Applications of AI in Space Domain

Abstract

We observe a growing interest in satellites, driven by small and micro-satellites, as operations become more ambitious and there is the need of changing satellites’ missions over time during their expeditions. Artificial Intelligence, especially Machine Learning, and DevOps are getting increasing attention also in the space domain. This is the first systematic survey exploring space architectures supporting Artificial Intelligence and DevOps. The study reviews 28 studies from 2012-2023; while AI integration was present in the 28 studies, DevOps implementation was limited. This discrepancy between the need for DevOps approaches and lack of studies that deal with it can be considered as one of the findings of this article. Validation mostly relies on controlled experiments, indicating limited real-world application. Challenges encompass environment, hardware, software, communication, and culture.