London engineers are pilot-testing space planning AI where satellites refuel and repair one another without human assistance, as part of the broader satellite autonomy launched by Spacenews on April 4.
As spacecraft start to think for themselves,how much do humans need to give up control to machines orbiting around Earth?
Lunasa, the startup company that has engineers who run complex simulations where robotic satellites navigate through virtual space. AI decides each move, using the same algorithm used by driverless cars, but this time, it is on a deeper level, in the vast space.
With such technologies getting smarter, they could alter how the world addresses planning space, autonomy, and security in the skies. But a single mistake could shut down global communications and cost billions.
Artificial Intelligence for Trusted Autonomous Satellite Operations
Over time, the space industry is expanding its horizon, with almost 2,800 satellites launched in 2023 alone, according to US non-profit, Space Foundation. Earth-orbiting satellites make modern life possible from weather forecasts and GPS, global banking.
Now, startups like Lunasa are teaching satellites to think for themselves using artificial intelligence in satellites that allows them to land, refuel, and repair other spacecrafts.
“We use AI for visual-based navigation,” said Haaris Khan, an engineer at the startup Lunasa, adding, “this is kind of like a self-driving car. Whereas a self-driving car would drive itself on the road using AI, we use the same kind of AI to pilot satellites in an autonomous way.”
The system uses cameras and sensors to measure distance and movement. Then, data is integrated into onboard AI order processing to determine how the satellite will move to its target destination. But for sure, before any of these machines are tested in orbit, they are practiced in a ‘digital twin’ – high fidelity simulation of real space conditions.
The project is part of a UK Space Agency program that funds 23 international partnerships to strengthen Europe’s space situational awareness market. While none of Lunasa’s systems have yet launched, the company will demo its technology in 2026 on an Australian satellite for inspection.
AI Smart Spaces Technology
Across the Atlantic, innovation continues with American firms NOVI and Sedaro, who recently demonstrated “edge autonomy”, where a satellite operates without human control. Using satellite intelligence, their spacecraft probed information in real-time and adapted to its environment without ground control.
Sedaro CTO Sebastian Welsh explained this autonomy as “required for long-term commercial sustainability and strategic advantage in space.” Their digital twin technology allowed the satellite to react to threats, adjust orbits, and manage power, a hypothesis that soon could be defining space tech Europe and beyond.
Space resource technologies will allow satellites to employ AI to communicate and independent scheduled repairs. This paves the way to create an ecosystem of next-generation satellite systems. Moreover, AI smart spaces technology, AI space planning computer programs and dynamic AI space plans are tested to enhance spaceflight networks management and prevent collisions in orbit.
Yet, AI space planning software development also questions the level of trust and credibility. Can space planning AI truly manage critical missions without human oversight?
The future of space planning AI has nothing to do with satellite intelligence; it’s about creating a space in which machines act responsibly. Where space planning meets smart autonomy, human civilization moves a first step closer to a new frontier where technology not just facilitates space exploration but also plans and protects it.
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