SATELLITERY: AN AI WALKTHROUGH
Artificial Intelligence has grown by leaps and bounds and has found a suitable domain for itself in almost every other animal. It has become increasingly attractive for a wide array of jobs-from answering queries, skimming paragraphs, writing essays, or even just simulating a generic conversation with a human.
One interesting place where AI is being employed in satellites. Satellites play roles in communication, weather forecasting, Earth observation, navigation, and even defense. Traditionally, these satellites were launched with fixed systems and would need ground control for almost everything. But today, satellites are becoming smarter and more independent with AI.
The AI onboard a satellite enables it to make small decisions without being put on hold for instructions from Earth. For example, in Earth observation, the AI enables a satellite to analyze images for detecting wildfires, floods, or illegal deforestation. Instead of first sending back all these images to Earth for human review, AI onboard satellites processes this data on the fly and identifies important changes so the satellite only sends relevant information back to Earth, thereby saving a huge chunk of bandwidth and time.
Then there is: The problem of "space junk" — discarded parts emanating in the form of debris of old rockets or broken satellites floating around there that have the potential to collide with or damage the operations of other spacecraft. AI systems can constitute the means by which satellites track the space debris and accordingly adjust their orbits to avoid any collisions. This, indeed, makes space travel much safer and efficient.
The AI also plays its part in satellite operation and maintenance. Using machine learning algorithms, scientists foresee satellite health evolutions, forecast system failures before they even happen, and schedule repairs or updates to be done remotely. Such predictive maintenance is on a good track to revolutionizing the operation of satellites.
In satellite insertions, AI also plays its role. It aids in setting signal traffic patterns, controlling noise, and improving the capacity of a transmission. Some AI systems can also reconfigure satellite communications systems on the fly to suit changes in demand or situations, for example, during natural disasters. AI is also being utilized in satellite design. Simulation and AI modeling tools contribute to engineers trying to build better and more efficient satellite systems much faster.
To summarize, therefore, AI is not just making satellites smart. It is laying the foundation for the space industry itself. From upstream decision-making to debris avoidance, communication, and system.
