AIML-supported Space MAITRI mission part of historic launch agreement
Earlier this year, AIML supported a landmark launch-service agreement between Space Machines Company and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of the ISRO - Indian Space Research Organization, for the launch of the second Optimus spacecraft, the largest Australian-designed and built spacecraft so far.
The craft is scheduled for launch in 2026 aboard NSIL’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) in a mission entitled the Space MAITRI मैत्री (Mission for Australia-India’s Technology, Research and Innovation) which is also Sanskrit for ‘friendship.’
“Space MAITRI’s focus is around ‘orbit servicing,’ said Professor Tat-Jun Chin, the SmartSat CRC Professorial Chair of Sentient Satellites for the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML). 'Instead of creating spacecraft for passive data collection, we’re creating platforms to do useful things such as cleaning space debris, repairing other devices in space, and other services.'
Professor Chin notes that #artificialintelligence could play a key role in orbit servicing. He and his team took images of spacecraft to measure various factors and help ensure the Space Maitri mission’s success.
‘AIML members took multiple photos of space craft in order to influence spacecraft perception as well as see what we can learn about a spacecraft’s trajectory, intent, functionality, pose (a spacecraft’s relative position and pointing direction), shape, and other factors,’ said Professor Chin. ‘Using AI allows us to analyse these photos [in just] a few seconds.’ #space #UniOfAdelaide
For more information, please visit ➡ https://lnkd.in/gRudAxkx