TelePIX said on the 17th that it successfully carried out Korea's first on-orbit wireless software update (OTA) through its artificial intelligence (AI) CubeSat BlueBON. It then completed verification of a system that processes video taken by the BlueBON satellite on-board.
On the 8th, TelePIX updated software on its self-developed intelligent satellite processing board TetraPLEX, which has an embedded graphics processing unit (GPU), and conducted a test to process in Earth orbit video that the BlueBON satellite had captured about two hours earlier.
The test confirmed that the video processed on the satellite produced the same results as processing at the ground station. During the test, the video captured by the BlueBON satellite and processed directly on-board clearly showed the pyramids in the Cairo region of Egypt. The company said it has secured core infrastructure for an intelligent satellite operations system that processes data and makes decisions directly in orbit.
In particular, this achievement is the first domestic case to prove in space the effectiveness of the wireless software update (OTA) technology that TelePIX designed in-house. To date, only some global leading corporations such as SpaceX have succeeded in commercializing the technology. Also referred to as the OTV (Over-the-Vacuum) method, this technology is considered a key capability for future large-scale satellite constellations.
Through this OTA technology verification, the scalability of TetraPLEX was also confirmed. It can be expanded to active control for space situational awareness, autonomous navigation for deep-space exploration, and on-orbit servicing (OOS).
Based on these results, TelePIX plans to continue high-performance image processing tests that fully leverage GPU resources. Additional test items will include various GPU-based image processing tests, verification of autonomous deep-space navigation algorithms based on image correlation techniques through precise attitude control, and development of space situational awareness algorithms, among other on-orbit tests for next-generation satellite missions.
Han Ju-seung, principal researcher of the Electronics Research Team in the Mission Systems Division at TelePIX, said, "This test goes beyond simple function verification and is an important turning point toward a 'fully intelligent satellite era' in which satellites process data and make judgments on their own," adding, "By leveraging GPU computing resources, we will open an era in which AI operates in real time in the extreme environment of space."