(under preparation)
As identified since 2018 in the ESA Technology Strategy (p 16), "Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the core of most current digital disruptions, accelerating competition and speeding up digital transformations. Worldwide, public and private sector investment in AI is still growing fast, with the primary investors being the digital giants. The largest share goes to machine learning, characterised by its multiuse and nonspecific applications, followed by computer vision, natural languages, autonomous vehicles and smart robotics (retail and manufacturing) and virtual agents (services).
ESA has been at the leading edge of academic AI research related to space with activities on deep learning already performed already in early 2015. Φ-sat-1 (2020) included the first AI to be carried on a European Earth observation mission. To avoid downlinking less than perfect images, the Φ-sat-1 artificial intelligence chip filters them out."
This topical cluster groups AI related activities, which typically started as ideas submitted on OSIP, and then got selected as successful proposals.
AI related activities by ESA's Advanced Concepts Team are visible here, as well as related publications.
related ESA webstories:
- Will the future of onboard spacecraft guidance be neural based?. 19/06/2024 (...)
- ESA extends AI and cloud computing to space, 02/05/2023
- AI in Earth observation: a force for good, 09/05/2024
- Deep Space Learning, 01/10/2015
Related AI-focussed ESA missions:
- Φsat-2, a cubesat designed to demonstrate how different Artificial Intelligence technologies can advance observing Earth from space.
- OPS-SAT, devoted to demonstrating drastically improved mission control capabilities, that will arise when satellites can fly more powerful on-board computers.
- ...
Related ESA-organised events and conferences (partial list)
- SPAICE: AI in and for Space, 17. – 19. September 2024, ECSAT (UK)
Related ESA resources: