feb. 25, aims to support the development of science, data handling and technological skills, is split into three age groups with a total prize fund of 68,000 U.S. dollars.
