Ubotica and Kongsberg ‘pioneer’ new era of autonomous smart satellites

Satellite-based autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) provider Ubotica has announced a partnership with small satellite mission integrator Kongsberg NanoAvionics to set new standards in operational efficiency and data delivery for the Earth observation (EO) and defence sectors, enabling substantial cost savings and real-time, high-value insights for satellite users.

Ubotica already has partnerships with NASA JPL, ESA, IBM and Thales Alenia Space, as well as having nine active missions on-orbit. The company said the collaboration with Kongsberg NanoAvionics marks a pivotal shift towards mainstream smarter and more autonomous satellite missions driven by edge AI. Together, the companies are setting new standards for small satellite performance in the rapidly evolving “NewSpace” economy.

The partnership will see Kongsberg NanoAvionic deploy Ubotica’s SPACE:AI processing solutions, including CogniSAT-CRC (cloud removal and compression) technology, integrated across satellite platforms as an optional feature for Earth observation missions. The integration is said to position NanoAvionics as the first large-scale satellite manufacturer to offer edge AI as a standard feature, setting new standards for satellite technology and maximising mission longevity, reliability and return on investment across commercial, institutional and governmental partnerships.

SPACE:AI features include ship detection and oil slick monitoring, as well as other critical insights that can be uploaded in response to new business cases. Ubotica believes the ability to deliver mission-critical insights in near real time supports critical, time-sensitive decisions makes its flagship product a “unique asset” in sectors requiring low-latency insights, including government, defence and emergency response.

A key SPACE:AI application is CogniSAT-CRC, which is designed to address the common challenge of cloud cover in satellite imaging. CogniSAT-CRC autonomously removes clouds and compresses data in orbit, ensuring only high-quality images reach ground stations. This capability is said to reduce downlink expenses by up to 85% and enable users to act quickly on critical insights.

With SPACE:AI integrated into its satellite bus, NanoAvionics is confident that its customers can use in-orbit edge AI processing to transform the economics and real-time capabilities of Earth observation. SPACE:AI solutions are based on a pay-as-you-go pricing model to lower the initial costs of advanced AI technology and distribute expenses across a satellite’s lifespan.

“At NanoAvionics, our top priority in product development is maximising our customers’ return on investment by delivering reliable, cutting-edge satellite platforms tailored to their mission needs,” said Arnoldas Peciukevicius, director of product and mission development at NanoAvionics.

“The integration of Ubotica’s in-orbit processing capabilities is well aligned with this commitment, offering enhanced operational efficiency, cost savings and real-time insights that drive value. This image-agnostic feature is designed to elevate Earth observation applications for both current and future customers, equipping them with the tools to make faster and more effective data-driven decisions,” he added.

Ubotica’s global sales director, Matti Ekdahl, said: “Ubotica is dedicated to transforming real-time satellite data processing with SPACE:AI for more efficient Earth observations, and our partnership with Kongsberg NanoAvionics is a major step toward making this technology more accessible to operators.”