Intel has recently announced its involvement in PhiSat-1, a recently launched miniature satellite that entered sun-synchronous orbit on September 2nd. This new satellite is equipped with an innovative hyperspectral-thermal camera, as well as an Intel Movidius Myriad 2 Vision Processing Unit. While this VPU is currently utilized in various consumer products here on Earth, this marks its inaugural journey into space – and the first instance of it processing substantial quantities of data directly on the satellite, thereby conserving valuable time for researchers and reducing the need for extensive satellite downlink bandwidth.

In detail, the artificial intelligence integrated into PhiSat-1 is designed to automatically detect and identify cloud cover within images. This is crucial because cloud cover obscures the Earth’s surface, hindering the observations of scientists analyzing the data. By filtering out these images before transmission, the satellite can achieve bandwidth reductions of up to 30%, ensuring that a greater volume of valuable data is sent to Earth during periods of connectivity with ground stations.

The AI software powering PhiSat-1’s Intel Myriad 2 was developed by the company Ubotica, in collaboration with the manufacturer of the hyperspectral camera. The software also underwent specific adjustments to account for increased radiation exposure. Notably, testing conducted at CERN revealed that the hardware itself did not require any modifications to meet the performance criteria for its intended mission.

Performing computations at the network edge gains a new dimension when applied to orbiting satellites, but it’s a clear application where onboard AI offers significant advantages. The same motivations driving companies to process data and perform analytics near sensor locations on Earth are amplified in space, particularly concerning network accessibility and connection reliability. Consequently, we can anticipate a growing trend of this approach.

PhiSat-1 was deployed in September as part of Arianspace’s initial rideshare demonstration mission, intended to showcase their capability to provide launch services to smaller companies with smaller payloads at reduced costs.