A satellite just used AI to make its own decisions in space — and NASA’s stoked
27 Jul
Science & Technology

A satellite just used AI to make its own decisions in space—and NASA is stoked

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For the first time, a satellite has used onboard AI to autonomously decide where and when to capture a scientific image—all in under 90 seconds, with no human input. The technology, called Dynamic Targeting, was tested by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) earlier this month. It was installed aboard a briefcase-sized satellite built and operated by UK-based startup Open Cosmos and carried a machine learning processor developed by Dublin-based firm Ubotica. In the test, the satellite tilted forward to scan 500km ahead of its orbit and snapped a preview image. Ubotica’s AI quickly analysed the scene to check for cloud cover. If the skies were clear, the satellite tilted back to take a detailed photo of the surface. If clouds obscured the view, it skipped the shot—saving time, storage, and bandwidth. “If you can be smart about what...
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