Early results and inflight experience of the 6U-mission SONATE-2

Le résumé fourni par la source

SONATE-2 is a 6U+ CubeSat for technology demonstration developed at the University of Würzburg. It was launched on SpaceX’ Transporter-10 mission into a 527x505 km Sun synchronous orbit on March 4, 2024. Recent missions have used AI for on-board image analysis only with models trained on ground. The SONATE-2 mission introduces on-board training of the AI models, allowing new applications like anomaly detection, which are only possible by training in space using images captured on-board. This is an important feature for future interplanetary missions, where no sufficient image data is available for pre-training AI models on the ground and supervised training is difficult due to a limited communication link. The primary goal of the SONATE-2 mission is the in-orbit demonstration of a new AI processing platform, which was developed based on COTS hardware. Secondary objectives include several ADCS experiments, tests of a pulsed plasma thruster for attitude control, and the operation of an amateur radio payload. During the first weeks of its operation in orbit during LEOP and commissioning the SONATE-2 performs as expected. All systems have been checked out and the post-launch calibration of the AI payload and satellite bus has started. The amateur radio payload was activated on several days and was successfully received by radio amateurs worldwide.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.