 | 🤖 AI Insights from the Brains at SpaceNews 🧠 | | | | | | Battlefront AI This week's issue dives into the cutting-edge intersections of space and artificial intelligence—from Finland's Iceye supplying satellite imagery for AI-powered targeting to the U.S.-China race for orbital AI supremacy. As adversarial machine learning (AML) and edge AI redefine what's possible in space operations, the industry faces both incredible opportunities and unprecedented challenges.
Whether it's single-pixel attacks, on-board AI for smarter satellites, or global competition for AI-enhanced dominance, understanding these trends is crucial.
Onward and upward,
— Brian Berger, SpaceNews Editor-in-Chief
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| | |  | | | Iceye-Lockheed deal aims to train resilient AI for F-35 targeting
Finnish satellite operator Iceye will supply Lockheed Martin with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery to train AI-powered automated target recognition (ATR) systems under a deal announced Nov. 20. These systems will help Finland's incoming fleet of F-35 attack aircraft strike their targets with precision, even in poor visibility.
Lockheed's Jonathon Brant explained at a news conference this week that ATR systems face a new form of digital sabotage called adversarial machine learning (AML). In an AML attack, small, deliberate changes—like a single altered pixel—can fool AI into misclassifying targets. A military vehicle might appear as empty terrain, or worse, a civilian structure could be mistaken for a threat.
To counter these risks, Lockheed is advancing AI-driven multi-modal data fusion, combining radar and optical imagery to cross-check and refine decisions. At the same time, the company is collaborating with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to set standards for AI resilience, ensuring systems like ATR can withstand AML attacks.
Why it matters: Iceye's SAR imagery complements the electro-optical data Lockheed receives from Maxar, enabling ATR systems to combine radar and optical inputs for greater accuracy. Together, these technologies ensure more precise targeting while advancing resilience against next-generation threats.
📖 Learn more: Read the full story.
| | | Ubotica and NanoAvionics team up to bring edge AI to satellite missions
Even if your satellites can't see through clouds, on-board AI like Ubotica's SPACE:AI can help operators avoid transmitting cloud-obscured images. The Irish AI specialist has partnered with Lithuanian satellite manufacturer NanoAvionics to offer SPACE:AI as an optional plug-and-play upgrade for Earth observation (EO) missions, enabling real-time data filtering, compression, and reduced downlink costs by up to 85%.
NanoAvionics customers can request SPACE:AI as a plug-and-play upgrade for satellites still in development. Key features of SPACE:AI include: • CogniSAT-CRC: A core technology for cloud removal and data compression, ensuring only high-quality, usable data is transmitted to the ground. • In-orbit model management: A built-in workflow for training, validating, and continuously updating AI models in orbit, enabling satellites to adapt to changing mission requirements throughout their operational lifespan.
While SPACE:AI is available now as an option for new satellite orders, the first NanoAvionics satellites featuring the technology are expected to launch in 2026. Ubotica tells SpaceNext AI that SPACE:AI has already flown on nine missions, including collaborations with NASA JPL and ESA, proving its effectiveness in real-world applications like ship detection, flood monitoring, and anomaly detection in marine ecosystems.
Takeaway: With edge AI increasingly used for on-board data processing, SPACE:AI positions NanoAvionics customers to streamline workflows, reduce costs, and gain faster access to actionable insights for Earth observation missions.
| | | The U.S.-China Race for AI Superiority in Orbit
China's rapid advancements in artificial intelligence for space applications are reshaping the global balance of power—and the U.S. risks falling behind. That's the urgent message of a 649-page report released this week by the bipartisan U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The report calls for Congress to act decisively, including funding a "Manhattan Project-like" initiative to ensure the U.S. retains its edge in AI and space technologies.
What the Report Reveals
China's strides in AI are transforming its space capabilities: - AI-Driven Surveillance Systems: Chinese ISR satellites now use machine learning models to automate image processing, integrate multi-source data, and enable near-real-time targeting.
- Example: These tools allow China to identify naval assets in the Indo-Pacific faster and with greater precision.
- Autonomous Spacecraft: China is advancing spacecraft capable of independent decision-making in degraded communication environments, reducing reliance on real-time control.
- AI-Enhanced GEO Surveillance: The Ludi Tance-4 01 radar satellite combines synthetic aperture radar with AI algorithms to deliver persistent, all-weather monitoring at 20-meter resolution—a capability reportedly unmatched in geostationary orbit.
What the Report Recommends To counter these advances, the Commission recommends: - A National AI Initiative: Fully fund a program to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI)—AI capable of human-like reasoning—for defense and space applications.
- DX Rating for AI Projects: Prioritize defense AI programs by assigning DX Rating status, ensuring top access to funding, resources, and accelerated timelines.
Meanwhile, the U.S. faces hurdles in maintaining its lead, including chip supply chain issues, bureaucratic delays, and resource constraints. Without swift action, the U.S. risks losing this critical edge.
📖 Want More? Dive deeper into the Commission's findings with Sandra Erwin's full story, which breaks down the report's key takeaways and their implications for U.S. space policy.
| | |  | | | | About SpaceNext AI
SpaceNext AI is a weekly newsletter on how artificial intelligence is reshaping the space industry, delivering sharp, insightful updates on AI's role in space exploration and technology.
How We Use AI AI assists with research and drafting, but each insight is carefully reviewed and refined by me to keep our content accurate, engaging, and relevant.
Discover More Find more stories at SpaceNews.com, and follow us on X and LinkedIn for live updates on AI's evolving impact in space. Have tips or feedback? Share them here. | | | | | | What's New With SpaceNews? |  | | Check out the latest episode of Commercial Space Transformers, our new video series featuring conversations between SpaceNews Senior Staff Writer Jason Rainbow and the people driving the space industry's commercial transformation. This week, MDA Space CEO Mike Greenley dives into his company's evolution from subcontractor to constellation prime to capitalize on the industry's growing preference for satellite builders with advanced payload expertise.
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