First geospatial foundation model in orbit

Who claims it, in their own words, and what else was read.

Claimed for before December 2025

“has successfully uploaded and demonstrated NASA and IBM's open-source Prithvi Geospatial artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model aboard two in-orbit platforms, making it the first geospatial foundation model to be deployed in orbit”
NASA, which made the model with IBM: maker of the model. Published 7 May 2026. Prithvi on the IMAGIN-e payload, International Space Station

Contested. Another source, read here, reports something that may be earlier or the same. Which is right turns on a definition or on a fact not stated.

Xinhua reports an 8-billion-parameter remote sensing model in use on the Three-Body constellation in November 2025; whether that is a geospatial foundation model is a matter of definition. Separately, the team's own preprint reports an in-orbit run on one platform, not the two that NASA's article names.

Set against

“8-billion-parameter remote sensing model”
Xinhua, relaying Zhejiang Lab: the operator, through a state news agency. Published 13 Feb 2026. Three-Body Computing Constellation
“direct on-orbit testing was not possible due to a technical anomaly affecting the EO payload interface”
Du et al., the research team: the experimenter. Published 1 Dec 2025. Prithvi on the IMAGIN-e payload, International Space Station

What a status means

stands as worded Nothing read contradicts the claim in the scope its maker gave it.
contradicted An earlier dated source, read here, reports the same thing.
contested Another source, read here, reports something that may be earlier or the same. Which is right turns on a definition or on a fact not stated.
unchecked Recorded as made. No earlier claim was found, and none was searched for.
out of scope The claim is true or false of something that did not run in space.

Every first claimed