Korea Aerospace Industries (047810.KS) said it has completed a pilot mission demonstrating artificial intelligence-based autonomous operation technology that allows a satellite in orbit to autonomously diagnose its own condition and respond.
KAI said on the 21st that it successfully finished the technology demonstration after installing its in-house AI module on the BEE-1012 cube satellite, which reached space during the fifth launch of the Nuri rocket on the 7th of this month. The mission is a follow-up to a memorandum of understanding on cube satellite AI demonstration cooperation that KAI signed with Space Lintec in March this year. Yonsei University and Fungin, a defense AI company, also took part in the project.
KAI verified what it calls AI onboard processing technology, in which the AI module aboard the satellite autonomously analyzes abnormal conditions based on data collected in the space environment and derives optimal solutions. The demonstration followed a three-step process: a ground station sent a simulated fault signal, the AI module analyzed the cause and scope, and it then generated a technical report containing a response plan and transmitted it back to the ground station.
Existing satellites must send data to a ground station when a problem occurs and wait for the analysis results. With KAI's AI module, by contrast, decisions can be made in real time while the satellite is in orbit, the company said. KAI expects the technology to improve satellite survivability and sharply reduce communication costs for transmitting and receiving data with ground stations, making it central to the era of fully autonomous satellites.
KAI developed the AI module in-house by applying fault and lifespan prediction systems and predictive maintenance technology refined through aircraft development to the satellite field, training the module on tens of thousands of failure scenarios. "Through cooperation with Fungin, we implemented an intelligent solution optimized for the space environment, while also contributing to self-reliance in space and defense semiconductors by adopting the neural processing unit of Mobilint, a domestic startup," a KAI official said.
Building on the results, KAI will launch its main autonomous operation technology demonstration mission starting in December this year. The aim is to maximize the reliability of the technology and establish core standard specifications for the various satellite systems KAI will build in the future.
"We have verified that AI-based satellite autonomous operation technology works in actual space, and going forward we will integrate our entire space system on the basis of AI technology," said Seo Hyun-seok, executive director and head of KAI's space business division. "KAI will apply advanced space AI technology to a range of next-generation satellite systems and grow into a satellite solutions company leading the global new space market."
