How AI will be helping to commercialize space
Even before modern computers became a reality, science fiction gave us a plethora of examples of artificial intelligence and smart robots in the context of outer space. From Hal in 2001: A Space Odyssey and the computer on Star Trek to C3PO and R2D2 in Star Wars and even the fantastic machines in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, it seems that AI and space go together. While those examples are fiction, we are indeed starting to see examples in the real world where we are using artificial intelligence to help commercialize space.
AI Assisting in the Manufacturing of Satellites and Spacecraft
Satellites and spacecraft are complex and expensive pieces of equipment to put together. Within the spacecraft manufacturing operations, there are repetitive and complex tasks that need to be done with exacting measures of precision and often must be done in clean rooms with little exposure to potential contamination. AI-enabled systems and robotics are being used to help the manufacturing process and take away some of the tasks that humans currently do so that humans can focus on the parts that computers can’t assemble.