AstroForge is putting AI in command of its next spacecraft
techcrunch ·
AstroForge is developing an autonomous spacecraft control system named 'Solo' to address the communication limitations faced by space startups. The company previously struggled with its Odin prototype, which suffered from connectivity issues in deep space, prompting a shift toward onboard intelligence. Solo utilizes a transformer-based model trained on data from approximately 2,500 sensors to handle anomaly resolution without constant ground support. This approach contrasts with traditional methods that rely heavily on large teams of flight controllers and extensive redundancy. AstroForge plans to test the Solo system in 'shadow mode' on the DeepSpace-2 mission later this year before launching the fully autonomous Autonomy-1 mission in 2027. The upcoming 2027 mission will ride a Stoke Space rocket and aims to gather scientific data about the Sun. CEO Matthew Gialich emphasizes that this strategy avoids the high costs of building a global ground station network while enabling the spacecraft to self-recover from errors.
techcrunch