Space4 Center Harnesses AI to Promote Safety in Space
SIE professor Roberto Furfaro leads the university’s role in the $1.9M initiative to make space operations more secure.
Space around the Earth is becoming increasingly congested with both active satellites and space debris.
The University of Arizona is part of an international collaboration that is exploring how artificial intelligence can be harnessed to improve space operations, safety and sustainability.
Roberto Furfaro, professor of systems and industrial engineering and deputy director of the Space4 Center, is the UA co-principal investigator on the approximately $1.9 million initiative.
The project will accelerate the development of AI technologies from concept, at early technology readiness levels, to adoption in the space sector. The partnership also paves the way for the creation of a new virtual Institute on AI for Space Safety & Sustainability aimed at attracting additional funding for further work.
"Our primary objective is to create dependable AI systems capable of managing the inherent uncertainties of space, which have very real policy, insurance and safety implications," Furfaro said. "The international team will develop AI solutions for analyzing space object behaviors, automating operations and ensuring the long-term preservation of space."
Learn more about the Space4 Center's mission to promote safety and sustainability in space here.