As small as a shoebox, but equipped with technology for future missions in the solar system: with artificial intelligence (AI) on board, a small satellite from the University of Würzburg was successfully launched into space from California. A number of experiments are planned, aerospace engineer Hakan Kayal said on Tuesday. The aim is to detect phenomena in space, such as anomalies on planets or asteroids, during later missions.
The satellite was placed into orbit on Tuesday night. “As planned, we were then able to successfully make contact with the satellite in two passes,” the researcher explains. “In the coming days we will continue with the initial testing procedures and gradually check all subsystems of the satellite.”
The nanosatellite called Sonata-2 is now intended, among other things, to investigate geological formations on Earth or areas such as the Sahara and automatically report anything unusual to the scientists. “The image data is evaluated on board using AI,” Kayal explains. For example, future interplanetary missions could detect unexpected short-term light phenomena in the solar system.
The algorithm is trained on board
The satellite, which was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on a rocket and many other satellites, is equipped with four cameras. According to Kayal, the AI will be trained on board for the first time. Such training normally takes place on Earth using powerful computers.
“The satellite is about the size of a shoebox,” the scientist said. 30 by 20 by 10 centimeters, weighing about twelve kilograms. According to Kayal, Sonata-2 is the largest Bavarian satellite to ever reach space. Scientists hope it will operate at an altitude of about 500 kilometers above Earth for at least a year. It should burn up later in the atmosphere and not end up as space debris. The university’s research project is supported by the Federal Ministry of Economy with 2.6 million euros.
Source: Krone
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