Press Release
OHB Digital Connect conducts study for future transportation infrastructure in space
Development of ideas for a networked fleet of autonomously operating spacecraft
Bremen, November 8, 2024 - OHB Digital Connect has been selected by ESA to develop ideas for a networked fleet of autonomously operating transport vehicles in space in partnership with OHB Hellas and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI).
The study is called InSPoC-3 and is part of ESA's In-Space Proof-of-Concept (InSPoC) initiative, which aims to strengthen the economic ecosystem in space by enabling technological developments in the following areas:
- Rendezvous and coupling in orbit (InSPoC-1)
- Refueling in orbit and fuel management (InSPoC-2)
- On-board processing and fleet intelligence (InSPoC-3)
- Containerization and cargo transfer (InSPoC-4)
The key technologies that OHB Digital Connect will be working on as part of the study are:
- Autonomy and reconfigurability of on-board systems
- Safety, durability and reusability of on-board systems
- Swarm intelligence
The project team will be using a software-centric approach to explore the benefits of implementing AI into on-board computers and using it for spacecraft operation and fleet management.
In the long run, this will enable operators of a single spacecraft to become administrators of an intelligent fleet.
With the project, OHB Digital Connect is expanding its expertise in the use of AI for spacecraft operation and strengthening its position as lead of the OHB Competence Hub for AI.
ESA's In-Space Proof-of-Concept (InSPoC) initiative aims to strengthen the economic ecosystem in space.
© ESA
About OHB Digital Connect
OHB Digital Connect is a subsidiary of the Bremen-based space and technology group OHB SE.
Our mission: We establish the connection between the ground and space and bring satellite data into application.
We.Connect.Space.
Media Contact
Pia Bausch
Corporate Communications
Phone: +49 421 2020 6511
Email: pia.bausch@ohb.de