Turkey Integrates AI to Monitor Space Activity

Turkish Aeronautical Association University is integrating AI into its project to monitor the activity in space.

• The project aims to track space activity, including satellites passing over Turkey, using AI algorithms.
• The team focuses on developing AI applications capable of real-time identification and monitoring of satellites and space objects.

Turkish Aeronautical Association University is integrating AI into monitoring the activity in space, enhancing national security and advancing space awareness.

Led by Professor Tahsin Cagri Sisman, the university’s Vice Rector, the project aims to track activity in space, including satellites passing over Turkey using AI algorithms.

This initiative is part of Turkey’s National Space Program, which seeks to observe and track space objects from the ground. The team believes in developing AI applications capable of identifying and monitoring satellites and space objects in real-time. As a result, the project, which began 2 years prior, employs domestic AI technology to determine the position, speed, and orbit of space assets passing over the country.

They injected orbital mechanics, which is the science of how objects move around each other in space due to gravity, with deep learning (DL) techniques. In layperson’s terms, orbital mechanics relies on complex equations, but real-world situations most often also introduce additional unknowns. So, the teams trained the DL on large datasets of orbital data to account for said complexities. The result is a much more accurate prediction. This peculiar but not at all surprising integration enables instantaneous analysis of space objects observable through amateur radio bands.

One of the main focuses is observing the activity in space for national security purposes. Sisman shared the importance of indigenous projects in safeguarding Turkey’s security interests, particularly in tracking spy satellites. Currently, orbit data for such satellites is not readily accessible through existing channels. This in turn necessitates the development of AI-based solutions to monitor their movements.

So, by leveraging AI to track and ascertain the orbits of spy satellites, the project provides valuable insights into their transit schedules over Turkey. If any of them were to be involved in any clandestine activities, the DL could detect it and the government can subsequently mobilize its efforts to mitigate the threat.

Beyond that, AI can continuously monitor the trajectories of space debris and satellites in real-time. Nobody wants a repeat of space junk from the International Space Station falling onto a Florida home.

Ultimately, the team is working on elevating the AI application to a more sophisticated level, allowing it to convert data into 3D to more precisely monitor the activity in space.  

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