Australian researchers have launched a $7 million project to build smarter spacecraft that don’t rely on ground communications.
The University of South Australia (UniSA), funded by the SmartSat Collaborative Research Center (CRC), Australia’s leading space research center, today announced plans to develop a new autonomous spacecraft powered by artificial intelligence (AI). bottom.
The UniSA-led three-year project will involve eight SmartSat universities and industry partners, including Airbus, Ascension, Deakin University, Defense Science and Technology Group, Leonardo Australia, Saab Australia and Swinburne University of Technology.
This research project will demonstrate that, without intervention from Earth, small distributed spacecraft can make decisions independently, optimize the use of available resources and capabilities, adapt to changing conditions, and respond to critical situations. The aim is to create a set of autonomous algorithms that can deal with
The project will identify and prioritize industry and defense partners, focusing on high-impact areas of spacecraft autonomy and onboard AI.
- Onboard processing and actionable intelligence
- Small Spaceships and Constellation Resilience
- Dynamic optimization of constellation resources
- Real-time task processing and resource allocation
SmartSat CRC Artificial Intelligence Chair Professor Ryszard Kowalczyk, who leads the UniSA STEM project, says spacecraft autonomy will be a key feature of next-generation space systems.
“Vehicles that can operate independently of contact with the ground will be able to respond in real time to unexpected events without having to wait for commands from Earth. It will improve other critical services on board and enable us to advance space exploration in space,” says Kowarczyk, a farther boundary in orbit.
“This will improve the responsiveness and continuity of space-based observations, minimize latency in communications and data access, and reduce both space and ground operating costs.”
Professor Andy Koronios, CEO of SmartSat CRC, said that until now, on-board processing has been limited to data collection, but the algorithms the researchers have developed will allow the spacecraft to perform many tasks with less human operator intervention. He said he hopes to be able to do it.
“As autonomous technology advances and becomes more accepted, its status in space will expand, opening up new opportunities for terrestrial applications,” says Coronios.
“The next generation of satellite communications and earth observation will be enabled using an integrated system of satellite constellations that operate autonomously and perform multiple tasks in real time.
“Such AI-enabled technology promises to transform key sectors of the economy, such as agriculture, farming and mining, to better serve national defense and national security objectives.
“This investment will be made possible by the significant support of the Australian Commonwealth Government’s CRC program and will give us the opportunity to develop cutting-edge technologies in space autonomy.”
The project team also recruited world-leading researchers to contribute their expertise to the project, including Professor Hanspeter Schaub, an expert in spacecraft astrodynamics who is currently accepted into UniSA under the SmartSat Visiting Scholarship. I’m planning on getting it.
