Looked ahead along its orbit, told cloud from clear sky and decided where to point its instrument, with no human involved.
| Operator | Open Cosmos (the satellite) |
|---|---|
| Developer | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (the software); Ubotica (the payload) |
| Host | CogniSAT-6 |
| Where | Earth orbit |
| Class | perception |
| Hardware | "a commercially available AI processor", not named |
| Model or software | An algorithm trained to identify clouds, with planning software |
| Launched | Mar 2024 |
| Ran | mid-July 2025 |
“The technology enabled an Earth-observing satellite for the first time to look ahead along its orbital path, rapidly process and analyze imagery with onboard AI, and determine where to point an instrument.”
NASA JPL: the developer. How NASA Is Testing AI to Make Earth-Observing Satellites Smarter, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Published 24 Jul 2025 (page metadata). Read 4 Oct 2026, in full.
“The first of a series of flight tests occurred aboard a commercial satellite in mid-July.”
NASA JPL: the developer. How NASA Is Testing AI to Make Earth-Observing Satellites Smarter, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Published 24 Jul 2025 (page metadata). Read 4 Oct 2026, in full.
“hosts a payload designed and developed by Ubotica featuring a commercially available AI processor”
NASA JPL: the developer. How NASA Is Testing AI to Make Earth-Observing Satellites Smarter, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Published 24 Jul 2025 (page metadata). Read 4 Oct 2026, in full.
“CogniSAT-6, a briefcase-size CubeSat that launched in March 2024”
NASA JPL: the developer. How NASA Is Testing AI to Make Earth-Observing Satellites Smarter, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Published 24 Jul 2025 (page metadata). Read 4 Oct 2026, in full.
The statement comes from the maker of the software, about a flight on another company's satellite. Neither Open Cosmos nor Ubotica was read. No catalogue object was found under the name tried.