Description
What if a satellite could look ahead, recognise what matters and decide for itself where to point its camera – all before a mission controller on Earth could intervene?
Join the British Interplanetary Society for an evening exploring the engineering behind a new generation of autonomous spacecraft, with Jordi Barrera Ars, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Open Cosmos.
At the heart of the discussion is Dynamic Targeting, the award-winning collaboration between Open Cosmos, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Ubotica Technologies. Demonstrated aboard the HAMMER satellite, used for Ubotica’s CogniSAT-6 mission, the technology brings artificial intelligence into the spacecraft’s observation loop: looking ahead along its orbital path, analysing imagery onboard and deciding where to make a follow-up observation without waiting for instructions from the ground.
The initial demonstration tackled a familiar frustration in Earth observation: clouds obscuring the view. By identifying clear areas ahead and selecting useful imaging opportunities, a satellite can make better use of its observing time, onboard storage and communications capacity. But cloud avoidance is only the beginning. The wider possibilities include responding to rapidly changing events such as wildfires, storms and volcanic eruptions—and, ultimately, coordinating observations between multiple spacecraft.
This talk will explore the transition from individual “smart satellites” towards more responsive, coordinated space systems. For an audience interested in the practical engineering, it offers a compelling route into onboard computer vision, edge processing, spacecraft pointing, and the challenge of turning an AI-generated decision into a useful scientific observation.
About the Event
How much decision-making should move from the ground into orbit? What are the constraints on acting in real time? And what could become possible when satellites work together rather than simply follow separate schedules?
Join us to explore how spacecraft autonomy could change not just how much data we collect from space, but how intelligently we choose it.
Jordi’s presentation will be online via Zoom. The presentation will be followed by questions and discussion.
Join us in person at Arthur C. Clarke House or online to hear about this remarkable project.
About the Speaker
Jordi Barrera Ars is Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Open Cosmos. He has more than a decade of experience in the small-satellite industry, and has contributed to the delivery of Earth-observation, technology-demonstration and communications satellites from concept to orbit.
His technical experience spans mechanical and structural engineering, space systems, assembly, integration and testing, propulsion, thermal engineering and quality assurance, alongside programme and team management.
